Chinese New Year Tales · chapter 1 of 5
Peach Wood and Couplets
桃木和春联
Grandma has five New Year tales to tell. First: two brothers, a peach tree and the ghosts. Then Mingming sticks his lucky 福 on the door the wrong way up.
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Read what you hear
- Xiaoyu 奶奶！明天过年了！我好高兴！
Nǎinai! Míngtiān guònián le! Wǒ hǎo gāoxìng!
Grandma! Tomorrow is New Year! I'm so happy!
- Mingming 奶奶，我不想睡觉。我想玩儿！
Nǎinai, wǒ bù xiǎng shuìjiào. Wǒ xiǎng wánr!
Grandma, I don't want to sleep. I want to play!
- Grandma 好，好。我们不睡觉，我们来听故事。
Hǎo, hǎo. Wǒmen bú shuìjiào, wǒmen lái tīng gùshi.
All right, all right. No sleeping. We'll listen to a story.
- Mingming 什么故事？有大怪吗？有鬼吗？
Shénme gùshi? Yǒu dà guài ma? Yǒu guǐ ma?
What story? Are there big monsters? Are there ghosts?
- Grandma 有大怪，也有鬼。你们怕不怕？
Yǒu dà guài, yě yǒu guǐ. Nǐmen pà bú pà?
There are big monsters, and ghosts too. Are you scared?
- Xiaoyu 我不怕！明明，你怕不怕？
Wǒ bú pà! Míngmíng, nǐ pà bú pà?
I'm not scared! Mingming, are you scared?
- Grandma 五个晚上，我讲五个故事。今天，先讲桃木。
Wǔ gè wǎnshang, wǒ jiǎng wǔ gè gùshi. Jīntiān, xiān jiǎng táomù.
Five nights, five stories. Tonight, we start with peach wood.
- Narrator 很久以前，山上有一个很大的桃树。
Hěn jiǔ yǐqián, shān shàng yǒu yí gè hěn dà de táoshù.
Long ago, there was a huge peach tree on a mountain.
- Yulei 哥哥，你看！山下有很多鬼，他们来了！
Gēge, nǐ kàn! Shān xià yǒu hěn duō guǐ, tāmen lái le!
Big brother, look! Lots of ghosts are down the mountain, and they're coming!
- Shentu 别怕，郁垒。我们在这儿，我们不怕鬼。
Bié pà, Yùlěi. Wǒmen zài zhèr, wǒmen bú pà guǐ.
Don't be afraid, Yulei. We're right here. We aren't afraid of ghosts.
- Ghost 啊！是神荼和郁垒！快跑，快跑！
Ā! Shì Shēntú hé Yùlěi! Kuài pǎo, kuài pǎo!
Ah! It's Shentu and Yulei! Run, run!
- Yulei 你看，鬼都怕我们。太好笑了！
Nǐ kàn, guǐ dōu pà wǒmen. Tài hǎoxiào le!
Look, even the ghosts are afraid of us. That's so funny!
- Shentu 可是，我们不能去很多家。
Kěshì, wǒmen bù néng qù hěn duō jiā.
But we can't go to all those homes.
- Yulei 那怎么办？我们就两个人。
Nà zěnme bàn? Wǒmen jiù liǎng gè rén.
Then what do we do? There are only two of us.
- Shentu 你看，这个树上，有很多桃木。
Nǐ kàn, zhège shù shàng, yǒu hěn duō táomù.
Look, this tree is full of peach wood.
- Yulei 我们能用桃木做什么？
Wǒmen néng yòng táomù zuò shénme?
What can we do with peach wood?
- Shentu 我们把名字，写在桃木上。
Wǒmen bǎ míngzi, xiě zài táomù shàng.
We'll write our names on the peach wood.
- Yulei 人们放在门上，鬼就不能进来了！
Rénmen fàng zài mén shàng, guǐ jiù bù néng jìnlái le!
People will put it on their doors, and the ghosts can't come in!
- Shentu 对！走，我们去告诉大家。
Duì! Zǒu, wǒmen qù gàosu dàjiā.
Yes! Come on, let's go tell everyone.
- Grandma 后来，桃木变成了红纸。这就是春联。
Hòulái, táomù biànchéng le hóngzhǐ. Zhè jiùshì chūnlián.
Later, the peach wood became red paper. That is a spring couplet.
- Xiaoyu 门上那些红字，就是春联吗？
Mén shàng nàxiē hóng zì, jiùshì chūnlián ma?
Those red words on the door are spring couplets?
- Grandma 对！春联上都是好话。你们也来写吧。
Duì! Chūnlián shàng dōu shì hǎohuà. Nǐmen yě lái xiě ba.
Yes! Couplets are full of good wishes. You two write some too.
- Xiaoyu 好！我写“新年好”！
Hǎo! Wǒ xiě “Xīnnián hǎo”!
Okay! I'll write "Happy New Year"!
- Mingming 我写“福”！我要很多福！
Wǒ xiě “fú”! Wǒ yào hěn duō fú!
I'll write "fu", good luck! I want lots of luck!
- Grandma 好字！来，我们贴在门上。
Hǎo zì! Lái, wǒmen tiē zài mén shàng.
Nice writing! Come on, let's stick it on the door.
- Mingming 啊！我贴倒了！我贴错了吗？
Ā! Wǒ tiē dào le! Wǒ tiē cuò le ma?
Oh no! I stuck it on upside down! Did I mess up?
- Grandma 别动！福倒了，是好事。
Bié dòng! Fú dào le, shì hǎoshì.
Don't touch it! An upside-down fu is a good thing.
- Mingming 好事？为什么？奶奶，快讲！
Hǎoshì? Wèishénme? Nǎinai, kuài jiǎng!
A good thing? Why? Grandma, tell me, quick!
What changed in the story?
- What is tonight's story about?
“今天，先讲桃木。”
- Why do the ghosts run away?
“啊！是神荼和郁垒！快跑，快跑！”
- What will the brothers write on the peach wood?
“我们把名字，写在桃木上。”
- What is a spring couplet?
“后来，桃木变成了红纸。这就是春联。”……“春联上都是好话。”
- What goes wrong with Mingming's 福?
“啊！我贴倒了！”