Journey to the West: Journey's End · chapter 1 of 6
The Bottomless Boat
无底船
The pilgrims reach the river below Vulture Peak and must cross in a boat with no bottom. Then two smiling monks meet them on the far shore.
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- Narrator 天刚亮。师徒四人来到一条大河边。河的那边，就是灵山。
Tiān gāng liàng. Shītú sì rén láidào yì tiáo dà hé biān. Hé de nà biān, jiùshì Língshān.
It was just dawn. The four pilgrims came to a wide river. On the other side stood Vulture Peak.
- Zhu Bajie 大师兄，桥呢？我怎么只看见一只小船？
Dà shīxiōng, qiáo ne? Wǒ zěnme zhǐ kànjiàn yì zhī xiǎo chuán?
Big Brother, where's the bridge? All I see is one little boat!
- Sun Wukong 前面就是灵山了！过了这条河，我们就能拿到经书！
Qiánmiàn jiùshì Língshān le! Guò le zhè tiáo hé, wǒmen jiù néng ná dào jīngshū!
Vulture Peak is right ahead! Cross this river and we get the scriptures!
- Tang Seng 太好了！可是……悟空，这只船没有底。
Tài hǎo le! Kěshì… Wùkōng, zhè zhī chuán méiyǒu dǐ.
Wonderful! But... Wukong, this boat has no bottom.
- Sha Wujing 师父说得对。船底是空的，人会从里面掉下去。
Shīfu shuō de duì. Chuán dǐ shì kōng de, rén huì cóng lǐmiàn diào xiàqù.
The Master is right. The bottom is empty. A person would fall right through.
- Zhu Bajie 我不上！我要是掉进河里，就变成猪肉汤了！
Wǒ bú shàng! Wǒ yàoshi diào jìn hé lǐ, jiù biànchéng zhūròu tāng le!
I'm not getting in! If I fall in the river, I'll turn into pork soup!
- The Boatman 别怕。这只船虽然没有底，可是它从来不沉。
Bié pà. Zhè zhī chuán suīrán méiyǒu dǐ, kěshì tā cónglái bù chén.
Don't be afraid. This boat has no bottom, but it has never sunk.
- Sun Wukong 八戒，你的肚子这么大，掉下去也可以当小船用！
Bājiè, nǐ de dùzi zhème dà, diào xiàqù yě kěyǐ dāng xiǎo chuán yòng!
Bajie, your belly is so big, if you fell in you could use it as a boat!
- Zhu Bajie 猴子，你等着！我上了岸，一定要吃光你的桃子！
Hóuzi, nǐ děngzhe! Wǒ shàng le àn, yídìng yào chī guāng nǐ de táozi!
Monkey, just you wait! When we reach the shore, I'm eating all your peaches!
- Tang Seng 我……我的腿有点软。你们先上，好吗？
Wǒ… wǒ de tuǐ yǒudiǎn ruǎn. Nǐmen xiān shàng, hǎo ma?
My... my legs are a little wobbly. Why don't you go first?
- Sun Wukong 师父，别怕，老孙就在这儿！不过，对不起了！
Shīfu, bié pà, Lǎo Sūn jiù zài zhèr! Búguò, duìbuqǐ le!
Don't be afraid, Master, Old Sun is right here! But I'm so sorry about this!
- Tang Seng 啊——！悟空！咦？我没有掉下去！
Ā—! Wùkōng! Yí? Wǒ méiyǒu diào xiàqù!
Ahh! Wukong! Huh? I didn't fall!
- Sha Wujing 二师兄，抓紧我的手。这只船稳得很。
Èr shīxiōng, zhuājǐn wǒ de shǒu. Zhè zhī chuán wěn de hěn.
Second Brother, hold my hand. The boat is very steady.
- Zhu Bajie 哇，真的不会沉！我还以为今天要洗澡了，还好没有。
Wā, zhēn de bú huì chén! Wǒ hái yǐwéi jīntiān yào xǐzǎo le, hái hǎo méiyǒu.
Wow, it really doesn't sink! I thought I was in for a bath today. Lucky me.
- Narrator 小船慢慢走在水上。河水又平又亮，像一面大镜子。
Xiǎochuán mànmàn zǒu zài shuǐ shàng. Héshuǐ yòu píng yòu liàng, xiàng yí miàn dà jìngzi.
The little boat glided over the water. The river was flat and bright, like a big mirror.
