Pride and Prejudice · chapter 1 of 8

A Rich Young Man

有钱的年轻人

A mother dreams of rich husbands for her five daughters, and a village ball brings a friendly newcomer and his proud friend, who says something Elizabeth was never meant to hear.

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Mrs. Bennet 老爷，老爷！你听说了吗，尼日斐花园终于租出去了！
Lǎoyé, lǎoyé! Nǐ tīngshuō le ma, Nírìfěi Huāyuán zhōngyú zūchūqù le!
Dear, dear! Have you heard? Netherfield Park has finally been rented!
Mr. Bennet 我没听说，不过我猜，你马上就会告诉我。
Wǒ méi tīngshuō, búguò wǒ cāi, nǐ mǎshàng jiù huì gàosu wǒ.
No, I haven't. But I'm guessing you're about to tell me.
Mrs. Bennet 租房子的是一位宾利先生，他又年轻又有钱，而且还没有结婚！
Zū fángzi de shì yí wèi Bīnlì xiānsheng, tā yòu niánqīng yòu yǒuqián, érqiě hái méiyǒu jiéhūn!
The man renting it is a Mr. Bingley. He's young, he's rich, and he isn't even married!
Elizabeth Bennet 妈妈，您是不是又在想，哪一个女儿可以嫁给他呢？
Māma, nín shì bu shì yòu zài xiǎng, nǎ yí gè nǚ'ér kěyǐ jià gěi tā ne?
Mama, are you thinking again about which daughter can marry him?
Mrs. Bennet 当然啦！我们有五个女儿，简又那么漂亮，他一看见她就会喜欢上她的。
Dāngrán la! Wǒmen yǒu wǔ gè nǚ'ér, Jiǎn yòu nàme piàoliang, tā yí kànjiàn tā jiù huì xǐhuan shàng tā de.
Of course! We have five daughters, and Jane is so pretty. He'll fall for her the moment he sees her.
Mr. Bennet 你自己也很漂亮，太太，也许你亲自去见他，会比女儿们更好。
Nǐ zìjǐ yě hěn piàoliang, tàitai, yěxǔ nǐ qīnzì qù jiàn tā, huì bǐ nǚ'érmen gèng hǎo.
You're pretty yourself, my dear. Perhaps you should go and meet him, and do better than the girls.
Mrs. Bennet 哎呀，别开玩笑了！你必须先去拜访他，不然我们没有办法认识他！
Āiyā, bié kāi wánxiào le! Nǐ bìxū xiān qù bàifǎng tā, bùrán wǒmen méiyǒu bànfǎ rènshi tā!
Oh, stop joking! You must call on him first, or there's no way for us to meet him!
Mr. Bennet 好了好了，其实我上个星期就已经去拜访过他了。
Hǎo le hǎo le, qíshí wǒ shàng ge xīngqī jiù yǐjīng qù bàifǎng guo tā le.
All right, all right. As it happens, I already called on him last week.
Mrs. Bennet 什么？！你为什么不早点儿告诉我，害我着急了这么久！
Shénme?! Nǐ wèishénme bù zǎodiǎnr gàosu wǒ, hài wǒ zháojí le zhème jiǔ!
What?! Why didn't you tell me sooner? You've had me worried all this time!
Mr. Bennet 因为我最喜欢看你着急的样子，太太。
Yīnwèi wǒ zuì xǐhuan kàn nǐ zháojí de yàngzi, tàitai.
Because I like nothing better than watching you get worked up, my dear.
Narrator 几天以后，小镇上有一场舞会，宾利先生带着他的好朋友达西先生来了。
Jǐ tiān yǐhòu, xiǎo zhèn shàng yǒu yì chǎng wǔhuì, Bīnlì xiānsheng dàizhe tā de hǎo péngyou Dáxī xiānsheng lái le.
