Creation of the Gods · chapter 9 of 10
The Battle of Muye
牧野之战
The night before the great battle, a young king can't sleep. At dawn, two armies face each other on a wide plain, and a mirror waits to tell the truth about the queen.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 文王已经不在了。他的儿子武王，带着周国的兵，来到了牧野。
Wénwáng yǐjīng bú zài le. Tā de érzi Wǔwáng, dàizhe Zhōuguó de bīng, lái dào le Mùyě.
King Wen was gone now. His son King Wu led the Zhou army to Muye.
- King Wu 太公，商朝的兵，比我们多很多很多。我睡不着。
Tàigōng, Shāng cháo de bīng, bǐ wǒmen duō hěn duō hěn duō. Wǒ shuì bu zháo.
Master Jiang, the Shang army is far bigger than ours. I can't sleep.
- Jiang Ziya 睡不着的人，想得最清楚。大王，您在想什么？
Shuì bu zháo de rén, xiǎng de zuì qīngchu. Dàwáng, nín zài xiǎng shénme?
People who can't sleep think most clearly. Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?
Chapter 9 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Creation of the Gods is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood and Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing from start to finish.
- King Wu 我在想我父亲。他说过，好人要一直等，等到大家都愿意来。
Wǒ zài xiǎng wǒ fùqīn. Tā shuō guo, hǎorén yào yìzhí děng, děng dào dàjiā dōu yuànyì lái.
I'm thinking of my father. He used to say good people must keep waiting until everyone is willing to come.
- Jiang Ziya 他说得对。您还记得那面镜子吗？我在商朝的宫里，给纣王和妲己看过。
Tā shuō de duì. Nín hái jìde nà miàn jìngzi ma? Wǒ zài Shāng cháo de gōng lǐ, gěi Zhòuwáng hé Dájǐ kàn guo.
He was right. Do you remember the mirror? I showed it to King Zhou and Daji in the Shang palace.
- King Wu 记得。纣王看见镜子里有一只白狐狸，可是他还是相信妲己。
Jìde. Zhòuwáng kànjiàn jìngzi lǐ yǒu yì zhī bái húli, kěshì tā háishi xiāngxìn Dájǐ.
I remember. King Zhou saw a white fox in the mirror, but he still believed Daji.
- Jiang Ziya 是。爱一个人是好事。可是不问真假，就是糊涂。
Shì. Ài yí gè rén shì hǎo shì. Kěshì bú wèn zhēn jiǎ, jiùshì hútu.
Yes. Loving someone is a good thing. But not asking what is true and false is foolish.
- King Wu 太公，明天我们怎么打？我们的兵，这么少。
Tàigōng, míngtiān wǒmen zěnme dǎ? Wǒmen de bīng, zhème shǎo.
Master Jiang, how will we fight tomorrow? Our soldiers are so few.
- Jiang Ziya 明天，您拿好您的白旗，慢慢往前走。剩下的，交给人心。
Míngtiān, nín ná hǎo nín de bái qí, mànmàn wǎng qián zǒu. Shèngxià de, jiāo gěi rénxīn.
Tomorrow, hold your white banner and walk forward slowly. Leave the rest to people's hearts.
- King Wu 人心？太公，我不懂。
Rénxīn? Tàigōng, wǒ bù dǒng.
People's hearts? Master Jiang, I don't understand.
- Jiang Ziya 明天您就懂了。睡吧，武王。
Míngtiān nín jiù dǒng le. Shuì ba, Wǔwáng.
Tomorrow you will. Sleep now, King Wu.
- Narrator 天亮了。牧野的大平原上，两边的兵站在对面。
Tiān liàng le. Mùyě de dà píngyuán shàng, liǎng biān de bīng zhàn zài duìmiàn.
Dawn came. On the great plain of Muye, the two armies stood facing each other.
- King Zhou 打！给我打！他们只有这么几个人，怕什么？
Dǎ! Gěi wǒ dǎ! Tāmen zhǐyǒu zhème jǐ gè rén, pà shénme?
Attack! Attack! They have only this handful of men. What is there to fear?
- Daji 大王，你看……你的兵，怎么不动？
Dàwáng, nǐ kàn… nǐ de bīng, zěnme bú dòng?
Your Majesty, look... why aren't your soldiers moving?
- King Zhou 我说了，打！你们没听见吗？
Wǒ shuō le, dǎ! Nǐmen méi tīngjiàn ma?
I said attack! Didn't you hear me?
- Daji 大王，他们……他们把刀放下了。
Dàwáng, tāmen… tāmen bǎ dāo fàngxià le.
Your Majesty, they... they've put down their swords.
