Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing · chapter 4 of 4
Eight Hundred Steps
八百步
The king returns and pulls Jiang's cart as far as he can. Jiang promises a long future for Zhou, then warns of a danger in the north.
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- Wu Ji 姜太公！大王又来了！他还带了一辆车！
Jiāng Tàigōng! Dàwáng yòu lái le! Tā hái dài le yí liàng chē!
Jiang Taigong! The king is back! And he brought a cart!
- Jiang Ziya 我说过，他会来。
Wǒ shuōguo, tā huì lái.
I told you he would.
- King Wen 姜太公，三天了。这三天，我一直在想您。
Jiāng Tàigōng, sān tiān le. Zhè sān tiān, wǒ yìzhí zài xiǎng nín.
Jiang Taigong, it's been three days. I've thought of you every day.
- Jiang Ziya 大王，我七十岁了。你不怕我太老吗？
Dàwáng, wǒ qīshí suì le. Nǐ bú pà wǒ tài lǎo ma?
Your Majesty, I am seventy. Aren't you afraid I'm too old?
- King Wen 不怕。我怕的是，人们没有饭吃，没有房子住。
Bú pà. Wǒ pà de shì, rénmen méiyǒu fàn chī, méiyǒu fángzi zhù.
No. What I fear is that people have no food and no homes.
- Jiang Ziya 好。你要我做什么？
Hǎo. Nǐ yào wǒ zuò shénme?
Good. What do you want me to do?
- King Wen 请您做我的老师，也帮帮我的国家。
Qǐng nín zuò wǒ de lǎoshī, yě bāngbang wǒ de guójiā.
Please be my teacher, and help my country too.
- Jiang Ziya 我老了，走不动。我坐车，可以吗？
Wǒ lǎo le, zǒu bú dòng. Wǒ zuò chē, kěyǐ ma?
I am old and can't walk far. May I ride in the cart?
- King Wen 可以！可以！
Kěyǐ! Kěyǐ!
Of course!
- Wu Ji 车在这儿，拉车的人呢？
Chē zài zhèr, lā chē de rén ne?
The cart is here, but where's the man to pull it?
- King Wen 我来拉。
Wǒ lái lā.
I'll pull it.
- Wu Ji 大王自己拉车？！这是真的吗？
Dàwáng zìjǐ lā chē?! Zhè shì zhēn de ma?
The king is pulling the cart himself?! Is this real?
- San Yisheng 一百，二百，三百……
Yìbǎi, èrbǎi, sānbǎi…
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred…
- Jiang Ziya 大王，累不累？你累了，就说话。
Dàwáng, lèi bu lèi? Nǐ lèi le, jiù shuōhuà.
Your Majesty, are you tired? Tell me if you are.
- King Wen 不累。姜太公，您坐好。
Bú lèi. Jiāng Tàigōng, nín zuò hǎo.
Not at all. Jiang Taigong, sit comfortably.
- San Yisheng 五百……六百……大王，您很累了！
Wǔbǎi… liùbǎi… Dàwáng, nín hěn lèi le!
Five hundred… six hundred… Your Majesty, you're worn out!
- King Wen 没关系。七百……
Méi guānxi. Qībǎi…
It's fine. Seven hundred…
- San Yisheng 八百步了！
Bābǎi bù le!
Eight hundred steps!
- King Wen 我……我走不动了。对不起，姜太公。
Wǒ… wǒ zǒu bú dòng le. Duìbuqǐ, Jiāng Tàigōng.
I… I can't go on. I'm sorry, Jiang Taigong.
- Jiang Ziya 不要说对不起。你拉了八百步！
Bú yào shuō duìbuqǐ. Nǐ lā le bābǎi bù!
Don't be sorry. You pulled me eight hundred steps!
- Jiang Ziya 你走了几步，你的周国就有几年。周国会有八百年。
Nǐ zǒu le jǐ bù, nǐ de Zhōu Guó jiù yǒu jǐ nián. Zhōu Guó huì yǒu bābǎi nián.
As many steps as you walked, that many years your Zhou will last. Zhou will stand for eight hundred years.
- King Wen 八百年？！
Bābǎi nián?!
Eight hundred years?!
- King Wen 姜太公，谢谢您！我们回家吧！
Jiāng Tàigōng, xièxie nín! Wǒmen huí jiā ba!
Jiang Taigong, thank you! Let's go home!
- San Yisheng 我的天啊！我要写一写！
Wǒ de tiān a! Wǒ yào xiě yi xiě!
Heavens! I must write this down!
- Jiang Ziya 大王，你看。南边和西边，都很平安。
Dàwáng, nǐ kàn. Nánbiān hé xībiān, dōu hěn píng'ān.
Your Majesty, look. The south and west are safe.
- King Wen 北边呢？
Běibiān ne?
And the north?
- Jiang Ziya 北边是商王的国。他身边有一只狐狸。
Běibiān shì Shāng wáng de guó. Tā shēnbiān yǒu yì zhī húli.
The north is the Shang king's land. There is a fox at his side.
- King Wen 狐狸？
Húli?
A fox?
- Jiang Ziya 那只狐狸，会让商王变坏。
Nà zhī húli, huì ràng Shāng wáng biàn huài.
That fox will turn the Shang king bad.
- Jiang Ziya 她的脸很美，她的心很坏。她会来，大王，你要小心。
Tā de liǎn hěn měi, tā de xīn hěn huài. Tā huì lái, dàwáng, nǐ yào xiǎoxīn.
Her face is beautiful and her heart is wicked. She will come, Your Majesty. Be careful.
What changed in the story?
- What does the king ask Jiang to be?
“请您做我的老师，也帮帮我的国家。”
- Why does Jiang ride in the cart?
“我老了，走不动。我坐车，可以吗？”
- How far does the king pull the cart?
“八百步了！”……“你拉了八百步！”
- What does Jiang say about Zhou?
“周国会有八百年。”
- What warning does Jiang give at the end?
“他身边有一只狐狸。”……“她的脸很美，她的心很坏。”