Little Women · chapter 22 of 31
The Professor
教授
In New York, Jo writes home about her busy new life, until a loud noise next door makes her look through the little window in the door.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 乔到纽约一个星期了。这天晚上，她给家里写信。
Qiáo dào Niǔyuē yí gè xīngqī le. Zhè tiān wǎnshang, tā gěi jiā li xiě xìn.
Jo had been in New York for a week. That evening, she wrote a letter home.
- Jo 妈妈，贝丝：这儿人真多！我白天给两个小女孩上课，晚上写故事。
Māma, Bèisī: zhèr rén zhēn duō! Wǒ báitiān gěi liǎng gè xiǎo nǚhái shàngkè, wǎnshang xiě gùshi.
Marmee, Beth: there are so many people here! By day I teach two little girls, and at night I write stories.
- Jo 告诉泰迪：我很听话，不用他来带我回家！
Gàosu Tàidí: wǒ hěn tīnghuà, búyòng tā lái dài wǒ huí jiā!
Tell Teddy I'm behaving very well, so he needn't come and take me home!
Chapter 22 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Little Women (chapters 1–6) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Jo 什么声音？我从门上的小窗户看看。
Shénme shēngyīn? Wǒ cóng mén shang de xiǎo chuānghu kànkan.
What's that noise? I'll look through the little window in the door.
- Jo 一个大个子在地上爬，背上还有一个小女孩！
Yí gè dà gèzi zài dì shang pá, bèi shang hái yǒu yí gè xiǎo nǚhái!
A big man is crawling on the floor, with a little girl on his back!
- Professor Bhaer 好了，蒂娜！教授要去上课了！
Hǎo le, Dìnà! Jiàoshòu yào qù shàngkè le!
All right, Tina! The Professor has to go and teach!
- Jo 教授？在地上爬的教授？
Jiàoshòu? Zài dì shang pá de jiàoshòu?
A professor? A professor who crawls on the floor?
- Narrator 柯克太太告诉乔，他是巴尔教授，从柏林来的。
Kēkè tàitai gàosu Qiáo, tā shì Bā'ěr jiàoshòu, cóng Bólín lái de.
Mrs. Kirke told Jo he was Professor Bhaer, from Berlin.
- Jo 柯克太太说，他快四十岁了，很穷。
Kēkè tàitai shuō, tā kuài sìshí suì le, hěn qióng.
Mrs. Kirke says he's nearly forty, and very poor.
- Jo 他教德语，养两个没有爸爸妈妈的小男孩。
Tā jiāo Déyǔ, yǎng liǎng gè méiyǒu bàba māma de xiǎo nánhái.
He teaches German to support two little boys who have no parents.
- Jo 他个子大，声音大，眼睛好像一直在笑。
Tā gèzi dà, shēngyīn dà, yǎnjing hǎoxiàng yìzhí zài xiào.
He's a big man with a big voice, and his eyes always seem to be smiling.
- Narrator 过了几天，乔看见了巴尔教授的袜子。
Guò le jǐ tiān, Qiáo kànjiàn le Bā'ěr jiàoshòu de wàzi.
A few days later, Jo saw Professor Bhaer's socks.
- Jo 天哪，补得真难看！我给他补好，不告诉他。
Tiān na, bǔ de zhēn nánkàn! Wǒ gěi tā bǔ hǎo, bú gàosu tā.
Good heavens, what awful darning! I'll mend them for him and not tell him.
- Professor Bhaer 马奇小姐！那是我的袜子吗？
Mǎqí xiǎojiě! Nà shì wǒ de wàzi ma?
Miss March! Are those my socks?
- Jo 是的。您的袜子补得太难看了！谁补的？
Shì de. Nín de wàzi bǔ de tài nánkàn le! Shéi bǔ de?
Yes. Your socks were darned so badly! Who did it?
- Professor Bhaer 我自己补的！
Wǒ zìjǐ bǔ de!
I did it myself!
- Jo 我看出来了！
Wǒ kàn chūlai le!
I could tell!
- Professor Bhaer 很久没有人给我补袜子了。谢谢你！
Hěn jiǔ méiyǒu rén gěi wǒ bǔ wàzi le. Xièxie nǐ!
It has been a long time since anyone mended my socks. Thank you!
- Professor Bhaer 这样吧：你给我补袜子，我教你德语。好不好？
Zhèyàng ba: nǐ gěi wǒ bǔ wàzi, wǒ jiāo nǐ Déyǔ. Hǎo bu hǎo?
Let's do this: you mend my socks, and I'll teach you German. All right?
- Jo 德语？好啊！可是德语很难吧？
Déyǔ? Hǎo a! Kěshì Déyǔ hěn nán ba?
German? Oh, yes! But isn't German very hard?
- Professor Bhaer 我的朋友，有我教你，就不难了！
Wǒ de péngyou, yǒu wǒ jiāo nǐ, jiù bù nán le!
My friend, with me to teach you, it won't be hard!
- Professor Bhaer 马奇小姐，你夜里不睡觉，做什么呢？
Mǎqí xiǎojiě, nǐ yèli bú shuìjiào, zuò shénme ne?
Miss March, you don't sleep at night. What are you doing?
- Jo 写故事。可是我的故事，给的钱很少。
Xiě gùshi. Kěshì wǒ de gùshi, gěi de qián hěn shǎo.
Writing stories. But my stories pay very little.
- Narrator 新年那天晚上，乔一个人看报纸。
Xīnnián nà tiān wǎnshang, Qiáo yí gè rén kàn bàozhǐ.
On the first evening of the new year, Jo sat alone reading a newspaper.
- Jo 报纸上的故事，真怕人！给的钱也真多！
Bàozhǐ shang de gùshi, zhēn pàrén! Gěi de qián yě zhēn duō!
The stories in this paper are so frightening! And they pay so much, too!
- Jo 我也写一个！谁也不告诉，教授也不告诉！
Wǒ yě xiě yí gè! Shéi yě bú gàosu, jiàoshòu yě bú gàosu!
I'll write one too! And I won't tell anyone, not even the Professor!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Jo see through the little window in the door?
“一个大个子在地上爬，背上还有一个小女孩”
- Who does Professor Bhaer support by teaching German?
“他教德语，养两个没有爸爸妈妈的小男孩”
- Who darned Professor Bhaer's socks so badly?
“谁补的？”……“我自己补的！”
- What does Professor Bhaer offer Jo for mending his socks?
“你给我补袜子，我教你德语”
- Why does Jo want to write stories like the ones in the paper?
“给的钱也真多”