Jingwei and the Sea · chapter 2 of 3
One Stone at a Time
一颗石子
The little bird begins to carry stones to the sea. The sea laughs at her. She keeps going.
Read what you hear
- The Flame Emperor 小鸟，你的眼睛好像我的女儿。你是女娃吗？
Xiǎo niǎo, nǐ de yǎnjing hǎoxiàng wǒ de nǚ'ér. Nǐ shì Nǚwá ma?
Little bird, your eyes look just like my daughter's. Are you Nüwa?
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 爸爸，是我。大海把我带走了，可是我回来了。我变成了一只小鸟。
Bàba, shì wǒ. Dàhǎi bǎ wǒ dài zǒu le, kěshì wǒ huílái le. Wǒ biànchéng le yì zhī xiǎo niǎo.
Father, it's me. The sea took me away, but I came back. I've become a little bird.
- The Flame Emperor 女娃，我的女儿！爸爸等了你七天，跟爸爸回家吧！
Nǚwá, wǒ de nǚ'ér! Bàba děng le nǐ qī tiān, gēn bàba huí jiā ba!
Nüwa, my daughter! I waited seven days for you. Come home with me!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Jingwei and the Sea 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.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 不，爸爸。我现在还不能回家。我还有一件很重要的事要做。
Bù, bàba. Wǒ xiànzài hái bù néng huí jiā. Wǒ hái yǒu yí jiàn hěn zhòngyào de shì yào zuò.
No, Father. I can't come home yet. There's something very important I have to do.
- Narrator 小鸟飞到西边的山上，叼起一颗小石子，又飞回了东海。
Xiǎo niǎo fēi dào xībian de shān shang, diāo qǐ yì kē xiǎo shízǐ, yòu fēi huí le Dōng Hǎi.
The little bird flew to the mountains in the west, picked up a pebble in her beak, and flew back to the Eastern Sea.
- The Sea 哈哈，一只小鸟！你嘴里的小石子，是做什么的？
Hāhā, yì zhī xiǎo niǎo! Nǐ zuǐ lǐ de xiǎo shízǐ, shì zuò shénme de?
Ha ha, a little bird! What's that pebble in your beak for?
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 我要把你填平。这样，就不会再有孩子回不了家。
Wǒ yào bǎ nǐ tiánpíng. Zhèyàng, jiù bú huì zài yǒu háizi huí bù liǎo jiā.
I'm going to fill you in with stones. Then no child will ever again be unable to get home.
- The Sea 哈哈哈！把我填平？你一百万年也填不平我！
Hāhāhā! Bǎ wǒ tiánpíng? Nǐ yìbǎi wàn nián yě tián bù píng wǒ!
Ha ha ha! Fill me in? You couldn't fill me in a million years!
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 那我就填一千万年。
Nà wǒ jiù tián yìqiān wàn nián.
Then I'll keep filling for ten million.
- The Flame Emperor 我的女儿那么小，大海那么大……她真的能做到吗？
Wǒ de nǚ'ér nàme xiǎo, dàhǎi nàme dà… tā zhēn de néng zuòdào ma?
My daughter is so small, and the sea is so big… can she really do it?
- Narrator 从那天起，小鸟一边飞，一边叫：“精卫！精卫！”人们就叫她精卫。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, xiǎo niǎo yìbiān fēi, yìbiān jiào: “Jīngwèi! Jīngwèi!” Rénmen jiù jiào tā Jīngwèi.
From that day on, the little bird cried “Jingwei! Jingwei!” as she flew, so people called her Jingwei.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 一颗石子，又一颗石子。一根树枝，又一根树枝。
Yì kē shízǐ, yòu yì kē shízǐ. Yì gēn shùzhī, yòu yì gēn shùzhī.
One pebble, then another pebble. One twig, then another twig.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 下雨，我也飞。刮风，我也飞。春天、夏天、秋天、冬天，我一天也不停。
Xià yǔ, wǒ yě fēi. Guā fēng, wǒ yě fēi. Chūntiān, xiàtiān, qiūtiān, dōngtiān, wǒ yì tiān yě bù tíng.
When it rains, I fly. When the wind blows, I fly. Spring, summer, autumn, winter, I don't stop for a single day.
- The Flame Emperor 女娃，你的嘴都破了，翅膀也累了。休息一下吧，爸爸看着心疼。
Nǚwá, nǐ de zuǐ dōu pò le, chìbǎng yě lèi le. Xiūxi yíxià ba, bàba kànzhe xīnténg.
Nüwa, your beak is worn and your wings are tired. Rest a little. It breaks my heart to watch.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 爸爸，我不累。每扔一颗石子，我就离您更近一点儿。
Bàba, wǒ bú lèi. Měi rēng yì kē shízǐ, wǒ jiù lí nín gèng jìn yìdiǎnr.
Father, I'm not tired. Every pebble I drop brings me a little closer to you.
- Narrator 有一天，海上的风特别大，浪像山一样高。
Yǒu yì tiān, hǎi shang de fēng tèbié dà, làng xiàng shān yíyàng gāo.
One day, the wind over the sea was fiercer than ever, and the waves rose as high as mountains.
- The Sea 小鸟，今天的风这么大，你还敢叼着石子来吗？
Xiǎo niǎo, jīntiān de fēng zhème dà, nǐ hái gǎn diāozhe shízǐ lái ma?
Little bird, with the wind this strong, do you still dare to bring your pebbles today?
- The Flame Emperor 女娃，别去！今天的浪太大了，快回来！
Nǚwá, bié qù! Jīntiān de làng tài dà le, kuài huílái!
Nüwa, don't go! The waves are too big today. Come back!
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 爸爸，别怕！这颗石子，我一定要放进大海里！
Bàba, bié pà! Zhè kē shízǐ, wǒ yídìng yào fàng jìn dàhǎi lǐ!
Don't be afraid, Father! This pebble is going into the sea, no matter what!
- The Sea 那就来吧！看看是你大，还是我大！
Nà jiù lái ba! Kànkan shì nǐ dà, háishi wǒ dà!
Then come! Let's see who is bigger, you or me!
- Narrator 一个大浪打了过来，比山还高。精卫掉了下去……
Yí gè dà làng dǎ le guòlái, bǐ shān hái gāo. Jīngwèi diào le xiàqù…
A great wave crashed down, higher than a mountain. Jingwei fell…
- The Flame Emperor 女娃——！不要！
Nǚwá——! Búyào!
Nüwa! No!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who is the little bird?
“爸爸，是我……我变成了一只小鸟。”
- Why does Jingwei want to fill the sea?
“这样，就不会再有孩子回不了家。”
- How does the bird get the name Jingwei?
“小鸟一边飞，一边叫……人们就叫她精卫。”
- What does Jingwei say when her father asks her to rest?
“每扔一颗石子，我就离您更近一点儿。”
- What happens in the great storm?
“一个大浪打了过来，比山还高。精卫掉了下去……”