Journey to the West: The Monkey King · chapter 8 of 25
Midnight at the Back Door
半夜的后门
While everyone sleeps, Wukong counts in the dark and slips out to the back door. Has he read the master's riddle right, and what will he learn?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，弟子们都睡了。悟空也在床上，可是他没有睡。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, dìzǐmen dōu shuì le. Wùkōng yě zài chuáng shang, kěshì tā méiyǒu shuì.
That night, all the students were asleep. Wukong was in bed too, but he wasn't sleeping.
- Sun Wukong 还没到半夜……别急，别急。我数一数吧：一，二，三……
Hái méi dào bànyè… bié jí, bié jí. Wǒ shǔ yi shǔ ba: yī, èr, sān…
It isn't midnight yet… easy, easy. I'll count: one, two, three…
- Sun Wukong ……九百九十八，九百九十九，一千！好，快到半夜了！
… Jiǔbǎi jiǔshíbā, jiǔbǎi jiǔshíjiǔ, yìqiān! Hǎo, kuài dào bànyè le!
…nine hundred ninety-eight, nine hundred ninety-nine, one thousand! Right, it's nearly midnight!
Chapter 8 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 轻一点儿，再轻一点儿……去后门！
Qīng yìdiǎnr, zài qīng yìdiǎnr… qù hòumén!
Quietly, more quietly still… to the back door!
- Sun Wukong 后门半开着！师父真的在等我！
Hòumén bàn kāizhe! Shīfu zhēn de zài děng wǒ!
The back door is half open! The Master really is waiting for me!
- Narrator 祖师在睡觉。悟空不敢叫他，就跪在床前等着。
Zǔshī zài shuìjiào. Wùkōng bù gǎn jiào tā, jiù guì zài chuáng qián děngzhe.
The master was asleep. Wukong didn't dare wake him, so he knelt beside the bed and waited.
- Master Subodhi 谁？……你这猢狲！不在前边睡觉，来我这后边做什么？
Shéi? … Nǐ zhè húsūn! Bú zài qiánbian shuìjiào, lái wǒ zhè hòubian zuò shénme?
Who's there? …You monkey! Why aren't you asleep out front? What are you doing back here?
- Sun Wukong 师父，是您叫我来的！您打我三下，是叫我三更来。
Shīfu, shì nín jiào wǒ lái de! Nín dǎ wǒ sān xià, shì jiào wǒ sān gēng lái.
Master, you told me to come! Three raps meant: come at the third watch, at midnight.
- Sun Wukong 您手放在后边，又关了中门，是叫我从后门进来。
Nín shǒu fàng zài hòubian, yòu guān le zhōngmén, shì jiào wǒ cóng hòumén jìnlai.
Hands behind your back and the middle door shut meant: come in by the back door.
- Master Subodhi 这猢狲，真是天地生的！我的意思，他都懂了。
Zhè húsūn, zhēn shì tiāndì shēng de! Wǒ de yìsi, tā dōu dǒng le.
This monkey truly was made by heaven and earth! He understood every bit of it.
- Sun Wukong 师父，这里没有别人，谁也听不见。请您教我不老的本领吧！
Shīfu, zhèli méiyǒu biérén, shéi yě tīng bu jiàn. Qǐng nín jiāo wǒ bù lǎo de běnlǐng ba!
Master, there's no one else here. Nobody can hear us. Please teach me how never to grow old!
- Master Subodhi 好。你过来，听好了。这是我们两个人的秘密。
Hǎo. Nǐ guòlai, tīng hǎo le. Zhè shì wǒmen liǎng gè rén de mìmì.
Very well. Come closer and listen carefully. This is a secret between the two of us.
- Narrator 祖师说得很轻很轻。悟空一个字一个字，都记在了心里。
Zǔshī shuō de hěn qīng hěn qīng. Wùkōng yí gè zì yí gè zì, dōu jì zài le xīnli.
The master spoke very, very softly, and Wukong kept every word in his heart.
