Journey to the West: The Four Pilgrims · chapter 4 of 8
The Monster Son-in-Law
高老庄
Old Gao's son-in-law works like ten men, eats a hundred buns for breakfast, and has the face of a pig. Tonight, a very unusual bride will be waiting for him.
Read what you hear
- Sun Wukong 像猪的妖怪？哈哈，有意思！老人家，你慢慢说。
Xiàng zhū de yāoguài? Hāhā, yǒu yìsi! Lǎorénjia, nǐ mànmàn shuō.
A monster like a pig? Ha ha, how interesting! Take your time, sir. Tell us everything.
- Old Gao 三年前，我家来了一个年轻人。他很会干活，我就让他做了女婿。
Sān nián qián, wǒ jiā lái le yí gè niánqīngrén. Tā hěn huì gànhuó, wǒ jiù ràng tā zuò le nǚxu.
Three years ago, a young man came to our house. He was such a hard worker that I let him marry my daughter.
- Old Gao 他一个人种地，比十个人还快。可是后来，他的脸变了！长长的嘴，大大的耳朵！
Tā yí gè rén zhòng dì, bǐ shí gè rén hái kuài. Kěshì hòulái, tā de liǎn biàn le! Chángcháng de zuǐ, dàdà de ěrduo!
He could farm faster than ten men all by himself. But later his face changed! A long, long snout and great big ears!
Chapter 4 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.
- Tang Seng 脸变了，也没什么。他对你们好吗？
Liǎn biàn le, yě méi shénme. Tā duì nǐmen hǎo ma?
A changed face is nothing so terrible. Is he good to you?
- Old Gao 他太能吃了！早上一个人，就要吃一百个包子！
Tā tài néng chī le! Zǎoshang yí gè rén, jiù yào chī yìbǎi gè bāozi!
He eats far too much! For breakfast alone, he needs a hundred buns!
- Sun Wukong 一百个包子？哈哈，比老孙还能吃！
Yìbǎi gè bāozi? Hāhā, bǐ Lǎo Sūn hái néng chī!
A hundred buns? Ha ha, he eats even more than Old Sun!
- Old Gao 现在，他还把我女儿翠兰关在后面的房子里。半年了，我都没见到她！
Xiànzài, tā hái bǎ wǒ nǚ'ér Cuìlán guān zài hòumiàn de fángzi lǐ. Bàn nián le, wǒ dōu méi jiàndào tā!
And now he's locked my daughter Cuilan away in the back rooms. I haven't seen her in half a year!
- Old Gao 我请过很多和尚、道士来抓他，都打不过他！
Wǒ qǐng guò hěn duō héshang, dàoshi lái zhuā tā, dōu dǎ bu guò tā!
I've brought in plenty of monks and Taoist priests to catch him, and not one of them could beat him!
- Sun Wukong 那些人不行，老孙行！老人家，别怕，今天晚上，老孙就抓住他！
Nàxiē rén bù xíng, Lǎo Sūn xíng! Lǎorénjia, bié pà, jīntiān wǎnshang, Lǎo Sūn jiù zhuāzhù tā!
They couldn't do it, but Old Sun can! Don't worry, sir. Tonight, Old Sun will catch him!
- Tang Seng 悟空，抓他可以，可是别打得太重。
Wùkōng, zhuā tā kěyǐ, kěshì bié dǎ de tài zhòng.
Wukong, you may catch him, but don't hit him too hard.
- Narrator 悟空先让翠兰回到了爸爸身边。然后他一变，就变成了翠兰的样子。
Wùkōng xiān ràng Cuìlán huí dào le bàba shēnbiān. Ránhòu tā yí biàn, jiù biànchéng le Cuìlán de yàngzi.
First Wukong sent Cuilan back to her father. Then, in a twinkling, he made himself look just like her.
- Narrator 半夜，外面来了一阵大风。风里走进来一个猪脸的妖怪。
Bànyè, wàimiàn lái le yí zhèn dà fēng. Fēng lǐ zǒu jìnlái yí gè zhū liǎn de yāoguài.
At midnight a great wind blew up outside, and out of the wind walked a monster with the face of a pig.
- Zhu Bajie 翠兰，我回来了！今天我种了好多地，饿死了！有吃的吗？
Cuìlán, wǒ huílái le! Jīntiān wǒ zhòng le hǎo duō dì, è sǐ le! Yǒu chī de ma?
Cuilan, I'm home! I plowed field after field today, and I'm starving! Anything to eat?
- Sun Wukong 哈，这就是那个猪妖怪。老孙跟他玩一玩！
Hā, zhè jiù shì nàge zhū yāoguài. Lǎo Sūn gēn tā wán yi wán!
Ha, so this is the pig monster. Old Sun's going to have some fun with him!
