Journey to the West: The White Bone Demon · chapter 1 of 6
The Girl with the Rice Jar
送饭的姑娘
Tang Seng is starving on a lonely mountain, so a pretty girl with a jar of rice seems like a gift from heaven. Only Wukong's golden eyes can see what she really is.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 这天中午，唐僧和三个徒弟走上了一座高山。山上都是石头，一个人也没有。
Zhè tiān zhōngwǔ, Táng Sēng hé sān gè túdì zǒu shàng le yí zuò gāo shān. Shān shang dōu shì shítou, yí gè rén yě méiyǒu.
At noon that day, Tang Seng and his three disciples climbed a high mountain. There was nothing up there but rocks, and not a single person in sight.
- Tang Seng 悟空，我饿得走不动了。你去找点儿吃的，好吗？
Wùkōng, wǒ è de zǒu bú dòng le. Nǐ qù zhǎo diǎnr chī de, hǎo ma?
Wukong, I'm so hungry I can't take another step. Would you go and find us something to eat?
- Sun Wukong 师父，你坐着等！老孙跳到云上，看看哪里有人家。
Shīfu, nǐ zuòzhe děng! Lǎo Sūn tiào dào yún shang, kànkan nǎlǐ yǒu rénjiā.
Sit tight, Master! Old Sun will jump up onto a cloud and see if anybody lives around here.
- Sun Wukong 这里没有人家……啊，南边的山上，有好多红桃子！老孙去摘一些来！
Zhèlǐ méiyǒu rénjiā… A, nánbian de shān shang, yǒu hǎoduō hóng táozi! Lǎo Sūn qù zhāi yìxiē lái!
Nobody lives up here... Hey! The mountain to the south is covered in red peaches! Old Sun will go and pick some!
- Zhu Bajie 猴哥，也给老猪摘几个！要最大的！
Hóugē, yě gěi Lǎo Zhū zhāi jǐ gè! Yào zuì dà de!
Brother Monkey, pick a few for Old Pig too! The biggest ones!
- Sun Wukong 呆子，就知道吃！这座山有妖气，你们好好看着师父！
Dāizi, jiù zhīdào chī! Zhè zuò shān yǒu yāoqì, nǐmen hǎohǎo kànzhe shīfu!
Dummy, food is all you think about! This mountain reeks of demons. You two keep a close eye on Master!
- Sha Wujing 大师兄放心，有我们在。
Dà shīxiōng fàngxīn, yǒu wǒmen zài.
Don't worry, Big Brother. We're here.
- Narrator 悟空刚飞走，旁边的一个山洞里，就有一双眼睛看了过来。
Wùkōng gāng fēizǒu, pángbiān de yí gè shāndòng lǐ, jiù yǒu yì shuāng yǎnjing kàn le guòlái.
The moment Wukong flew off, a pair of eyes peered out of a cave close by.
- The White Bone Demon 那个白白净净的和尚，就是唐僧吧？吃一块唐僧肉，就能长生不老！
Nàge báibái jìngjìng de héshang, jiù shì Táng Sēng ba? Chī yí kuài Táng Sēng ròu, jiù néng chángshēng bù lǎo!
That fair, clean-faced monk must be Tang Seng! One bite of Tang Seng, and I'll never grow old!
- The White Bone Demon 可是他身边还有一头猪，一个大个子……没关系，我变一变！
Kěshì tā shēnbiān hái yǒu yì tóu zhū, yí gè dà gèzi… Méi guānxi, wǒ biàn yi biàn!
But there's a pig and a big fellow right beside him... Never mind. I'll just change my shape!
- Narrator 不一会儿，山路上走来一个漂亮的姑娘。她拿着一罐米饭，还有一个绿瓶子。
Bù yíhuìr, shānlù shang zǒu lái yí gè piàoliang de gūniang. Tā názhe yí guàn mǐfàn, hái yǒu yí gè lǜ píngzi.
Before long, a pretty girl came walking up the mountain path, carrying a jar of rice and a green bottle.