A few days later the town held a ball, and Mr. Bingley came, bringing his good friend Mr. Darcy.
Mr. Bingley 这里真热闹！达西，你别站在那儿不动，快去找个漂亮的姑娘跳舞吧！
Zhèlǐ zhēn rènao! Dáxī, nǐ bié zhàn zài nàr bú dòng, kuài qù zhǎo ge piàoliang de gūniang tiàowǔ ba!
How lively it is here! Darcy, don't just stand there. Go and find a pretty girl to dance with!
Mr. Darcy 我不想跳舞，这里的人我一个也不认识，也不想认识。
Wǒ bù xiǎng tiàowǔ, zhèlǐ de rén wǒ yí gè yě bú rènshi, yě bù xiǎng rènshi.
I don't want to dance. I don't know a single person here, and I don't want to.
Mr. Bingley 别这样！你看那位班纳特小姐，她是我见过的最美的姑娘！
Bié zhèyàng! Nǐ kàn nà wèi Bānnàtè xiǎojie, tā shì wǒ jiànguo de zuì měi de gūniang!
Don't be like that! Look at Miss Bennet over there, the loveliest girl I've ever seen!
Mr. Bingley 她旁边那一位小姐也很不错，你去请她跳一支舞吧。
Tā pángbiān nà yí wèi xiǎojie yě hěn búcuò, nǐ qù qǐng tā tiào yì zhī wǔ ba.
The lady beside her is very nice too. Go and ask her for a dance.
Mr. Darcy 那一位？她还可以，可是不够漂亮，还不能让我有兴趣。
Nà yí wèi? Tā hái kěyǐ, kěshì bú gòu piàoliang, hái bù néng ràng wǒ yǒu xìngqù.
Her? She's tolerable, but not pretty enough to interest me.
Mr. Darcy 你还是回去跳舞吧，别在我这儿浪费时间，我不想理她们。
Nǐ háishi huíqù tiàowǔ ba, bié zài wǒ zhèr làngfèi shíjiān, wǒ bù xiǎng lǐ tāmen.
You'd better go back to your dancing. Don't waste your time on me. I don't care to bother with them.
Mr. Bingley 唉，你真是一点儿意思也没有！那我自己去跳了。
Āi, nǐ zhēn shì yìdiǎnr yìsi yě méiyǒu! Nà wǒ zìjǐ qù tiào le.
Ugh, you're no fun at all! Then I'll go and dance by myself.
Elizabeth Bennet 什么？他说我不够漂亮？他大概不知道，我就站在他后面吧！
Shénme? Tā shuō wǒ bú gòu piàoliang? Tā dàgài bù zhīdào, wǒ jiù zhàn zài tā hòumiàn ba!
What? He says I'm not pretty enough? I suppose he doesn't know I'm standing right behind him!
Elizabeth Bennet 哈，真好笑！他一个人站在那儿，好像全世界的人都比不上他。
Hā, zhēn hǎoxiào! Tā yí gè rén zhàn zài nàr, hǎoxiàng quánshìjiè de rén dōu bǐ bu shàng tā.
Ha, how funny! He stands there all alone, as if nobody in the whole world is good enough for him.
Jane Bennet 伊丽莎白！宾利先生请我跳了两支舞，他这个人真是太好了！
Yīlìshābái! Bīnlì xiānsheng qǐng wǒ tiào le liǎng zhī wǔ, tā zhège rén zhēn shì tài hǎo le!
Elizabeth! Mr. Bingley asked me to dance twice, and he is just so kind!
Elizabeth Bennet 我都看见了，你今天晚上是整个舞会里最亮的一颗星星。
Wǒ dōu kànjiàn le, nǐ jīntiān wǎnshang shì zhěnggè wǔhuì lǐ zuì liàng de yì kē xīngxing.
I saw it all. Tonight you're the brightest star in the whole ballroom.
