Even More Aesop's Fables · chapter 2 of 6
Belling the Cat
给猫挂铃铛
The mice have a brilliant plan to hang a bell on the cat. Everybody cheers, until one old mouse asks a very small question.
Read what you hear
- Little Rabbit 爷爷，今天的猫大不大？我有点怕。
Yéye, jīntiān de māo dà bú dà? Wǒ yǒudiǎn pà.
Grandpa, is tonight's cat a big one? I'm a little scared.
- Little Squirrel 大猫我不怕！我在树上看着。
Dàmāo wǒ bú pà! Wǒ zài shùshàng kànzhe.
I'm not afraid of big cats! I'll watch from up in the tree.
- Grandpa Owl 咕咕！别怕，猫在故事里。
Gūgū! Bié pà, māo zài gùshi lǐ.
Hoo-hoo-hoo! Don't be afraid. The cat is in the story.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Even More Aesop's Fables 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, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Little Squirrel 我知道！大猫吃了所有的老鼠！
Wǒ zhīdào! Dàmāo chī le suǒyǒu de lǎoshǔ!
I know! The big cat ate all the mice!
- Little Rabbit 爷爷，是这样的吗？大猫吃了它们吗？
Yéye, shì zhèyàng de ma? Dàmāo chī le tāmen ma?
Grandpa, is that how it goes? Did the cat eat them?
- Grandpa Owl 不是。听着：有很多老鼠，住在一个大房子里。
Bú shì. Tīngzhe: yǒu hěn duō lǎoshǔ, zhù zài yí gè dà fángzi lǐ.
No. Listen: many mice lived in a big house.
- The Old Mouse 朋友们，不好了！大猫又来了！
Péngyoumen, bù hǎo le! Dàmāo yòu lái le!
Friends, oh no! The big cat is back!
- The Young Mouse 天天都这样！我们不能出去吃东西。
Tiān tiān dōu zhèyàng! Wǒmen bù néng chūqù chī dōngxi.
Every day it's the same! We can't go out to eat.
- The Old Mouse 我们要想一个办法。大家想一想，谁有好办法？
Wǒmen yào xiǎng yí gè bànfǎ. Dàjiā xiǎng yì xiǎng, shuí yǒu hǎo bànfǎ?
We must think of a plan. Everyone think: who has a good idea?
- The Young Mouse 我有！给大猫挂一个铃铛！
Wǒ yǒu! Gěi dàmāo guà yí gè língdāng!
I do! Hang a bell on the big cat!
- The Young Mouse 猫一走，铃铛就响。我们就知道了！
Māo yì zǒu, língdāng jiù xiǎng. Wǒmen jiù zhīdào le!
When the cat walks, the bell rings. Then we'll know!
- The Old Mouse 好办法！太好了！
Hǎo bànfǎ! Tài hǎo le!
Great idea! Wonderful!
- The Young Mouse 我们不用怕大猫了！这个办法太好了！
Wǒmen bú yòng pà dàmāo le! Zhège bànfǎ tài hǎo le!
We don't have to fear the cat anymore! This plan is great!
- The Old Mouse 等一下。我想问一个小问题。
Děng yí xià. Wǒ xiǎng wèn yí gè xiǎo wèntí.
Wait a moment. I have one small question.
- The Old Mouse 谁去给大猫挂铃铛呢？
Shuí qù gěi dàmāo guà língdāng ne?
Who will go hang the bell on the big cat?
- The Young Mouse 啊……我的腿有点疼。
A… wǒ de tuǐ yǒudiǎn téng.
Ah... my leg hurts a little.
- The Old Mouse 我老了。我的眼睛也不好。
Wǒ lǎo le. Wǒ de yǎnjing yě bù hǎo.
I'm old. And my eyes are bad too.
- The Big Cat 谁在说话？……我好累。再睡一会儿。
Shuí zài shuōhuà?… wǒ hǎo lèi. Zài shuì yíhuìr.
Who's talking?... I'm so tired. Just a little more sleep.
- The Young Mouse 小点儿！大猫要起来了！
Xiǎodiǎnr! Dàmāo yào qǐlái le!
Quiet! The big cat is getting up!
- The Old Mouse 大家回家吧。明天再想办法。
Dàjiā huíjiā ba. Míngtiān zài xiǎng bànfǎ.
Everyone go home. We'll think of a plan tomorrow.
- Grandpa Owl 大猫又睡了。老鼠们都回家了，没有铃铛。
Dàmāo yòu shuì le. Lǎoshǔmen dōu huíjiā le, méiyǒu língdāng.
The big cat fell back asleep. The mice all went home, and there was no bell.
- Little Squirrel 没有人去挂铃铛吗？
Méiyǒu rén qù guà língdāng ma?
Nobody hung the bell?
- Little Rabbit 没有！谁去啊？我不去！
Méiyǒu! Shuí qù a? Wǒ bú qù!
No! Who would go? Not me!
- Grandpa Owl 对。有好办法，还要有人去做。
Duì. Yǒu hǎo bànfǎ, hái yào yǒurén qù zuò.
Right. A good idea is not enough. Someone has to do it.
- Little Squirrel 我没有办法……小兔子，我的果子呢？
Wǒ méiyǒu bànfǎ… Xiǎo Tùzi, wǒ de guǒzi ne?
I have no idea... Rabbit, where's my acorn?
- Little Rabbit 在你的手上啊！
Zài nǐ de shǒushàng a!
It's in your hand!
- Grandpa Owl 明天讲冬天的故事：一个农夫，帮了一条蛇。
Míngtiān jiǎng dōngtiān de gùshi: yí gè nóngfū, bāng le yì tiáo shé.
Tomorrow, a winter story: a farmer helps a snake.
- Grandpa Owl 蛇会谢谢他吗？
Shé huì xièxie tā ma?
Will the snake thank him?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What is the young mouse's idea?
“我有！给大猫挂一个铃铛！”
- Why would the bell help the mice?
“猫一走，铃铛就响。我们就知道了！”
- What does the old mouse ask after everyone cheers?
“谁去给大猫挂铃铛呢？”
- What does the young mouse do when asked?
“啊……我的腿有点疼。”
- What does Grandpa Owl say the story teaches?
“对。有好办法，还要有人去做。”