The River Snail Girl · chapter 1 of 5
The Big Snail
大田螺
Xie Duan works his field alone from dawn to dark. Then one morning, something shines in the water.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，河边住着一个年轻人，叫谢端。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, hé biān zhùzhe yí gè niánqīngrén, jiào Xiè Duān.
Long, long ago, a young man named Xie Duan lived beside a river.
- Aunt Wang 谢端！天还没亮，你就来地里了？
Xiè Duān! Tiān hái méi liàng, nǐ jiù lái dì lǐ le?
Xie Duan! It's not even light yet, and you're already out in the field?
- Xie Duan 王大婶，早上好！您去卖菜吗？
Wáng dàshěn, zǎoshang hǎo! Nín qù mài cài ma?
Morning, Aunt Wang! Off to sell your vegetables?
- Aunt Wang 是啊。你天天在地里，从早上到晚上，不累吗？
Shì a. Nǐ tiāntiān zài dì lǐ, cóng zǎoshang dào wǎnshang, bú lèi ma?
That's right. But you're out here every day, from morning till night. Aren't you tired?
- Xie Duan 不累。我一个人，不干活，就没有饭吃。
Bú lèi. Wǒ yí gè rén, bú gànhuó, jiù méiyǒu fàn chī.
I'm fine. I'm on my own. If I don't work, I don't eat.
- Aunt Wang 你二十岁了，快找一个姑娘吧！家里有一个人给你做饭，多好！
Nǐ èrshí suì le, kuài zhǎo yí gè gūniang ba! Jiā lǐ yǒu yí gè rén gěi nǐ zuòfàn, duō hǎo!
You're twenty now. Hurry up and find yourself a girl! Think how nice it would be to have someone at home cooking for you!
- Xie Duan 王大婶，我没有钱，家也很小。哪个姑娘会来呢？
Wáng dàshěn, wǒ méiyǒu qián, jiā yě hěn xiǎo. Nǎge gūniang huì lái ne?
Aunt Wang, I've got no money, and my house is tiny. What girl would ever come?
- Aunt Wang 你是好人。好人会有好事的！我走了。
Nǐ shì hǎorén. Hǎorén huì yǒu hǎoshì de! Wǒ zǒu le.
You're a good man. Good things come to good people! Well, I'm off.
- Xie Duan 家里有人等我，给我做饭……那多好啊。
Jiā lǐ yǒu rén děng wǒ, gěi wǒ zuòfàn… nà duō hǎo a.
Someone waiting for me at home, cooking for me… wouldn't that be nice.
- Xie Duan 好了，别想了。干活吧！
Hǎo le, bié xiǎng le. Gànhuó ba!
All right, enough daydreaming. Back to work!
- Xie Duan 那是什么？水里有一个东西，亮亮的！
Nà shì shénme? Shuǐ lǐ yǒu yí gè dōngxi, liàngliàng de!
What's that? There's something in the water, and it's shining!
- Xie Duan 是一个田螺！这么大的田螺，我没见过！
Shì yí gè tiánluó! Zhème dà de tiánluó, wǒ méi jiàn guo!
It's a river snail! I've never seen a snail this big!
- Narrator 谢端用两只手，拿起了大田螺。它在太阳下亮亮的。
Xiè Duān yòng liǎng zhī shǒu, ná qǐ le dà tiánluó. Tā zài tàiyáng xià liàngliàng de.
Xie Duan lifted the big snail in both hands. It shone in the morning sun.
- Xie Duan 大田螺，你好！你真好看。
Dà tiánluó, nǐ hǎo! Nǐ zhēn hǎokàn.
Hello there, Big Snail! You're beautiful.
- Xie Duan 你也是一个人吗？我也是。
Nǐ yě shì yí gè rén ma? Wǒ yě shì.
Are you all alone too? So am I.
- Narrator 田螺在他的手里，动了一下。
Tiánluó zài tā de shǒu lǐ, dòng le yíxià.
In his hands, the snail stirred.
- Xie Duan 你听懂了？那……你跟我回家，好吗？
Nǐ tīngdǒng le? Nà… nǐ gēn wǒ huí jiā, hǎo ma?
You understood me? Then… will you come home with me?
- Xie Duan 到家了！大田螺，你看，这是我的水缸。
Dào jiā le! Dà tiánluó, nǐ kàn, zhè shì wǒ de shuǐgāng.
Here we are, home! Look, Big Snail, this is my water jar.
- Xie Duan 来，进去吧。以后，你就住在这里。
Lái, jìnqù ba. Yǐhòu, nǐ jiù zhù zài zhèlǐ.
Come on, in you go. From now on, you live here.
- Xie Duan 我天天给你换水。晚安，大田螺！
Wǒ tiāntiān gěi nǐ huàn shuǐ. Wǎn'ān, dà tiánluó!
I'll give you fresh water every day. Good night, Big Snail!
- Narrator 夜里，谢端睡了。水缸里，忽然亮了一下……
Yèlǐ, Xiè Duān shuì le. Shuǐgāng lǐ, hūrán liàng le yíxià…
That night, while Xie Duan slept, something in the water jar suddenly glowed…
What changed in the story?
- What does Aunt Wang tell Xie Duan to do?
“快找一个姑娘吧！”
- Why does Xie Duan think no girl would come?
“我没有钱，家也很小。”
- What does Xie Duan find in the water?
“水里有一个东西，亮亮的……是一个田螺！这么大的田螺”
- Where does Xie Duan keep the snail at home?
“这是我的水缸……来，进去吧。”
- What happens while Xie Duan sleeps?
“水缸里，忽然亮了一下……”