Journey to the West: Havoc in Heaven · chapter 1 of 8
An Invitation from Heaven
天上来的客人
Heaven has a monkey problem. The Jade Emperor's kindly old messenger has a plan, and it starts with a cloud landing on Flower Fruit Mountain.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，天上有一座天宫。玉皇大帝就住在那里。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, tiānshàng yǒu yí zuò Tiāngōng. Yùhuáng Dàdì jiù zhù zài nàlǐ.
Long, long ago, there was a palace up in the sky: the Heavenly Palace. The Jade Emperor lived there.
- The Jade Emperor 又是那只猴子！东海龙王来告诉我，猴子拿了他海里的金箍棒！
Yòu shì nà zhī hóuzi! Dōng Hǎi Lóngwáng lái gàosu wǒ, hóuzi ná le tā hǎi lǐ de jīn gū bàng!
That monkey again! The Dragon King of the Eastern Sea has come to tell me that the monkey took the golden staff right out of his sea!
- Taibai Jinxing 陛下，您说的是花果山的孙悟空吧？
Bìxià, nín shuō de shì Huāguǒ Shān de Sūn Wùkōng ba?
Your Majesty, you mean Sun Wukong of Flower Fruit Mountain?
- The Jade Emperor 就是他！他会七十二变，还会飞。这只猴子的本领太大了！
Jiù shì tā! Tā huì qīshí'èr biàn, hái huì fēi. Zhè zhī hóuzi de běnlǐng tài dà le!
That's him! He knows seventy-two transformations, and he can fly. That monkey is far too powerful!
- Taibai Jinxing 陛下别生气，我有一个好办法。
Bìxià bié shēngqì, wǒ yǒu yí gè hǎo bànfǎ.
Don't be angry, Your Majesty. I have a good idea.
- The Jade Emperor 什么办法？快说！
Shénme bànfǎ? Kuài shuō!
What idea? Tell me, quick!
- Taibai Jinxing 请他来天上，给他一个小官做。他住在天上，我们就能天天看着他。
Qǐng tā lái tiānshàng, gěi tā yí gè xiǎo guān zuò. Tā zhù zài tiānshàng, wǒmen jiù néng tiāntiān kànzhe tā.
Invite him up to heaven and give him a small post. If he lives up here, we can keep an eye on him every day.
- The Jade Emperor 好办法！太白金星，你快去花果山请他吧！
Hǎo bànfǎ! Tàibái Jīnxīng, nǐ kuài qù Huāguǒ Shān qǐng tā ba!
A fine idea! Taibai Jinxing, go to Flower Fruit Mountain at once and invite him!
- Narrator 太白金星坐着一片白云，从天上飞了下来。
Tàibái Jīnxīng zuòzhe yí piàn bái yún, cóng tiānshàng fēi le xiàlái.
Taibai Jinxing rode a white cloud down from the sky.
- Little Monkey 大王！大王！快来看，天上掉下来一个老爷爷！
Dàwáng! Dàwáng! Kuài lái kàn, tiānshàng diào xiàlái yí gè lǎo yéye!
Great King! Great King! Come quick, an old grandpa just fell out of the sky!
- Sun Wukong 一个老爷爷？小的们，别怕！都到我后面来！
Yí gè lǎo yéye? Xiǎo de men, bié pà! Dōu dào wǒ hòumiàn lái!
An old grandpa? Don't be scared, little ones! Everybody get behind me!
- Taibai Jinxing 你就是美猴王孙悟空吧？我是天上的太白金星。
Nǐ jiù shì Měi Hóuwáng Sūn Wùkōng ba? Wǒ shì tiānshàng de Tàibái Jīnxīng.
You must be Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King. I am Taibai Jinxing, from heaven.
- Sun Wukong 天上来的？老爷爷，你来我们花果山做什么？
Tiānshàng lái de? Lǎo yéye, nǐ lái wǒmen Huāguǒ Shān zuò shénme?
From heaven? What brings you to our Flower Fruit Mountain, Grandpa?
- Taibai Jinxing 玉皇大帝请你去天宫，给你一个官做！
Yùhuáng Dàdì qǐng nǐ qù Tiāngōng, gěi nǐ yí gè guān zuò!
The Jade Emperor invites you to the Heavenly Palace. He's giving you a post!
- Sun Wukong 真的吗？老孙早就想去天上看看了！
Zhēn de ma? Lǎo Sūn zǎo jiù xiǎng qù tiānshàng kànkan le!
Really? Old Sun has wanted to see heaven for ages!
- Sun Wukong 是什么官？大官还是小官？
Shì shénme guān? Dà guān háishi xiǎo guān?
What kind of post? A big one or a small one?
- Taibai Jinxing 这个……你去了就知道了。
Zhège… nǐ qù le jiù zhīdào le.
Well… you'll find out when you get there.
- Sun Wukong 好！小的们，在家等我！大王去天上做官了！
Hǎo! Xiǎo de men, zài jiā děng wǒ! Dàwáng qù tiānshàng zuò guān le!
All right! Little ones, wait for me at home! Your king is off to be an official in heaven!
- Little Monkey 大王，你做了大官，也带我们去天上玩儿！
Dàwáng, nǐ zuò le dà guān, yě dài wǒmen qù tiānshàng wánr!
Great King, when you're a big official, take us up to heaven to play too!
- Sun Wukong 没问题！老孙去了！
Méi wèntí! Lǎo Sūn qù le!
No problem! Old Sun is off!
- Narrator 悟空跳上筋斗云，很快就飞得看不见了。
Wùkōng tiào shàng jīndǒuyún, hěn kuài jiù fēi de kàn bú jiàn le.
Wukong leapt onto his somersault cloud and was out of sight in no time.
- Taibai Jinxing 这只猴子飞得真快……他要是知道只是个小官，会不会生气呢？
Zhè zhī hóuzi fēi de zhēn kuài… tā yàoshi zhīdào zhǐ shì gè xiǎo guān, huì bú huì shēngqì ne?
That monkey flies fast… When he finds out it's only a small post, will he be angry?
What changed in the story?
- Why is the Jade Emperor upset at the start?
“东海龙王来告诉我，猴子拿了他海里的金箍棒！”
- What is Taibai Jinxing's plan?
“请他来天上，给他一个小官做。”
- What do the little monkeys think they see?
“天上掉下来一个老爷爷！”
- What does Wukong want to know about the job?
“是什么官？大官还是小官？”
- What worries Taibai Jinxing at the end?
“他要是知道只是个小官，会不会生气呢？”