Journey to the West: The Monkey King · chapter 17 of 25
Keeper of the Horses
弼马温
The Jade Emperor finds Wukong a job with a very fine name. Wukong works at it day and night, until someone at a dinner tells him what the name really means.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 神仙们都大叫：“陛下！这只猴子不跪，还叫自己老孙！真该死！”
Shénxiānmen dōu dàjiào: “Bìxià! Zhè zhī hóuzi bú guì, hái jiào zìjǐ Lǎo Sūn! Zhēn gāisǐ!”
The immortals all cried out: “Your Majesty! This monkey won't kneel, and he calls himself Old Sun! He deserves to die!”
- the Jade Emperor 他刚从下边来，还不懂天上的事。这一次，就算了吧。
Tā gāng cóng xiàbian lái, hái bù dǒng tiānshàng de shì. Zhè yí cì, jiù suàn le ba.
He has only just come up from below, and he doesn't know heaven's ways yet. This time, we'll let it go.
- the Jade Emperor 天上的官，都有人做了。就天马那儿，还要一个管马的。
Tiānshàng de guān, dōu yǒu rén zuò le. Jiù tiānmǎ nàr, hái yào yí gè guǎn mǎ de.
Every post in heaven is taken. Only the heavenly horses still need someone to look after them.
Chapter 17 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.
- the Jade Emperor 孙悟空，你就去做弼马温吧！
Sūn Wùkōng, nǐ jiù qù zuò Bìmǎwēn ba!
Sun Wukong, you shall be the Bimawen!
- 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 fine-sounding name! Thank you, Jade Emperor!
- Sun Wukong 好多天马！一千匹！老孙来管你们了！
Hǎo duō tiānmǎ! Yìqiān pǐ! Lǎo Sūn lái guǎn nǐmen le!
So many heavenly horses! A thousand of them! Old Sun is in charge of you now!
- Sun Wukong 起来，起来！别睡了，快吃草！
Qǐlai, qǐlai! Bié shuì le, kuài chī cǎo!
Up, up! No more sleeping, eat your grass!
- Sun Wukong 你，别跑远了！回来！……哈哈，这才听话！
Nǐ, bié pǎo yuǎn le! Huílai! … Hāhā, zhè cái tīnghuà!
You there, don't wander off! Come back! …Ha ha, that's a good horse!
- Narrator 他白天晚上都在马那儿。半个月以后，天马都吃得胖胖的。
Tā báitiān wǎnshang dōu zài mǎ nàr. Bàn gè yuè yǐhòu, tiānmǎ dōu chī de pàngpàng de.
Day and night he stayed with the horses. Half a month later, every heavenly horse was round and fat.
- Sun Wukong 哈哈！你们看，一匹一匹，都这么胖！
Hāhā! Nǐmen kàn, yì pǐ yì pǐ, dōu zhème pàng!
Ha ha! Look at them, every single one, so fat!
- Sun Wukong 来，喝酒！你们说，弼马温这个官，有多大？
Lái, hē jiǔ! Nǐmen shuō, Bìmǎwēn zhège guān, yǒu duō dà?
Come on, drink! Tell me, this post of Bimawen, how big is it?
- Narrator 管马的小官们都笑了：“最小的官！马胖了，说你很好。马不胖，就要打你！”
Guǎn mǎ de xiǎo guānmen dōu xiào le: “Zuì xiǎo de guān! Mǎ pàng le, shuō nǐ hěn hǎo. Mǎ bú pàng, jiù yào dǎ nǐ!”
The little stable officials all laughed: “The smallest post there is! If the horses are fat, they say you've done well. If they aren't, you get a beating!”
- Sun Wukong 最小的官？在花果山，老孙是大王！
Zuì xiǎo de guān? Zài Huāguǒ Shān, Lǎo Sūn shì dàwáng!
The smallest post? On Flower Fruit Mountain, Old Sun is a king!
