Mulan · chapter 1 of 10
A Sigh at the Loom
木兰不织布了
Mulan's loom falls silent. The army needs one man from every family, and her father is old, with weak legs. What will his daughter do?
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，中国北方有一个姑娘，叫木兰。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Zhōngguó běifāng yǒu yí gè gūniang, jiào Mùlán.
Long, long ago, in the north of China, there lived a young woman named Mulan.
- Mulan 唉……爸爸老了，怎么办呢？
Āi…… Bàba lǎo le, zěnme bàn ne?
Oh… Father is old. What am I going to do?
- Mulan's father 木兰，今天怎么只听见你叹气，听不见你织布？
Mùlán, jīntiān zěnme zhǐ tīngjiàn nǐ tànqì, tīng bú jiàn nǐ zhībù?
Mulan, why do I hear only sighs today, and no weaving?
- Mulan 爸爸！我……我没事。我只是有点儿累。
Bàba! Wǒ…… wǒ méi shì. Wǒ zhǐshì yǒudiǎnr lèi.
Father! I… I'm fine. I'm just a little tired.
- Mulan's father 没事？你的脸都白了。有什么事，告诉爸爸。
Méi shì? Nǐ de liǎn dōu bái le. Yǒu shénme shì, gàosu bàba.
Fine? You've gone pale. Whatever it is, tell your father.
- Mulan 昨天，我看见了军队的名单。每家都要出一个男人去打仗。
Zuótiān, wǒ kànjiàn le jūnduì de míngdān. Měi jiā dōu yào chū yí gè nánrén qù dǎzhàng.
Yesterday I saw the army's list. Every family has to send one man to war.
- Mulan's father 我知道。名单上有我的名字，我已经看见了。
Wǒ zhīdào. Míngdān shàng yǒu wǒ de míngzi, wǒ yǐjīng kànjiàn le.
I know. My name is on the list. I've already seen it.
- Mulan 不是一张！一共十二张，每张都有您的名字！
Bú shì yì zhāng! Yígòng shí'èr zhāng, měi zhāng dōu yǒu nín de míngzi!
Not just one list! There are twelve, and your name is on every one!
- Mulan's father 皇帝要我去，我就去。我是老士兵了。
Huángdì yào wǒ qù, wǒ jiù qù. Wǒ shì lǎo shìbīng le.
If the emperor wants me, I go. I'm an old soldier.
- Mulan 可是您的腿……您现在走路都很慢了！
Kěshì nín de tuǐ…… nín xiànzài zǒulù dōu hěn màn le!
But your legs… you can barely walk fast anymore!
- Mulan's father 腿慢，手不慢。我还能拿刀，还能骑马呢！
Tuǐ màn, shǒu bú màn. Wǒ hái néng ná dāo, hái néng qí mǎ ne!
Slow legs, quick hands. I can still hold a sword and ride a horse!
- Mulan 爸爸老了，弟弟还小，我也没有哥哥……那谁去呢？
Bàba lǎo le, dìdi hái xiǎo, wǒ yě méiyǒu gēge…… Nà shéi qù ne?
Father is old, my brother is little, and I have no older brother… So who will go?
- Mulan 爸爸，您别去了。让我去吧，我替您去！
Bàba, nín bié qù le. Ràng wǒ qù ba, wǒ tì nín qù!
Father, don't go. Let me go. I'll go in your place!
- Mulan's father 你？木兰，你是女孩子啊！
Nǐ? Mùlán, nǐ shì nǚháizi a!
You? Mulan, you're a girl!
- Mulan 女孩子也会骑马，也会射箭。这些都是您教我的！
Nǚháizi yě huì qí mǎ, yě huì shèjiàn. Zhèxiē dōu shì nín jiāo wǒ de!
Girls can ride and shoot too. You're the one who taught me!
- Mulan's father 可是……打仗会死人的。
Kěshì…… dǎzhàng huì sǐ rén de.
But… people die in war.
- Mulan 所以，我更不能让您去。
Suǒyǐ, wǒ gèng bù néng ràng nín qù.
That's exactly why I can't let you go.
- Narrator 爸爸看着女儿，很久很久没有说话。
Bàba kànzhe nǚ'ér, hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ méiyǒu shuōhuà.
Her father looked at his daughter and said nothing for a long, long time.
- Narrator 那天晚上，木兰穿上了爸爸的旧衣服。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Mùlán chuān shàng le bàba de jiù yīfu.
That night, Mulan put on her father's old army clothes.
- Mulan 爸爸，您看！头发放上去，穿上这件衣服，我像不像一个男人？
Bàba, nín kàn! Tóufa fàng shàngqù, chuān shàng zhè jiàn yīfu, wǒ xiàng bú xiàng yí gè nánrén?
Father, look! Hair up, these clothes on… Do I look like a man?
- Mulan's father 哎呀，真像一个小伙子！比我年轻的时候还帅！
Āiyā, zhēn xiàng yí gè xiǎohuǒzi! Bǐ wǒ niánqīng de shíhou hái shuài!
Goodness, you really look like a young man! Better looking than I was at your age!
- Mulan 那当然，我是您的女儿，也是您的学生。
Nà dāngrán, wǒ shì nín de nǚ'ér, yě shì nín de xuésheng.
Of course. I'm your daughter, and your student too.
- Mulan's father 木兰，你要答应爸爸一件事。
Mùlán, nǐ yào dāying bàba yí jiàn shì.
Mulan, you have to promise me one thing.
- Mulan 什么事？您说。
Shénme shì? Nín shuō.
What is it? Tell me.
- Mulan's father 不管怎么样，你一定要活着回来！
Bùguǎn zěnmeyàng, nǐ yídìng yào huózhe huílái!
Whatever happens, you must come back alive!
- Mulan 我答应您。一定！
Wǒ dāying nín. Yídìng!
I promise. I will!
- Mulan's father 你妈妈会哭的……她一定不让你去。
Nǐ māma huì kū de…… Tā yídìng bú ràng nǐ qù.
Your mother is going to cry… She'll never let you go.
- Mulan 妈妈那里，我去说。她会明白的。
Māma nàlǐ, wǒ qù shuō. Tā huì míngbai de.
I'll talk to Mother myself. She'll understand.
- Mulan 明天一早，我就去买马。
Míngtiān yì zǎo, wǒ jiù qù mǎi mǎ.
First thing tomorrow, I'll go and buy a horse.
- Mulan 从明天起，我不是木兰了。我是一个士兵。
Cóng míngtiān qǐ, wǒ bú shì Mùlán le. Wǒ shì yí gè shìbīng.
From tomorrow on, I'm not Mulan anymore. I'm a soldier.
What changed in the story?
- Why does Mulan's father ask what is wrong?
“今天怎么只听见你叹气，听不见你织布？”
- What did Mulan see on the army list?
“一共十二张，每张都有您的名字！”
- How does Mulan answer when her father says she is a girl?
“女孩子也会骑马，也会射箭。这些都是您教我的！”
- What does her father make Mulan promise?
“你一定要活着回来！”
- What will Mulan do first thing tomorrow?
“明天一早，我就去买马。”