Journey to the West: Havoc in Heaven · chapter 2 of 8
Keeper of the Horses
弼马温
The Jade Emperor gives Wukong a grand-sounding title and heaven's horses to care for. Wukong loves the job, until someone tells him what it really is.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 悟空跟着太白金星，来到了天宫。很多大官站在玉帝的两边。
Wùkōng gēnzhe Tàibái Jīnxīng, láidào le Tiāngōng. Hěn duō dà guān zhàn zài Yùdì de liǎng biān.
Wukong followed Taibai Jinxing to the Heavenly Palace. Rows of great officials stood on either side of the Jade Emperor.
- The Jade Emperor 太白金星，这就是那只猴子吗？
Tàibái Jīnxīng, zhè jiù shì nà zhī hóuzi ma?
Taibai Jinxing, is this the monkey?
- Sun Wukong 就是我老孙！
Jiù shì wǒ Lǎo Sūn!
That's me, Old Sun!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Journey to the West: Havoc in Heaven 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.
- Taibai Jinxing 悟空，快给陛下行礼！
Wùkōng, kuài gěi bìxià xínglǐ!
Wukong, bow to His Majesty, quick!
- Sun Wukong 行礼？怎么行？老孙不会啊。
Xínglǐ? Zěnme xíng? Lǎo Sūn bú huì a.
Bow? How do you do that? Old Sun never learned.
- The Jade Emperor 没关系，他刚从山里来，还不懂天上的事。
Méi guānxi, tā gāng cóng shān lǐ lái, hái bù dǒng tiānshàng de shì.
Never mind. He's just come from the mountains, and he doesn't know heaven's ways yet.
- The Jade Emperor 孙悟空，天上的马，以后都交给你了。你就做弼马温吧！
Sūn Wùkōng, tiānshàng de mǎ, yǐhòu dōu jiāo gěi nǐ le. Nǐ jiù zuò Bìmǎwēn ba!
Sun Wukong, from now on heaven's horses are in your hands. You shall be the Bimawen, Keeper of the Heavenly Horses!
- Sun Wukong 弼马温？这个名字真好听！谢谢玉帝！
Bìmǎwēn? Zhège míngzi zhēn hǎotīng! Xièxie Yùdì!
Bimawen? What a grand-sounding name! Thank you, Jade Emperor!
- Narrator 从那天起，悟空白天喂马，晚上刷马，做得很高兴。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, Wùkōng báitiān wèi mǎ, wǎnshang shuā mǎ, zuò de hěn gāoxìng.
From that day on, Wukong fed the horses by day and brushed them at night, and he enjoyed every bit of it.
- Sun Wukong 好马，好马，多吃点儿草！你们胖了，老孙就高兴！
Hǎo mǎ, hǎo mǎ, duō chī diǎnr cǎo! Nǐmen pàng le, Lǎo Sūn jiù gāoxìng!
Good horses, good horses, eat up your grass! When you get fat, Old Sun is happy!
- Stable Hand 弼马温，才半个月，这些马都又胖又漂亮了！
Bìmǎwēn, cái bàn gè yuè, zhèxiē mǎ dōu yòu pàng yòu piàoliang le!
Bimawen, in just half a month, these horses have all grown fat and handsome!
- Sun Wukong 那当然！老孙做什么，都做得最好！
Nà dāngrán! Lǎo Sūn zuò shénme, dōu zuò de zuì hǎo!
Of course! Whatever Old Sun does, he does best!
- Sun Wukong 对了，我问你：弼马温是个多大的官？
Duì le, wǒ wèn nǐ: Bìmǎwēn shì gè duō dà de guān?
Oh, by the way, tell me: how big a post is Bimawen?
- Stable Hand 这个……您听了，别生气啊。
Zhège… nín tīng le, bié shēngqì a.
Well… please don't be angry when you hear this.
- Sun Wukong 快说！
Kuài shuō!
Out with it!
- Stable Hand 弼马温……是天上最小最小的官。
Bìmǎwēn… shì tiānshàng zuì xiǎo zuì xiǎo de guān.
Bimawen is… the very lowest post in all of heaven.
- Stable Hand 马胖了，没有人说您好。马瘦了，大家都要说您不好。
Mǎ pàng le, méiyǒu rén shuō nín hǎo. Mǎ shòu le, dàjiā dōu yào shuō nín bù hǎo.
If the horses get fat, nobody praises you. If they get thin, everyone blames you.
- Sun Wukong 什么？老孙在花果山是大王！到了这里，只能给他们养马？
Shénme? Lǎo Sūn zài Huāguǒ Shān shì dàwáng! Dào le zhèlǐ, zhǐ néng gěi tāmen yǎng mǎ?
What? On Flower Fruit Mountain, Old Sun is a king! And up here, all I'm good for is minding their horses?
- Narrator 悟空把刷子往地上一扔，拿出了金箍棒。
Wùkōng bǎ shuāzi wǎng dìshang yì rēng, ná chū le jīn gū bàng.
Wukong flung his brush to the ground and pulled out his golden staff.
- Sun Wukong 这个官，老孙不做了！老孙回家！
Zhège guān, Lǎo Sūn bú zuò le! Lǎo Sūn huí jiā!
Old Sun quits this post! Old Sun is going home!
- Stable Hand 弼马温！弼马温！您不能走啊！
Bìmǎwēn! Bìmǎwēn! Nín bù néng zǒu a!
Bimawen! Bimawen! You can't just leave!
- Narrator 悟空拿着金箍棒，打出了南天门。天兵们看见了，谁也不敢过来。
Wùkōng názhe jīn gū bàng, dǎ chū le Nántiān Mén. Tiānbīng men kànjiàn le, shéi yě bù gǎn guòlái.
Staff in hand, Wukong fought his way out through the Southern Gate of Heaven. The heavenly soldiers saw him, and not one of them dared come near.
- Sun Wukong 弼马温？老孙不要了！回家以后，老孙要给自己起一个比天还大的名字！
Bìmǎwēn? Lǎo Sūn bú yào le! Huí jiā yǐhòu, Lǎo Sūn yào gěi zìjǐ qǐ yí gè bǐ tiān hái dà de míngzi!
Bimawen? Old Sun doesn't want it! When I get home, I'll give myself a name bigger than heaven itself!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Wukong do when he meets the Jade Emperor?
“行礼？怎么行？老孙不会啊。”
- What job does the Jade Emperor give Wukong?
“天上的马，以后都交给你了。你就做弼马温吧！”
- How do the horses do with Wukong in charge?
“才半个月，这些马都又胖又漂亮了！”
- What does the stable hand tell Wukong about his post?
“弼马温……是天上最小最小的官。”
- What does Wukong decide as he leaves heaven?
“老孙要给自己起一个比天还大的名字！”