Journey to the West: Journey's End · chapter 2 of 6
The Blank Scrolls
白纸经书
The pilgrims wait years for scriptures, and leave with a horse-load of empty paper. Wukong storms off to find the Buddha.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 佛寺的大屋子里，一排排架子上，放满了经书。
Fósì de dà wūzi lǐ, yì páipái jiàzi shàng, fàng mǎn le jīngshū.
In the great hall of the temple, row after row of shelves was stacked with scriptures.
- Tang Seng 这么多经书！我走了十四年，就是为了看到它们。
Zhème duō jīngshū! Wǒ zǒu le shísì nián, jiùshì wèile kàn dào tāmen.
So many scriptures! I walked fourteen years just to see them.
- Ananda 是啊，是啊。你们走了那么远，真不容易。
Shì a, shì a. Nǐmen zǒu le nàme yuǎn, zhēn bù róngyì.
Yes, yes. You came such a long way. That was not easy.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Journey to the West: Journey's End 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, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Ananda 不过……你们有没有带一点小礼物给我们？
Búguò… nǐmen yǒu méiyǒu dài yìdiǎn xiǎo lǐwù gěi wǒmen?
But... did you happen to bring us a little gift?
- Tang Seng 礼物？对不起，我们走了一路，什么都没有。
Lǐwù? Duìbuqǐ, wǒmen zǒu le yílù, shénme dōu méiyǒu.
A gift? I'm sorry. We have walked all this way and have nothing.
- Kashyapa 什么都没有？别人来了，都会给一点的。
Shénme dōu méiyǒu? Biérén lái le, dōu huì gěi yìdiǎn de.
Nothing at all? Other people who come always give a little.
- Tang Seng 我们是和尚，只有这一路上吃的苦。
Wǒmen shì héshàng, zhǐyǒu zhè yílù shàng chī de kǔ.
We are monks. All we have is the hardship of the road.
- Ananda 师兄，他们真的没有东西。怎么办？
Shīxiōng, tāmen zhēn de méiyǒu dōngxi. Zěnme bàn?
Brother, they really have nothing. What do we do?
- Kashyapa 别急。给他们最轻的那一种，他们不会发现的。
Bié jí. Gěi tāmen zuì qīng de nà yì zhǒng, tāmen bú huì fāxiàn de.
Easy. Give them the lightest kind. They won't notice.
- Ananda 好，好。唐僧师父，请拿好！这些都是最好的经书。
Hǎo, hǎo. Táng Sēng shīfu, qǐng ná hǎo! Zhèxiē dōu shì zuì hǎo de jīngshū.
Fine, fine. Master Tang Seng, hold on tight! These are the very best scriptures.
- Tang Seng 我可以先看一卷吗？我想知道，第一个字是什么。
Wǒ kěyǐ xiān kàn yí juàn ma? Wǒ xiǎng zhīdào, dì-yī gè zì shì shénme.
May I look at one now? I want to know what the first word says.
- Ananda 不用，不用！路上再看，路上再看！天快黑了。
Bú yòng, bú yòng! Lùshàng zài kàn, lùshàng zài kàn! Tiān kuài hēi le.
No need, no need! Read it on the road! It will be dark soon.
- Tang Seng 太谢谢你们了！我们一定好好地读。
Tài xièxie nǐmen le! Wǒmen yídìng hǎohǎo de dú.
Thank you so much! We will read them with great care.
- Narrator 他们把经书放在马背上，走出了大门。
Tāmen bǎ jīngshū fàng zài mǎ bèi shàng, zǒu chū le dàmén.
They loaded the scrolls onto the horse and walked out through the gate.
- Sun Wukong 师父，出来啦！怎么样？拿到了吗？
Shīfu, chūlái la! Zěnmeyàng? Ná dào le ma?
Master, you're out! Well? Did you get them?
- Tang Seng 拿到了！五千多卷，全都在马背上，一卷也没有少！
Ná dào le! Wǔqiān duō juàn, quán dōu zài mǎ bèi shàng, yí juàn yě méiyǒu shǎo!
Yes! Over five thousand scrolls, all on the horse's back, and not one missing!
- Zhu Bajie 那我先看一卷。哎？这一卷……什么字都没有？
Nà wǒ xiān kàn yí juàn. Āi? Zhè yí juàn… shénme zì dōu méiyǒu?
