Notes in a Library Book · chapter 1 of 3
The First Note
第一张纸条
An old book of poems, page twenty-seven, and a note asking for one line in reply.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Xu Man 我家楼下有一个很小的图书馆。
Wǒ jiā lóu xià yǒu yí gè hěn xiǎo de túshūguǎn.
There's a tiny library downstairs from my apartment.
- Xu Man 每个星期六下午，我都去那里借书。
Měi gè xīngqīliù xiàwǔ, wǒ dōu qù nàlǐ jiè shū.
Every Saturday afternoon, I go there to borrow books.
- Xu Man 管图书馆的周阿姨，总是给我留一杯热水。
Guǎn túshūguǎn de Zhōu āyí, zǒng shì gěi wǒ liú yì bēi rè shuǐ.
Auntie Zhou, who runs the library, always saves me a cup of hot water.
- Auntie Zhou 小曼，来了？今天想看什么书？
Xiǎo Màn, lái le? Jīntiān xiǎng kàn shénme shū?
Xiao Man, you're here! What would you like to read today?
- Xu Man 我想看诗。最旧的那本就好。
Wǒ xiǎng kàn shī. Zuì jiù de nà běn jiù hǎo.
Some poetry, please. The oldest book you have is fine.
- Xu Man 那本诗集很旧，书页都黄了。
Nà běn shījí hěn jiù, shūyè dōu huáng le.
The poetry book was very old; its pages had all turned yellow.
- Xu Man 回到家，我打开书，里面掉出来一张小纸条。
Huí dào jiā, wǒ dǎkāi shū, lǐmiàn diào chūlái yì zhāng xiǎo zhǐtiáo.
At home, I opened it, and a small slip of paper fell out.
- The note-writer 如果你也喜欢第二十七页的那首诗，请在这里写一句话。
Rúguǒ nǐ yě xǐhuan dì èrshíqī yè de nà shǒu shī, qǐng zài zhèlǐ xiě yí jù huà.
“If you love the poem on page twenty-seven too, please write one line here.”
- Xu Man 我翻到第二十七页。那首诗写的是：下雨的晚上，一个人在等另一个人。
Wǒ fān dào dì èrshíqī yè. Nà shǒu shī xiě de shì: xià yǔ de wǎnshang, yí gè rén zài děng lìng yí gè rén.
I turned to page twenty-seven. The poem was about a rainy night: one person waiting for another.
- Xu Man 我看了三遍。然后，我在纸条上写：“我也喜欢。你在等谁？”
Wǒ kàn le sān biàn. Ránhòu, wǒ zài zhǐtiáo shang xiě: “Wǒ yě xǐhuan. Nǐ zài děng shéi?”
I read it three times. Then I wrote on the slip: “I love it too. Who are you waiting for?”
- Xu Man 那个星期六，我把书还了回去。
Nàge xīngqīliù, wǒ bǎ shū huán le huíqù.
That Saturday, I returned the book.
- Xu Man 又过了一个星期，我又借了那本书。
Yòu guò le yí gè xīngqī, wǒ yòu jiè le nà běn shū.
A week later, I borrowed it again.
- Auntie Zhou 又是这本？你真喜欢它啊。
Yòu shì zhè běn? Nǐ zhēn xǐhuan tā a.
This one again? You really do love it.
- Xu Man 纸条还在。下面多了一行字。
Zhǐtiáo hái zài. Xiàmiàn duō le yì háng zì.
The note was still there — with a new line underneath.
- The note-writer 我在等一个也喜欢这首诗的人。现在，我等到了。
Wǒ zài děng yí gè yě xǐhuan zhè shǒu shī de rén. Xiànzài, wǒ děng dào le.
“I was waiting for someone who loves this poem too. Now I've found them.”
- Xu Man 我的脸一下子热了。
Wǒ de liǎn yíxiàzi rè le.
My face suddenly felt hot.
- Xu Man 从那天起，我们在这本书里写信。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, wǒmen zài zhè běn shū lǐ xiě xìn.
From that day on, we wrote letters to each other inside that book.
- Xu Man 他告诉我，他喜欢下雨，喜欢猫，喜欢很安静的地方。
Tā gàosu wǒ, tā xǐhuan xià yǔ, xǐhuan māo, xǐhuan hěn ānjìng de dìfang.
He told me he liked rain, and cats, and very quiet places.
- Xu Man 我告诉他，我的奶奶病了，我很害怕。
Wǒ gàosu tā, wǒ de nǎinai bìng le, wǒ hěn hàipà.
I told him my grandma was ill, and that I was scared.
- The note-writer 别怕。每个星期六，我都在这里。你不是一个人。
Bié pà. Měi gè xīngqīliù, wǒ dōu zài zhèlǐ. Nǐ bú shì yí gè rén.
“Don't be afraid. Every Saturday, I'm here. You're not alone.”
- Xu Man 可是我不知道他叫什么，也不知道他长什么样。
Kěshì wǒ bù zhīdào tā jiào shénme, yě bù zhīdào tā zhǎng shénme yàng.
But I didn't know his name, or what he looked like.
- Xu Man 我在纸条上写：“我想见你。”
Wǒ zài zhǐtiáo shang xiě: “Wǒ xiǎng jiàn nǐ.”
On the slip, I wrote: “I want to meet you.”
What changed in the story?
- When does Xu Man go to the library?
“每个星期六下午，我都去那里借书.”
- What falls out of the old poetry book?
“里面掉出来一张小纸条.”
- What is the poem on page twenty-seven about?
“下雨的晚上，一个人在等另一个人.”
- What does Xu Man tell the note-writer?
“我的奶奶病了，我很害怕.”
- What does she write at the end of the chapter?
“我想见你.”