More Aesop's Fables · chapter 1 of 6

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse

两只老鼠

Spring is back, and Little Squirrel wants the North Wind and the Sun. But Grandpa Owl has another story first: two mice, and a feast in a big house in town.

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse illustration

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Narrator 春天来了。晚上，两个小朋友又跑到了老树下。
Chūntiān lái le. Wǎnshang, liǎng gè xiǎopéngyou yòu pǎo dào le lǎo shù xià.
Spring had come. One evening, the two little friends came running to the old tree again.
Little Squirrel 猫头鹰爷爷！今天讲北风和太阳，对吧？我知道，北风一定赢！
Māotóuyīng yéye! Jīntiān jiǎng běifēng hé tàiyáng, duì ba? Wǒ zhīdào, běifēng yídìng yíng!
Grandpa Owl! Tonight it's the North Wind and the Sun, right? I know it already: the North Wind is going to win!
Little Rabbit 爷爷，他说了一个冬天了！
Yéye, tā shuō le yí gè dōngtiān le!
Grandpa, he's been saying that all winter!
Grandpa Owl 咕咕，你们又长大了！北风和太阳，明天讲。今天，先讲两只老鼠。
Gūgū, nǐmen yòu zhǎngdà le! Běifēng hé tàiyáng, míngtiān jiǎng. Jīntiān, xiān jiǎng liǎng zhī lǎoshǔ.
Hoo-hoo, look how you've grown! The North Wind and the Sun can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, two mice come first.
Little Squirrel 还要等？爷爷，您又来了！
Hái yào děng? Yéye, nín yòu lái le!
More waiting? Grandpa, there you go again!
Little Rabbit 老鼠的故事，我们听过了！
Lǎoshǔ de gùshi, wǒmen tīng guo le!
And we've already heard the mouse story!
Grandpa Owl 这是两只新的老鼠。一只住在城里，一只住在乡下。
Zhè shì liǎng zhī xīn de lǎoshǔ. Yì zhī zhù zài chénglǐ, yì zhī zhù zài xiāngxia.
These are two new mice. One lives in town, and one lives in the country.
Grandpa Owl 坐好了，故事来了！一天，城里老鼠去看乡下老鼠。
Zuò hǎo le, gùshi lái le! Yì tiān, chénglǐ lǎoshǔ qù kàn xiāngxia lǎoshǔ.
Sit tight, here comes the story! One day, the Town Mouse went to visit the Country Mouse.
The Country Mouse 朋友，你来了！快坐，吃米，吃水果！
Péngyou, nǐ lái le! Kuài zuò, chī mǐ, chī shuǐguǒ!
My friend, you came! Sit down, have some rice, have some fruit!
The Town Mouse 米？水果？你天天就吃这个？
Mǐ? Shuǐguǒ? Nǐ tiāntiān jiù chī zhège?
Rice? Fruit? Is this all you eat every day?
The Country Mouse 是的。这里很安静，我吃得很开心。
Shì de. Zhèlǐ hěn ānjìng, wǒ chī de hěn kāixīn.
Yes. It's peaceful here, and I enjoy my meals.
The Town Mouse 安静有什么好？跟我去城里吧！城里有肉，有鱼，什么都有！
Ānjìng yǒu shénme hǎo? Gēn wǒ qù chénglǐ ba! Chénglǐ yǒu ròu, yǒu yú, shénme dōu yǒu!
What's so great about peace and quiet? Come to town with me! In town there's meat, there's fish, there's everything!
Little Squirrel 什么都有？爷爷，我也想去城里！
Shénme dōu yǒu? Yéye, wǒ yě xiǎng qù chénglǐ!
Everything? Grandpa, I want to go to town too!
Little Rabbit 小松鼠，你就知道吃！
Xiǎo Sōngshǔ, nǐ jiù zhīdào chī!
Little Squirrel, food is all you ever think about!
