Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims · chapter 7 of 25
The Monkey Under the Mountain
五行山下
At the foot of the Five Elements Mountain, a monkey with grass on his head begs Tang Seng to set him free, and a tiger picks the wrong moment to appear.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 五行山下，有一只猴子，头和一只手在外边。
Wǔxíng Shān xià, yǒu yì zhī hóuzi, tóu hé yì zhī shǒu zài wàibian.
At the foot of the Five Elements Mountain was a monkey. Only his head and one hand stuck out.
- Tang Seng 一只猴子？他头上都是草，脸上都是土……
Yì zhī hóuzi? Tā tóu shàng dōu shì cǎo, liǎn shàng dōu shì tǔ…
A monkey? There's grass all over his head, and dirt all over his face...
- Sun Wukong 师父，你怎么现在才来？救我出来，我保护你去西天！
Shīfu, nǐ zěnme xiànzài cái lái? Jiù wǒ chūlai, wǒ bǎohù nǐ qù Xītiān!
Master, what took you so long? Get me out, and I'll protect you all the way to the Western Heaven!
Chapter 7 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.
- Liu Boqin 师父，老人们说，这只猴子在山下，有好几百年了！
Shīfu, lǎorénmen shuō, zhè zhī hóuzi zài shān xià, yǒu hǎo jǐ bǎi nián le!
Master, the old folks say this monkey has been under the mountain for hundreds of years!
- Sun Wukong 山上有一个发金光的纸条。师父拿掉它，老孙就出来了！
Shān shàng yǒu yí gè fā jīnguāng de zhǐtiáo. Shīfu ná diào tā, Lǎo Sūn jiù chūlai le!
Up on the mountain there's a strip of paper shining with golden light. Take it away, Master, and Old Sun is free!
- Tang Seng 纸条在这里……菩萨，如果他是我的徒弟，就让我拿掉它吧。
Zhǐtiáo zài zhèlǐ… Púsà, rúguǒ tā shì wǒ de túdì, jiù ràng wǒ ná diào tā ba.
Here's the paper... Bodhisattva, if he is meant to be my disciple, let me take it away.
- Narrator 唐僧轻轻一拿，纸条就飞到了天上。
Táng Sēng qīngqīng yì ná, zhǐtiáo jiù fēi dào le tiān shàng.
Tang Seng barely lifted it, and the paper flew up into the sky.
- Sun Wukong 师父，你们走远一点儿！再远一点儿！
Shīfu, nǐmen zǒu yuǎn yìdiǎnr! Zài yuǎn yìdiǎnr!
Master, move farther away! Farther!
- Liu Boqin 我们走了几百步了！还不够远吗？
Wǒmen zǒu le jǐ bǎi bù le! Hái bú gòu yuǎn ma?
We've walked hundreds of steps! Still not far enough?
- Narrator 忽然，五行山从中间分开了！那只猴子跳了出来。
Hūrán, Wǔxíng Shān cóng zhōngjiān fēnkāi le! Nà zhī hóuzi tiào le chūlai.
Suddenly the Five Elements Mountain split down the middle! The monkey leapt out.
- Sun Wukong 师父，我出来了！
Shīfu, wǒ chūlai le!
Master, I'm out!
- Tang Seng 快起来，快起来！你叫什么名字？
Kuài qǐlai, kuài qǐlai! Nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Get up, get up! What's your name?
- Sun Wukong 老孙的名字，叫孙悟空！
Lǎo Sūn de míngzi, jiào Sūn Wùkōng!
Old Sun's name is Sun Wukong!
- Tang Seng 悟空，好名字！我再给你起个名字，叫行者，好吗？
Wùkōng, hǎo míngzi! Wǒ zài gěi nǐ qǐ gè míngzi, jiào Xíngzhě, hǎo ma?
Wukong, a fine name! I'll give you one more. Traveler: how does that sound?
- Sun Wukong 好！好！孙行者，老孙喜欢！
Hǎo! Hǎo! Sūn Xíngzhě, Lǎo Sūn xǐhuan!
Good! Good! Traveler Sun. Old Sun likes it!
- Liu Boqin 你们看，那匹白马怎么了？它一动也不敢动！
Nǐmen kàn, nà pǐ báimǎ zěnme le? Tā yí dòng yě bù gǎn dòng!
