Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 7 of 21
The Invitation
红娘来请
Zhang Sheng has been dressing up since before dawn. When Hongniang comes with a message from Madam Cui, he is sure he knows what it says.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天，天还没亮，张生就在书房里忙着打扮了。
Dì èr tiān, tiān hái méi liàng, Zhāng Shēng jiù zài shūfáng li mángzhe dǎban le.
The next day, before it was light, Zhang Sheng was already busy dressing up in the study.
- Zhang Sheng 衣服换了三次，脸洗了三次。今天，我就要做老夫人的女婿了！
Yīfu huàn le sān cì, liǎn xǐ le sān cì. Jīntiān, wǒ jiù yào zuò Lǎo fūrén de nǚxu le!
I've changed my clothes three times and washed my face three times. Today I become Madam's son-in-law!
- Hongniang 张生！要不是你，我们一家都没了。老夫人让我来请……
Zhāng Shēng! Yàobúshì nǐ, wǒmen yì jiā dōu méi le. Lǎo fūrén ràng wǒ lái qǐng…
Zhang Sheng! If not for you, our whole family would be gone. Madam has sent me to invite...
Chapter 7 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.
- Zhang Sheng 去！我早就打扮好了！
Qù! Wǒ zǎo jiù dǎban hǎo le!
I'll come! I've been ready for ages!
- Hongniang 我还没说完呢！你知道老夫人请你做什么吗？
Wǒ hái méi shuō wán ne! Nǐ zhīdào Lǎo fūrén qǐng nǐ zuò shénme ma?
I haven't even finished! Do you know what Madam is inviting you for?
- Zhang Sheng 我知道！老夫人要让我和小姐结婚！
Wǒ zhīdào! Lǎo fūrén yào ràng wǒ hé xiǎojiě jiéhūn!
I know! Madam is going to let me marry the young lady!
- Hongniang 你想得真美！可是……我也是这么想的。
Nǐ xiǎng de zhēn měi! Kěshì… wǒ yě shì zhème xiǎng de.
Dream on! Though... that's what I think too.
- Zhang Sheng 那小姐也在吗？我见了她，还敢说话吗？
Nà xiǎojiě yě zài ma? Wǒ jiàn le tā, hái gǎn shuōhuà ma?
So will the young lady be there too? When I see her, will I even dare to speak?
- Hongniang 老夫人请客，小姐怎么能不在呢？
Lǎo fūrén qǐngkè, xiǎojiě zěnme néng bú zài ne?
Madam is giving a feast. How could Miss not be there?
- Zhang Sheng 我昨天一夜没睡，想好了三十句话，要对小姐说。第一句……
Wǒ zuótiān yí yè méi shuì, xiǎng hǎo le sānshí jù huà, yào duì xiǎojiě shuō. Dì yī jù…
I didn't sleep a wink last night. I've got thirty things ready to say to the young lady. The first one...
- Hongniang 谁问你了？
Shéi wèn nǐ le?
Who asked you?
- Zhang Sheng 第一句是：小姐，你好。
Dì yī jù shì: xiǎojiě, nǐ hǎo.
The first one is: hello, Miss.
- Hongniang 想了一夜，就想出了这一句？
Xiǎng le yí yè, jiù xiǎng chū le zhè yí jù?
A whole night of thinking, and that's all you came up with?
- Zhang Sheng 红娘，我这儿没有镜子。你帮我看看，我这样好看吗？
Hóngniáng, wǒ zhèr méiyǒu jìngzi. Nǐ bāng wǒ kànkan, wǒ zhèyàng hǎokàn ma?
Hongniang, I have no mirror here. Look me over. Do I look all right?
- Hongniang 好，我当你的镜子。镜子说：你打扮得比小姐还漂亮！
Hǎo, wǒ dāng nǐ de jìngzi. Jìngzi shuō: nǐ dǎban de bǐ xiǎojiě hái piàoliang!
All right, I'll be your mirror. The mirror says: you've made yourself prettier than Miss!
- Zhang Sheng 比小姐还漂亮？那不行！
Bǐ xiǎojiě hái piàoliang? Nà bù xíng!
Prettier than the young lady? That won't do!
- Hongniang 等等！你的两只鞋，怎么不一样？
Děngdeng! Nǐ de liǎng zhī xié, zěnme bù yíyàng?
Wait! Why don't your two shoes match?
- Zhang Sheng 天哪！早上太黑，我没看见！
Tiān na! Zǎoshang tài hēi, wǒ méi kànjiàn!
Heavens! It was too dark this morning, I didn't see!
- Hongniang 那天晚上点灯，今天早上打扮。张生，你真忙啊！
Nà tiān wǎnshang diǎn dēng, jīntiān zǎoshang dǎban. Zhāng Shēng, nǐ zhēn máng a!
Lighting the lamp that night, dressing up this morning. Zhang Sheng, you're a busy man!
- Zhang Sheng 还有，结婚要送很多东西。可是我没有钱，只有几本书！
Hái yǒu, jiéhūn yào sòng hěn duō dōngxi. Kěshì wǒ méiyǒu qián, zhǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū!
And another thing: a wedding means lots of gifts. But I have no money, only a few books!
- Hongniang 那就送一首诗吧！小姐最爱诗了。
Nà jiù sòng yì shǒu shī ba! Xiǎojiě zuì ài shī le.
Then give her a poem! Miss loves poems best of all.
- Zhang Sheng 那老夫人一定会笑我的！
Nà Lǎo fūrén yídìng huì xiào wǒ de!
Then Madam is sure to laugh at me!
- Hongniang 傻书生，你救了小姐，老夫人也答应了。这是老天的意思！
Shǎ shūshēng, nǐ jiù le xiǎojiě, Lǎo fūrén yě dāying le. Zhè shì lǎotiān de yìsi!
Silly scholar, you saved Miss, and Madam gave her word. This is heaven's will!
- Zhang Sheng 你说得真好！那我见了老夫人，是叫“老夫人”，还是叫“娘”？
Nǐ shuō de zhēn hǎo! Nà wǒ jiàn le Lǎo fūrén, shì jiào “Lǎo fūrén”, háishi jiào “niáng”?
Well said! So when I see Madam, do I call her “Madam” or “Mother”?
- Hongniang 现在就叫娘？太早了吧！
Xiànzài jiù jiào niáng? Tài zǎo le ba!
Calling her Mother already? Isn't that a little early?
- Zhang Sheng 红娘，以后我们就是一家人了！
Hóngniáng, yǐhòu wǒmen jiù shì yì jiā rén le!
Hongniang, from now on we'll all be one family!
- Hongniang 那好，以后你得听我的！我先走了，你快来吧！
Nà hǎo, yǐhòu nǐ děi tīng wǒ de! Wǒ xiān zǒu le, nǐ kuài lái ba!
Fine. Then from now on, you do as I say! I'm going ahead. Come quickly!
- Zhang Sheng 今天，小姐就要做我的妻子了！
Jīntiān, xiǎojiě jiù yào zuò wǒ de qīzi le!
Today the young lady becomes my wife!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What has Zhang Sheng done three times this morning?
“衣服换了三次，脸洗了三次”
- What does Zhang Sheng say before Hongniang has finished speaking?
“去！我早就打扮好了！”
- Why does Zhang Sheng ask Hongniang to look him over?
“我这儿没有镜子。你帮我看看”
- What does Hongniang tell Zhang Sheng to give Yingying, since he has no money?
“那就送一首诗吧！”
- What does Hongniang call the marriage of Zhang Sheng and Yingying?
“这是老天的意思！”