- Sun Wukong 天快亮了！我得快点儿回去。
Tiān kuài liàng le! Wǒ děi kuài diǎnr huíqu.
It's almost dawn! I'd better hurry back.
- Sun Wukong 天亮了！天亮了！大家快起床！
Tiān liàng le! Tiān liàng le! Dàjiā kuài qǐchuáng!
It's morning! It's morning! Up you get, everyone!
- Fellow student 啊……悟空，你今天怎么起得这么早？
À… Wùkōng, nǐ jīntiān zěnme qǐ de zhème zǎo?
Ugh… Wukong, how come you're up so early today?
- Sun Wukong 我？我睡得好着呢！哈哈！
Wǒ? Wǒ shuì de hǎozhe ne! Hāhā!
Me? I slept great! Ha ha!
- Master Subodhi 悟空，又过了三年了。你学得怎么样了？
Wùkōng, yòu guò le sān nián le. Nǐ xué de zěnmeyàng le?
Wukong, three more years have gone by. How is your learning coming along?
- Sun Wukong 学得很好！弟子不会老，也不会死了！
Xué de hěn hǎo! Dìzǐ bú huì lǎo, yě bú huì sǐ le!
I've learned it well, Master! I'll never grow old now, and I'll never die!
- Master Subodhi 别高兴得太早。五百年以后，天上的雷会来打你。
Bié gāoxìng de tài zǎo. Wǔbǎi nián yǐhòu, tiānshàng de léi huì lái dǎ nǐ.
Don't be happy too soon. Five hundred years from now, thunder will come down from the sky to strike you.
- Master Subodhi 再过五百年，火会来烧你。再过五百年，风会来吹你。
Zài guò wǔbǎi nián, huǒ huì lái shāo nǐ. Zài guò wǔbǎi nián, fēng huì lái chuī nǐ.
Five hundred years after that, fire will come to burn you. Five hundred more, and wind will come to blow you away.
- Master Subodhi 你跑不了，就会死。
Nǐ pǎo bu liǎo, jiù huì sǐ.
If you can't get away, you will die.
- Sun Wukong 雷打？火烧？风吹？师父，那……那怎么办？请您教我！
Léi dǎ? Huǒ shāo? Fēng chuī? Shīfu, nà… nà zěnme bàn? Qǐng nín jiāo wǒ!
Thunder? Fire? Wind? Master, then… then what do I do? Please teach me!
- Master Subodhi 我有三十六变，也有七十二变。你要学哪个？
Wǒ yǒu sānshíliù biàn, yě yǒu qīshí'èr biàn. Nǐ yào xué nǎge?
I have the thirty-six changes, and I have the seventy-two. Which will you learn?
- Sun Wukong 越多越好！弟子要七十二变！
Yuè duō yuè hǎo! Dìzǐ yào qīshí'èr biàn!
The more the better! I want the seventy-two!
- Narrator 祖师又轻轻地教他。很快，七十二变，悟空都会了。
Zǔshī yòu qīngqīng de jiāo tā. Hěn kuài, qīshí'èr biàn, Wùkōng dōu huì le.
Again the master taught him in a whisper, and soon Wukong could do all seventy-two changes.
- Master Subodhi 悟空，七十二变都会了？那……你会飞了吗？
Wùkōng, qīshí'èr biàn dōu huì le? Nà… nǐ huì fēi le ma?
Wukong, so you know all seventy-two changes? Then… can you fly?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does Wukong tell when it is nearly midnight?
“我数一数吧……一千！好，快到半夜了！”
- What does Wukong find at the back door?
“后门半开着！师父真的在等我！”
- What did the hands behind the back and the shut middle door mean?
“您手放在后边，又关了中门，是叫我从后门进来。”
- What does the master warn will come every five hundred years?
“天上的雷会来打你……火会来烧你……风会来吹你。”
- Which changes does Wukong choose to learn?
“越多越好！弟子要七十二变！”