- Zhu Bajie 师父，你看！来了一个姑娘，还带着吃的！
Shīfu, nǐ kàn! Lái le yí gè gūniang, hái dàizhe chī de!
Look, Master! Here comes a girl, and she's got food with her!
- Village Girl 几位师父好！这里叫白虎岭，我家就在山下。
Jǐ wèi shīfu hǎo! Zhèlǐ jiào Báihǔ Lǐng, wǒ jiā jiù zài shān xià.
Good day, masters! This mountain is called White Tiger Ridge, and my home is just down below.
- Village Girl 这是我给丈夫送的午饭。师父们走了这么远的路，一定饿了，你们先吃吧！
Zhè shì wǒ gěi zhàngfu sòng de wǔfàn. Shīfumen zǒu le zhème yuǎn de lù, yídìng è le, nǐmen xiān chī ba!
This is the lunch I was taking to my husband. But you've come such a long way, you must be starving. Please, you eat first!
- Zhu Bajie 好香啊！米饭还是热的！师父，快吃吧！
Hǎo xiāng a! Mǐfàn hái shi rè de! Shīfu, kuài chī ba!
Mmm, that smells good! And the rice is still warm! Master, let's eat!
- Tang Seng 这是你丈夫的午饭，我们怎么能吃？我的大徒弟去摘桃子了，我们等等他吧。
Zhè shì nǐ zhàngfu de wǔfàn, wǒmen zěnme néng chī? Wǒ de dà túdì qù zhāi táozi le, wǒmen děngdeng tā ba.
This is your husband's lunch. How could we eat it? My eldest disciple has gone to pick peaches. Let's wait for him.
- Zhu Bajie 师父，等那只猴子干什么？饭都到嘴边了，老猪先吃一口！
Shīfu, děng nà zhī hóuzi gàn shénme? Fàn dōu dào zuǐ biān le, Lǎo Zhū xiān chī yì kǒu!
Master, why wait for that monkey? The food's practically in my mouth! Old Pig will just have one bite first!
- Narrator 这时，悟空拿着一大碗桃子飞回来了。他用火眼金睛一看，马上就看出来了。
Zhè shí, Wùkōng názhe yí dà wǎn táozi fēi huílái le. Tā yòng huǒyǎn jīnjīng yí kàn, mǎshàng jiù kàn chūlái le.
Just then, Wukong came flying back with a big bowl of peaches. One look with his fiery golden eyes, and he saw the truth at once.
- Sun Wukong 呆子，别吃！那不是姑娘，是妖怪！看棒！
Dāizi, bié chī! Nà bú shì gūniang, shì yāoguài! Kàn bàng!
Dummy, don't eat that! That's no girl, that's a demon! Here comes my staff!
- Tang Seng 悟空，住手！她是来送饭的好姑娘，你怎么能打她？
Wùkōng, zhùshǒu! Tā shì lái sòng fàn de hǎo gūniang, nǐ zěnme néng dǎ tā?
Wukong, stop! She's a kind girl who brought us food. How can you hit her?
- Sun Wukong 师父，老孙以前也做过妖怪。妖怪最会变成好人，来骗和尚了！
Shīfu, Lǎo Sūn yǐqián yě zuò guò yāoguài. Yāoguài zuì huì biànchéng hǎorén, lái piàn héshang le!
Master, Old Sun used to be a demon himself. Turning into nice people to fool monks is a demon's favorite trick!
- Narrator 金箍棒打了下去。姑娘倒在地上，变成了一堆白骨。一阵白烟，往山里飞走了。
Jīn gū bàng dǎ le xiàqù. Gūniang dǎo zài dìshang, biànchéng le yì duī báigǔ. Yí zhèn bái yān, wǎng shān lǐ fēizǒu le.
Down came the golden staff. The girl fell to the ground and turned into a heap of white bones, and a puff of white smoke flew off into the mountains.
- Tang Seng 阿弥陀佛！悟空，你……你打死了人！
Ēmítuófó! Wùkōng, nǐ… nǐ dǎsǐ le rén!
