World classic, retold in simple Mandarin
Robin Hood: The Outlaws of Sherwood
罗宾汉：舍伍德的英雄
Robin Hood: The Outlaws of Sherwood (罗宾汉：舍伍德的英雄, Luóbīnhàn: Shěwǔdé de yīngxióng) is a legend, retold in simple Mandarin as an 8-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 3 (Intermediate).
Retold from the old English ballads and Howard Pyle's 1883 classic: a young archer becomes an outlaw, gathers merry friends in Sherwood Forest, and outwits a proud Sheriff.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — A warm storyteller who sets the scene.
- Robin Hood · 罗宾汉 — A cheerful young archer who becomes the outlaw hero of Sherwood.
- Little John · 小约翰 — A gentle giant who is not little at all.
- Friar Tuck · 修士 — A round, jolly friar who loves meat and pranks.
- The Sheriff · 警长 — A proud official who wants to catch Robin.
- King Richard · 理查国王 — A warm, powerful king who returns in disguise.
- Will Scarlet · 威尔 — A quick young man in bright red who joins the band.
- Allan-a-Dale · 艾伦 — A gentle young harp player who has lost the girl he loves.
- Ellen · 海伦 — A kind village girl who is forced to marry for money.
- Maid Marian · 玛丽安 — A clever lady who rides out to warn her friend Robin.
- Guy of Gisborne · 盖伊 — The best hunter in England, sent to catch Robin alone.
- The Forester · 猎人 — A gruff man who guards the king's deer.
- The Messenger · 传信的人 — A breathless man who runs to tell the Sheriff.
- The Old Knight · 老骑士 — A rich old man who wants to buy a bride.
- The Bishop · 主教 — A solemn churchman at the wedding.
- The Herald · 传令官 — The loud caller at the archery contest.
- The Soldier · 兵 — One of the Sheriff's soldiers.
8 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The King's Deer
国王的鹿
Robin Hood shoots a far-off deer for a friendly bet, but the deer belongs to the king. Now the Sheriff wants him, and a huge voice booms out of the dark.
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Chapter 2: The Log Bridge
桥上的大个子
Robin meets a giant with a staff on a narrow bridge, and the loser is whoever falls into the river. Then a young man in red comes running with soldiers behind him.
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Chapter 3: The Friar at the River
河边的修士
A round, laughing friar offers to carry Robin across his river, and Robin learns what happens in the middle. That night a sad young stranger arrives with terrible news.
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Chapter 4: The Wedding Under the Bells
教堂里的婚礼
Robin and his men march into a church to stop a wedding that Ellen does not want. Then Allan brings a rumor of a golden arrow and a Sheriff's trap.
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Chapter 5: The Lady on the White Horse
白马上的小姐
A lady on a white horse stops Robin on the forest road with a warning about the golden arrow. Back at camp, Robin has a plan and needs a very red favor.
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Chapter 6: The Golden Arrow
金箭
Robin in a borrowed red tunic steps up to a target three hundred paces away. He wins the golden arrow, but the Sheriff has one more terrible plan.
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Chapter 7: The Horse-Hide Cloak
马皮衣服的猎人
The best hunter in England walks into Sherwood alone, and Robin steps out to meet him. Afterward a tired stranger in a grey cloak asks to share the soup.
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Chapter 8: The King's Pardon
自由的森林
The stranger eats deer stew with the outlaws, then drops his grey cloak. Robin learns what King Richard really thinks of him, and where his real home is.
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Key words in Robin Hood: The Outlaws of Sherwood
Behind the story
The stories of Robin Hood come from English ballads sung since the Middle Ages, and Howard Pyle gathered them into a beloved children's book in 1883. The tales are set in Sherwood Forest, near the town of Nottingham, in the days of King Richard.
Chinese readers know him as 罗宾汉, and the name has become a way to describe someone who helps the poor. Many people also compare Robin's band of forest friends with the outlaw heroes of the classic Chinese novel 水浒传.
Did you know?
- Richard I, called the Lionheart, ruled England from 1189 to 1199 and spent most of his reign far from home.
- Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire is real, and some of its giant old oaks are still standing today.
- The English longbow was a famous weapon in the Middle Ages, and good archers trained for years to shoot it.