Journey to the West: The Monkey King · chapter 4 of 25
Learning to Be Human
学做人
In the lands of people, the Monkey King "borrows" some clothes, practices saying hello and asks about immortals. Nobody wants what he wants, until a voice speaks in the woods.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 美猴王的小船在大海上走了很多天。这天早上，小船到了一个海边。
Měi Hóuwáng de xiǎochuán zài dàhǎi shang zǒu le hěn duō tiān. Zhè tiān zǎoshang, xiǎochuán dào le yí gè hǎibiān.
For many days the Handsome Monkey King's little boat drifted across the sea. Then one morning, it reached a shore.
- Sun Wukong 到了！这是哪儿？……那边有人！
Dào le! Zhè shì nǎr? … Nàbian yǒu rén!
Land at last! Where is this? …There are people over there!
- Sun Wukong 两只脚走路，身上没有毛……那些是人！他们在打鱼。看我的！
Liǎng zhī jiǎo zǒulù, shēnshang méiyǒu máo… nàxiē shì rén! Tāmen zài dǎyú. Kàn wǒ de!
They walk on two feet and have no fur… those are people! They're fishing. Watch this!
- Narrator 猴王大叫一声，跳了过去。海边的人都大叫：“妖怪！妖怪来了！”
Hóuwáng dàjiào yì shēng, tiào le guòqu. Hǎibiān de rén dōu dàjiào: “Yāoguài! Yāoguài lái le!”
The Monkey King let out a great roar and leapt at them. The people on the beach screamed, "A demon! A demon is coming!"
- Sun Wukong 妖怪？我不是妖怪，我是美猴王！你们跑什么？我不吃人！
Yāoguài? Wǒ bú shì yāoguài, wǒ shì Měi Hóuwáng! Nǐmen pǎo shénme? Wǒ bù chī rén!
A demon? I'm no demon, I'm the Handsome Monkey King! What are you running for? I don't eat people!
- Sun Wukong 哈哈，那个人跑得最慢……你的衣服，借我穿穿吧！
Hāhā, nàge rén pǎo de zuì màn… nǐ de yīfu, jiè wǒ chuānchuan ba!
Ha ha, that one's the slowest… your clothes, let me borrow them!
- Sun Wukong 这件衣服太大了，也太长了……我穿上衣服，像不像人？
Zhè jiàn yīfu tài dà le, yě tài cháng le… wǒ chuānshang yīfu, xiàng bu xiàng rén?
These clothes are way too big, and way too long… now that I'm dressed, do I look like a person?
- Narrator 猴王走了一个又一个地方。他学人走路，学人说话。
Hóuwáng zǒu le yí gè yòu yí gè dìfang. Tā xué rén zǒulù, xué rén shuōhuà.
The Monkey King went from one place to the next. He learned to walk like people, and to talk like people.
- Sun Wukong 你好！你好！……我说得像不像人？
Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ hǎo! … Wǒ shuō de xiàng bu xiàng rén?
Hello! Hello! …Do I sound like a person?
- Sun Wukong 人走路，不跳。不能跳，不能跳……啊，我又跳了！
Rén zǒulù, bú tiào. Bù néng tiào, bù néng tiào… à, wǒ yòu tiào le!
People don't hop when they walk. No hopping, no hopping… oh no, I hopped again!
- Sun Wukong 人吃饭，不用手，用筷子……好难啊！
Rén chīfàn, bú yòng shǒu, yòng kuàizi… hǎo nán a!
People don't eat with their hands, they use chopsticks… this is so hard!
- Narrator 他走到哪儿，都问神仙住在哪儿。人们听了，都笑他。
Tā zǒu dào nǎr, dōu wèn shénxiān zhù zài nǎr. Rénmen tīng le, dōu xiào tā.
Wherever he went, he asked where the immortals lived. People only laughed at him.
- Sun Wukong 我问了一百个人。这个说：“钱！我要钱！”那个说：“我要做大官！”
Wǒ wèn le yìbǎi gè rén. Zhège shuō: “Qián! Wǒ yào qián!” Nàge shuō: “Wǒ yào zuò dà guān!”
I've asked a hundred people. This one says, "Money! I want money!" That one says, "I want to be a great official!"
- Sun Wukong 钱？大官？奇怪……他们不怕老，也不怕死吗？
Qián? Dà guān? Qíguài… tāmen bú pà lǎo, yě bú pà sǐ ma?
Money? Official posts? How strange… aren't they afraid of growing old? Of dying?
- Sun Wukong 我不要钱，也不要官。我只要不老！
Wǒ bú yào qián, yě bú yào guān. Wǒ zhǐ yào bù lǎo!
I don't want money, and I don't want a post. All I want is never to grow old!
- Sun Wukong 一年，两年……八九年了！我的毛是不是白了一点儿？
Yì nián, liǎng nián… bā jiǔ nián le! Wǒ de máo shì bu shì bái le yìdiǎnr?
One year, two years… eight or nine years now! Is my fur getting a little white?
- Sun Wukong 西边又是大海……这儿没有神仙。神仙一定在大海那边！
Xībian yòu shì dàhǎi… zhèr méiyǒu shénxiān. Shénxiān yídìng zài dàhǎi nàbian!
To the west, the sea again… there are no immortals here. They must be across the sea!
- Sun Wukong 孩儿们，你们好吗？我想你们了……可是，我还不能回去。
Hái'érmen, nǐmen hǎo ma? Wǒ xiǎng nǐmen le… kěshì, wǒ hái bù néng huíqu.
My little ones, are you all right? I miss you… but I can't go home yet.
- Sun Wukong 我再做一条小船！神仙，等着我！
Wǒ zài zuò yì tiáo xiǎochuán! Shénxiān, děngzhe wǒ!
I'll build another little boat! Immortals, wait for me!
- Sun Wukong 又到了一个新地方！好高的山，好多的树……
Yòu dào le yí gè xīn dìfang! Hǎo gāo de shān, hǎo duō de shù…
Another new land! Such a tall mountain, so many trees…
- Woodcutter 砍柴，砍柴，天天上山……
Kǎn chái, kǎn chái, tiāntiān shàng shān…
Chop the wood, chop the wood, up the hill each day…
- Sun Wukong 啊？有人在说话……是谁？
Á? Yǒu rén zài shuōhuà… shì shéi?
Huh? Someone's talking… who is it?
- Woodcutter 不要钱，不要官……
Bú yào qián, bú yào guān…
I want no money, I want no post…
- Sun Wukong 不要钱？不要官？他说得跟我一样！
Bú yào qián? Bú yào guān? Tā shuō de gēn wǒ yíyàng!
No money? No post? He's saying just what I said!
- Woodcutter ……我的朋友是神仙！
… Wǒ de péngyou shì shénxiān!
…my friend is an immortal!
- Sun Wukong 神仙！神仙原来在这里！
Shénxiān! Shénxiān yuánlái zài zhèli!
An immortal! So this is where the immortals are!
What changed in the story?
- What do the people on the beach shout when the Monkey King leaps at them?
“妖怪！妖怪来了！”
- How does the Monkey King get his clothes?
“那个人跑得最慢……你的衣服，借我穿穿吧”
- What do the people he asks want?
“我要钱……我要做大官”
- Why does the Monkey King worry as the years go by?
“我的毛是不是白了一点儿？”
- Why does the woodcutter's rhyme excite the Monkey King?
“我的朋友是神仙！”