Journey to the West: The Monkey King · chapter 7 of 25
Three Raps on the Head
打了三下
After years of sweeping, Wukong is finally offered a lesson, then another, then another. Why does he turn them all down, and why does the master hit him?
Read what you hear
- Narrator 斜月三星洞前，悟空天天扫地、打水、砍柴。
Xiéyuè Sānxīng Dòng qián, Wùkōng tiāntiān sǎodì, dǎ shuǐ, kǎn chái.
Outside the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, Wukong swept the yard, fetched water and chopped wood, day after day.
- Sun Wukong 扫好了！师兄，师父今天教我本领吗？
Sǎo hǎo le! Shīxiōng, shīfu jīntiān jiāo wǒ běnlǐng ma?
All swept! Brother, is the Master going to teach me today?
- Fellow student 你天天问！师父的徒弟，都是先扫地的。去，到山后边砍柴吧。
Nǐ tiāntiān wèn! Shīfu de túdì, dōu shì xiān sǎodì de. Qù, dào shān hòubian kǎn chái ba.
You ask every single day! All the Master's disciples start by sweeping. Go on, chop some wood behind the mountain.
Chapter 7 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 哈哈！山后边有这么多桃子！先吃一个，再吃一个……
Hāhā! Shān hòubian yǒu zhème duō táozi! Xiān chī yí gè, zài chī yí gè…
Ha ha! So many peaches behind the mountain! I'll eat one, and then another…
- Narrator 一年一年过去了。一天，祖师坐在高处，给大家讲道。
Yì nián yì nián guòqu le. Yì tiān, Zǔshī zuò zài gāochù, gěi dàjiā jiǎngdào.
Year after year went by. One day, the master sat up high and gave a lesson to everyone.
- Sun Wukong 说得太好了！太好了！哈哈！
Shuō de tài hǎo le! Tài hǎo le! Hāhā!
Beautifully said! Oh, beautiful! Ha ha!
- Master Subodhi 悟空！大家都坐着听，你在那儿跳什么？
Wùkōng! Dàjiā dōu zuòzhe tīng, nǐ zài nàr tiào shénme?
Wukong! Everyone else is sitting and listening. What are you hopping about for?
- Sun Wukong 弟子听得太高兴了，手和脚自己就动起来了！
Dìzǐ tīng de tài gāoxìng le, shǒu hé jiǎo zìjǐ jiù dòng qǐlai le!
I was so happy listening, Master, my hands and feet started moving all by themselves!
- Master Subodhi 那我问你，你来这里多久了？
Nà wǒ wèn nǐ, nǐ lái zhèli duō jiǔ le?
Then tell me: how long have you been here?
- Sun Wukong 弟子不知道。我只知道，山后边的桃子，我吃饱了七次。
Dìzǐ bù zhīdào. Wǒ zhǐ zhīdào, shān hòubian de táozi, wǒ chī bǎo le qī cì.
I don't know, Master. I only know that I've eaten my fill of the peaches behind the mountain seven times.
- Master Subodhi 那座山叫烂桃山。桃子吃了七次，你来了七年了。
Nà zuò shān jiào Làntáo Shān. Táozi chī le qī cì, nǐ lái le qī nián le.
That hill is called Rotten Peach Hill. Seven peach seasons: you've been here seven years.
- Sun Wukong 七年？我扫了七年地？
Qī nián? Wǒ sǎo le qī nián dì?
Seven years? I've been sweeping the yard for seven years?
- Master Subodhi 好了。你想跟我学什么本领？
Hǎo le. Nǐ xiǎng gēn wǒ xué shénme běnlǐng?
Very well. What skill do you want to learn from me?
- Sun Wukong 师父教什么，弟子都学！
Shīfu jiāo shénme, dìzǐ dōu xué!
Whatever you teach, Master, I'll learn!
- Master Subodhi 我教你怎么知道以后的事，好不好？
Wǒ jiāo nǐ zěnme zhīdào yǐhòu de shì, hǎo bu hǎo?
Shall I teach you to see what the future holds?
- Sun Wukong 学了这个，能不老吗？
Xué le zhège, néng bù lǎo ma?
If I learn that, will I never grow old?
- Master Subodhi 不能。
Bù néng.
No.
- Sun Wukong 不学！不学！
Bù xué! Bù xué!
Then I won't! I won't!
- Master Subodhi 那学天天坐着，不动，也不说话呢？
Nà xué tiāntiān zuòzhe, bú dòng, yě bù shuōhuà ne?
Then what about learning to sit all day without moving or speaking?
- Sun Wukong 能不老吗？……也不能？不学！不学！
Néng bù lǎo ma? … Yě bù néng? Bù xué! Bù xué!
Will that stop me growing old? …Not that either? Then no! No!
- Master Subodhi 那学做药呢？
Nà xué zuò yào ne?
Then what about learning to make medicines?
- Sun Wukong 做药能不老吗？
Zuò yào néng bù lǎo ma?
Will medicines keep me from growing old?
- Master Subodhi 那就像水里的月亮：能看见，拿不到。
Nà jiù xiàng shuǐ li de yuèliang: néng kànjiàn, ná bu dào.
That is like the moon in the water. You can see it, but you can never hold it.
- Sun Wukong 拿不到？那也不学！
Ná bu dào? Nà yě bù xué!
Can't hold it? Then I won't learn that either!
- Master Subodhi 你这猢狲！这个不学，那个不学，你要学什么？
Nǐ zhè húsūn! Zhège bù xué, nàge bù xué, nǐ yào xué shénme?
You monkey! You won't learn this, you won't learn that. Then what do you want to learn?
- Narrator 祖师跳到悟空前边，在他头上打了三下。
Zǔshī tiào dào Wùkōng qiánbian, zài tā tóu shang dǎ le sān xià.
The master leapt down in front of Wukong and rapped him on the head, three times.
- Narrator 然后，他把两只手放在后边，走了进去，关上了中门。
Ránhòu, tā bǎ liǎng zhī shǒu fàng zài hòubian, zǒu le jìnqu, guānshang le zhōngmén.
Then he put his hands behind his back, went inside and shut the middle door.
- Fellow student 都是你不好！你这样，师父会把你赶出去的！
Dōu shì nǐ bù hǎo! Nǐ zhèyàng, shīfu huì bǎ nǐ gǎn chūqu de!
This is all your fault! Keep this up and the Master will throw you out!
- Fellow student 师父打了你，你还笑？你不生气吗？
Shīfu dǎ le nǐ, nǐ hái xiào? Nǐ bù shēngqì ma?
The Master hit you, and you're smiling? Aren't you even angry?
- Sun Wukong 生气？我没有性！……我为什么笑？这是秘密！
Shēngqì? Wǒ méiyǒu xìng! … Wǒ wèi shénme xiào? Zhè shì mìmì!
Angry? I've got no temper, remember! …Why am I smiling? That's a secret!
- Sun Wukong 三下……手在后边……关了中门……师父，我懂了！
Sān xià… shǒu zài hòubian… guān le zhōngmén… shīfu, wǒ dǒng le!
Three raps… hands behind his back… the middle door shut… Master, I understand!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- How does the master work out how long Wukong has been there?
“山后边的桃子，我吃饱了七次……桃子吃了七次，你来了七年了。”
- What does Wukong ask about every skill the master offers?
“学了这个，能不老吗？”
- What does the master compare making medicines to?
“那就像水里的月亮：能看见，拿不到。”
- What does the master do right after rapping Wukong on the head?
“他把两只手放在后边，走了进去，关上了中门。”
- What does the fellow student warn will happen to Wukong?
“你这样，师父会把你赶出去的！”