Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 12 of 21
The Garden at Night
夜里的花园
That night the moon is late, the garden gate is closed to Zhang Sheng, and he has a wall to climb and a poem he is sure he has read right.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，天黑了，月亮还没有出来。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, tiān hēi le, yuèliang hái méiyǒu chūlai.
That night it grew dark, and the moon had not yet come out.
- Hongniang 小姐偷偷打扮了，还换了新衣服。她不说，我也不问。
Xiǎojiě tōutōu dǎban le, hái huàn le xīn yīfu. Tā bù shuō, wǒ yě bú wèn.
Miss has dressed up in secret, new clothes and all. If she won't say, I won't ask.
- Hongniang 小姐，天黑了，我们去花园烧香吧。
Xiǎojiě, tiān hēi le, wǒmen qù huāyuán shāoxiāng ba.
Miss, it's dark. Let's go to the garden and burn incense.
Chapter 12 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of Romance of the Western Chamber (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Cui Yingying 好。今天的月亮，怎么出来得这么晚？
Hǎo. Jīntiān de yuèliang, zěnme chūlai de zhème wǎn?
All right. Why is the moon so late tonight?
- Hongniang “待月西厢下”……原来，她是在等月亮。
“Dài yuè Xīxiāng xià”… yuánlái, tā shì zài děng yuèliang.
“Wait for the moon by the Western Chamber”... so that's it, she's waiting for the moon.
- Hongniang 弹琴的那天晚上，月亮又大又圆。今天啊，它让人好等。
Tán qín de nà tiān wǎnshang, yuèliang yòu dà yòu yuán. Jīntiān a, tā ràng rén hǎo děng.
The night of the qin, the moon was big and round. Tonight it keeps everyone waiting.
- Narrator 红娘从里边打开花园的小门，往外边看。
Hóngniáng cóng lǐbian dǎkāi huāyuán de xiǎo mén, wǎng wàibian kàn.
Hongniang unlocked the garden's little gate from inside and looked out.
- Zhang Sheng 玉人，你来了！
Yùrén, nǐ lái le!
My dear one, you've come!
- Hongniang 放开！看清楚，我是红娘！
Fàngkāi! Kàn qīngchu, wǒ shì Hóngniáng!
Let go! Look properly, I'm Hongniang!
- Zhang Sheng 天太黑了，我看错人了。小姐呢？
Tiān tài hēi le, wǒ kàn cuò rén le. Xiǎojiě ne?
It's too dark. I took you for someone else. Where's the young lady?
- Hongniang 小姐在里边烧香。你别走这个门，自己跳过墙去。
Xiǎojiě zài lǐbian shāoxiāng. Nǐ bié zǒu zhège mén, zìjǐ tiào guò qiáng qù.
Miss is inside burning incense. Don't come in by this gate. Jump over the wall yourself.
- Zhang Sheng 门不是开着吗？为什么要我跳？
Mén bú shì kāizhe ma? Wèishénme yào wǒ tiào?
Isn't the gate open? Why make me jump?
- Hongniang 以后有人问，我就说：是你自己偷偷进来的！
Yǐhòu yǒu rén wèn, wǒ jiù shuō: shì nǐ zìjǐ tōutōu jìnlai de!
If anyone asks later, I'll say: you sneaked in all by yourself!
- Zhang Sheng “隔墙花影动”……好，我跳！
“Géqiáng huāyǐng dòng”… hǎo, wǒ tiào!
“When flower shadows stir across the wall”... all right, I'll jump!
- Zhang Sheng 小姐，是我，张生！我来了！
Xiǎojiě, shì wǒ, Zhāng Shēng! Wǒ lái le!
Miss, it's me, Zhang Sheng! I've come!
- Cui Yingying 放开！红娘，快来！这里有坏人！
Fàngkāi! Hóngniáng, kuài lái! Zhèlǐ yǒu huàirén!
Let go! Hongniang, come quick! There's a bad man here!
