Chinese Idiom Stories 3 · chapter 1 of 6
The Blind Men and the Elephant
盲人摸象
Three blind men touch the king's new elephant, and each is sure he knows what it is. One says a tree, one a wall, one a snake. Who is right?
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 这个故事叫“盲人摸象”。国王有了一头大象。
Zhège gùshi jiào “mángrén mō xiàng”. Guówáng yǒu le yì tóu dàxiàng.
This story is called “The Blind Men Touch the Elephant.” The king had a new elephant.
- The king 大家看！我的大象！又大又高！
Dàjiā kàn! Wǒ de dàxiàng! Yòu dà yòu gāo!
Everyone look! My elephant! So big and so tall!
- The king 老李，老赵，老周！三个盲人，你们过来！
Lǎo Lǐ, Lǎo Zhào, Lǎo Zhōu! Sān gè mángrén, nǐmen guòlái!
Old Li, Old Zhao, Old Zhou! You three blind men, come over here!
- Old Li 国王，您找我们吗？我们是盲人，看不见。
Guówáng, nín zhǎo wǒmen ma? Wǒmen shì mángrén, kàn bú jiàn.
Your Majesty, do you need us? We are blind, we cannot see.
- The king 没关系。你们来摸一摸大象。
Méi guānxi. Nǐmen lái mō yi mō dàxiàng.
No problem. Come and touch the elephant.
- Old Zhao 大象？我没摸过。大象什么样？
Dàxiàng? Wǒ méi mō guo. Dàxiàng shénme yàng?
An elephant? I've never touched one. What is it like?
- The king 摸完了，告诉我。大象像什么？
Mō wán le, gàosu wǒ. Dàxiàng xiàng shénme?
When you're done, tell me. What is it like?
- Old Li 好！老赵，你在哪儿？
Hǎo! Lǎo Zhào, nǐ zài nǎr?
Good! Old Zhao, where are you?
- Old Zhao 老李，我在这儿。我们走吧。
Lǎo Lǐ, wǒ zài zhèr. Wǒmen zǒu ba.
Old Li, I'm right here. Let's go.
- Old Li 我摸到了！大象又高又大！大象是大树！
Wǒ mō dào le! Dàxiàng yòu gāo yòu dà! Dàxiàng shì dà shù!
I've got it! It's tall and huge! It's a big tree!
- Old Zhao 不对！大象又大又平！是一面墙！
Bú duì! Dàxiàng yòu dà yòu píng! Shì yí miàn qiáng!
No! It's big and flat! It's a wall!
- Old Zhou 你们都不对！大象很长，会动！是蛇！
Nǐmen dōu bú duì! Dàxiàng hěn cháng, huì dòng! Shì shé!
You're both wrong! It's long and it moves! It's a snake!
- Old Li 蛇？哪有这么大的蛇？大象是树！
Shé? Nǎ yǒu zhème dà de shé? Dàxiàng shì shù!
A snake? Where is there a snake this big? It's a tree!
- Old Zhao 我的手不会错。大象是墙！
Wǒ de shǒu bú huì cuò. Dàxiàng shì qiáng!
My hands are never wrong. It's a wall!
- Old Zhou 不！大象在动！是蛇！
Bù! Dàxiàng zài dòng! Shì shé!
No! It's moving! It's a snake!
- Old Zhou 啊！水！我身上都是水！
À! Shuǐ! Wǒ shēnshang dōu shì shuǐ!
Ah! Water! I'm soaking wet!
- The king 我要笑了！你们太好笑了！
Wǒ yào xiào le! Nǐmen tài hǎoxiào le!
I can't hold it in! You are too funny!
- Old Li 国王，您笑什么？我们错了吗？
Guówáng, nín xiào shénme? Wǒmen cuò le ma?
Your Majesty, why are you laughing? Are we wrong?
- The king 你们都对，也都不对。
Nǐmen dōu duì, yě dōu bú duì.
You are all right, and you are all wrong.
- Old Zhou 都对，又都不对？怎么会这样？
Dōu duì, yòu dōu bú duì? Zěnme huì zhèyàng?
All right and all wrong? How can that be?
- The king 老李摸到腿。老赵摸到身体。老周摸到鼻子。
Lǎo Lǐ mō dào tuǐ. Lǎo Zhào mō dào shēntǐ. Lǎo Zhōu mō dào bízi.
Old Li touched the leg. Old Zhao touched the body. Old Zhou touched the nose.
- Old Li 我们三个人，只摸到一点点。
Wǒmen sān gè rén, zhǐ mō dào yìdiǎndiǎn.
The three of us only touched a tiny bit.
- The king 对。只摸一点点，就说“我知道了”。这样不好。
Duì. Zhǐ mō yìdiǎndiǎn, jiù shuō “wǒ zhīdào le”. Zhèyàng bù hǎo.
Right. You touch a tiny bit and say, “I know it!” That's not good.
- Old Zhou 那下次，我们一起摸。可是……我不摸鼻子了！
Nà xiàcì, wǒmen yìqǐ mō. Kěshì… wǒ bù mō bízi le!
Then next time, we'll touch it together. But… I'm not touching the nose again!
- Old Li 国王，明天我们做什么？
Guówáng, míngtiān wǒmen zuò shénme?
Your Majesty, what do we do tomorrow?
- The king 明天，我请你们听琴。听说有人给牛弹琴！
Míngtiān, wǒ qǐng nǐmen tīng qín. Tīngshuō yǒu rén gěi niú tán qín!
Tomorrow I'll invite you to hear some music. I hear someone plays the qin for a cow!
- Old Zhou 给牛弹琴？牛听得懂吗？
Gěi niú tán qín? Niú tīng de dǒng ma?
Playing for a cow? Can a cow understand it?
What changed in the story?
- What does the king ask the three blind men to do?
“你们来摸一摸大象。”……“大象像什么？”
- Why does Old Li say the elephant is a big tree?
“大象又高又大！大象是大树！”……“老李摸到腿。”
- Why is Old Zhou suddenly wet?
“不！大象在动！是蛇！”……“我身上都是水！”
- What does the king mean by “you are all right, and all wrong”?
“老李摸到腿。”……“我们三个人，只摸到一点点。”
- What does the king plan for tomorrow?
“我请你们听琴。听说有人给牛弹琴！”