- Sun Wukong 吃的？没有。唉，我今天很不高兴。
Chī de? Méiyǒu. Ài, wǒ jīntiān hěn bù gāoxìng.
Food? There isn't any. Sigh... I'm very unhappy today.
- Zhu Bajie 没有吃的？那老猪今天晚上怎么睡得着啊？
Méiyǒu chī de? Nà Lǎo Zhū jīntiān wǎnshang zěnme shuì de zháo a?
No food? Then how is Old Pig supposed to sleep tonight?
- Sun Wukong 你就知道吃！也不问问我，为什么不高兴。
Nǐ jiù zhīdào chī! Yě bú wènwen wǒ, wèishénme bù gāoxìng.
Food is all you think about! You haven't even asked me why I'm unhappy.
- Zhu Bajie 好，好，我问！为什么不高兴？谁让你不高兴了？
Hǎo, hǎo, wǒ wèn! Wèishénme bù gāoxìng? Shéi ràng nǐ bù gāoxìng le?
All right, all right, I'm asking! Why are you unhappy? Who upset you?
- Sun Wukong 我爸爸说，你长得太丑了，他不想要你这个女婿了！
Wǒ bàba shuō, nǐ zhǎng de tài chǒu le, tā bù xiǎng yào nǐ zhège nǚxu le!
My father says you're too ugly, and he doesn't want you for a son-in-law anymore!
- Zhu Bajie 丑？我哪儿丑了？耳朵大，是福气！肚子大，是能吃！
Chǒu? Wǒ nǎr chǒu le? Ěrduo dà, shì fúqi! Dùzi dà, shì néng chī!
Ugly? Where am I ugly? Big ears mean good luck! And a big belly means a big appetite!
- Sun Wukong 我爸爸还说，他请了人来抓你。
Wǒ bàba hái shuō, tā qǐng le rén lái zhuā nǐ.
My father also says he's sent for someone to catch you.
- Zhu Bajie 哈哈！什么和尚，什么道士，老猪都不怕！我会三十六变，还有九齿钉耙！
Hāhā! Shénme héshang, shénme dàoshi, Lǎo Zhū dōu bú pà! Wǒ huì sānshíliù biàn, hái yǒu jiǔ chǐ dīngpá!
Ha ha! Monks, priests, Old Pig isn't scared of any of them! I know thirty-six transformations, and I've got my nine-toothed rake!
- Sun Wukong 这次他请的，是五百年前大闹天宫的齐天大圣。
Zhè cì tā qǐng de, shì wǔbǎi nián qián dà nào Tiāngōng de Qítiān Dàshèng.
This time he's sent for the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the one who turned heaven upside down five hundred years ago.
- Zhu Bajie 什……什么？齐天大圣？翠兰，老猪不能在这儿了，我走了！
Shén… shénme? Qítiān Dàshèng? Cuìlán, Lǎo Zhū bù néng zài zhèr le, wǒ zǒu le!
Wh-what? The Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Cuilan, Old Pig can't stay here. I'm off!
- Narrator 猪妖怪拿起钉耙，就要往外跑。悟空一变，又变回了自己。
Zhū yāoguài náqǐ dīngpá, jiù yào wǎng wài pǎo. Wùkōng yí biàn, yòu biàn huí le zìjǐ.
The pig monster grabbed his rake and made for the door, and Wukong changed right back into himself.
- Sun Wukong 别走啊！你看看，我是谁？
Bié zǒu a! Nǐ kànkan, wǒ shì shéi?
Don't go! Take a good look. Who am I?
- Zhu Bajie 啊！是你！弼马温！快跑啊！
A! Shì nǐ! Bìmǎwēn! Kuài pǎo a!
Aaah! It's you! The Bimawen, the horse-keeper! Run!
- Narrator 猪妖怪变成一阵大风，往山里飞去。
Zhū yāoguài biànchéng yí zhèn dà fēng, wǎng shān lǐ fēi qù.
The pig monster turned into a gust of wind and flew off toward the mountains.
- Sun Wukong 弼马温？你敢叫老孙弼马温？呆子，你往哪里跑！
Bìmǎwēn? Nǐ gǎn jiào Lǎo Sūn Bìmǎwēn? Dāizi, nǐ wǎng nǎlǐ pǎo!
Bimawen? You dare call Old Sun a horse-keeper? Get back here, you big dummy!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why did Old Gao let the young man marry his daughter?
“他很会干活，我就让他做了女婿。”
- How much does the pig monster eat for breakfast?
“早上一个人，就要吃一百个包子！”
- How does Wukong trick the monster?
“然后他一变，就变成了翠兰的样子。”
- What does the monster say about his big ears and big belly?
“耳朵大，是福气！肚子大，是能吃！”
- Which name makes the monster panic and run?
“齐天大圣？翠兰，老猪不能在这儿了，我走了！”