Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims · chapter 15 of 25
The Black Bear's Birthday
黑熊的生日
Wukong tracks the cassock thief to Black Wind Mountain, fights him until lunchtime, then tries a daring trick to get inside the bear's cave.
Read what you hear
- Sun Wukong 黑风山上，三个人：一个黑脸的，一个道士，一个穿白衣服的……
Hēifēng Shān shàng, sān gè rén: yí gè hēi liǎn de, yí gè dàoshi, yí gè chuān bái yīfu de…
Three of them on Black Wind Mountain: a black-faced one, a Taoist, and one dressed in white...
- Sun Wukong 偷袈裟的，哪里跑！
Tōu jiāshā de, nǎlǐ pǎo!
Cassock thieves, you're not getting away!
- Narrator 穿白衣服的没跑开，悟空一下打死了他。原来，他是一条白色的蛇。
Chuān bái yīfu de méi pǎo kāi, Wùkōng yíxià dǎsǐ le tā. Yuánlái, tā shì yì tiáo báisè de shé.
The one in white didn't get away, and Wukong killed him with one blow. He turned out to be a white snake.
Chapter 15 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims (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 Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Sun Wukong 一条蛇？黑脸的和道士呢？怎么都不见了？
Yì tiáo shé? Hēi liǎn de hé dàoshi ne? Zěnme dōu bú jiàn le?
A snake? Where are the black-faced one and the Taoist? How did they both vanish?
- Sun Wukong 黑风洞！里边的，快出来！
Hēifēng Dòng! Lǐbian de, kuài chūlai!
Black Wind Cave! You in there, come out!
- the Black Bear Demon 谁在我门口大叫？不想活了？
Shéi zài wǒ ménkǒu dà jiào? Bù xiǎng huó le?
Who's yelling at my door? Tired of living?
- Sun Wukong 是老孙，孙行者！我的火眼金睛看出来了：你是一只熊！
Shì Lǎo Sūn, Sūn Xíngzhě! Wǒ de huǒyǎn jīnjīng kàn chūlai le: nǐ shì yì zhī xióng!
It's me, Sun Wukong! My fiery golden eyes can see what you really are: a bear!
- the Black Bear Demon 熊又怎么样？孙行者？我知道你，天上那个弼马温！
Xióng yòu zěnmeyàng? Sūn Xíngzhě? Wǒ zhīdào nǐ, tiānshàng nàge Bìmǎwēn!
So what if I'm a bear? Sun Wukong? I know you. That Bimawen from heaven!
- Sun Wukong 别叫老孙弼马温！你偷了老孙的袈裟，快拿出来！
Bié jiào Lǎo Sūn Bìmǎwēn! Nǐ tōu le Lǎo Sūn de jiāshā, kuài ná chūlai!
Don't call me Bimawen! You stole Old Sun's cassock. Hand it over!
- the Black Bear Demon 袈裟？是我拿的，你想怎么样？
Jiāshā? Shì wǒ ná de, nǐ xiǎng zěnmeyàng?
The cassock? Yes, I took it. What are you going to do about it?
- Sun Wukong 脸这么黑，是昨天夜里让火烧的吧？看老孙的金箍棒！
Liǎn zhème hēi, shì zuótiān yèlǐ ràng huǒ shāo de ba? Kàn Lǎo Sūn de jīn gū bàng!
Is your face so black because that fire singed it last night? Taste Old Sun's Golden-Hoop Staff!
- Narrator 他们从早上一直打到中午，谁也打不过谁。
Tāmen cóng zǎoshang yìzhí dǎ dào zhōngwǔ, shéi yě dǎ bu guò shéi.
They fought from morning until noon, and neither could beat the other.
- the Black Bear Demon 弼马温，打了很久，你的本领就这么一点儿？
Bìmǎwēn, dǎ le hěn jiǔ, nǐ de běnlǐng jiù zhème yìdiǎnr?
Bimawen, we've fought for ages. Is this all the skill you've got?
- Sun Wukong 老孙打过天宫，还怕你一只熊？
Lǎo Sūn dǎ guo Tiāngōng, hái pà nǐ yì zhī xióng?
Old Sun fought the whole Heavenly Palace. Why would I fear one bear?
- the Black Bear Demon 停！中午了，我饿了。我先回去吃饭，吃完再打！
Tíng! Zhōngwǔ le, wǒ è le. Wǒ xiān huíqu chīfàn, chī wán zài dǎ!