Let me look at one first. Hey? This one... has no words at all?
- Sun Wukong 给老孙看！白的！全是白的！一个字也没有！
Gěi Lǎo Sūn kàn! Bái de! Quán shì bái de! Yí gè zì yě méiyǒu!
Give it to Old Sun! Blank! It's all blank! Not one word!
- Tang Seng 不会的。也许这一卷坏了。悟净，打开另一卷。
Bú huì de. Yěxǔ zhè yí juàn huài le. Wùjìng, dǎkāi lìng yí juàn.
That can't be. Maybe this one is spoiled. Wujing, open another.
- Sha Wujing 师父，这一卷也是白的。再一卷……也是。
Shīfu, zhè yí juàn yě shì bái de. Zài yí juàn… yě shì.
Master, this one is blank too. And another... also blank.
- Zhu Bajie 我们走了十四年，走过山，走过河，就拿到一马背的白纸吗？
Wǒmen zǒu le shísì nián, zǒu guò shān, zǒu guò hé, jiù ná dào yì mǎ bèi de bái zhǐ ma?
Fourteen years of walking over mountains and rivers, and all we get is a horse-load of blank paper?
- Sun Wukong 是那两个人！他们笑得那么甜，原来是在等礼物！
Shì nà liǎng gè rén! Tāmen xiào de nàme tián, yuánlái shì zài děng lǐwù!
It was those two! They smiled so sweetly because they were waiting for a gift!
- Zhu Bajie 也许这是很高级的经书，要用心才能读。
Yěxǔ zhè shì hěn gāojí de jīngshū, yào yòng xīn cái néng dú.
Maybe these are very fancy scriptures, and you have to read them with your heart.
- Sun Wukong 那你就用心读吧！老孙可要去找佛祖了！
Nà nǐ jiù yòng xīn dú ba! Lǎo Sūn kě yào qù zhǎo Fózǔ le!
Then read them with your heart! Old Sun is going to find the Buddha!
- Zhu Bajie 至少这些纸又白又干净。我可以用它包饭团！
Zhìshǎo zhèxiē zhǐ yòu bái yòu gānjìng. Wǒ kěyǐ yòng tā bāo fàntuán!
At least this paper is white and clean. I can wrap rice balls in it!
- Tang Seng 悟空，你先别生气。也许我们哪里做错了。
Wùkōng, nǐ xiān bié shēngqì. Yěxǔ wǒmen nǎlǐ zuò cuò le.
Wukong, don't be angry yet. Maybe we did something wrong.
- Sun Wukong 我们没有错！错的是他们！我们走了这么远的路！
Wǒmen méiyǒu cuò! Cuò de shì tāmen! Wǒmen zǒu le zhème yuǎn de lù!
We did nothing wrong! They did! We came such a long way!
- Sha Wujing 大师兄，佛祖很大，你的火气也很大。请你慢一点。
Dà shīxiōng, Fózǔ hěn dà, nǐ de huǒqì yě hěn dà. Qǐng nǐ màn yìdiǎn.
Big Brother, the Buddha is very great, and your temper is very big too. Please slow down.
- Tang Seng 好吧，我们一起去，把话说清楚。悟空，不许动棒子。
Hǎo ba, wǒmen yìqǐ qù, bǎ huà shuō qīngchu. Wùkōng, bù xǔ dòng bàngzi.
All right, we will go together and explain clearly. Wukong, no swinging the staff.
- Sun Wukong 老孙一句话都不说。老孙只说一句。
Lǎo Sūn yí jù huà dōu bù shuō. Lǎo Sūn zhǐ shuō yí jù.
Old Sun won't say a single word. Just one.
- Sun Wukong 佛祖！你的徒弟给了我们一马背的白纸！这是怎么回事？
Fózǔ! Nǐ de túdì gěi le wǒmen yì mǎ bèi de bái zhǐ! Zhè shì zěnme huí shì?
Buddha! Your disciples gave us a whole horse-load of blank paper! What is going on?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What do Ananda and Kashyapa hint that they want?
“你们有没有带一点小礼物给我们”
- What does Kashyapa whisper to Ananda?
“给他们最轻的那一种”
- What does Bajie find when he opens a scroll?
“什么字都没有”
- What does Tang Seng ask of Wukong before they go back?
“不许动棒子”
- Who does Wukong want to see about the blank paper?
“老孙可要去找佛祖了”