- Hongniang 坏人？在哪儿？天哪，是张生！
Huàirén? Zài nǎr? Tiān na, shì Zhāng Shēng!
A bad man? Where? Heavens, it's Zhang Sheng!
- Cui Yingying 张生，你半夜跳过墙来，想做什么？
Zhāng Shēng, nǐ bànyè tiào guò qiáng lái, xiǎng zuò shénme?
Zhang Sheng, you jumped over the wall in the middle of the night. What are you after?
- Zhang Sheng 小姐，不是你叫我来的吗？
Xiǎojiě, bú shì nǐ jiào wǒ lái de ma?
Miss, didn't you tell me to come?
- Cui Yingying 我什么时候叫你来了？
Wǒ shénme shíhou jiào nǐ lái le?
When did I ever tell you to come?
- Hongniang 小姐，这事要是让老夫人知道，张生就完了。让我来问他吧。
Xiǎojiě, zhè shì yàoshi ràng Lǎo fūrén zhīdào, Zhāng Shēng jiù wán le. Ràng wǒ lái wèn tā ba.
Miss, if Madam hears of this, Zhang Sheng is finished. Let me question him.
- Hongniang 张生，跪在这儿！你一个读书人，不在书房读书，半夜到花园来做什么？
Zhāng Shēng, guì zài zhèr! Nǐ yí gè dúshūrén, bú zài shūfáng dúshū, bànyè dào huāyuán lái zuò shénme?
Zhang Sheng, kneel right here! A scholar should be in his study with his books. What are you doing in the garden in the middle of the night?
- Zhang Sheng 我是来看月亮的。
Wǒ shì lái kàn yuèliang de.
I came to look at the moon.
- Hongniang 月亮还没出来呢！你看的是什么月亮？
Yuèliang hái méi chūlai ne! Nǐ kàn de shì shénme yuèliang?
The moon isn't even out! What moon are you looking at?
- Cui Yingying 张生，你救过我们一家，这次我不告诉我娘。
Zhāng Shēng, nǐ jiùguo wǒmen yì jiā, zhè cì wǒ bú gàosu wǒ niáng.
Zhang Sheng, you saved my family, so this time I won't tell my mother.
- Cui Yingying 可是你是我哥哥，我是你妹妹。以后别再这样了。红娘，我们走。
Kěshì nǐ shì wǒ gēge, wǒ shì nǐ mèimei. Yǐhòu bié zài zhèyàng le. Hóngniáng, wǒmen zǒu.
But you are my elder brother, and I am your sister. Never do this again. Hongniang, we're going.
- Hongniang 傻书生，你不是最懂诗吗？“迎风户半开”，小姐给你开门了吗？
Shǎ shūshēng, nǐ bú shì zuì dǒng shī ma? “Yíngfēng hù bàn kāi”, xiǎojiě gěi nǐ kāimén le ma?
Silly scholar, aren't you the great poem expert? “The door stands half open to the breeze”: so, did Miss open the door for you?
- Hongniang “疑是玉人来”，玉人来了吗？来的是一个坏人！
“Yí shì yùrén lái”, yùrén lái le ma? Lái de shì yí gè huàirén!
“It may be my dear one coming”: so, did the dear one come? What came was a bad man!
- Zhang Sheng 她叫我来，又说我是坏人。这次，她是真要我死了。
Tā jiào wǒ lái, yòu shuō wǒ shì huàirén. Zhè cì, tā shì zhēn yào wǒ sǐ le.
She told me to come, then called me a bad man. This time she truly wants me dead.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What has Yingying done before she goes to burn incense?
“小姐偷偷打扮了，还换了新衣服”
- Whom does Zhang Sheng grab in the dark?
“玉人，你来了……我是红娘”
- Why won't Hongniang let Zhang Sheng in by the gate?
“以后有人问，我就说：是你自己偷偷进来的”
- What does Yingying shout when Zhang Sheng reaches her?
“红娘，快来！这里有坏人”
- What does Yingying say Zhang Sheng is to her now?
“你是我哥哥，我是你妹妹”