Mulan · chapter 3 of 10
The First Battle
第一次打仗
Mulan's first battle, out on the windy grassland. Her legs won't move, her hands won't stop shaking, and Captain Li is standing in front of her.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天，敌人真的来了。草地上风很大，天是灰色的。
Dì èr tiān, dírén zhēn de lái le. Cǎodì shang fēng hěn dà, tiān shì huīsè de.
The next day, the enemy really did come. The wind blew hard across the grassland, and the sky was gray.
- Captain Li 花弟！站到我身后来！
Huā Dì! Zhàn dào wǒ shēnhòu lái!
Hua Di! Get behind me!
- Mulan 好多敌人……好多马……我的腿，动不了了。
Hǎo duō dírén… hǎo duō mǎ… wǒ de tuǐ, dòng bù liǎo le.
So many enemies… so many horses… My legs won't move.
- Captain Li 花弟，你的手在发抖！
Huā Dì, nǐ de shǒu zài fādǒu!
Hua Di, your hands are shaking!
- Mulan 我……我是冷！
Wǒ… wǒ shì lěng!
I'm… I'm just cold!
- Captain Li 哈哈，我也很“冷”！第一次打仗，谁都“冷”！
Hāhā, wǒ yě hěn “lěng”! Dì yī cì dǎzhàng, shéi dōu “lěng”!
Ha! I'm “cold” too! Everybody's “cold” in their first battle!
- Captain Li 小心！箭来了！别怕，我在你前边！
Xiǎoxīn! Jiàn lái le! Bié pà, wǒ zài nǐ qiánbian!
Look out! Arrows! Don't be scared, I'm right in front of you!
- Mulan 爸爸说过：射箭的时候，不要急。先看清楚，再射。
Bàba shuō guo: shè jiàn de shíhou, bú yào jí. Xiān kàn qīngchu, zài shè.
Father always said: when you shoot, don't rush. Look carefully first, then shoot.
- Mulan 好……我的手，不抖了。
Hǎo… wǒ de shǒu, bù dǒu le.
All right… my hands have stopped shaking.
- Captain Li 花弟！你在等什么？快啊！
Huā Dì! Nǐ zài děng shénme? Kuài a!
Hua Di! What are you waiting for? Go!
- Mulan 再等一下……就是现在！
Zài děng yíxià… jiù shì xiànzài!
Just a moment more… Now!
- Narrator 木兰的箭飞了出去，一箭，两箭，三箭……每一箭都射中了。
Mùlán de jiàn fēi le chūqù, yí jiàn, liǎng jiàn, sān jiàn… měi yí jiàn dōu shèzhòng le.
Mulan's arrows flew: one, two, three… and every one hit its mark.
- Captain Li 好箭！好箭！再来！
Hǎo jiàn! Hǎo jiàn! Zài lái!
Great shot! Great shot! Again!
- Mulan 李大哥，小心后边！
Lǐ dàgē, xiǎoxīn hòubian!
Captain Li, behind you!
- Narrator 一个敌人骑着马，从后边冲向李大哥。木兰马上射了一箭。
Yí gè dírén qízhe mǎ, cóng hòubian chōng xiàng Lǐ dàgē. Mùlán mǎshàng shè le yí jiàn.
An enemy rider was charging at Captain Li from behind. Mulan shot an arrow at once.
- Captain Li 他……他从马上掉下去了！花弟，是你吗？
Tā… tā cóng mǎ shang diào xiàqù le! Huā Dì, shì nǐ ma?
He… he's fallen off his horse! Hua Di, was that you?
- Mulan 是……是我。
Shì… shì wǒ.
Y-yes… it was me.
- Captain Li 你看！敌人跑了！我们赢了！
Nǐ kàn! Dírén pǎo le! Wǒmen yíng le!
Look! The enemy's running! We won!
- Captain Li 花弟，你救了我的命。从今天起，你不是“小兄弟”了，你是我的好兄弟！
Huā Dì, nǐ jiù le wǒ de mìng. Cóng jīntiān qǐ, nǐ bú shì “xiǎo xiōngdi” le, nǐ shì wǒ de hǎo xiōngdi!
Hua Di, you saved my life. From today on, you're not my “little brother” anymore. You're my brother, through and through!
- Captain Li 你的箭这么好，是谁教你的？
Nǐ de jiàn zhème hǎo, shì shéi jiāo nǐ de?
Shooting like that… who taught you?
- Mulan 我爸爸。
Wǒ bàba.
My father.
- Captain Li 你爸爸一定是个好士兵！回家以后，我要请他喝酒！
Nǐ bàba yídìng shì gè hǎo shìbīng! Huí jiā yǐhòu, wǒ yào qǐng tā hē jiǔ!
Your father must be a fine soldier! When we get home, I'm buying him a drink!
- Mulan 回家以后……李大哥，到了那一天，你会知道我是谁吗？
Huí jiā yǐhòu… Lǐ dàgē, dào le nà yì tiān, nǐ huì zhīdào wǒ shì shéi ma?
When we get home… Captain Li, when that day comes, will you find out who I really am?
What changed in the story?
- Where does Mulan's first battle take place?
“草地上风很大，天是灰色的。”
- What does Mulan say when Captain Li sees her hands shaking?
“我……我是冷！”
- What advice from her father helps Mulan?
“射箭的时候，不要急。先看清楚，再射。”
- How does Mulan save Captain Li?
“从后边冲向李大哥。木兰马上射了一箭。”
- How does Captain Li see Hua Di after the battle?
“你救了我的命……你是我的好兄弟！”