Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began · chapter 5 of 5
Mending the Sky
女娲补天
Fire pours through the crack in the sky, and water rises from below. Nüwa has a plan to fix it, and for once, Number One really does get to be the boss.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 天上有一个大口子。地上，有了大火，也有了大水。
Tiānshang yǒu yí gè dà kǒuzi. Dìshang, yǒu le dà huǒ, yě yǒu le dà shuǐ.
There was a huge crack in the sky. Down on the ground, great fires broke out, and great floods came too.
- Little Sister 妈妈，我怕！天会掉下来吗？
Māma, wǒ pà! Tiān huì diào xiàlái ma?
Mama, I'm scared! Is the sky going to fall down?
- Nüwa 别怕，孩子们！快，都到山上去！
Bié pà, háizimen! Kuài, dōu dào shān shang qù!
Don't be afraid, children! Quick, everyone up the mountain!
- The Earth 哎哟……我的东南边，往下掉了……
Āiyō… wǒ de dōngnán biān, wǎng xià diào le…
Oof… my southeast side is sinking…
- Nüwa 天！你怎么了？
Tiān! Nǐ zěnme le?
Sky! What happened to you?
- The Sky 是共工！他撞倒了不周山。不周山像盘古一样，在下边举着我……
Shì Gònggōng! Tā zhuàng dǎo le Bùzhōu Shān. Bùzhōu Shān xiàng Pán Gǔ yíyàng, zài xiàbian jǔ zhe wǒ…
It was Gonggong! He knocked down Mount Buzhou. Mount Buzhou held me up from below, just like Pangu did…
- The Sky 现在它倒了。女娲，我又要掉下去了！
Xiànzài tā dǎo le. Nǚwā, wǒ yòu yào diào xiàqù le!
Now it's fallen. Nüwa, I'm going to fall again!
- Nüwa 不会的！天，我来补你！
Bú huì de! Tiān, wǒ lái bǔ nǐ!
No, you won't! Sky, I'll mend you!
- Number One 补天？妈妈，用什么补？
Bǔ tiān? Māma, yòng shénme bǔ?
Mend the sky? Mama, with what?
- Nüwa 用五色石！快去找！
Yòng wǔsèshí! Kuài qù zhǎo!
With stones of five colors! Quick, go and find some!
- Number One 大家听老大的！去河里找石头！红的，黄的，蓝的，白的，黑的，都要！
Dàjiā tīng Lǎodà de! Qù hé lǐ zhǎo shítou! Hóng de, huáng de, lán de, bái de, hēi de, dōu yào!
Everybody, listen to Number One! Go to the river and find stones! Red ones, yellow ones, blue ones, white ones, black ones, we need them all!
- Little Sister 我找到一块红石头！还有一块蓝的！
Wǒ zhǎo dào yí kuài hóng shítou! Hái yǒu yí kuài lán de!
I found a red stone! And a blue one!
- Narrator 女娲点起了大火，把五色石放了进去。
Nǚwā diǎn qǐ le dà huǒ, bǎ wǔsèshí fàng le jìnqù.
Nüwa lit a great fire and put the five-colored stones into it.
- Number One 你们看，石头化了！像汤一样！
Nǐmen kàn, shítou huà le! Xiàng tāng yíyàng!
Look, the stones are melting! It looks just like soup!
- Little Sister 汤？妈妈，我能喝一点儿吗？
Tāng? Māma, wǒ néng hē yìdiǎnr ma?
Soup? Mama, can I have a sip?
- Nüwa 不能！这是给天的，不是给你的！
Bù néng! Zhè shì gěi tiān de, bú shì gěi nǐ de!
No, you can't! This is for the sky, not for you!
- Narrator 女娲拿起热热的五色石，飞到了大口子那里。
Nǚwā ná qǐ rèrè de wǔsèshí, fēi dào le dà kǒuzi nàlǐ.
Nüwa scooped up the hot, melted stones and flew up to the great crack.
- Number One 妈妈，往左一点儿！再往左一点儿！
Māma, wǎng zuǒ yìdiǎnr! Zài wǎng zuǒ yìdiǎnr!
Mama, a little to the left! More to the left!
- Nüwa 这里补一点儿，那里补一点儿……天，还疼吗？
Zhèlǐ bǔ yìdiǎnr, nàlǐ bǔ yìdiǎnr… Tiān, hái téng ma?
A little here, a little there… Sky, does it still hurt?
- The Sky 不疼了！谢谢你，女娲！
Bù téng le! Xièxie nǐ, Nǚwā!
It doesn't hurt anymore! Thank you, Nüwa!
- Little Sister 你们看！大口子没有了！
Nǐmen kàn! Dà kǒuzi méiyǒu le!
Look! The big crack is gone!
- Number One 天补好了！妈妈真行！
Tiān bǔ hǎo le! Māma zhēn xíng!
The sky's mended! Mama, you did it!
- The Earth 女娲……天补好了。可是，我的东南边，还是有一点儿低……
Nǚwā… tiān bǔ hǎo le. Kěshì, wǒ de dōngnán biān, háishi yǒu yìdiǎnr dī…
Nüwa… the sky's mended. But my southeast side is still a little low…
- Nüwa 没关系！西北高，东南低。河水就往东流，流到大海里去！
Méi guānxi! Xīběi gāo, dōngnán dī. Héshuǐ jiù wǎng dōng liú, liú dào dàhǎi lǐ qù!
That's all right! The northwest is high and the southeast is low, so the rivers will flow east, all the way to the sea!
- The Sky 以前，盘古顶天立地，举着我。现在，女娲补好了我。
Yǐqián, Pán Gǔ dǐngtiān lìdì, jǔ zhe wǒ. Xiànzài, Nǚwā bǔ hǎo le wǒ.
Long ago, Pangu stood tall between the sky and the earth and held me up. And now Nüwa has mended me.
- Narrator 那天晚上，火没有了，水也没有了。星星都出来了，真好看。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, huǒ méiyǒu le, shuǐ yě méiyǒu le. Xīngxing dōu chūlái le, zhēn hǎokàn.
That night, the fire was gone, and the floods were gone too. All the stars came out, and they were beautiful.
- Number One 妈妈，天以后还会破吗？
Māma, tiān yǐhòu hái huì pò ma?
Mama, will the sky ever break again?
- Nüwa 如果破了，妈妈再来补。睡吧，孩子们。
Rúguǒ pò le, māma zài lái bǔ. Shuì ba, háizimen.
If it does, Mama will come and mend it again. Now go to sleep, children.
- Little Sister 妈妈，晚安……老大，明天见……
Māma, wǎn'ān… Lǎodà, míngtiān jiàn…
Good night, Mama… See you tomorrow, Number One…
- The Earth 都睡了？太好了……我也睡了。这一天，我等了一万八千年啊……
Dōu shuì le? Tài hǎo le… wǒ yě shuì le. Zhè yì tiān, wǒ děng le yíwàn bāqiān nián a…
Everyone's asleep? Wonderful… then I'll sleep too. I've been waiting eighteen thousand years for this…
What changed in the story?
- What happened to Mount Buzhou, according to the Sky?
“是共工！他撞倒了不周山。”
- What does Nüwa use to mend the sky?
“用五色石！快去找！”
- Why won't Nüwa let Little Sister drink the melted stones?
“不能！这是给天的，不是给你的！”
- According to Nüwa, why will the rivers flow east?
“西北高，东南低。河水就往东流，流到大海里去！”
- Why is the Earth so happy at the very end?
“都睡了？太好了……我也睡了。”