Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began · chapter 4 of 5
It's Raining People
天上下小泥人
Nüwa sets out to make as many children as there are stars, one handful of clay at a time. Her hands get tired fast, until she spots a long rope.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天早上，女娲又来到了黄河边。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, Nǚwā yòu lái dào le Huáng Hé biān.
The next morning, Nüwa came back to the Yellow River.
- Nüwa 老大，今天妈妈要做很多很多小泥人！
Lǎodà, jīntiān māma yào zuò hěn duō hěn duō xiǎo nírén!
Number One, today Mama is going to make lots and lots of little clay people!
- Number One 我来帮忙！我是老大，他们都要听我的！
Wǒ lái bāngmáng! Wǒ shì Lǎodà, tāmen dōu yào tīng wǒ de!
I'll help! I'm Number One, so they all have to do what I say!
- Nüwa 再做一个……这一次，做一个小女孩！
Zài zuò yí gè… zhè yí cì, zuò yí gè xiǎo nǚhái!
Another one… This time, I'll make a little girl!
- Little Sister 妈妈好！哥哥好！
Māma hǎo! Gēge hǎo!
Hi, Mama! Hi, big brother!
- Number One 她是我的妹妹！我叫她小妹！
Tā shì wǒ de mèimei! Wǒ jiào tā Xiǎomèi!
She's my little sister! I'll call her Little Sister!
- Number One 小妹，我是老大，你要听我的！
Xiǎomèi, wǒ shì Lǎodà, nǐ yào tīng wǒ de!
Little Sister, I'm Number One, so you have to do what I say!
- Little Sister 为什么？你就比我大一天！
Wèishénme? Nǐ jiù bǐ wǒ dà yì tiān!
Why? You're only one day older than me!
- Nüwa 哈哈！小妹说得对！
Hāhā! Xiǎomèi shuō de duì!
Ha ha! Little Sister has a point!
- Narrator 女娲做了一个又一个。太阳快下山了，她还在做。
Nǚwā zuò le yí gè yòu yí gè. Tàiyáng kuài xià shān le, tā hái zài zuò.
Nüwa made one after another. The sun was about to set, and still she kept going.
- Little Sister 妈妈你看！这个弟弟在哭，那个妹妹在笑！
Māma nǐ kàn! Zhège dìdi zài kū, nàge mèimei zài xiào!
Mama, look! This little brother is crying, and that little sister is laughing!
- Number One 安静，安静！大家站好！听老大的！
Ānjìng, ānjìng! Dàjiā zhàn hǎo! Tīng Lǎodà de!
Quiet, quiet! Everybody line up! Listen to Number One!
- Nüwa 我的手好累啊……大地这么大，一个一个做，要做到什么时候？
Wǒ de shǒu hǎo lèi a… dàdì zhème dà, yí gè yí gè zuò, yào zuò dào shénme shíhou?
My hands are so tired… The world is so big. If I make them one at a time, when will I ever be done?
- Number One 妈妈，我也做了一个！可是……他怎么不动？
Māma, wǒ yě zuò le yí gè! Kěshì… tā zěnme bú dòng?
Mama, I made one too! But… why won't he move?
- Little Sister 因为你不是妈妈啊！
Yīnwèi nǐ bú shì māma a!
Because you're not Mama, silly!
- Nüwa 有了！小妹，把那根长绳子给我！
Yǒu le! Xiǎomèi, bǎ nà gēn cháng shéngzi gěi wǒ!
I've got it! Little Sister, hand me that long rope!
- Narrator 女娲拿起绳子，在黄泥里用力一打。很多小泥点，飞了出去！
Nǚwā ná qǐ shéngzi, zài huángní lǐ yònglì yì dǎ. Hěn duō xiǎo nídiǎn, fēi le chūqù!
Nüwa took the rope and slapped it hard into the yellow mud. Lots of little drops of mud went flying!
- Little Sister 你们看！绳子上的泥点，都变成了人！天上下小泥人了！
Nǐmen kàn! Shéngzi shang de nídiǎn, dōu biànchéng le rén! Tiānshang xià xiǎo nírén le!
Look! The drops of mud from the rope have all turned into people! It's raining little clay people!
- Number One 一个，两个，十个，一百个……太多了！我数不过来了！
Yí gè, liǎng gè, shí gè, yìbǎi gè… tài duō le! Wǒ shǔ bu guòlái le!
One, two, ten, a hundred… too many! I can't count them all!
- Nüwa 哈哈，真好玩儿！再来一次！
Hāhā, zhēn hǎowánr! Zài lái yí cì!
Ha ha, this is fun! One more time!
- Narrator 很快，山上，河边，到处都是人。大家又跑又跳，又说又笑。
Hěn kuài, shān shang, hébiān, dàochù dōu shì rén. Dàjiā yòu pǎo yòu tiào, yòu shuō yòu xiào.
Soon there were people everywhere, on the mountains and along the rivers. They ran and jumped, talked and laughed.
- Number One 妈妈，我有很多很多弟弟妹妹了！
Māma, wǒ yǒu hěn duō hěn duō dìdi mèimei le!
Mama, now I have lots and lots of little brothers and sisters!
- Nüwa 像天上的星星一样多！
Xiàng tiānshang de xīngxing yíyàng duō!
As many as the stars in the sky!
- Little Sister 可是，他们都不听老大的！
Kěshì, tāmen dōu bù tīng Lǎodà de!
But none of them listen to Number One!
- The Earth 太吵了……谁在我身上跑来跑去？我睡不着了……
Tài chǎo le… shéi zài wǒ shēnshang pǎo lái pǎo qù? Wǒ shuì bu zháo le…
So noisy… who's running around all over me? I can't sleep…
- Narrator 那天晚上，在西北边，水神共工和火神祝融打了起来。共工输了。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, zài xīběi biān, shuǐshén Gònggōng hé huǒshén Zhùróng dǎ le qǐlái. Gònggōng shū le.
That night, far in the northwest, Gonggong, the god of water, got into a fight with Zhurong, the god of fire. Gonggong lost.
- Gonggong 我输了？不！我不服！我要撞倒你，不周山！
Wǒ shū le? Bù! Wǒ bù fú! Wǒ yào zhuàng dǎo nǐ, Bùzhōu Shān!
I lost? No! I won't have it! I'll knock you down, Mount Buzhou!
- The Sky 啊！他撞倒了不周山！好疼……我破了！
Ā! Tā zhuàng dǎo le Bùzhōu Shān! Hǎo téng… wǒ pò le!
Ah! He's knocked down Mount Buzhou! It hurts… I'm cracking!
- Number One 妈妈，快看！天上……天上有一个大口子！
Māma, kuài kàn! Tiānshang… tiānshang yǒu yí gè dà kǒuzi!
Mama, look! Up there… there's a huge crack in the sky!
- Nüwa 天……天破了！
Tiān… tiān pò le!
The sky… the sky is broken!
What changed in the story?
- What does Little Sister say when Number One tells her to do what he says?
“为什么？你就比我大一天！”
- Why does Nüwa start to worry while she is making people?
“我的手好累啊……大地这么大，一个一个做，要做到什么时候？”
- Why won't Number One's clay figure move?
“因为你不是妈妈啊！”
- How does Nüwa make lots of people at once?
“女娲拿起绳子，在黄泥里用力一打……泥点，都变成了人！”
- What does Gonggong do after he loses his fight?
“我要撞倒你，不周山！……他撞倒了不周山！”