Pinocchio · chapter 6 of 25
Burn Me Instead
那就烧我吧
Fire-Eater's meat needs a fire, the fire needs wood, and Pinocchio is made of wood. Then he does something nobody expects.
Read what you hear
- Pinocchio 放开我！我不要进火里！爸爸，快来救我！
Fàngkāi wǒ! Wǒ bú yào jìn huǒ lǐ! Bàba, kuài lái jiù wǒ!
Let me go! I don't want to go in the fire! Papa, come quick and save me!
- Fire-Eater 叫什么叫！我的肉要火，火要木头！
Jiào shénme jiào! Wǒ de ròu yào huǒ, huǒ yào mùtou!
What are you yelling for? My meat needs a fire, and the fire needs wood!
- Pinocchio 我死了，爸爸会哭的！
Wǒ sǐ le, bàba huì kū de!
If I die, my papa will cry!
Chapter 6 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Pinocchio (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Fire-Eater ……你有爸爸？
…Nǐ yǒu bàba?
...You have a papa?
- Pinocchio 有！他很老了，一个人在家。
Yǒu! Tā hěn lǎo le, yí gè rén zài jiā.
Yes! He's very old, and he's all alone at home.
- Harlequin 兄弟，你看！他这是在哭呢！
Xiōngdì, nǐ kàn! Tā zhè shì zài kū ne!
Look, brother! That's him crying!
- Pinocchio 在哭？用鼻子哭？
Zài kū? Yòng bízi kū?
Crying? With his nose?
- Harlequin 小声点儿！他不会烧你了！
Xiǎoshēng diǎnr! Tā bú huì shāo nǐ le!
Shh, quieter! He won't burn you now!
- Fire-Eater 别叫了！今天，我不烧你。
Bié jiào le! Jīntiān, wǒ bù shāo nǐ.
Stop yelling! I won't burn you today.
- Pinocchio 真的？谢谢您！谢谢您！
Zhēn de? Xièxie nín! Xièxie nín!
Really? Thank you! Oh, thank you!
- Fire-Eater 可是火还要木头……阿莱基诺，你去！
Kěshì huǒ hái yào mùtou… Āláijīnuò, nǐ qù!
But the fire still needs wood... Harlequin, in you go!
- Harlequin 我？天哪……不要啊！
Wǒ? Tiān na… bú yào a!
Me? Oh no... please, no!
- Pinocchio 不！阿莱基诺是我的朋友！
Bù! Āláijīnuò shì wǒ de péngyou!
No! Harlequin is my friend!
- Narrator 匹诺曹拿下帽子，往地上一放，走到火边。
Pǐnuòcáo náxià màozi, wǎng dìshang yí fàng, zǒudào huǒ biān.
Pinocchio pulled off his cap, plunked it down on the floor and walked straight up to the fire.
- Pinocchio 吃火人！那就烧我吧！他是我的兄弟！
Chīhuǒrén! Nà jiù shāo wǒ ba! Tā shì wǒ de xiōngdì!
Fire-Eater! Then burn me! He's my brother!
- Fire-Eater 你……你这个小傻瓜……
Nǐ… nǐ zhège xiǎo shǎguā…
You... you little fool...
- Harlequin 天哪，四次！他哭得好难过！
Tiān na, sì cì! Tā kū de hǎo nánguò!
Oh my, four times! He's crying his heart out!
- Fire-Eater 好了好了！谁也不烧了！今天的肉，我生着吃！
Hǎo le hǎo le! Shéi yě bù shāo le! Jīntiān de ròu, wǒ shēngzhe chī!
All right, all right! I'm not burning anybody! Tonight I'll eat my meat raw!
- Harlequin 兄弟，你救了我！
Xiōngdì, nǐ jiù le wǒ!
Brother, you saved me!
- Fire-Eater 新木偶，过来！让我抱你一下！
Xīn mù'ǒu, guòlai! Ràng wǒ bào nǐ yíxià!
New puppet, come here! Let me give you a hug!
- Pinocchio 好！我要爬到上边，亲你的鼻子！
Hǎo! Wǒ yào pádào shàngbian, qīn nǐ de bízi!
Okay! I'm climbing all the way up to kiss your nose!
- Fire-Eater 我的胡子！傻瓜，别抓我的胡子！
Wǒ de húzi! Shǎguā, bié zhuā wǒ de húzi!
My beard! Little fool, don't pull my beard!
- Narrator 木偶们跳舞，跳到了第二天早上。
Mù'ǒumen tiàowǔ, tiàodào le dì èr tiān zǎoshang.
The puppets danced and danced, right through to the next morning.
- Fire-Eater 新木偶，你爸爸有钱吗？
Xīn mù'ǒu, nǐ bàba yǒu qián ma?
New puppet, does your papa have money?
- Pinocchio 没有。下雪天，他卖了大衣，给我买书。
Méiyǒu. Xiàxuě tiān, tā mài le dàyī, gěi wǒ mǎi shū.
No. On a snowy day he sold his coat to buy me a book.
- Fire-Eater 这是五个金币。给你爸爸买一件新大衣！
Zhè shì wǔ gè jīnbì. Gěi nǐ bàba mǎi yí jiàn xīn dàyī!
Here are five gold coins. Buy your papa a new coat!
- Pinocchio 五个金币！爸爸会很高兴的！
Wǔ gè jīnbì! Bàba huì hěn gāoxìng de!
Five gold coins! Papa will be so happy!
- Narrator 回家的路上，来了一只一跳一跳的狐狸，和一只闭着眼睛的猫。
Huíjiā de lùshang, lái le yì zhī yí tiào yí tiào de húli, hé yì zhī bìzhe yǎnjing de māo.
On the road home came a fox, hobbling and hopping, and a cat with its eyes shut.
- The Fox 早上好，匹诺曹！
Zǎoshang hǎo, Pǐnuòcáo!
Good morning, Pinocchio!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does Fire-Eater want Pinocchio for his fire?
“我的肉要火，火要木头！”
- What does Harlequin say Fire-Eater's giant sneeze means?
“他这是在哭呢！”
- What does Pinocchio say when Fire-Eater sends Harlequin to the fire?
“那就烧我吧！他是我的兄弟！”
- In the end, how will Fire-Eater have his dinner?
“今天的肉，我生着吃！”
- What are the five gold coins for?
“五个金币。给你爸爸买一件新大衣！”