- Sha Wujing 师父，这里的水好安静。我以前住在流沙河，那里的水，可没有这么安静。
Shīfu, zhèlǐ de shuǐ hǎo ānjìng. Wǒ yǐqián zhù zài Liúshā Hé, nàlǐ de shuǐ, kě méiyǒu zhème ānjìng.
Master, the water here is so calm. I used to live in the Flowing Sand River, and that water was never this quiet.
- Sha Wujing 师父，你看！河里有东西在漂。
Shīfu, nǐ kàn! Hé lǐ yǒu dōngxi zài piāo.
Master, look! Something is floating in the river.
- Zhu Bajie 是个人！他一动不动，不会是……死了吧？
Shì gè rén! Tā yí dòng bú dòng, bú huì shì… sǐ le ba?
It's a person! He isn't moving at all. He can't be... gone, can he?
- Sun Wukong 哈哈，师父，你看清楚一点。那个人，和你长得一样！
Hāhā, shīfu, nǐ kàn qīngchu yìdiǎn. Nàge rén, hé nǐ zhǎng de yíyàng!
Ha ha, Master, look closer. That man looks just like you!
- Tang Seng 真的……那是我？他还穿着我的旧衣服。
Zhēn de… nà shì wǒ? Tā hái chuān zhe wǒ de jiù yīfu.
It really is... me? He's even wearing my old clothes.
- Sha Wujing 师父，那是你以前的身体。
Shīfu, nà shì nǐ yǐqián de shēntǐ.
Master, that is your old body.
- Sun Wukong 对！走了这么远的路，你已经变了。旧的留在河里，新的上了岸。
Duì! Zǒu le zhème yuǎn de lù, nǐ yǐjīng biàn le. Jiù de liú zài hé lǐ, xīn de shàng le àn.
Right! After such a long road, you've changed. The old one stays in the river. The new one goes ashore.
- Tang Seng 那我要说一声谢谢。再见了，旧的我。
Nà wǒ yào shuō yì shēng xièxie. Zàijiàn le, jiù de wǒ.
Then I must say thank you. Goodbye, old me.
- Zhu Bajie 那我的旧身体呢？它是不是太重，沉下去了？
Nà wǒ de jiù shēntǐ ne? Tā shì bú shì tài zhòng, chén xiàqù le?
And what about my old body? Was it too heavy and did it sink?
- Sun Wukong 哈哈！你的太重，正在后面慢慢游呢！
Hāhā! Nǐ de tài zhòng, zhèngzài hòumiàn mànmàn yóu ne!
Ha! Yours is so heavy it's still swimming along behind us!
- Narrator 船靠了岸。岸边开满了莲花，山上的庙金光闪闪。
Chuán kào le àn. Àn biān kāi mǎn le liánhuā, shān shàng de miào jīnguāng shǎnshǎn.
The boat touched the shore. Lotus flowers bloomed all along the bank, and the temple on the mountain shone gold.
- Tang Seng 到了！悟空，你看，山上有两位师父在等我们。
Dào le! Wùkōng, nǐ kàn, shān shàng yǒu liǎng wèi shīfu zài děng wǒmen.
We're here! Wukong, look, two monks are waiting for us up there.
- Ananda 唐僧师父，欢迎，欢迎！一路上辛苦了吧？
Táng Sēng shīfu, huānyíng, huānyíng! Yílù shàng xīnkǔ le ba?
Master Tang Seng, welcome, welcome! It must have been a hard road.
- Kashyapa 我们等你们很久了。来，请跟我们走。
Wǒmen děng nǐmen hěn jiǔ le. Lái, qǐng gēn wǒmen zǒu.
We've waited for you a long time. Come, please follow us.
- Tang Seng 谢谢两位。我们走了十四年，就是为了今天。
Xièxie liǎng wèi. Wǒmen zǒu le shísì nián, jiùshì wèile jīntiān.
Thank you both. We have walked fourteen years for this day.
- Sun Wukong 师父，抓紧你的口袋！那两个人笑得这么甜，一定想要礼物。
Shīfu, zhuājǐn nǐ de kǒudài! Nà liǎng gè rén xiào de zhème tián, yídìng xiǎng yào lǐwù.
Master, hold on to your pockets! Those two smile so sweetly, they must want a gift.
What changed in the story?
- Why is Tang Seng afraid of the boat?
“这只船没有底”
- What does Wukong do to Tang Seng at the water's edge?
“不过，对不起了”
- What floats past in the river?
“那个人，和你长得一样”
- What does Bajie threaten to do when they reach the shore?
“我上了岸，一定要吃光你的桃子”
- Why is Wukong suspicious of the two monks?
“笑得这么甜，一定想要礼物”