Chinese Idiom Stories 3 · chapter 3 of 6
Eyes for the Dragon
画龙点睛
A great painter draws four dragons on a temple wall but leaves out their eyes. Then someone begs him to add just one pair.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 这个故事叫“画龙点睛”。有一个大画家，姓张。
Zhège gùshi jiào “huà lóng diǎn jīng”. Yǒu yí gè dà huàjiā, xìng Zhāng.
This story is called “Dotting the Dragon's Eyes.” There was a great painter named Zhang.
- The abbot 张先生，请您在我们的墙上画龙！
Zhāng xiānsheng, qǐng nín zài wǒmen de qiáng shang huà lóng!
Master Zhang, please paint dragons on our wall!
- Zhang Sengyao 好啊！我画四条龙。
Hǎo a! Wǒ huà sì tiáo lóng.
Gladly! I'll paint four dragons.
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Chinese Idiom Stories 3 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.
- The abbot 四条？太好了！我去拿大笔！
Sì tiáo? Tài hǎo le! Wǒ qù ná dà bǐ!
Four? Wonderful! I'll go get some big brushes!
- Zhang Sengyao 不用了。我有笔。三天以后，你再来看。
Bú yòng le. Wǒ yǒu bǐ. Sān tiān yǐhòu, nǐ zài lái kàn.
No need. I have my own brushes. Come and see in three days.
- The abbot 好！三天以后见！
Hǎo! Sān tiān yǐhòu jiàn!
Good! See you in three days!
- The abbot 张先生，我来了！画好了吗？
Zhāng xiānsheng, wǒ lái le! Huà hǎo le ma?
Master Zhang, I'm here! Is it finished?
- Zhang Sengyao 画好了。你看！好看吗？
Huà hǎo le. Nǐ kàn! Hǎokàn ma?
It's finished. Look! Do you like it?
- The abbot 啊！四条龙！好大！我没看过这么好的画！
À! Sì tiáo lóng! Hǎo dà! Wǒ méi kàn guo zhème hǎo de huà!
Oh! Four dragons! So big! I have never seen such a fine painting!
- The abbot 可是……你看！龙没有眼睛！
Kěshì… nǐ kàn! Lóng méiyǒu yǎnjing!
But… look! The dragons have no eyes!
- Zhang Sengyao 对。我不画龙的眼睛。
Duì. Wǒ bú huà lóng de yǎnjing.
Right. I don't paint the dragons' eyes.
- The abbot 为什么？没有眼睛，龙不好看。
Wèishénme? Méiyǒu yǎnjing, lóng bù hǎokàn.
Why? Without eyes, the dragons don't look right.
- Zhang Sengyao 画了眼睛，龙就会飞走。
Huà le yǎnjing, lóng jiù huì fēi zǒu.
If I paint the eyes, the dragons will fly away.
- The abbot 先生，您在开玩笑吧？
Xiānsheng, nín zài kāi wánxiào ba?
Sir, you're joking, aren't you?
- The abbot 墙上的龙，怎么会飞？请您画上吧！大家都想看！
Qiáng shang de lóng, zěnme huì fēi? Qǐng nín huà shàng ba! Dàjiā dōu xiǎng kàn!
How can a dragon on a wall fly? Please paint them! Everyone wants to see!
- Zhang Sengyao 好吧。就画一条。你们不要怕，也不要动。
Hǎo ba. Jiù huà yì tiáo. Nǐmen bú yào pà, yě bú yào dòng.
All right. Just one. Don't be afraid, and don't move.
- Zhang Sengyao 龙啊龙，看这里！一点……又一点！
Lóng a lóng, kàn zhèlǐ! Yì diǎn… yòu yì diǎn!
Dragon, oh dragon, look here! One dot… and another!
- The abbot 天怎么黑了？起大风了！
Tiān zěnme hēi le? Qǐ dà fēng le!
Why has the sky gone dark? A huge wind is rising!
- The abbot 你看！墙……墙上的龙在动！
Nǐ kàn! Qiáng… qiáng shang de lóng zài dòng!
Look! The… the dragon on the wall is moving!
- The dragon 我有眼睛了！我能看见了！
Wǒ yǒu yǎnjing le! Wǒ néng kànjiàn le!
I have eyes! I can see!
- The dragon 谢谢你，张先生！我要飞了！
Xièxie nǐ, Zhāng xiānsheng! Wǒ yào fēi le!
Thank you, Master Zhang! I'm off to fly!
- The abbot 龙飞起来了！飞到天上去了！
Lóng fēi qǐlái le! Fēi dào tiān shang qù le!
The dragon is flying! It's gone up into the sky!
- The abbot 先生，我的腿不会动了！
Xiānsheng, wǒ de tuǐ bú huì dòng le!
Sir, my legs won't move!
- Zhang Sengyao 别怕。我说过，龙会飞走。
Bié pà. Wǒ shuō guo, lóng huì fēi zǒu.
Don't be afraid. I told you dragons would fly away.
- The abbot 先生，您画的龙，是真龙！
Xiānsheng, nín huà de lóng, shì zhēn lóng!
Sir, the dragons you paint are real dragons!
- Zhang Sengyao 现在你信了吧？我没有开玩笑。
Xiànzài nǐ xìn le ba? Wǒ méiyǒu kāi wánxiào.
Do you believe me now? I was not joking.
- The abbot 信了！可是……墙上还有三条龙。龙的头，也在动！
Xìn le! Kěshì… qiáng shang hái yǒu sān tiáo lóng. Lóng de tóu, yě zài dòng!
I believe! But… there are still three dragons on the wall. Their heads are moving too!
- Zhang Sengyao 快走！一定不要给龙眼睛！
Kuài zǒu! Yídìng bú yào gěi lóng yǎnjing!
Run! Whatever you do, don't give them eyes!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How many dragons does Zhang paint?
“我画四条龙。”
- Why does Zhang leave out the dragons' eyes?
“画了眼睛，龙就会飞走。”
- What happens when Zhang paints one dragon's eyes?
“我有眼睛了！我能看见了！”……“龙飞起来了！”
- What does the dragon say before it flies off?
“谢谢你，张先生！我要飞了！”
- Why does Zhang shout at the end?
“龙的头，也在动！”……“一定不要给龙眼睛！”