Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor · chapter 4 of 5
The Long Wall
长城
The wall grows long, and the work is hard. A tired laborer misses his mother, and an old emperor listens to a magician's promise.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 长城一天比一天长。工作很累，天气很冷。
Chángchéng yì tiān bǐ yì tiān cháng. Gōngzuò hěn lèi, tiānqì hěn lěng.
The Great Wall grew longer every day. The work was tiring and the weather was cold.
- Da Shan 好重……我的背好疼。
Hǎo zhòng… wǒ de bèi hǎo téng.
So heavy… my back hurts so much.
- Meng Tian 大山，你怎么了？
Dàshān, nǐ zěnme le?
Dashan, what's wrong?
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Da Shan 将军，我三年没有回家了。我想妈妈。
Jiāngjūn, wǒ sān nián méiyǒu huíjiā le. Wǒ xiǎng māma.
General, I haven't been home in three years. I miss my mother.
- Meng Tian 我知道。我也想我的家。
Wǒ zhīdào. Wǒ yě xiǎng wǒ de jiā.
I know. I miss my home too.
- Da Shan 妈妈老了。她一个人，没有人给她饭吃。
Māma lǎo le. Tā yí gè rén, méiyǒu rén gěi tā fàn chī.
Mother is old. She is alone, and nobody gives her food.
- Meng Tian 你今天不用搬石头。去吃饭，睡一会儿。
Nǐ jīntiān bú yòng bān shítou. Qù chīfàn, shuì yíhuìr.
You don't have to carry stones today. Go eat and sleep for a while.
- Da Shan 谢谢将军！可是明天，还要搬吗？
Xièxie jiāngjūn! Kěshì míngtiān, hái yào bān ma?
Thank you, General! But tomorrow, will I still have to carry them?
- Meng Tian 要。皇帝要这个长城。我不能不做。
Yào. Huángdì yào zhège Chángchéng. Wǒ bù néng bú zuò.
Yes. The emperor wants this Great Wall. I can't refuse.
- Da Shan 那……我可以给妈妈写信吗？
Nà… wǒ kěyǐ gěi māma xiě xìn ma?
Then… may I write a letter to my mother?
- Meng Tian 可以。现在大家的字都一样了。你写，我帮你送。
Kěyǐ. Xiànzài dàjiā de zì dōu yíyàng le. Nǐ xiě, wǒ bāng nǐ sòng.
You may. Now everyone's writing is the same. You write, and I'll send it for you.
- Da Shan 字都一样了……妈妈看得懂了！谢谢您！
Zì dōu yíyàng le… māma kàn de dǒng le! Xièxie nín!
The writing is all the same now… Mother can read it! Thank you!
- Narrator 长城很高，也很长。可是，很多人没有回家。
Chángchéng hěn gāo, yě hěn cháng. Kěshì, hěn duō rén méiyǒu huíjiā.
The Great Wall was tall and long. But many of the people never went home.
- Meng Tian 这个墙……有多少人的家啊……
Zhège qiáng… yǒu duōshao rén de jiā a…
This wall… how many people's homes it took…
- Da Shan 将军，您是好人。
Jiāngjūn, nín shì hǎorén.
General, you are a good man.
- Narrator 很多年过去了。皇帝老了，也病了。
Hěn duō nián guòqù le. Huángdì lǎo le, yě bìng le.
Many years passed. The emperor grew old, and he was ill.
- Qin Shi Huang 谁……谁在门口？
Shéi… shéi zài ménkǒu?
Who… who is at the door?
- Xu Fu 皇帝，是我，徐福。
Huángdì, shì wǒ, Xú Fú.
Emperor, it is I, Xu Fu.
- Qin Shi Huang 徐福？这么晚，你来做什么？
Xú Fú? Zhème wǎn, nǐ lái zuò shénme?
Xu Fu? It's so late. What do you want?
- Xu Fu 皇帝，我有一个好消息。
Huángdì, wǒ yǒu yí gè hǎo xiāoxi.
Emperor, I have good news.
- Qin Shi Huang 我不想听。我老了。我怕死。
Wǒ bù xiǎng tīng. Wǒ lǎo le. Wǒ pà sǐ.
I don't want to hear it. I am old. I am afraid to die.
- Xu Fu 皇帝别怕。东边的海上，有一座仙山。
Huángdì bié pà. Dōngbian de hǎi shàng, yǒu yí zuò xiān shān.
Don't be afraid, Emperor. Out on the eastern sea, there is a magic mountain.
- Qin Shi Huang 仙山？
Xiān shān?
A magic mountain?
- Xu Fu 山上有仙药。吃了，人就不会老，不会死。
Shān shàng yǒu xiānyào. Chī le, rén jiù bú huì lǎo, bú huì sǐ.
On the mountain is a magic medicine. If you take it, you won't grow old or die.
- Qin Shi Huang 真的吗？
Zhēn de ma?
Is it true?
- Xu Fu 真的！我可以去找。
Zhēn de! Wǒ kěyǐ qù zhǎo.
It's true! I can go and find it.
- Qin Shi Huang 去！快去找！我要那个仙药！
Qù! Kuài qù zhǎo! Wǒ yào nàge xiānyào!
Go! Go and find it quickly! I want that magic medicine!
- Xu Fu 我要一条大船，还有很多人。皇帝，我一定回来！
Wǒ yào yì tiáo dà chuán, hái yǒu hěn duō rén. Huángdì, wǒ yídìng huílái!
I need a big ship and many people. Emperor, I will surely come back!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why is Da Shan sad?
“将军，我三年没有回家了。我想妈妈。”
- How does Meng Tian help Da Shan?
“你写，我帮你送。”……“妈妈看得懂了！”
- What does the storyteller say plainly about the Great Wall?
“可是，很多人没有回家。”
- Why does the old emperor listen to Xu Fu?
“我老了。我怕死。”
- What does Xu Fu say is on the magic mountain?
“山上有仙药。吃了，人就不会老，不会死。”