Qin Shi Huang: Unifying China · chapter 4 of 8
The Map and the Dagger
地图和短刀
A visitor from Yan kneels before the king with a gift map. But something is hidden inside it, and the king has only a pillar and a sword that is too long.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 燕国的使者荆轲，慢慢走进了秦国的大殿。他的手里，拿着一个长长的木盒子。
Yānguó de shǐzhě Jīng Kē, mànmàn zǒu jìn le Qínguó de dàdiàn. Tā de shǒu lǐ, ná zhe yí gè chángcháng de mù hézi.
Jing Ke, the envoy from Yan, walked slowly into the great hall of Qin. In his hands he carried a long wooden case.
- Jing Ke 大王，燕国的王很怕你。他送你一张地图，上面画着燕国最好的田地。
Dàwáng, Yānguó de wáng hěn pà nǐ. Tā sòng nǐ yì zhāng dìtú, shàngmiàn huà zhe Yānguó zuì hǎo de tiándì.
Your Majesty, the king of Yan fears you. He sends you a map showing the best farmland in Yan.
- King Zheng 很好。燕王还是很聪明的。你打开地图，让我仔细看一看。
Hěn hǎo. Yān wáng háishi hěn cōngming de. Nǐ dǎkāi dìtú, ràng wǒ zǐxì kàn yi kàn.
Good. The king of Yan is wise after all. Open the map and let me look closely.
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Qin Shi Huang: Unifying China 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.
- King Zheng 你身边那个年轻人，为什么一直在发抖？
Nǐ shēnbiān nà ge niánqīng rén, wèishénme yìzhí zài fādǒu?
That young man beside you, why does he keep trembling?
- Jing Ke 他是乡下来的，没有见过大王。请大王不要生气。
Tā shì xiāngxià lái de, méiyǒu jiàn guo dàwáng. Qǐng dàwáng bú yào shēngqì.
He's from the countryside. He has never seen a great king. Please don't be angry.
- King Zheng 好吧。那你把地图拿到前面来，慢慢地打开。
Hǎo ba. Nà nǐ bǎ dìtú ná dào qiánmiàn lái, mànmàn de dǎkāi.
Fine. Then bring the map up here and open it slowly.
- King Zheng 燕国的山和河，画得真漂亮。再往前走一步。
Yānguó de shān hé hé, huà de zhēn piàoliang. Zài wǎng qián zǒu yí bù.
The mountains and rivers of Yan are drawn so beautifully. Come one step closer.
- Jing Ke 一点，一点……再近一点。
Yìdiǎn, yìdiǎn… zài jìn yìdiǎn.
A little... a little... a bit closer.
- King Zheng 这张地图真长。最后面……那是什么？一把短刀！
Zhè zhāng dìtú zhēn cháng. Zuì hòumiàn… nà shì shénme? Yì bǎ duǎn dāo!
This map is so long. At the very end... what is that? A dagger!
- Jing Ke 别动，大王！我不想伤害你！你只要答应我，把别的国家的土地都还回去！
Bié dòng, dàwáng! Wǒ bù xiǎng shānghài nǐ! Nǐ zhǐyào dāying wǒ, bǎ bié de guójiā de tǔdi dōu huán huíqù!
Don't move, Your Majesty! I don't want to hurt you! Just promise me you'll give all the other lands back!
- King Zheng 放开我的袖子！来人！快来救我！
Fàng kāi wǒ de xiùzi! Lái rén! Kuài lái jiù wǒ!
Let go of my sleeve! Guards! Come save me quick!
- King Zheng 柱子！我要绕着柱子跑！
Zhùzi! Wǒ yào ràozhe zhùzi pǎo!
The pillar! I'll run around the pillar!
- Jing Ke 站住，大王！你跑不掉的！
Zhàn zhù, dàwáng! Nǐ pǎo bù diào de!
Stop, Your Majesty! You can't get away!
- King Zheng 他跑得比我快！我不能停，一停就完了！
Tā pǎo de bǐ wǒ kuài! Wǒ bù néng tíng, yì tíng jiù wán le!
He's faster than me! I can't stop. If I stop, it's over!
- King Zheng 我的剑！啊！这把剑太长了，拔不出来！
Wǒ de jiàn! Ā! Zhè bǎ jiàn tài cháng le, bá bù chūlái!
My sword! Ah! This sword is too long, I can't pull it out!
- Guard 大王！把剑推到背后！从背后拔！
Dàwáng! Bǎ jiàn tuī dào bèihòu! Cóng bèihòu bá!
