Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began · chapter 3 of 5
A Child of Yellow Clay
黄泥做的孩子
The goddess Nüwa has the whole beautiful world to herself, and no one to talk to. Then she sees her face in the river and scoops up a handful of yellow clay.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 走在黄河边的，是一个女神。她叫女娲。
Zǒu zài Huáng Hé biān de, shì yí gè nǚshén. Tā jiào Nǚwā.
The one walking along the Yellow River was a goddess. Her name was Nüwa.
- Nüwa 山很高，河很长，花很好看……可是，没有一个人跟我说话。
Shān hěn gāo, hé hěn cháng, huā hěn hǎokàn… kěshì, méiyǒu yí gè rén gēn wǒ shuōhuà.
The mountains are so tall, the rivers so long, the flowers so pretty… but there's no one to talk to.
- Nüwa 天！地！你们好！你们能跟我说说话吗？
Tiān! Dì! Nǐmen hǎo! Nǐmen néng gēn wǒ shuōshuo huà ma?
Sky! Earth! Hello! Would you talk with me for a while?
- The Sky 什么？你说什么？我太高了，听不见！
Shénme? Nǐ shuō shénme? Wǒ tài gāo le, tīng bu jiàn!
What? What did you say? I'm too high up, I can't hear you!
- The Earth 呼……呼……
Hū… hū…
Zzz… zzz…
- Nüwa 一个太高，一个太爱睡觉。一个人，真没意思。
Yí gè tài gāo, yí gè tài ài shuìjiào. Yí gè rén, zhēn méi yìsi.
One's too high up, and the other loves sleeping too much. Being all alone is no fun at all.
- Narrator 女娲坐在河边。河水里，有一个人在看她。
Nǚwā zuò zài hébiān. Héshuǐ lǐ, yǒu yí gè rén zài kàn tā.
Nüwa sat down by the river. In the water, someone was looking back at her.
- Nüwa 你是谁？……哈哈，是我自己！如果有很多人像我一样，那多好啊！
Nǐ shì shéi? … Hāhā, shì wǒ zìjǐ! Rúguǒ yǒu hěn duō rén xiàng wǒ yíyàng, nà duō hǎo a!
Who are you?… Ha ha, it's me! If only there were lots of people like me, how wonderful that would be!
- Nüwa 有了！我用河边的黄泥，做一个小泥人！
Yǒu le! Wǒ yòng hébiān de huángní, zuò yí gè xiǎo nírén!
I've got it! I'll use the yellow clay by the river to make a little clay person!
- The Earth 呼……谁在拿我的泥？……呼……
Hū… shéi zài ná wǒ de ní? … Hū…
Zzz… who's taking my mud?… Zzz…
- Nüwa 一个头，两只手……还有一条长尾巴，像我一样！
Yí gè tóu, liǎng zhī shǒu… hái yǒu yì tiáo cháng wěiba, xiàng wǒ yíyàng!
One head, two hands… and a long tail, just like mine!
- Nüwa 不，不。给他两条腿吧！有了腿，他能跑，能跳！
Bù, bù. Gěi tā liǎng tiáo tuǐ ba! Yǒu le tuǐ, tā néng pǎo, néng tiào!
No, no. I'll give him two legs instead! With legs, he can run and jump!
- Narrator 女娲把小泥人放在地上。小泥人动了动，站了起来！
Nǚwā bǎ xiǎo nírén fàng zài dìshang. Xiǎo nírén dòng le dòng, zhàn le qǐlái!
Nüwa set the little clay figure down on the ground. It wriggled, and then it stood up!
- Number One 妈妈！
Māma!
Mama!
- Nüwa 你……你会说话？你叫我妈妈？
Nǐ… nǐ huì shuōhuà? Nǐ jiào wǒ māma?
You… you can talk? You called me Mama?
- Number One 你做了我，你就是我的妈妈啊！
Nǐ zuò le wǒ, nǐ jiù shì wǒ de māma a!
You made me, so you're my mama!
- Number One 妈妈，你有尾巴，我怎么没有？
Māma, nǐ yǒu wěiba, wǒ zěnme méiyǒu?
Mama, you have a tail. Why don't I?
- Nüwa 因为你有两条腿啊！你跑跑看！
Yīnwèi nǐ yǒu liǎng tiáo tuǐ a! Nǐ pǎopao kàn!
Because you have two legs! Go on, try running!
- Number One 我会跑！我会跳！妈妈，你看我！
Wǒ huì pǎo! Wǒ huì tiào! Māma, nǐ kàn wǒ!
I can run! I can jump! Mama, look at me!
- Nüwa 哈哈，慢一点儿！别跳到河里去，你是泥做的！
Hāhā, màn yìdiǎnr! Bié tiào dào hé lǐ qù, nǐ shì ní zuò de!
Ha ha, slow down! Don't jump in the river, you're made of mud!
- Number One 泥做的？那我不下河了！
Ní zuò de? Nà wǒ bú xià hé le!
Made of mud? Then I'm staying out of the river!
- Number One 妈妈，我叫什么名字？
Māma, wǒ jiào shénme míngzi?
Mama, what's my name?
- Nüwa 你是妈妈做的第一个孩子……就叫你老大吧！
Nǐ shì māma zuò de dì yī gè háizi… jiù jiào nǐ Lǎodà ba!
You're the very first child I've made… so I'll call you Number One!
- Number One 老大！我是老大！我是第一个！
Lǎodà! Wǒ shì Lǎodà! Wǒ shì dì yī gè!
Number One! I'm Number One! I'm the very first!
- Number One 妈妈，别的人呢？怎么就我一个人？
Māma, bié de rén ne? Zěnme jiù wǒ yí gè rén?
Mama, where is everybody else? Why is it only me?
- Nüwa 没有别的人。就你和我。
Méiyǒu bié de rén. Jiù nǐ hé wǒ.
There isn't anybody else. Just you and me.
- Number One 那……谁跟我玩儿呢？
Nà… shéi gēn wǒ wánr ne?
Then… who's going to play with me?
- Nüwa 明天，妈妈给你做很多很多弟弟妹妹！
Míngtiān, māma gěi nǐ zuò hěn duō hěn duō dìdi mèimei!
Tomorrow, Mama will make you lots and lots of little brothers and sisters!
- Number One 真的吗？有多少？
Zhēn de ma? Yǒu duōshao?
Really? How many?
- Nüwa 像天上的星星一样多！
Xiàng tiānshang de xīngxing yíyàng duō!
As many as the stars in the sky!
What changed in the story?
- Why is Nüwa unhappy at the start?
“可是，没有一个人跟我说话。”
- Why doesn't the Sky talk with Nüwa?
“我太高了，听不见！”
- What gives Nüwa the idea of making people?
“河水里，有一个人在看她……是我自己！如果有很多人像我一样，那多好啊！”
- Why does Nüwa give the little clay person legs instead of a tail?
“给他两条腿吧！有了腿，他能跑，能跳！”
- Why does Nüwa name the boy Number One?
“你是妈妈做的第一个孩子……就叫你老大吧！”