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.
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 shàng fēng hěn dà, tiān shì huīsè de.
The next day, the enemy really came. The wind blew hard across the grassland, and the sky was gray.
- Captain Li 花弟！别站在前面，站到我后边来！快！
Huā Dì! Bié zhàn zài qiánmiàn, zhàn dào wǒ hòubian lái! Kuài!
Hua Di! Don't stand out front, get behind me! Quick!
- 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.
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1 and 2 of Mulan are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Captain Li 花弟，你怎么了？你的手在发抖！
Huā Dì, nǐ zěnme le? Nǐ de shǒu zài fādǒu!
Hua Di, what's wrong? Your hands are shaking!
- Mulan 我……我是冷！今天的风太大了！
Wǒ…… wǒ shì lěng! Jīntiān de fēng tài dà le!
I'm… I'm just cold! It's so windy today!
- Captain Li 哈哈，我也很“冷”！第一次打仗，谁都“冷”！
Hāha, 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 guò: shèjiàn de shíhou, búyào jí. Xiān kàn qīngchu, zài shè.
Father always said: when you shoot, don't rush. Look carefully first, then shoot.
- Captain Li 你爸爸说得对！看清楚，再射！我等你！
Nǐ bàba shuō de duì! Kàn qīngchu, zài shè! Wǒ děng nǐ!
Your father's right! Look first, then shoot! I'll wait for you!
- Mulan 慢慢来……我能看清楚了。好了，我的手不抖了。
Mànmàn lái…… Wǒ néng kàn qīngchu le. Hǎo le, wǒ de shǒu bù dǒu le.
Slowly… I can see clearly now. There. My hands have stopped shaking.
- Captain Li 花弟！你在等什么？快射啊！
Huā Dì! Nǐ zài děng shénme? Kuài shè a!
Hua Di! What are you waiting for? Shoot!
- Mulan 再等一下……再等一下……就是现在！
Zài děng yíxià…… zài děng yíxià…… jiù shì xiànzài!
Wait… wait 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 shè zhòng le.
Mulan's arrows flew: one, two, three, and every one hit its mark.
- Captain Li 好箭！好箭！花弟，你真厉害！再来！
Hǎo jiàn! Hǎo jiàn! Huā Dì, nǐ zhēn lìhai! Zài lái!
Great shot! Great shot! Hua Di, you're amazing! 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 charged at Captain Li from behind. Mulan shot an arrow at once.
- Captain Li 他……他从马上掉下去了！花弟，那一箭是你射的吗？
Tā…… tā cóng mǎ shàng diào xiàqù le! Huā Dì, nà yí jiàn shì nǐ shè de ma?
He… he's fallen off his horse! Hua Di, was that your arrow?
- Mulan 是……是我射的。
Shì…… shì wǒ shè de.
Y-yes… it was mine.
- Captain Li 你看！敌人都跑了！我们赢了！我们赢了！
Nǐ kàn! Dírén dōu pǎo le! Wǒmen yíng le! Wǒmen yíng le!
Look! The enemy's running! We won! We won!
- Captain Li 花弟，今天你救了我的命。
Huā Dì, jīntiān nǐ jiù le wǒ de mìng.
Hua Di, today you saved my life.
- Captain Li 从今天起，你不是“小兄弟”了，你是我的好兄弟！
Cóng jīntiān qǐ, nǐ bú shì “xiǎo xiōngdì” le, nǐ shì wǒ de hǎo xiōngdì!
From today on, you're not my “little brother” anymore. You're my brother, through and through!
- Captain Li 以后打仗，我在前边，你在后边，谁也打不过我们！
Yǐhòu dǎzhàng, wǒ zài qiánbian, nǐ zài hòubian, shéi yě dǎ bú guò wǒmen!
From now on in battle, I'll be in front and you'll be behind, and nobody can beat us!
- Mulan 好兄弟……好，我们是好兄弟。
Hǎo xiōngdì…… Hǎo, wǒmen shì hǎo xiōngdì.
Brothers… Yes. We're brothers.
- 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。他以前也是士兵。
Wǒ bàba. Tā yǐqián yě shì shìbīng.
My father. He was a soldier too, once.
- 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 我爸爸喝酒，比射箭还快。
Wǒ bàba hē jiǔ, bǐ shèjiàn hái kuài.
My father drinks even faster than he shoots.
- Captain Li 哈哈哈！那我更要去了！我们看看谁喝得快！
Hāhāhā! Nà wǒ gèng yào qù le! Wǒmen kànkan shéi hē de kuài!
Ha ha ha! Then I definitely have to go! We'll see who drinks faster!
- 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?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Mulan say when 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 many of Mulan's first arrows hit their mark?
“一箭，两箭，三箭，每一箭都射中了。”
- Why does Li say Mulan saved his life?
“从后边冲向李大哥。木兰马上射了一箭。”
- What does Li want to do when they get home?
“回家以后，我要请他喝酒！”