Your Majesty! Push the sword around to your back! Pull it from behind!
- Royal Doctor 荆轲！看我的药袋！
Jīng Kē! Kàn wǒ de yàodài!
Jing Ke! Take my medicine bag!
- King Zheng 背后……好！出来了！
Bèihòu… hǎo! Chūlái le!
Behind me... yes! It's out!
- Narrator 大王拔出了长剑。荆轲受了伤，靠着柱子坐了下来。
Dàwáng bá chū le cháng jiàn. Jīng Kē shòu le shāng, kào zhe zhùzi zuò le xiàlái.
The king drew his long sword. Jing Ke was hurt, and he sat down against the pillar.
- Jing Ke 我想活着抓住你，让你还回别国的土地……可是我输了。
Wǒ xiǎng huózhe zhuā zhù nǐ, ràng nǐ huán huí bié guó de tǔdi… kěshì wǒ shū le.
I wanted to catch you alive and make you give the lands back... but I lost.
- King Zheng 抓住我，然后呢？你以为还回土地，天下就没有战争了吗？
Zhuā zhù wǒ, ránhòu ne? Nǐ yǐwéi huán huí tǔdi, tiānxià jiù méiyǒu zhànzhēng le ma?
Catch me, and then what? Do you think giving the lands back would end all war?
- King Zheng 你很勇敢，可是你走错了路。
Nǐ hěn yǒnggǎn, kěshì nǐ zǒu cuò le lù.
You were brave, but you chose the wrong road.
- Guard 大王，我们来晚了！请你原谅！
Dàwáng, wǒmen lái wǎn le! Qǐng nǐ yuánliàng!
Your Majesty, we came too late! Please forgive us!
- King Zheng 不晚。刚才有人喊的那句话，救了我。
Bù wǎn. Gāngcái yǒu rén hǎn de nà jù huà, jiù le wǒ.
Not too late. The words someone shouted just now saved me.
- Guard 大王，你没事吧？
Dàwáng, nǐ méi shì ba?
Your Majesty, are you all right?
- King Zheng 我的手……还在抖。
Wǒ de shǒu… hái zài dǒu.
My hand... is still shaking.
- Narrator 那天夜里，大殿又安静了下来，只有一盏灯还亮着。
Nà tiān yèlǐ, dàdiàn yòu ānjìng le xiàlái, zhǐyǒu yì zhǎn dēng hái liàng zhe.
That night the great hall grew quiet again, and only one lamp was still lit.
- Li Si 大王，你还好吗？医生说，你只是吓了一跳。
Dàwáng, nǐ hái hǎo ma? Yīshēng shuō, nǐ zhǐshì xià le yí tiào.
Your Majesty, are you all right? The doctor says you were only badly startled.
- King Zheng 我没事了。我不是勇敢，我只是很害怕。可是害怕的时候，也要想办法。
Wǒ méi shì le. Wǒ bú shì yǒnggǎn, wǒ zhǐshì hěn hàipà. Kěshì hàipà de shíhou, yě yào xiǎng bànfǎ.
I'm fine. I wasn't brave, I was just very scared. But even when you're scared, you have to find a way.
- King Zheng 我们等得越久，别人就越会送刀来。
Wǒmen děng de yuè jiǔ, biéren jiù yuè huì sòng dāo lái.
The longer we wait, the more people will send blades.
- Li Si 那大王想怎么做？
Nà dàwáng xiǎng zěnme zuò?
Then what does Your Majesty want to do?
- King Zheng 不再慢慢来了。先打燕国，再打别的国家。
Bú zài mànman lái le. Xiān dǎ Yānguó, zài dǎ bié de guójiā.
No more going slowly. First Yan, then the rest.
- King Zheng 你看墙上的那张地图，上面现在有好几种颜色。
Nǐ kàn qiáng shàng de nà zhāng dìtú, shàngmiàn xiànzài yǒu hǎo jǐ zhǒng yánsè.
Look at that map on the wall. It has several colors now.
- King Zheng 明年，我要它只有一种颜色！
Míngnián, wǒ yào tā zhǐyǒu yì zhǒng yánsè!
Next year, I want it to have only one color!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Jing Ke bring to the king?
“他送你一张地图，上面画着燕国最好的田地”
- What is hidden at the end of the map?
“一把短刀”
- Why can't the king draw his sword at first?
“这把剑太长了，拔不出来”
- What does the guard shout?
“把剑推到背后！从背后拔！”
- What does the king decide afterwards?
“不再慢慢来了”