- King Zhou 放下了？一个，两个，一千个……为什么？
Fàngxià le? Yí gè, liǎng gè, yìqiān gè… wèishénme?
Put them down? One, two, a thousand... why?
- Daji 因为……他们想回家。他们很累，也很饿。
Yīnwèi… tāmen xiǎng huí jiā. Tāmen hěn lèi, yě hěn è.
Because... they want to go home. They are tired, and hungry too.
- King Zhou 我是大王！我是他们的大王！
Wǒ shì dàwáng! Wǒ shì tāmen de dàwáng!
I am the king! I am their king!
- Daji 大王，快回宫里去。我们的路，已经走到头了。
Dàwáng, kuài huí gōng lǐ qù. Wǒmen de lù, yǐjīng zǒu dào tóu le.
Your Majesty, go back to the palace. Our road has come to its end.
- Narrator 那一天，商朝的兵就散了。纣王回到宫里，再也没有出来。
Nà yì tiān, Shāng cháo de bīng jiù sàn le. Zhòuwáng huí dào gōng lǐ, zài yě méiyǒu chūlái.
That day, the Shang army broke up. King Zhou went back into his palace and never came out again.
- Daji 放开我！我是妲己夫人！你们敢碰我？
Fàngkāi wǒ! Wǒ shì Dájǐ fūrén! Nǐmen gǎn pèng wǒ?
Let go of me! I am Lady Daji! How dare you touch me?
- Jiang Ziya 夫人，这里没有别人。我们说真话吧。你到底是谁？
Fūrén, zhèlǐ méiyǒu biérén. Wǒmen shuō zhēn huà ba. Nǐ dàodǐ shì shéi?
Madam, no one else is here. Let's speak the truth. Who are you really?
- Daji 你是一个钓鱼的老头。你能把我怎么样？
Nǐ shì yí gè diàoyú de lǎotóu. Nǐ néng bǎ wǒ zěnmeyàng?
You are an old man who fishes. What can you do to me?
- Jiang Ziya 钓了一辈子的鱼，我知道什么时候拉线。现在，请看这面镜子。
Diào le yíbèizi de yú, wǒ zhīdào shénme shíhou lā xiàn. Xiànzài, qǐng kàn zhè miàn jìngzi.
After a lifetime of fishing, I know when to pull the line. Now, please look into this mirror.
- The White Fox 不要……我的脸！我的脸不见了！
Búyào… wǒ de liǎn! Wǒ de liǎn bú jiàn le!
No... my face! My face is gone!
- Jiang Ziya 你的脸没有不见。这才是你。一只山里的白狐狸。
Nǐ de liǎn méiyǒu bú jiàn. Zhè cái shì nǐ. Yì zhī shān lǐ de bái húli.
Your face isn't gone. This is you. A white fox from the mountains.
- The White Fox 女神说，不要伤害好人。我记住了……可是后来，我忘了。好多人哭了。
Nǚshén shuō, bú yào shānghài hǎorén. Wǒ jìzhù le… kěshì hòulái, wǒ wàng le. Hǎo duō rén kū le.
The goddess said not to hurt good people. I remembered... but later I forgot. Many people cried.
- Jiang Ziya 你做的事，你要记住。可是你也是山里的孩子。回山里去吧，不要再变成人。
Nǐ zuò de shì, nǐ yào jìzhù. Kěshì nǐ yě shì shān lǐ de háizi. Huí shān lǐ qù ba, bú yào zài biànchéng rén.
You must remember what you did. But you are also a child of the mountains. Go back to the mountains and never turn into a person again.
- The White Fox 您放我走？谢谢您，钓鱼的老人。我不会再回来了。
Nín fàng wǒ zǒu? Xièxie nín, diàoyú de lǎorén. Wǒ bú huì zài huílái le.
You're letting me go? Thank you, old fisherman. I won't come back.
- Jiang Ziya 商朝已经完了。可是天上还有很多魂，没有地方去。我要为他们修一座高台。
Shāng cháo yǐjīng wán le. Kěshì tiān shàng hái yǒu hěn duō hún, méiyǒu dìfang qù. Wǒ yào wèi tāmen xiū yí zuò gāo tái.
The Shang is finished. But many spirits in the sky have no place to go. I will build a high terrace for them.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Jiang Ziya tell King Wu to do tomorrow?
“拿好您的白旗，慢慢往前走”
- What do King Zhou's soldiers do on the plain?
“他们把刀放下了”
- Why did the soldiers stop fighting?
“他们想回家”
- What does the mirror show Daji to be?
“一只山里的白狐狸”
- What does Jiang Ziya do with the fox?
“回山里去吧”