Look! What's wrong with the white horse? It doesn't dare move a muscle!
- Tang Seng 悟空，马为什么这么怕你？
Wùkōng, mǎ wèi shénme zhème pà nǐ?
Wukong, why is the horse so afraid of you?
- Sun Wukong 老孙以前在天宫……做过弼马温。别说出去啊！
Lǎo Sūn yǐqián zài Tiāngōng… zuò guo Bìmǎwēn. Bié shuō chūqu a!
Up in the Heavenly Palace, Old Sun once... was the Bimawen, keeper of the horses. Don't tell anyone!
- Liu Boqin 师父有了徒弟，我放心了。我回家了！
Shīfu yǒu le túdì, wǒ fàngxīn le. Wǒ huí jiā le!
You've got a disciple now, Master, so I can stop worrying. I'm off home!
- Tang Seng 谢谢你！也谢谢你妈妈的米饭！
Xièxie nǐ! Yě xièxie nǐ māma de mǐfàn!
Thank you! And thank your mother for the rice!
- Tang Seng 老……老虎！悟空，又有老虎！
Lǎo… lǎohǔ! Wùkōng, yòu yǒu lǎohǔ!
A... a tiger! Wukong, another tiger!
- Sun Wukong 别怕。老孙的火眼金睛早看见了：它是来给老孙送衣服的！
Bié pà. Lǎo Sūn de huǒyǎn jīnjīng zǎo kànjiàn le: tā shì lái gěi Lǎo Sūn sòng yīfu de!
Don't be scared. Old Sun's fiery golden eyes spotted it long ago. It's come to bring Old Sun some clothes!
- Sun Wukong 老孙的宝贝，在耳朵里！针，大！大！大！
Lǎo Sūn de bǎobèi, zài ěrduo lǐ! Zhēn, dà! Dà! Dà!
Old Sun keeps his treasure in his ear! Needle, grow! Grow! Grow!
- Narrator 针变成了金箍棒。悟空只打了一下，老虎就倒了。
Zhēn biànchéng le jīn gū bàng. Wùkōng zhǐ dǎ le yíxià, lǎohǔ jiù dǎo le.
The needle became the Golden-Hoop Staff. Wukong struck just once, and the tiger fell.
- Tang Seng 一下？就一下？悟空，你的本领好大！
Yíxià? Jiù yíxià? Wùkōng, nǐ de běnlǐng hǎo dà!
Once? Just once? Wukong, what power you have!
- Sun Wukong 没有刀？老孙有毛！毛，变！
Méiyǒu dāo? Lǎo Sūn yǒu máo! Máo, biàn!
No knife? Old Sun has hair! Hair, change!
- Narrator 毛变成了刀。很快，悟空有了一条虎皮裙子。
Máo biànchéng le dāo. Hěn kuài, Wùkōng yǒu le yì tiáo hǔpí qúnzi.
The hair turned into a knife. Soon Wukong had a tiger-skin skirt.
- Sun Wukong 师父你看，老孙的虎皮裙子，好看吗？
Shīfu nǐ kàn, Lǎo Sūn de hǔpí qúnzi, hǎokàn ma?
Look, Master! Old Sun's tiger-skin skirt. Isn't it handsome?
- Tang Seng 悟空，以后不要乱打人。
Wùkōng, yǐhòu bú yào luàn dǎ rén.
Wukong, from now on, don't go around hitting people.
- Sun Wukong 放心，师父！老孙只打老虎和妖怪！
Fàngxīn, shīfu! Lǎo Sūn zhǐ dǎ lǎohǔ hé yāoguài!
Don't worry, Master! Old Sun only hits tigers and demons!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the monkey promise if Tang Seng frees him?
“救我出来，我保护你去西天”
- How does Tang Seng free the monkey?
“师父拿掉它，老孙就出来了……唐僧轻轻一拿，纸条就飞到了天上”
- What new name does Tang Seng give Wukong?
“我再给你起个名字，叫行者”
- Why is the white horse afraid of Wukong?
“老孙以前在天宫……做过弼马温”
- What does Wukong make after he beats the tiger?
“悟空有了一条虎皮裙子”