Amitabha! Wukong, you... you've killed someone!
- Sun Wukong 师父，她不是人，是个白骨精！你再看看她的饭！
Shīfu, tā bú shì rén, shì gè Báigǔjīng! Nǐ zài kànkan tā de fàn!
Master, she wasn't a person! She was a White Bone Demon! Now take another look at her food!
- Sha Wujing 师父，快看！米饭变成了虫子，瓶子里还跳出来好几只青蛙！
Shīfu, kuài kàn! Mǐfàn biànchéng le chóngzi, píngzi lǐ hái tiào chūlái hǎo jǐ zhī qīngwā!
Master, look! The rice has turned into worms, and frogs are hopping out of the bottle!
- Zhu Bajie 哎呀！老猪差一点儿，就吃了一口虫子饭！
Āiyā! Lǎo Zhū chà yìdiǎnr, jiù chī le yì kǒu chóngzi fàn!
Yikes! Old Pig very nearly ate a mouthful of worm rice!
- Tang Seng 原来……她真的是妖怪？
Yuánlái… tā zhēn de shì yāoguài?
So... she really was a demon?
- Zhu Bajie 师父，别信他！那么香的饭，怎么会是虫子？
Shīfu, bié xìn tā! Nàme xiāng de fàn, zěnme huì shì chóngzi?
Master, don't believe him! How could rice that smelled that good be worms?
- Zhu Bajie 猴哥会七十二变。他打死了人，怕你念紧箍咒，就变出白骨和虫子来骗你！
Hóugē huì qīshí'èr biàn. Tā dǎsǐ le rén, pà nǐ niàn jǐn gū zhòu, jiù biàn chū báigǔ hé chóngzi lái piàn nǐ!
Brother Monkey knows seventy-two transformations. He killed someone, and he's scared you'll say the headband spell, so he conjured up the bones and the worms to fool you!
- Tang Seng 八戒说得对！悟空，你太不听话了！
Bājiè shuō de duì! Wùkōng, nǐ tài bù tīnghuà le!
Bajie is right! Wukong, you simply will not listen!
- Narrator 唐僧马上念起了紧箍咒。
Táng Sēng mǎshàng niàn qǐ le jǐn gū zhòu.
At once, Tang Seng began to say the headband spell.
- Sun Wukong 哎哟！我的头！好疼！师父，别念了！她真的是妖怪啊！
Āiyō! Wǒ de tóu! Hǎo téng! Shīfu, bié niàn le! Tā zhēn de shì yāoguài a!
Ow! My head! It hurts! Master, stop! She really was a demon!
- Tang Seng 好，这次我不念了。可是你要是再打一个人，就别做我的徒弟了！
Hǎo, zhè cì wǒ bú niàn le. Kěshì nǐ yàoshi zài dǎ yí gè rén, jiù bié zuò wǒ de túdì le!
All right, I'll stop this time. But if you hit one more person, you are no longer my disciple!
- The White Bone Demon 好厉害的猴子！可是和尚不信他……再打一个人？好啊，我就再送一个人给他打！
Hǎo lìhai de hóuzi! Kěshì héshang bú xìn tā… Zài dǎ yí gè rén? Hǎo a, wǒ jiù zài sòng yí gè rén gěi tā dǎ!
What a sharp-eyed monkey! But the monk won't believe him... If he hits one more person, he's out? Lovely. Then I'll send him one more to hit!
What changed in the story?
- Why does Wukong fly off at the start?
“我饿得走不动了。”……“南边的山上，有好多红桃子！老孙去摘一些来！”
- What does the demon want?
“吃一块唐僧肉，就能长生不老！”
- Why doesn't Tang Seng want to eat the girl's food at first?
“这是你丈夫的午饭，我们怎么能吃？”
- What has happened to the girl's food after Wukong strikes?
“米饭变成了虫子，瓶子里还跳出来好几只青蛙！”
- How does Bajie explain the bones and the worms to Tang Seng?
“猴哥会七十二变。他打死了人，怕你念紧箍咒，就变出白骨和虫子来骗你！”