Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began · chapter 1 of 5
The Giant in the Egg
大蛋里的盘古
Before there was a sky or an earth, a giant named Pangu woke up inside a huge, dark egg. It was far too small, and he was not alone in there.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，没有天，也没有地。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, méiyǒu tiān, yě méiyǒu dì.
Long, long ago, there was no sky, and there was no earth.
- Narrator 有一个黑黑的大蛋。蛋里，有一个大个子在睡觉。他叫盘古。
Yǒu yí gè hēihēi de dà dàn. Dàn lǐ, yǒu yí gè dà gèzi zài shuìjiào. Tā jiào Pán Gǔ.
There was just one huge, dark egg. Inside it, a giant lay sleeping. His name was Pangu.
- Pangu 啊，睡得真好！我想站起来……哎哟，我的头！
Ā, shuì de zhēn hǎo! Wǒ xiǎng zhàn qǐlái… Āiyō, wǒ de tóu!
Aaah, what a good sleep! Time to stand up… Ow, my head!
- Pangu 这里太小了，也太黑了！我要出去！
Zhèlǐ tài xiǎo le, yě tài hēi le! Wǒ yào chūqù!
It's too small in here, and too dark! I want out!
- The Earth 别吵，你才睡了一万八千年。再睡一会儿吧……
Bié chǎo, nǐ cái shuì le yíwàn bāqiān nián. Zài shuì yíhuìr ba…
Hush, you've only slept eighteen thousand years. Go back to sleep for a bit…
- Pangu 谁？谁在说话？
Shéi? Shéi zài shuōhuà?
Who's that? Who's talking?
- The Sky 还有我！你们太重了！我在下边，都不能动了！
Hái yǒu wǒ! Nǐmen tài zhòng le! Wǒ zài xiàbian, dōu bù néng dòng le!
And me! You two are way too heavy! I'm stuck underneath, and I can't even move!
- Pangu 你们是谁？我看不见你们。
Nǐmen shì shéi? Wǒ kàn bu jiàn nǐmen.
Who are you? I can't see you.
- The Sky 我是轻的那个，她是重的那个。她就知道睡觉！
Wǒ shì qīng de nàge, tā shì zhòng de nàge. Tā jiù zhīdào shuìjiào!
I'm the light one, and she's the heavy one. All she knows how to do is sleep!
- The Earth 睡觉有什么不好？
Shuìjiào yǒu shénme bù hǎo?
What's wrong with sleeping?
- Pangu 好，好，你们别说了。我叫盘古。我们一起出去！
Hǎo, hǎo, nǐmen bié shuō le. Wǒ jiào Pán Gǔ. Wǒmen yìqǐ chūqù!
All right, all right, no more arguing. My name is Pangu. Let's all get out of here together!
- Pangu 这是什么？是大斧头！
Zhè shì shénme? Shì dà fǔtou!
What's this? It's a big axe!
- The Sky 大斧头？太好了！快，打开这个蛋！
Dà fǔtou? Tài hǎo le! Kuài, dǎkāi zhège dàn!
A big axe? Perfect! Quick, break this egg open!
- The Earth 别，别，别……外边很冷的……
Bié, bié, bié… wàibian hěn lěng de…
No, no, no… it's cold out there…
- Pangu 大家小心！我来了！
Dàjiā xiǎoxīn! Wǒ lái le!
Look out, everyone! Here I go!
- Narrator 盘古拿起大斧头，用力打了一下。
Pán Gǔ ná qǐ dà fǔtou, yònglì dǎ le yíxià.
Pangu lifted the big axe and struck with all his strength.
- Narrator 大蛋开了！轻的东西飞到了上边，重的东西到了下边。
Dà dàn kāi le! Qīng de dōngxi fēi dào le shàngbian, zhòng de dōngxi dào le xiàbian.
The great egg split open! Everything light flew up to the top, and everything heavy went down to the bottom.
- The Sky 我飞起来了，我好轻！我……我是天！
Wǒ fēi qǐlái le, wǒ hǎo qīng! Wǒ… wǒ shì tiān!
I'm flying, and I'm so light! I… I'm the sky!
- The Earth 我到下边了，真舒服。我是地，我要睡了……
Wǒ dào xiàbian le, zhēn shūfu. Wǒ shì dì, wǒ yào shuì le…
Here I am at the bottom, nice and cozy. I'm the earth, and it's time for a nap…
- Pangu 亮了，我看见了！上边是天，下边是地！
Liàng le, wǒ kànjiàn le! Shàngbian shì tiān, xiàbian shì dì!
It's light, and I can see! The sky is up there, and the earth is down here!
- Pangu 哈哈！现在，我可以站起来了！
Hāhā! Xiànzài, wǒ kěyǐ zhàn qǐlái le!
Ha ha! Now I can finally stand up!
- The Sky 等一等，好高！我怕高，我要回去！
Děng yi děng, hǎo gāo! Wǒ pà gāo, wǒ yào huíqù!
Wait a minute, it's so high! I'm scared of heights. I want to go back!
- The Earth 别回来！你回来，我就不能睡了！
Bié huílái! Nǐ huílái, wǒ jiù bù néng shuì le!
Don't come back! If you come back, I won't be able to sleep!
- Narrator 天一点儿一点儿回来了。天和地，要在一起了……
Tiān yìdiǎnr yìdiǎnr huílái le. Tiān hé dì, yào zài yìqǐ le…
Little by little, the sky came back down. Soon the sky and the earth would be shut together again…
- Pangu 不行！天，别怕，我来举着你！
Bù xíng! Tiān, bié pà, wǒ lái jǔ zhe nǐ!
No! Don't be scared, Sky. I'll hold you up!
- Pangu 我用手举着天，用脚站在地上。好重……
Wǒ yòng shǒu jǔ zhe tiān, yòng jiǎo zhàn zài dìshang. Hǎo zhòng…
My hands hold up the sky, and my feet stand on the earth. So heavy…
- The Sky 盘古，你要举多久？
Pán Gǔ, nǐ yào jǔ duō jiǔ?
Pangu, how long are you going to hold me up?
- Pangu 一天？一年？一万年？我不知道。
Yì tiān? Yì nián? Yíwàn nián? Wǒ bù zhīdào.
A day? A year? Ten thousand years? I don't know.
- The Earth 一万年不睡觉？那你会很累很累的……
Yíwàn nián bú shuìjiào? Nà nǐ huì hěn lèi hěn lèi de…
Ten thousand years with no sleep? You'll be so, so tired…
- Pangu 我知道。可是，我不会放手！
Wǒ zhīdào. Kěshì, wǒ bú huì fàngshǒu!
I know. But I won't let go!
What changed in the story?
- Why does Pangu want to get out of the egg?
“这里太小了，也太黑了！我要出去！”
- What does the heavy, sleepy voice tell Pangu?
“你才睡了一万八千年。再睡一会儿吧”
- What does Pangu use to open the egg?
“是大斧头！……盘古拿起大斧头，用力打了一下”
- What happens when the egg splits open?
“轻的东西飞到了上边，重的东西到了下边”
- Why does the Sky want to go back down?
“好高！我怕高，我要回去！”