Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims · chapter 2 of 8
The Golden Headband
头好疼
A new master, a new promise, and six robbers in the road. By sunset Wukong will also have a pretty new cap, and a very big headache.
Read what you hear
- Tang Seng 不可以！一点点也不可以！
Bù kěyǐ! Yìdiǎndiǎn yě bù kěyǐ!
No! Not even a teeny little bit!
- Robber 小猴子，还想打我们？大家一起上！
Xiǎo hóuzi, hái xiǎng dǎ wǒmen? Dàjiā yìqǐ shàng!
You think you can fight us, little monkey? Get him, everyone!
- Narrator 强盗们拿着刀，在悟空头上打了很多下。
Qiángdàomen názhe dāo, zài Wùkōng tóu shang dǎ le hěn duō xià.
The robbers swung their knives and struck Wukong on the head again and again.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- Sun Wukong 打完了吗？老孙的头，一点儿也不疼！现在，该老孙了！
Dǎ wán le ma? Lǎo Sūn de tóu, yìdiǎnr yě bù téng! Xiànzài, gāi Lǎo Sūn le!
Are you done? Old Sun's head doesn't hurt one bit! Now it's Old Sun's turn!
- Narrator 金箍棒一动，六个强盗都倒在地上，爬起来就跑。
Jīn gū bàng yí dòng, liù gè qiángdào dōu dǎo zài dì shang, pá qǐlái jiù pǎo.
One swing of the Golden-Hoop Staff, and all six robbers went sprawling, then scrambled up and ran.
- Robber 快跑啊！这只猴子是妖怪！
Kuài pǎo a! Zhè zhī hóuzi shì yāoguài!
Run for it! That monkey's a demon!
- Tang Seng 悟空！你刚说不打人，怎么就打了？你差一点儿打死他们！
Wùkōng! Nǐ gāng shuō bù dǎ rén, zěnme jiù dǎ le? Nǐ chà yìdiǎnr dǎ sǐ tāmen!
Wukong! You just promised not to hit people, and then you hit them! You nearly killed them!
- Sun Wukong 他们是坏人！老孙不打他们，他们就打你了！
Tāmen shì huàirén! Lǎo Sūn bù dǎ tāmen, tāmen jiù dǎ nǐ le!
They're bad men! If Old Sun hadn't hit them, they'd have hit you!
- Tang Seng 坏人也不能打！你要听话，你要……你要……
Huàirén yě bù néng dǎ! Nǐ yào tīnghuà, nǐ yào… nǐ yào…
You mustn't hit bad people either! You have to listen, you have to... you have to...
- Sun Wukong 好了，好了！你不喜欢老孙，老孙不去了！
Hǎo le, hǎo le! Nǐ bù xǐhuan Lǎo Sūn, Lǎo Sūn bú qù le!
Enough, enough! If you don't like Old Sun, then Old Sun isn't going!
- Narrator 悟空一个筋斗云，就飞走了。唐僧一个人坐在路边。
Wùkōng yí gè jīndǒuyún, jiù fēizǒu le. Táng Sēng yí gè rén zuò zài lù biān.
One somersault on his cloud, and Wukong was gone. Tang Seng sat alone by the road.
- Tang Seng 唉，这只猴子，真不听话。可是没有他，我一个人怎么去西天呢？
Ài, zhè zhī hóuzi, zhēn bù tīnghuà. Kěshì méiyǒu tā, wǒ yí gè rén zěnme qù Xītiān ne?
Oh, that monkey just won't listen. But without him, how will I ever get to the West on my own?
- Narrator 这时，路上来了一个老奶奶，拿着一顶花帽子。
Zhèshí, lù shang lái le yí gè lǎo nǎinai, názhe yì dǐng huā màozi.
Just then an old woman came down the road, carrying a flowered cap.
- Guanyin 小师父，别难过。这顶帽子，给你的徒弟戴吧。
Xiǎo shīfu, bié nánguò. Zhè dǐng màozi, gěi nǐ de túdì dài ba.
Don't be sad, young master. Give this cap to your disciple to wear.
- Guanyin 我再教你几句话。他不听话，你就念这几句话。
Wǒ zài jiāo nǐ jǐ jù huà. Tā bù tīnghuà, nǐ jiù niàn zhè jǐ jù huà.
And I'll teach you a few words. If he won't listen, just say them.
- Narrator 老奶奶说完，变成金光，往东飞走了。
Lǎo nǎinai shuō wán, biànchéng jīnguāng, wǎng dōng fēizǒu le.
When she had finished, the old woman turned into a golden light and flew away to the east.
- Tang Seng 原来是观音菩萨！谢谢菩萨！
Yuánlái shì Guānyīn Púsà! Xièxie Púsà!
So it was Guanyin herself! Thank you, Guanyin!