Grandpa Owl 晚上，两只老鼠来到了城里的大房子。
Wǎnshang, liǎng zhī lǎoshǔ láidào le chénglǐ de dà fángzi.
That night, the two mice arrived at a big house in town.
The Country Mouse 天哪！好大的桌子！有肉，有鱼，还有面包！
Tiān na! Hǎo dà de zhuōzi! Yǒu ròu, yǒu yú, hái yǒu miànbāo!
Wow! What a huge table! There's meat, there's fish, and there's bread too!
The Town Mouse 吃吧，吃吧！你看，城里多好！
Chī ba, chī ba! Nǐ kàn, chénglǐ duō hǎo!
Eat up, eat up! See how good life is in town?
The Country Mouse 真好吃！我不想回乡下了！
Zhēn hǎochī! Wǒ bù xiǎng huí xiāngxia le!
So tasty! I never want to go back to the country!
Grandpa Owl 这时候，门开了。一只大猫走了进来！
Zhè shíhou, mén kāi le. Yì zhī dà māo zǒu le jìnlái!
Just then, the door opened. In walked a big cat!
The Town Mouse 猫！猫来了！快跑！
Māo! Māo lái le! Kuài pǎo!
A cat! The cat's coming! Run!
The Country Mouse 等等我！等等我！
Děngdeng wǒ! Děngdeng wǒ!
Wait for me! Wait for me!
The Country Mouse 猫走了……朋友，谢谢你的肉和鱼。可是，我要回家了。
Māo zǒu le… Péngyou, xièxie nǐ de ròu hé yú. Kěshì, wǒ yào huí jiā le.
The cat's gone… Thank you for the meat and fish, my friend. But I'm going home.
The Country Mouse 在乡下，我只有米和水果，可是没有猫！
Zài xiāngxia, wǒ zhǐ yǒu mǐ hé shuǐguǒ, kěshì méiyǒu māo!
In the country I only have rice and fruit, but there are no cats!
Grandpa Owl 小松鼠，你还想去城里吗？
Xiǎo Sōngshǔ, nǐ hái xiǎng qù chénglǐ ma?
So, Little Squirrel, do you still want to go to town?
Little Squirrel 不去了，不去了！有猫的地方，我不去！
Bú qù le, bú qù le! Yǒu māo de dìfang, wǒ bú qù!
No way, no way! I'm not going anywhere there's a cat!
Little Rabbit 好吃的很多，可是天天怕猫……还是家里好。
Hǎochī de hěn duō, kěshì tiāntiān pà māo… háishi jiā lǐ hǎo.
Lots of tasty food, but being scared of cats every day… home is better after all.
Grandpa Owl 说得好！明天，北风和太阳比一比：谁能让一个人脱了大衣？
Shuō de hǎo! Míngtiān, běifēng hé tàiyáng bǐ yi bǐ: shéi néng ràng yí gè rén tuō le dàyī?
Well said! Tomorrow, the North Wind and the Sun have a contest: which of them can get a man to take off his coat?
Little Squirrel 我知道！北风一吹，大衣就飞了！
Wǒ zhīdào! Běifēng yì chuī, dàyī jiù fēi le!
I know! One puff from the North Wind and the coat flies right off!
Little Rabbit 我说是太阳！太阳赢了，你的果子给我！
Wǒ shuō shì tàiyáng! Tàiyáng yíng le, nǐ de guǒzi gěi wǒ!
I say the Sun! If the Sun wins, your acorn is mine!
Little Squirrel 好！……爷爷，北风会赢的，对吧？
Hǎo! …Yéye, běifēng huì yíng de, duì ba?
Deal! …Grandpa, the North Wind is going to win, right?

What changed in the story?

What does the Country Mouse give his friend to eat?
“快坐，吃米，吃水果！”
Why does the Town Mouse want his friend to come to town?
“城里有肉，有鱼，什么都有！”
What happens while the two mice are eating in town?
“门开了。一只大猫走了进来！”
Why does the Country Mouse go home?
“在乡下，我只有米和水果，可是没有猫！”
What will Little Rabbit get if the Sun wins?
“太阳赢了，你的果子给我！”

All chapters in More Aesop's Fables.