Jane Bennet 可是你怎么没有去跳舞呢？难道没有一个人请你吗？
Kěshì nǐ zěnme méiyǒu qù tiàowǔ ne? Nándào méiyǒu yí gè rén qǐng nǐ ma?
But why haven't you been dancing? Surely somebody asked you?
Elizabeth Bennet 有一个人不肯请我，就是他的朋友达西先生，他说我不够漂亮！
Yǒu yí gè rén bù kěn qǐng wǒ, jiù shì tā de péngyou Dáxī xiānsheng, tā shuō wǒ bú gòu piàoliang!
One man wouldn't ask me, his friend Mr. Darcy. He said I'm not pretty enough!
Jane Bennet 啊？他真的这样说吗？也许他今天心情不太好，你别生气。
A? Tā zhēn de zhèyàng shuō ma? Yěxǔ tā jīntiān xīnqíng bú tài hǎo, nǐ bié shēngqì.
Oh? He really said that? Maybe he's in a bad mood today. Don't be angry.
Elizabeth Bennet 简，你总是把每个人都想得太好了。
Jiǎn, nǐ zǒngshì bǎ měi gè rén dōu xiǎng de tài hǎo le.
Jane, you always think too well of everyone.
Charlotte Lucas 他又有钱又聪明，这样的人，稍微骄傲一点儿也是可以的。
Tā yòu yǒuqián yòu cōngming, zhèyàng de rén, shāowēi jiāo'ào yìdiǎnr yě shì kěyǐ de.
He's rich and clever. A man like that is allowed to be a little proud.
Elizabeth Bennet 也许吧，可是他不应该看不起别人，我不会忘记这件事的。
Yěxǔ ba, kěshì tā bù yīnggāi kànbuqǐ biéren, wǒ bú huì wàngjì zhè jiàn shì de.
Maybe. But he shouldn't look down on people, and I won't forget it.
Mrs. Bennet 简！简！宾利先生喜欢你，我早就说过了，我说得一点儿也没错！
Jiǎn! Jiǎn! Bīnlì xiānsheng xǐhuan nǐ, wǒ zǎo jiù shuō guo le, wǒ shuō de yìdiǎnr yě méi cuò!
Jane! Jane! Mr. Bingley likes you! I said so all along, and I was exactly right!
Mrs. Bennet 还有那个达西，真讨厌！他谁也不理，连一句话都不肯说！
Hái yǒu nà ge Dáxī, zhēn tǎoyàn! Tā shéi yě bù lǐ, lián yí jù huà dōu bù kěn shuō!
And that Darcy, how horrible! He ignores everyone and won't even say a word!
Elizabeth Bennet 妈妈，您别担心，我一点儿也不难过，他只是让我觉得很好笑。
Māma, nín bié dānxīn, wǒ yìdiǎnr yě bù nánguò, tā zhǐshì ràng wǒ juéde hěn hǎoxiào.
Mama, don't worry. I'm not upset at all. He only makes me want to laugh.
Elizabeth Bennet 达西先生，你等着瞧吧！下一次你想请我跳舞，我还不一定愿意呢！
Dáxī xiānsheng, nǐ děngzhe qiáo ba! Xià yí cì nǐ xiǎng qǐng wǒ tiàowǔ, wǒ hái bù yídìng yuànyì ne!
Mr. Darcy, just you wait! Next time you want to ask me to dance, I may not agree!

What changed in the story?

Why is Mrs. Bennet so excited at the start?
“尼日斐花园终于租出去了”……“他又年轻又有钱”
Why didn't Mr. Bennet tell his wife he had already visited Mr. Bingley?
“因为我最喜欢看你着急的样子”
What does Darcy say about Elizabeth at the ball?
“可是不够漂亮，还不能让我有兴趣。”
How does Elizabeth react to what she overhears?
“真好笑”……“我不会忘记这件事的。”
What does Charlotte say about Darcy's pride?
“稍微骄傲一点儿也是可以的。”

All chapters in Pride and Prejudice.