- Sun Wukong 回花果山做大王，多好……可是师父一个人，有妖怪来了怎么办？老孙回去吧！
Huí Huāguǒ Shān zuò dàwáng, duō hǎo… kěshì shīfu yí gè rén, yǒu yāoguài lái le zěnme bàn? Lǎo Sūn huíqù ba!
Going home to be king of Flower Fruit Mountain would be so nice... but Master's all alone. What if a demon comes? Old Sun had better go back!
- Sun Wukong 师父，老孙回来了！这顶花帽子真漂亮，是给我的吗？
Shīfu, Lǎo Sūn huílái le! Zhè dǐng huā màozi zhēn piàoliang, shì gěi wǒ de ma?
Master, Old Sun is back! What a pretty flowered cap! Is it for me?
- Tang Seng 对。这是我小时候戴的。戴上它，不用学，就会念经。
Duì. Zhè shì wǒ xiǎoshíhou dài de. Dàishàng tā, bú yòng xué, jiù huì niànjīng.
Yes. I wore it when I was little. Put it on, and you'll know how to chant the scriptures without even studying.
- Sun Wukong 不用学？太好了！老孙马上戴上！
Bú yòng xué? Tài hǎo le! Lǎo Sūn mǎshàng dàishàng!
No studying? Great! Old Sun will put it on right now!
- Narrator 悟空刚戴上帽子，唐僧就小声念了起来。
Wùkōng gāng dàishàng màozi, Táng Sēng jiù xiǎoshēng niàn le qǐlái.
The moment Wukong put on the cap, Tang Seng began softly saying the words.
- Sun Wukong 哎哟！我的头！好疼！好疼！师父，别念了！
Āiyō! Wǒ de tóu! Hǎo téng! Hǎo téng! Shīfu, bié niàn le!
Ow! My head! It hurts! It hurts! Master, stop!
- Tang Seng 好，我不念了。你还疼吗？
Hǎo, wǒ bú niàn le. Nǐ hái téng ma?
All right, I'll stop. Does it still hurt?
- Sun Wukong 帽子破了，可是头上还有一个金圈！怎么拿不下来？
Màozi pò le, kěshì tóu shang hái yǒu yí gè jīn quān! Zěnme ná bu xiàlái?
The cap's torn, but there's still a gold band on my head! Why won't it come off?
- Tang Seng 这叫紧箍儿。你不听话，我就念。
Zhè jiào jǐn gūr. Nǐ bù tīnghuà, wǒ jiù niàn.
It's called the golden headband. If you don't behave, I'll say the words.
- Sun Wukong 一定是那个观音菩萨！老孙找她去！
Yídìng shì nàge Guānyīn Púsà! Lǎo Sūn zhǎo tā qù!
It must have been that Guanyin! Old Sun is going to have it out with her!
- Tang Seng 去吧。可是这几句话是她教我的，她自己会不会念呢？
Qù ba. Kěshì zhè jǐ jù huà shì tā jiāo wǒ de, tā zìjǐ huì bu huì niàn ne?
Go ahead. But she's the one who taught me the words. Don't you think she can say them too?
- Sun Wukong 啊？她也会念？那……老孙不去了。老孙听话！
A? Tā yě huì niàn? Nà… Lǎo Sūn bú qù le. Lǎo Sūn tīnghuà!
What? She can say them too? Then... Old Sun isn't going anywhere. Old Sun will behave!
- Sun Wukong 师父，以后别随便念，好吗？念一点点，也很疼的！
Shīfu, yǐhòu bié suíbiàn niàn, hǎo ma? Niàn yìdiǎndiǎn, yě hěn téng de!
Master, don't say it unless you have to, okay? Even a teeny little bit really hurts!
- Narrator 几天以后，他们来到山里的一条河边。水里忽然跳出来一条白龙！
Jǐ tiān yǐhòu, tāmen láidào shān lǐ de yì tiáo hé biān. Shuǐ lǐ hūrán tiào chūlái yì tiáo bái lóng!
A few days later, they came to a river deep in the mountains. Suddenly a white dragon leapt out of the water!
- Tang Seng 啊！我的马！悟空，我的马被白龙吃了！
A! Wǒ de mǎ! Wùkōng, wǒ de mǎ bèi bái lóng chī le!
Ah! My horse! Wukong, the white dragon ate my horse!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What happens when the robbers hit Wukong on the head?
“老孙的头，一点儿也不疼！”
- Why does Wukong leave Tang Seng?
“坏人也不能打！”……“你不喜欢老孙，老孙不去了！”
- What does the old woman give Tang Seng?
“这顶帽子，给你的徒弟戴吧。”……“我再教你几句话。”
- What does Tang Seng tell Wukong the cap will do?
“戴上它，不用学，就会念经。”
- Why does Wukong decide not to go after Guanyin?
“她自己会不会念呢？”……“她也会念？那……老孙不去了。”