Jingwei and the Sea · chapter 1 of 3
The Girl Who Loved the Sea
爱大海的女孩
Nüwa can't wait to see what lies across the sea. One morning, before anyone is awake, she rows out alone.
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- Narrator 很久很久以前，炎帝有一个小女儿，叫女娃。她最喜欢大海，常常在海边一坐就是一天。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Yándì yǒu yí gè xiǎo nǚ'ér, jiào Nǚwá. Tā zuì xǐhuan dàhǎi, chángcháng zài hǎibiān yí zuò jiù shì yì tiān.
Long, long ago, the Flame Emperor had a youngest daughter named Nüwa. She loved the sea more than anything, and often sat by the shore all day long.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 爸爸，你看！大海那么大，那么蓝。大海的那一边，是什么地方？
Bàba, nǐ kàn! Dàhǎi nàme dà, nàme lán. Dàhǎi de nà yì biān, shì shénme dìfang?
Father, look! The sea is so big, and so blue. What's on the other side of it?
- The Flame Emperor 没有人知道。大海很大，也很危险。女娃，你不要一个人去海上。
Méiyǒu rén zhīdào. Dàhǎi hěn dà, yě hěn wēixiǎn. Nǚwá, nǐ búyào yí gè rén qù hǎi shang.
No one knows. The sea is very big, and very dangerous. Nüwa, never go out on it alone.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 这条小船能到那一边吗？等我长大了，我要坐船去看看！
Zhè tiáo xiǎo chuán néng dào nà yì biān ma? Děng wǒ zhǎngdà le, wǒ yào zuò chuán qù kànkan!
Could this little boat get to the other side? When I grow up, I'm going to sail over and see!
- The Flame Emperor 好，等你长大了，爸爸陪你去。我们一起去看大海的那一边。
Hǎo, děng nǐ zhǎngdà le, bàba péi nǐ qù. Wǒmen yìqǐ qù kàn dàhǎi de nà yì biān.
All right. When you're grown, I'll go with you. We'll see the other side of the sea together.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 长大？还要等很多很多年。我等不及了，明天早上，我就自己去看看！
Zhǎngdà? Hái yào děng hěn duō hěn duō nián. Wǒ děng bù jí le, míngtiān zǎoshang, wǒ jiù zìjǐ qù kànkan!
Grow up? That's years and years away. I can't wait that long. Tomorrow morning, I'll go and see for myself!
- Narrator 第二天早上，天还没亮，女娃一个人划着小船，出了海。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, tiān hái méi liàng, Nǚwá yí gè rén huázhe xiǎo chuán, chū le hǎi.
The next morning, before dawn, Nüwa rowed a little boat out to sea, all alone.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 太阳出来了！海水变成了金色，风也是暖暖的。好美啊！
Tàiyáng chūlái le! Hǎishuǐ biànchéng le jīnsè, fēng yě shì nuǎnnuǎn de. Hǎo měi a!
The sun is coming up! The water has turned gold, and the wind is warm. It's so beautiful!
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 爸爸，你要是在这里就好了！你一定也会喜欢的。
Bàba, nǐ yàoshi zài zhèlǐ jiù hǎo le! Nǐ yídìng yě huì xǐhuan de.
Father, I wish you were here! I know you'd love it too.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 咦？天怎么突然黑了？风越来越大，浪也越来越高了！
Yí? Tiān zěnme tūrán hēi le? Fēng yuè lái yuè dà, làng yě yuè lái yuè gāo le!
Huh? Why has the sky suddenly gone dark? The wind keeps getting stronger, and the waves keep getting higher!
- The Sea 小女孩，你离家太远了。这里是大海，是我的地方！
Xiǎo nǚhái, nǐ lí jiā tài yuǎn le. Zhèlǐ shì dàhǎi, shì wǒ de dìfang!
Little girl, you're too far from home. This is the sea, and it belongs to me!
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 我不怕你！我要回家，爸爸还在家里等我！
Wǒ bú pà nǐ! Wǒ yào huí jiā, bàba hái zài jiā lǐ děng wǒ!
I'm not afraid of you! I'm going home. My father is waiting for me!
- The Sea 回家？你的船那么小，我的浪那么大。小东西，是打不过大海的。
Huí jiā? Nǐ de chuán nàme xiǎo, wǒ de làng nàme dà. Xiǎo dōngxi, shì dǎ bú guò dàhǎi de.
Home? Your boat is so small, and my waves are so big. Little things can never beat the sea.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 快划，再快一点儿！我要回家……
Kuài huá, zài kuài yìdiǎnr! Wǒ yào huí jiā…
Row faster, faster! I have to get home…
- Narrator 一个大浪打过来，小船翻了。
Yí gè dà làng dǎ guòlái, xiǎo chuán fān le.
A great wave crashed down, and the little boat turned over.
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 爸爸——
Bàba——
Father—
- The Flame Emperor 女娃！女娃！你在哪儿？快回来！
Nǚwá! Nǚwá! Nǐ zài nǎr? Kuài huílái!
Nüwa! Nüwa! Where are you? Come back!
- The Flame Emperor 爸爸在海边等了你六天了……回家吧，爸爸不生你的气。
Bàba zài hǎibiān děng le nǐ liù tiān le… huí jiā ba, bàba bù shēng nǐ de qì.
I've waited for you by the sea for six days… Come home. I'm not angry with you.
- Narrator 第七天的早上，一只小鸟从海上飞来，落在了炎帝的手上。
Dì qī tiān de zǎoshang, yì zhī xiǎo niǎo cóng hǎi shang fēi lái, luò zài le Yándì de shǒu shang.
On the morning of the seventh day, a little bird flew in from the sea and landed on the Flame Emperor's hand.
- The Flame Emperor 小鸟，你从哪儿来？你的头上有花纹，嘴是白的，脚是红的。
Xiǎo niǎo, nǐ cóng nǎr lái? Nǐ de tóu shang yǒu huāwén, zuǐ shì bái de, jiǎo shì hóng de.
Little bird, where did you come from? Your head is patterned, your beak is white, and your feet are red.
- The Flame Emperor 你为什么一直这样看着我？你想告诉我什么？
Nǐ wèishénme yìzhí zhèyàng kànzhe wǒ? Nǐ xiǎng gàosu wǒ shénme?
Why do you keep looking at me like that? What are you trying to tell me?
- Nüwa (Jingwei) 精卫！精卫！
Jīngwèi! Jīngwèi!
Jingwei! Jingwei!
What changed in the story?
- What does Nüwa want to know?
“大海的那一边，是什么地方？”
- What does her father promise?
“等你长大了，爸爸陪你去。”
- Why does Nüwa go out to sea alone?
“我等不及了，明天早上，我就自己去看看！”
- What happens to Nüwa's little boat?
“一个大浪打过来，小船翻了。”
- What does the little bird look like?
“你的头上有花纹，嘴是白的，脚是红的。”