Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves · chapter 1 of 25

Ning Caichen at the Old Temple

宁采臣住进古寺

Ning Caichen, a scholar who has loved only one woman, finds a bed in an empty temple north of Jinhua. Late that night, he hears voices beyond his window.

Ning Caichen at the Old Temple illustration

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Read what you hear

Pu Songling 我叫蒲松龄。我最喜欢听人讲鬼和狐狸的故事。
Wǒ jiào Pú Sōnglíng. Wǒ zuì xǐhuan tīng rén jiǎng guǐ hé húli de gùshi.
My name is Pu Songling. What I love most is hearing people tell stories of ghosts and foxes.
Pu Songling 听到一个，就写下一个。半夜灯很暗，我还在写。
Tīngdào yí gè, jiù xiěxià yí gè. Bànyè dēng hěn àn, wǒ hái zài xiě.
Every tale I hear, I write down. At midnight my lamp is dim, and I am still writing.
Narrator 很多很多年以前，金华的北边，有一座很大的寺。
Hěn duō hěn duō nián yǐqián, Jīnhuá de běibian, yǒu yí zuò hěn dà de sì.
Many, many years ago, north of Jinhua, there stood a great temple.
Ning Caichen 有人吗？奇怪，这么大的寺，怎么一个人也没有？
Yǒu rén ma? Qíguài, zhème dà de sì, zěnme yí gè rén yě méiyǒu?
Anyone here? Strange. A temple this big, and not one person in it?
Ning Caichen 草长得比我还高。和尚都去哪儿了？
Cǎo zhǎng de bǐ wǒ hái gāo. Héshang dōu qù nǎr le?
The weeds have grown taller than I am. Where have all the monks gone?
Ning Caichen 这几天有考试，住的地方都很贵。这儿安静，我就住下吧。
Zhè jǐ tiān yǒu kǎoshì, zhù de dìfang dōu hěn guì. Zhèr ānjìng, wǒ jiù zhùxià ba.
It's exam time, and every place to stay costs a lot. This place is quiet. I'll stay.
Ning Caichen 有人回来了！您是这儿的和尚吧？我想在寺里住几天。
Yǒu rén huílai le! Nín shì zhèr de héshang ba? Wǒ xiǎng zài sì li zhù jǐ tiān.
Someone's back! You must be the monk here? I'd like to stay in the temple for a few days.
Yan Chixia 和尚？你看看我的头发。我哪儿像和尚？
Héshang? Nǐ kànkan wǒ de tóufa. Wǒ nǎr xiàng héshang?
A monk? Take a look at my hair. Do I look like a monk to you?
Ning Caichen 对不起，对不起！天快黑了，我没看清楚。
Duìbuqǐ, duìbuqǐ! Tiān kuài hēi le, wǒ méi kàn qīngchu.
Sorry, I'm so sorry! It's getting dark, and I couldn't see clearly.
Yan Chixia 这儿没有和尚。南边那个房间，是我住的。
Zhèr méiyǒu héshang. Nánbian nàge fángjiān, shì wǒ zhù de.
There are no monks here. That room on the south side is where I stay.
Ning Caichen 您也住在这儿？太好了！我叫宁采臣，浙江人，来金华有一点儿事。
Nín yě zhù zài zhèr? Tài hǎo le! Wǒ jiào Níng Cǎichén, Zhèjiāng rén, lái Jīnhuá yǒu yìdiǎnr shì.
You live here too? Wonderful! My name is Ning Caichen. I'm from Zhejiang, here in Jinhua on a little business.
Yan Chixia 我叫燕赤霞，陕西人。我说话直：不怕这儿没人，你就住下吧。
Wǒ jiào Yàn Chìxiá, Shǎnxī rén. Wǒ shuōhuà zhí: bú pà zhèr méi rén, nǐ jiù zhùxià ba.
I'm Yan Chixia, from Shaanxi. I'll say it plainly: if you don't mind having nobody around, stay.
