Journey to the West: The Monkey King · chapter 6 of 25
A Name at Last
有名字了
Called a liar, the monkey begs to stay. A mix-up over one little word and a short walk across the hall end with something he has never had.
Read what you hear
- Sun Wukong 师父，别赶我走！弟子说的是真话！
Shīfu, bié gǎn wǒ zǒu! Dìzǐ shuō de shì zhēnhuà!
Master, don't throw me out! I'm telling you the truth!
- Narrator 斜月三星洞里，猴王还跪在地上。三十多个弟子都看着他。
Xiéyuè Sānxīng Dòng li, Hóuwáng hái guì zài dìshang. Sānshí duō gè dìzǐ dōu kànzhe tā.
In the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, the Monkey King was still on his knees, and more than thirty students were staring at him.
- Master Subodhi 东海？那么远！你怎么可能到这儿来？
Dōng Hǎi? Nàme yuǎn! Nǐ zěnme kěnéng dào zhèr lái?
The Eastern Sea? That's so far away! How could you possibly have come all this way?
Chapter 6 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Journey to the West: The Monkey King (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and The Hound of the Baskervilles are free from start to finish.
- Sun Wukong 弟子坐小船，过了两个大海，找了十多年，才找到师父！
Dìzǐ zuò xiǎochuán, guò le liǎng gè dàhǎi, zhǎo le shí duō nián, cái zhǎodào shīfu!
I came in a little boat, Master! I crossed two seas and searched for more than ten years before I found you!
- Master Subodhi 十多年……好吧。那我问你，你姓什么？
Shí duō nián… hǎo ba. Nà wǒ wèn nǐ, nǐ xìng shénme?
More than ten years… very well. Then tell me: what is your xìng, your family name?
- Sun Wukong 性？我没有性！别人打我，我也不生气！
Xìng? Wǒ méiyǒu xìng! Biérén dǎ wǒ, wǒ yě bù shēngqì!
Xìng? A temper? I haven't got one! If somebody hits me, I don't even get angry!
- Master Subodhi 不是这个性！我问的是，你爸爸妈妈姓什么？
Bú shì zhège xìng! Wǒ wèn de shì, nǐ bàba māma xìng shénme?
Not that xìng! I'm asking for your family name, the xìng of your father and mother!
- Sun Wukong 我没有爸爸，也没有妈妈。
Wǒ méiyǒu bàba, yě méiyǒu māma.
I have no father, and no mother either.
- Master Subodhi 没有爸爸妈妈？那你是树上长出来的？
Méiyǒu bàba māma? Nà nǐ shì shù shang zhǎng chūlai de?
No father and no mother? Then what, did you grow on a tree?
- Sun Wukong 不是树上，是石头里！我是从石头里跳出来的！
Bú shì shù shang, shì shítou li! Wǒ shì cóng shítou li tiào chūlai de!
Not on a tree, in a stone! I jumped out of a stone!
- Master Subodhi 从石头里……原来是天地生的。好，好。
Cóng shítou li… yuánlái shì tiāndì shēng de. Hǎo, hǎo.
Out of a stone… so heaven and earth made him. Good, good.
- Master Subodhi 你站起来，走一走，给我看看。
Nǐ zhàn qǐlai, zǒu yi zǒu, gěi wǒ kànkan.
Stand up. Walk around a little, and let me see you.
- Sun Wukong 好！我走，我走……啊！我又跳起来了！
Hǎo! Wǒ zǒu, wǒ zǒu… À! Wǒ yòu tiào qǐlai le!
Yes, Master! I'm walking, I'm walking… oh! I'm hopping again!
- Master Subodhi 哈哈！你走路，像一只吃松树果子的猢狲。
Hāhā! Nǐ zǒulù, xiàng yì zhī chī sōngshù guǒzi de húsūn.
Ha ha! You walk just like a húsūn, a monkey munching pine nuts.
- Sun Wukong 松树果子？您……您怎么知道的？
Sōngshù guǒzi? Nín… nín zěnme zhīdào de?
Pine nuts? How… how did you know?
