Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims · chapter 23 of 25
The Flowing Sand River
流沙河
A stone warns that nothing floats on the Flowing Sand River, and something with red hair is waiting under the water. Bajie dives in to fight it.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 河边有一块大石头，上边写着字。
Hé biān yǒu yí kuài dà shítou, shàngbian xiězhe zì.
On the riverbank stood a big stone with writing on it.
- Tang Seng “流沙河，八百里。鸟的毛到了水里，也会沉。”
“Liúshā Hé, bābǎi lǐ. Niǎo de máo dào le shuǐ lǐ, yě huì chén.”
“The Flowing Sand River. Eight hundred li. Even a bird's feather sinks in this water.”
- Zhu Bajie 八百里？鸟的毛都会沉？那老猪呢？
Bābǎi lǐ? Niǎo de máo dōu huì chén? Nà Lǎo Zhū ne?
Eight hundred li? Even a feather sinks? Then what about Old Zhu?
Chapter 23 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1–3 of Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Sun Wukong 你？呆子，你一定沉得最快！
Nǐ? Dāizi, nǐ yídìng chén de zuì kuài!
You? Idiot, you'd sink fastest of all!
- Tang Seng 乌巢禅师说过，水里也有妖怪……你们小心！
Wūcháo Chánshī shuō guo, shuǐ lǐ yě yǒu yāoguài… nǐmen xiǎoxīn!
The Zen Master told us there are demons in the water too... Be careful!
- Sha Wujing 站住！这是我的河！和尚，你往哪里走？
Zhànzhù! Zhè shì wǒ de hé! Héshang, nǐ wǎng nǎlǐ zǒu?
Halt! This is my river! Monk, where do you think you're going?
- Narrator 一个妖怪从水里跳了出来：红头发，身上挂着九个骷髅。
Yí gè yāoguài cóng shuǐ lǐ tiào le chūlai: hóng tóufa, shēnshang guàzhe jiǔ gè kūlóu.
A demon leaped out of the water: red hair, and nine skulls hanging on him.
- Tang Seng 啊！他要抓我！徒弟们，快来！
A! Tā yào zhuā wǒ! Túdìmen, kuài lái!
Ah! He's going to grab me! Disciples, quick!
- Zhu Bajie 师父别怕！这个妖怪，老猪来打！
Shīfu bié pà! Zhège yāoguài, Lǎo Zhū lái dǎ!
Don't be scared, Master! Old Zhu will take this demon!
- Sha Wujing 你是什么妖怪？长得这么丑，又这么脏！
Nǐ shì shénme yāoguài? Zhǎng de zhème chǒu, yòu zhème zāng!
What kind of demon are you? So ugly, and so dirty!
- Zhu Bajie 丑？你头发红红的，身上还挂着骷髅，你才丑呢！
Chǒu? Nǐ tóufa hónghóng de, shēnshang hái guàzhe kūlóu, nǐ cái chǒu ne!
Ugly? Your hair's bright red and you've got skulls hanging all over you. You're the ugly one!
- Tang Seng 打了这么久，谁也打不过谁……
Dǎ le zhème jiǔ, shéi yě dǎ bu guò shéi…
They've fought so long, and neither can beat the other...
- Sun Wukong 呆子太慢了！老孙来！
Dāizi tài màn le! Lǎo Sūn lái!
The idiot's too slow! Here comes Old Sun!
- Zhu Bajie 哥哥！谁叫你来的？他回水里去了！再打几下，老猪就能抓到他了！
Gēge! Shéi jiào nǐ lái de? Tā huí shuǐ lǐ qù le! Zài dǎ jǐ xià, Lǎo Zhū jiù néng zhuādào tā le!
Brother! Who asked you to come? He's gone back into the water! A few more blows and Old Zhu would have had him!
- Sun Wukong 好，好。老孙在水里不行。呆子，你会游泳，你得下水去打。带他出来，老孙在河边等着！
Hǎo, hǎo. Lǎo Sūn zài shuǐ lǐ bù xíng. Dāizi, nǐ huì yóuyǒng, nǐ děi xià shuǐ qù dǎ. Dài tā chūlai, Lǎo Sūn zài hé biān děngzhe!