Narrator 那天晚上，月亮又大又亮。两个人坐在门外边说话。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, yuèliang yòu dà yòu liàng. Liǎng gè rén zuò zài mén wàibian shuōhuà.
That night the moon was big and bright. The two men sat outside the door and talked.
Ning Caichen 燕大哥，您是来考试的吧？
Yàn dàgē, nín shì lái kǎoshì de ba?
Brother Yan, I suppose you're here for the exams?
Yan Chixia 考试？我不考。我来这儿，有我自己的事。
Kǎoshì? Wǒ bù kǎo. Wǒ lái zhèr, yǒu wǒ zìjǐ de shì.
Exams? Not me. I'm here on business of my own.
Ning Caichen 什么事？那您白天都去哪儿？
Shénme shì? Nà nín báitiān dōu qù nǎr?
What business? And where do you go during the day?
Yan Chixia 出去走走。老弟，你的问题真多。
Chūqu zǒuzou. Lǎodì, nǐ de wèntí zhēn duō.
Out and about. Little brother, you sure ask a lot of questions.
Ning Caichen 好，好，我不问了。
Hǎo, hǎo, wǒ bú wèn le.
All right, all right, no more questions.
Yan Chixia 这个寺很老了，晚上什么声音都有。你一个人，不怕吗？
Zhège sì hěn lǎo le, wǎnshang shénme shēngyīn dōu yǒu. Nǐ yí gè rén, bú pà ma?
This temple is very old. At night you hear all sorts of sounds. All on your own, aren't you scared?
Ning Caichen 不怕。我没做过坏事，只爱过一个女人。我怕什么？
Bú pà. Wǒ méi zuòguo huàishì, zhǐ àiguo yí gè nǚrén. Wǒ pà shénme?
No. I've never done anything wrong, and I've loved only one woman. What do I have to fear?
Yan Chixia 好！你这样的人，鬼见了都怕。
Hǎo! Nǐ zhèyàng de rén, guǐ jiàn le dōu pà.
Good! Even ghosts would be scared to meet a man like you.
Ning Caichen 燕大哥睡了。新地方，我怎么也睡不着……
Yàn dàgē shuì le. Xīn dìfang, wǒ zěnme yě shuì bu zháo…
Brother Yan has gone to bed. A new place, and I just can't fall asleep...
Ning Caichen 北边好像有人在说话。这么晚了，是谁？我从窗户看一看。
Běibian hǎoxiàng yǒu rén zài shuōhuà. Zhème wǎn le, shì shéi? Wǒ cóng chuānghu kàn yi kàn.
It sounds like someone is talking to the north. So late at night, who could it be? Let me look through the window.
Narrator 窗户外边，有一个小院子。院子里，两个女人在说话。
Chuānghu wàibian, yǒu yí gè xiǎo yuànzi. Yuànzi li, liǎng gè nǚrén zài shuōhuà.
Beyond the window lay a little courtyard. In the courtyard, two women were talking.
Narrator 一个四十来岁，一个很老很老，穿着红衣服。
Yí gè sìshí lái suì, yí gè hěn lǎo hěn lǎo, chuānzhe hóng yīfu.
One was about forty. The other was very, very old, and dressed in red.
Granny 这么好的月亮，人都睡了。
Zhème hǎo de yuèliang, rén dōu shuì le.
Such a fine moon, and everyone's asleep.
The Woman of Forty 姥姥，小倩怎么还不来？
Lǎolao, Xiǎoqiàn zěnme hái bù lái?
Granny, why hasn't Xiaoqian come yet?

What changed in the story?

Why does Ning Caichen decide to stay in the temple?
“这几天有考试，住的地方都很贵”
Who does Ning Caichen first take Yan Chixia for?
“您是这儿的和尚吧”
Where does Yan Chixia say he is from?
“我叫燕赤霞，陕西人”
Why does Ning Caichen say he isn't afraid at night?
“我没做过坏事，只爱过一个女人”
What does the woman of forty ask Granny?
“姥姥，小倩怎么还不来”

All chapters in Liaozhai: Fox and Ghost Loves.