- Master Subodhi 好，我就从猢狲这两个字里，给你取一个姓。
Hǎo, wǒ jiù cóng húsūn zhè liǎng gè zì li, gěi nǐ qǔ yí gè xìng.
Now then. I'll take a family name for you out of the word húsūn.
- Master Subodhi 第二个字，去了左边，是个孙。
Dì èr gè zì, qù le zuǒbian, shì gè Sūn.
Take the left side off its second character, sūn, and you get Sun.
- Master Subodhi 孙，左边是子，右边是小：小孩子。你就姓孙吧！
Sūn, zuǒbian shì zǐ, yòubian shì xiǎo: xiǎo háizi. Nǐ jiù xìng Sūn ba!
Sun has “child” on the left and “little” on the right: a little child. Your family name shall be Sun!
- Sun Wukong 小孩子？太好了！小孩子离老还远着呢！我有姓了！
Xiǎo háizi? Tài hǎo le! Xiǎo háizi lí lǎo hái yuǎnzhe ne! Wǒ yǒu xìng le!
A little child? Wonderful! A little child is a long, long way from old! I have a family name!
- Sun Wukong 师父，有了姓，还要有个名字吧？
Shīfu, yǒu le xìng, hái yào yǒu gè míngzi ba?
Master, now that I have a family name, I need a given name too, don't I?
- Master Subodhi 我给弟子起名字，有十二个字。排到你，是第十个：悟。
Wǒ gěi dìzǐ qǐ míngzi, yǒu shí'èr gè zì. Pái dào nǐ, shì dì shí gè: Wù.
When I name my students, I use twelve words in turn. You come tenth, and the tenth is Wu.
- Master Subodhi 你就叫……孙悟空。
Nǐ jiù jiào… Sūn Wùkōng.
Your name shall be… Sun Wukong.
- Sun Wukong 孙悟空……孙悟空！好！好！好！我有名字了！
Sūn Wùkōng… Sūn Wùkōng! Hǎo! Hǎo! Hǎo! Wǒ yǒu míngzi le!
Sun Wukong… Sun Wukong! Good! Good! Good! I have a name at last!
- Master Subodhi 悟空，从今天起，你是我的徒弟了。去吧，跟师兄们出去。
Wùkōng, cóng jīntiān qǐ, nǐ shì wǒ de túdì le. Qù ba, gēn shīxiōngmen chūqu.
Wukong, from today on you are my disciple. Now go outside with your elder brothers.
- Narrator 弟子们把悟空带到了外边。
Dìzǐmen bǎ Wùkōng dài dào le wàibian.
The students led Wukong outside.
- Fellow student 师弟，你这件衣服，怎么这么大？
Shīdì, nǐ zhè jiàn yīfu, zěnme zhème dà?
Little brother, why is your robe so huge?
- Sun Wukong 这是……借的！借的！
Zhè shì… jiè de! Jiè de!
It's… borrowed! Borrowed!
- Fellow student 先换衣服吧。给你：红衣服，黄带子。穿上，就像个弟子了！
Xiān huàn yīfu ba. Gěi nǐ: hóng yīfu, huáng dàizi. Chuānshang, jiù xiàng gè dìzǐ le!
Change first. Here you are: a red robe and a yellow sash. Put them on, and you'll look like a proper student!
- Fellow student 还有这个，也是你的。从明天起，你天天扫地。
Hái yǒu zhège, yě shì nǐ de. Cóng míngtiān qǐ, nǐ tiāntiān sǎodì.
And this is yours too. From tomorrow, you sweep the yard every day.
- Sun Wukong 扫地？我是来学不老的本领的！
Sǎodì? Wǒ shì lái xué bù lǎo de běnlǐng de!
Sweep the yard? I came here to learn how never to grow old!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does the master think the monkey is lying?
“东海？那么远！你怎么可能到这儿来？”
- How long did the monkey search for a teacher?
“过了两个大海，找了十多年”
- Why does the monkey say “I haven't got a xìng”?
“性？我没有性！别人打我，我也不生气！”
- Where does the surname Sun come from?
“你走路，像一只吃松树果子的猢狲……第二个字，去了左边，是个孙。”
- What is Wukong's first job as a student?
“从明天起，你天天扫地。”