- Sun Wukong 他们骗老孙上天，给他们管马？好啊！
Tāmen piàn Lǎo Sūn shàngtiān, gěi tāmen guǎn mǎ? Hǎo a!
They tricked Old Sun into coming up to heaven, just to mind their horses? Fine!
- Sun Wukong 老孙不喝了！耳朵里的针，出来！大！大！大！
Lǎo Sūn bù hē le! Ěrduo li de zhēn, chūlai! Dà! Dà! Dà!
Old Sun is done drinking! Needle in my ear, come out! Bigger! Bigger! Bigger!
- Narrator 他一直打到南天门。门口的天兵认识他了，谁也不敢管他。
Tā yìzhí dǎ dào Nántiān Mén. Ménkǒu de tiānbīng rènshi tā le, shéi yě bù gǎn guǎn tā.
He fought his way all the way to the Southern Gate. The soldiers at the gate knew him now, and not one of them dared to stop him.
- the Jade Emperor 什么？弼马温拿着金箍棒，打出了南天门？又是那只猴子！
Shénme? Bìmǎwēn ná zhe jīn gū bàng, dǎ chū le Nántiān Mén? Yòu shì nà zhī hóuzi!
What? The Bimawen fought his way out of the Southern Gate with that staff? That monkey again!
- Little Monkey 大王回来了！大王，你走了十多年了！
Dàwáng huílai le! Dàwáng, nǐ zǒu le shí duō nián le!
His Majesty is back! Your Majesty, you've been gone more than ten years!
- Sun Wukong 十多年？胡说！老孙才走了半个月！
Shí duō nián? Húshuō! Lǎo Sūn cái zǒu le bàn gè yuè!
More than ten years? Nonsense! Old Sun has only been gone half a month!
- Old Monkey 大王，你不知道吗？天上一天，地上一年啊。
Dàwáng, nǐ bù zhīdào ma? Tiānshàng yì tiān, dìshang yì nián a.
Your Majesty, don't you know? One day in heaven is a year on earth.
- Little Monkey 大王，天上的桃子呢？你给我带回来了吗？
Dàwáng, tiānshàng de táozi ne? Nǐ gěi wǒ dài huílai le ma?
Your Majesty, what about the peach from heaven? Did you bring it back for me?
- Sun Wukong 什么桃子！老孙在天上，天天给人管马！
Shénme táozi! Lǎo Sūn zài tiānshàng, tiāntiān gěi rén guǎn mǎ!
Peach, my foot! Up in heaven, Old Sun spent every day minding somebody's horses!
- Old Monkey 管马？大王在花果山是大王，怎么能去给人管马？
Guǎn mǎ? Dàwáng zài Huāguǒ Shān shì dàwáng, zěnme néng qù gěi rén guǎn mǎ?
Minding horses? On Flower Fruit Mountain you are our king. How could you go and mind somebody's horses?
- Sun Wukong 那个玉帝，不知道老孙的本领有多大！
Nàge Yùdì, bù zhīdào Lǎo Sūn de běnlǐng yǒu duō dà!
That Jade Emperor has no idea how great Old Sun's powers are!
- Little Monkey 大王别生气！喝酒，喝酒！
Dàwáng bié shēngqì! Hē jiǔ, hē jiǔ!
Don't be angry, Your Majesty! Have some wine, have some wine!
- Sun Wukong 弼马温？老孙不做了！老孙要一个比天还大的名字！
Bìmǎwēn? Lǎo Sūn bú zuò le! Lǎo Sūn yào yí gè bǐ tiān hái dà de míngzi!
Bimawen? Old Sun quits! Old Sun wants a name bigger than the sky!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does the Jade Emperor forgive Wukong for not kneeling?
“他刚从下边来，还不懂天上的事”
- How does Wukong look after the heavenly horses?
“他白天晚上都在马那儿”
- What do the stable officials tell Wukong about his post?
“最小的官”
- Why do the monkeys say Wukong has been gone more than ten years?
“天上一天，地上一年”
- What does Wukong want at the end of the chapter?
“老孙要一个比天还大的名字”