Hou Yi and the Ten Suns · chapter 3 of 4
The Red Bow
红色的大弓
Hou Yi's wife Chang'e makes him promise to come home safe, and before dawn he climbs the highest mountain in the east, where he won't be alone for long.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，十个太阳回到了大树上。可是地上，还是很热。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, shí gè tàiyáng huí dào le dà shù shàng. Kěshì dì shàng, háishi hěn rè.
That night, the ten suns went back to the great tree. But down on the ground, it was still hot.
- Chang'e 后羿，你真的要去吗？太阳那么高，那么热……
Hòu Yì, nǐ zhēn de yào qù ma? Tàiyáng nàme gāo, nàme rè…
Hou Yi, are you really going? The suns are so high, and so hot…
- Hou Yi 嫦娥，河干了，小苗也干了。我不去，谁去？
Cháng'é, hé gān le, xiǎomiáo yě gān le. Wǒ bú qù, shéi qù?
Chang'e, the river is dry, and so are the seedlings. If I don't go, who will?
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Hou Yi and the Ten Suns 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 and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Hou Yi 明天早上，我在东边最高的山上等他们。
Míngtiān zǎoshang, wǒ zài dōngbian zuì gāo de shān shàng děng tāmen.
Tomorrow morning, I'll be waiting for them on the highest mountain in the east.
- Chang'e 好吧。这是你的大弓，还有十支箭。
Hǎo ba. Zhè shì nǐ de dà gōng, hái yǒu shí zhī jiàn.
All right. Here's your great bow, and ten arrows.
- Chang'e 你要答应我：一定要回家。我做好饭，等你回来。
Nǐ yào dāying wǒ: yídìng yào huí jiā. Wǒ zuò hǎo fàn, děng nǐ huílái.
Promise me you'll come home. I'll have dinner ready, waiting for you.
- Hou Yi 我答应你。你做的饭，我一定回来吃！
Wǒ dāying nǐ. Nǐ zuò de fàn, wǒ yídìng huílái chī!
I promise. I'd never miss your cooking!
- Narrator 天还没亮，后羿一个人走上了黑黑的山路。
Tiān hái méi liàng, Hòu Yì yí gè rén zǒu shàng le hēihēi de shānlù.
Before dawn, Hou Yi set off alone up the dark mountain path.
- Hou Yi 山好高，路好黑……小十也在天上。我真的要射他吗？
Shān hǎo gāo, lù hǎo hēi… Xiǎo Shí yě zài tiānshàng. Wǒ zhēn de yào shè tā ma?
The mountain's so high, the path's so dark… and Little Ten is up there too. Do I really have to shoot him?
- Miaomiao 后羿叔叔！等等我！
Hòu Yì shūshu! Děngdeng wǒ!
Uncle Hou Yi! Wait for me!
- Hou Yi 苗苗？！你怎么来了？快回家！
Miáomiao?! Nǐ zěnme lái le? Kuài huí jiā!
Miaomiao?! What are you doing here? Go home!
- Miaomiao 我不回！我来给你拿箭！
Wǒ bù huí! Wǒ lái gěi nǐ ná jiàn!
I won't! I've come to carry your arrows!
- Hou Yi 不行，你太小了！
Bù xíng, nǐ tài xiǎo le!
No. You're too little!
- Miaomiao 我不小！我八岁了！
Wǒ bù xiǎo! Wǒ bā suì le!
I'm not little! I'm eight!
- Hou Yi 好吧，八岁的苗苗。你拿着箭，站在我后边。
Hǎo ba, bā suì de Miáomiao. Nǐ názhe jiàn, zhàn zài wǒ hòubian.
All right, eight-year-old Miaomiao. Hold the arrows, and stay behind me.
- Miaomiao 好！一，二，三……十！十支箭，都在这里！
Hǎo! Yī, èr, sān… shí! Shí zhī jiàn, dōu zài zhèlǐ!
Okay! One, two, three… ten! Ten arrows, all right here!
- Miaomiao 十支箭，十个太阳……叔叔，你也要射小十吗？
Shí zhī jiàn, shí gè tàiyáng… Shūshu, nǐ yě yào shè Xiǎo Shí ma?
Ten arrows, ten suns… Uncle, are you going to shoot Little Ten too?
- Hou Yi 我……不知道。走吧。
Wǒ… bù zhīdào. Zǒu ba.
I… I don't know. Let's go.
- Narrator 天快亮了。东边的大树上，十个太阳一个一个出来了。
Tiān kuài liàng le. Dōngbian de dà shù shàng, shí gè tàiyáng yí gè yí gè chūlái le.
Dawn was coming. One after another, the ten suns rose from the great tree in the east.
- Little Ten 山上有人……是后羿！他拿着大弓！
Shān shàng yǒu rén… shì Hòu Yì! Tā názhe dà gōng!
Someone's on the mountain… It's Hou Yi! And he has his great bow!
- Big Brother Sun 哈哈，又是你，小小的人！还有一个更小的！
Hāhā, yòu shì nǐ, xiǎoxiǎo de rén! Hái yǒu yí gè gèng xiǎo de!
Ha ha, you again, little man! And you've brought an even littler one!
- Miaomiao 我不小！我八岁了！
Wǒ bù xiǎo! Wǒ bā suì le!
I'm not little! I'm eight!
- Hou Yi 太阳兄弟们，这是最后一次。请你们回家！
Tàiyáng xiōngdìmen, zhè shì zuìhòu yí cì. Qǐng nǐmen huí jiā!
Sun brothers, this is the last time I'll ask. Please go home!
- Big Brother Sun 不回！你的箭能飞多高？你射不到我们！
Bù huí! Nǐ de jiàn néng fēi duō gāo? Nǐ shè bú dào wǒmen!
No! How high can your arrows fly? You'll never hit us!
- Little Ten 大哥，别说了！后羿的箭，天下第一！
Dàgē, bié shuō le! Hòu Yì de jiàn, tiānxià dì yī!
Big Brother, stop it! Hou Yi's arrows are the best under heaven!
- Big Brother Sun 天下第一？哈哈！来啊，来射我啊！
Tiānxià dì yī? Hāhā! Lái a, lái shè wǒ a!
The best under heaven? Ha ha! Come on, then. Shoot me!
- Miaomiao 叔叔，给你箭。我……我有一点儿怕。
Shūshu, gěi nǐ jiàn. Wǒ… wǒ yǒu yìdiǎnr pà.
Uncle, here's an arrow. I'm… I'm a little scared.
- Hou Yi 别怕。看我的！
Bié pà. Kàn wǒ de!
Don't be scared. Watch this!
- Narrator 后羿拉开红色的大弓。一支白色的箭飞了出去，又高又快。
Hòu Yì lākāi hóngsè de dà gōng. Yì zhī báisè de jiàn fēi le chūqù, yòu gāo yòu kuài.
Hou Yi drew his great red bow. A white arrow flew up, high and fast.
- Big Brother Sun 哈哈……啊？那是什么？它飞到我这里来了！
Hāhā… á? Nà shì shénme? Tā fēi dào wǒ zhèlǐ lái le!
Ha ha… huh? What's that? It's coming straight at me!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Chang'e ask Hou Yi to promise?
“你要答应我：一定要回家。”
- What troubles Hou Yi as he climbs the mountain?
“小十也在天上。我真的要射他吗？”
- Why has Miaomiao followed Hou Yi?
“我来给你拿箭！”
- What does Miaomiao say whenever someone calls her little?
“我不小！我八岁了！”
- What does Big Brother say about Hou Yi's arrows?
“你的箭能飞多高？你射不到我们！”