Stop! It's noon and I'm hungry. I'm going in for lunch. We'll fight again after I've eaten!
- Sun Wukong 吃饭？老孙在五行山下五百年，一口水都没喝过！
Chīfàn? Lǎo Sūn zài Wǔxíng Shān xià wǔbǎi nián, yì kǒu shuǐ dōu méi hē guo!
Lunch? Old Sun spent five hundred years under the Five Elements Mountain without a sip of water!
- the Black Bear Demon 那是你的事。
Nà shì nǐ de shì.
That's your problem.
- Sun Wukong 门关了……他躲在里边吃饭，老孙怎么进去？
Mén guān le… tā duǒ zài lǐbian chīfàn, Lǎo Sūn zěnme jìnqu?
The door's shut... He's hiding in there eating. How is Old Sun supposed to get in?
- Narrator 这时候，一个小妖拿着一封信走了过来。悟空跳出去，打死了他。
Zhè shíhou, yí gè xiǎoyāo názhe yì fēng xìn zǒu le guòlai. Wùkōng tiào chūqu, dǎsǐ le tā.
Just then a little demon came along carrying a letter. Wukong leapt out and killed him.
- Sun Wukong “请金池长老明天来佛衣会……”老和尚已经死了，黑大王还不知道。有了！
“Qǐng Jīnchí Zhǎnglǎo míngtiān lái Fóyī Huì…” Lǎo héshang yǐjīng sǐ le, Hēi Dàwáng hái bù zhīdào. Yǒu le!
“The Old Abbot is invited to the Buddha Robe Feast tomorrow...” The old monk is already dead, and the black king doesn't know it. I've got it!
- Sun Wukong 变！……好，现在老孙是自己孙子的孙子了！
Biàn!… Hǎo, xiànzài Lǎo Sūn shì zìjǐ sūnzi de sūnzi le!
Transform! ...There. Now Old Sun is his own grandson's grandson!
- Narrator 洞门开了，小妖们大叫：“金池长老来了！”
Dòng mén kāi le, xiǎoyāomen dà jiào: “Jīnchí Zhǎnglǎo lái le!”
The cave door opened, and the little demons shouted, “The Old Abbot is here!”
- the Black Bear Demon 老朋友，你来了！快进来，快进来！
Lǎo péngyou, nǐ lái le! Kuài jìnlai, kuài jìnlai!
My old friend, you've come! Come in, come in!
- Sun Wukong 大王……我老了，走得慢。那件袈裟，在哪儿呢？
Dàwáng… wǒ lǎo le, zǒu de màn. Nà jiàn jiāshā, zài nǎr ne?
Sire... I'm old, and slow on my feet. Where is that cassock?
- the Black Bear Demon 别急，先喝茶。明天佛衣会，你看个够！
Bié jí, xiān hē chá. Míngtiān Fóyī Huì, nǐ kàn ge gòu!
No hurry. Have some tea first. At the feast tomorrow you can look all you like!
- Sun Wukong 这只熊，对老和尚还真好……
Zhè zhī xióng, duì lǎo héshang hái zhēn hǎo…
This bear really is good to the old monk...
- Narrator 一个小妖跑进来大叫：“大王！送信的小妖死了！这个老和尚，是孙行者变的！”
Yí gè xiǎoyāo pǎo jìnlai dà jiào: “Dàwáng! Sòng xìn de xiǎoyāo sǐ le! Zhège lǎo héshang, shì Sūn Xíngzhě biàn de!”
A little demon ran in shouting, “Sire! The messenger is dead! This old monk is Sun Wukong in disguise!”
- the Black Bear Demon 孙行者！原来是你！
Sūn Xíngzhě! Yuánlái shì nǐ!
Sun Wukong! So it was you!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What did the one dressed in white turn out to be?
“原来，他是一条白色的蛇。”
- Why does the bear stop fighting at noon?
“中午了，我饿了。我先回去吃饭，吃完再打！”
- What does Wukong learn from the little demon's letter?
“请金池长老明天来佛衣会……”
- How does Wukong get into the cave?
“现在老孙是自己孙子的孙子了！”……“金池长老来了！”
- How is Wukong found out?
“送信的小妖死了！这个老和尚，是孙行者变的！”