All right, all right. Old Sun is no good in water. Idiot, you can swim, so you'll have to go in and fight. Bring him out, and Old Sun will be waiting on the bank!
- Zhu Bajie 游泳？老猪最会游泳了！你看着！
Yóuyǒng? Lǎo Zhū zuì huì yóuyǒng le! Nǐ kànzhe!
Swim? Nobody swims like Old Zhu! Watch this!
- Sha Wujing 又是你这个丑和尚！我是天宫的卷帘大将，你知道吗？
Yòu shì nǐ zhège chǒu héshang! Wǒ shì Tiāngōng de Juǎnlián Dàjiàng, nǐ zhīdào ma?
You again, you ugly monk! I am the Curtain-Lifting General of the Heavenly Palace, did you know that?
- Zhu Bajie 卷帘大将？那你怎么在这条河里？
Juǎnlián Dàjiàng? Nà nǐ zěnme zài zhè tiáo hé lǐ?
The Curtain-Lifting General? Then what are you doing in this river?
- Sha Wujing 我在天上打坏了一个杯子……就到了这里。
Wǒ zài tiānshàng dǎhuài le yí gè bēizi… jiù dào le zhèlǐ.
Up in heaven I broke one cup... and ended up here.
- Zhu Bajie 一个杯子？老猪只喝了一点儿酒，就变成了猪！有本领，你出来再打！
Yí gè bēizi? Lǎo Zhū zhǐ hē le yìdiǎnr jiǔ, jiù biànchéng le zhū! Yǒu běnlǐng, nǐ chūlai zài dǎ!
One cup? Old Zhu only had a little wine, and he ended up a pig! If you've got any skill, come out and fight again!
- Sha Wujing 出来就出来！我还怕你吗？
Chūlai jiù chūlai! Wǒ hái pà nǐ ma?
Fine, I'll come out! You think I'm scared of you?
- Narrator 妖怪刚到河边，悟空的金箍棒就打了过来。
Yāoguài gāng dào hé biān, Wùkōng de jīn gū bàng jiù dǎ le guòlai.
The demon had barely reached the bank when Wukong's Golden-Hoop Staff came swinging at him.
- Sha Wujing 又是这个猴子！不打了！
Yòu shì zhège hóuzi! Bù dǎ le!
That monkey again! I'm done!
- Zhu Bajie 你这弼马温！真是个急猴子！他又回水里去了！
Nǐ zhè Bìmǎwēn! Zhēn shì gè jí hóuzi! Tā yòu huí shuǐ lǐ qù le!
You Bimawen! What an impatient monkey! He's gone back into the water again!
- Sun Wukong 老孙看见妖怪，不打不行啊！
Lǎo Sūn kànjiàn yāoguài, bù dǎ bù xíng a!
When Old Sun sees a demon, he just has to hit it!
- Tang Seng 好了，你们两个别说了。天快黑了……
Hǎo le, nǐmen liǎng gè bié shuō le. Tiān kuài hēi le…
That's enough, you two. It's getting dark...
- Narrator 夜里，河水静静地流着。妖怪不出来了。
Yèlǐ, héshuǐ jìngjìng de liúzhe. Yāoguài bù chūlai le.
That night the river flowed on quietly. The demon would not come out.
- Zhu Bajie 哥哥，现在他不出来了，怎么办？
Gēge, xiànzài tā bù chūlai le, zěnme bàn?
Brother, now he won't come out. What do we do?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the stone by the river say?
“鸟的毛到了水里，也会沉。”
- Why is Bajie angry the first time Wukong joins the fight?
“他回水里去了！再打几下，老猪就能抓到他了！”
- Why does Bajie go into the water instead of Wukong?
“老孙在水里不行。呆子，你会游泳”
- What did the river demon do in heaven before he came to the river?
“我在天上打坏了一个杯子”
- What happens when Bajie brings the demon out to the bank?
“悟空的金箍棒就打了过来。……他又回水里去了！”