Chinese New Year Tales · chapter 5 of 5
The Lantern Trick
灯笼的故事
On the last night of the festival, Grandma tells how a whole city fooled the Emperor of Heaven with nothing but red lanterns.
Read what you hear
- Xiaoyu 奶奶！今天是十五！外边有很多灯笼！
Nǎinai! Jīntiān shì shíwǔ! Wàibian yǒu hěn duō dēnglong!
Grandma! Tonight is the fifteenth! There are so many lanterns outside!
- Mingming 红红的，真好看！我也要一个！
Hónghóng de, zhēn hǎokàn! Wǒ yě yào yí gè!
All red, so pretty! I want one too!
- Grandma 今天是最后一个晚上。灯笼好看吧？
Jīntiān shì zuìhòu yí gè wǎnshang. Dēnglong hǎokàn ba?
Tonight is the last night. Aren't the lanterns pretty?
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1 and 2 of Chinese New Year Tales are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Xiaoyu 为什么大家都要点灯笼？
Wèishénme dàjiā dōu yào diǎn dēnglong?
Why does everyone light lanterns?
- Grandma 因为有一个人，让天上的皇帝看错了。
Yīnwèi yǒu yí gè rén, ràng tiānshàng de huángdì kàn cuò le.
Because one person made the Emperor of Heaven see wrong.
- Mingming 让皇帝看错了？太好玩了！
Ràng huángdì kàn cuò le? Tài hǎowán le!
Made an emperor see wrong? That's so much fun!
- Narrator 很久以前，长安有一个人，叫东方朔。
Hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Cháng'ān yǒu yí gè rén, jiào Dōngfāng Shuò.
Long ago, in Chang'an, there was a man named Dongfang Shuo.
- Yuanxiao 东方朔先生！不好了！
Dōngfāng Shuò xiānsheng! Bù hǎo le!
Master Dongfang Shuo! Something terrible has happened!
- Dongfang Shuo 元宵，你慢一点说。
Yuánxiāo, nǐ màn yìdiǎn shuō.
Yuanxiao, slow down and tell me.
- Yuanxiao 天上的皇帝很生气！十五的晚上，他要烧长安！
Tiānshàng de huángdì hěn shēngqì! Shíwǔ de wǎnshang, tā yào shāo Cháng'ān!
The Emperor of Heaven is very angry! On the fifteenth night, he will burn Chang'an!
- Dongfang Shuo 什么？那大家都没有家了！
Shénme? Nà dàjiā dōu méiyǒu jiā le!
What? Then everyone will lose their homes!
- Yuanxiao 怎么办？我好怕！
Zěnme bàn? Wǒ hǎo pà!
What do we do? I'm so scared!
- Dongfang Shuo 让我想想……有了！
Ràng wǒ xiǎngxiang… Yǒu le!
Let me think... I've got it!
- Dongfang Shuo 十五的晚上，家家都点红灯笼！
Shíwǔ de wǎnshang, jiājiā dōu diǎn hóng dēnglong!
On the fifteenth night, every house lights red lanterns!
- Yuanxiao 灯笼？灯笼能做什么？
Dēnglong? Dēnglong néng zuò shénme?
Lanterns? What can lanterns do?
- Dongfang Shuo 天上的皇帝一看，就会说：那儿已经烧了！
Tiānshàng de huángdì yí kàn, jiù huì shuō: Nàr yǐjīng shāo le!
The Emperor of Heaven will look down and say: it's already burning there!
- Yuanxiao 哈哈！那他就不用烧了！
Hāhā! Nà tā jiù bú yòng shāo le!
Ha ha! Then he won't need to burn it!
- Dongfang Shuo 对！快去告诉大家：灯笼要多，要亮！
Duì! Kuài qù gàosu dàjiā: dēnglong yào duō, yào liàng!
Yes! Go tell everyone: we need many lanterns, and they must be bright!
- Emperor of Heaven 十五的晚上到了！我来烧长安！
Shíwǔ de wǎnshang dào le! Wǒ lái shāo Cháng'ān!
The fifteenth night has come! I will burn Chang'an!
- Emperor of Heaven 什么？下边都是红的！
Shénme? Xiàbian dōu shì hóng de!
What? Everything below is red!
- Emperor of Heaven 已经烧了？那我不烧了。
Yǐjīng shāo le? Nà wǒ bù shāo le.
It's already burning? Then I won't burn it.
- Yuanxiao 先生，天上没有声音了！
Xiānsheng, tiānshàng méiyǒu shēngyīn le!
Master, heaven has gone quiet!
- Dongfang Shuo 哈哈！灯笼让皇帝看错了！
Hāhā! Dēnglong ràng huángdì kàn cuò le!
Ha ha! The lanterns made the emperor see wrong!
- Xiaoyu 灯笼帮了长安的人！
Dēnglong bāng le Cháng'ān de rén!
The lanterns saved the people of Chang'an!
- Mingming 我们也吃元宵吧！
Wǒmen yě chī yuánxiāo ba!
Let's eat yuanxiao too!
- Grandma 好！有人说，元宵这个名字，是那个女孩的名字。
Hǎo! Yǒu rén shuō, yuánxiāo zhège míngzi, shì nàge nǚhái de míngzi.
Good! Some say the sweet rice balls are named after that girl.
- Grandma 五个晚上，五个故事。明年，我讲最大的怪：年。
Wǔ gè wǎnshang, wǔ gè gùshi. Míngnián, wǒ jiǎng zuì dà de guài: Nián.
Five nights, five stories. Next year, I'll tell you about the biggest monster of all: the Nian.
- Xiaoyu 年？我等着！奶奶，新年快乐！
Nián? Wǒ děngzhe! Nǎinai, xīnnián kuàilè!
The Nian? I can't wait! Grandma, happy New Year!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the Emperor of Heaven plan to do?
“十五的晚上，他要烧长安！”
- Who brings the bad news?
“东方朔先生！不好了！”
- What is Dongfang Shuo's plan?
“十五的晚上，家家都点红灯笼！”
- Why does the Emperor of Heaven change his mind?
“已经烧了？那我不烧了。”
- What will Grandma tell next year?
“明年，我讲最大的怪：年。”