Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 13 of 21
The Prescription
一张药方
The morning after the night in the garden, Zhang Sheng is too ill to eat. Madam Cui sends for a doctor, but Yingying has a prescription of her own.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天早上，法本长老到西厢来见老夫人。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, Fǎběn zhǎnglǎo dào Xīxiāng lái jiàn Lǎo fūrén.
The next morning, Abbot Faben came to the Western Chamber to see Madam Cui.
- Abbot Faben 老夫人，张先生病得很重，什么都不吃。再这样，他会死的！
Lǎo fūrén, Zhāng xiānsheng bìng de hěn zhòng, shénme dōu bù chī. Zài zhèyàng, tā huì sǐ de!
Madam, Mr. Zhang is very ill. He won't eat a thing. If this goes on, he will die!
- Madam Cui 这么重？长老，您快去请一个医生来。
Zhème zhòng? Zhǎnglǎo, nín kuài qù qǐng yí gè yīshēng lái.
That ill? Abbot, please send for a doctor at once.
Chapter 13 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.
- Abbot Faben 好，我现在就去。
Hǎo, wǒ xiànzài jiù qù.
Yes, I'll go right now.
- Madam Cui 红娘，张生现在是莺莺的哥哥。他病了，你去看看他。
Hóngniáng, Zhāng Shēng xiànzài shì Yīngyīng de gēge. Tā bìng le, nǐ qù kànkan tā.
Hongniang, Zhang Sheng is Yingying's elder brother now. He is ill. Go and see him.
- Hongniang 哥哥？老夫人说得真好听。
Gēge? Lǎo fūrén shuō de zhēn hǎotīng.
Elder brother? Madam does make it sound sweet.
- Madam Cui 红娘，你说什么？
Hóngniáng, nǐ shuō shénme?
Hongniang, what did you say?
- Hongniang 没什么！我说，老夫人真是好人。
Méi shénme! Wǒ shuō, Lǎo fūrén zhēn shì hǎorén.
Nothing! I said Madam is a truly good person.
- Madam Cui 去吧。问问他，要吃什么药。
Qù ba. Wènwen tā, yào chī shénme yào.
Go on. Ask him what medicine he needs.
- Hongniang 小姐，长老说，张生快不行了！老夫人让我去看他。
Xiǎojiě, zhǎnglǎo shuō, Zhāng Shēng kuài bù xíng le! Lǎo fūrén ràng wǒ qù kàn tā.
Miss, the abbot says Zhang Sheng is close to dying! Madam is sending me to see him.
- Cui Yingying 他病得这么重？
Tā bìng de zhème zhòng?
He's that ill?
- Hongniang 是啊。昨天晚上，是谁说他是坏人的？
Shì a. Zuótiān wǎnshang, shì shéi shuō tā shì huàirén de?
Yes. And last night, who was it that called him a bad man?
- Cui Yingying 别说了。
Bié shuō le.
Say no more.
- Hongniang 小姐，你在写什么？
Xiǎojiě, nǐ zài xiě shénme?
Miss, what are you writing?
- Cui Yingying 这是给他的药方。你偷偷拿去，别让我娘看见。
Zhè shì gěi tā de yàofāng. Nǐ tōutōu ná qù, bié ràng wǒ niáng kànjiàn.
This is a prescription for him. Take it to him in secret, and don't let my mother see.
- Hongniang 药方？小姐什么时候会看病了？
Yàofāng? Xiǎojiě shénme shíhou huì kànbìng le?
A prescription? Since when does Miss treat the sick?
- Cui Yingying 你别问了。好红娘，救救他吧。
Nǐ bié wèn le. Hǎo Hóngniáng, jiùjiu tā ba.
Don't ask. Dear Hongniang, save him.
- Narrator 那天下午，红娘来到书房。
Nà tiān xiàwǔ, Hóngniáng láidào shūfáng.
That afternoon, Hongniang came to the study.
- Hongniang 傻书生，老夫人让我来问你，要吃什么药？
Shǎ shūshēng, Lǎo fūrén ràng wǒ lái wèn nǐ, yào chī shénme yào?
Silly scholar, Madam sent me to ask: what medicine do you need?
- Zhang Sheng 什么药也没有用。我这个病，天下的医生都看不好。
Shénme yào yě méiyǒu yòng. Wǒ zhège bìng, tiānxià de yīshēng dōu kàn bu hǎo.
No medicine will help. Not one doctor under heaven can cure what I have.
- Hongniang 天下想人想病了的书生，没有一个像你这么傻！我来给你开药方吧。
Tiānxià xiǎng rén xiǎng bìng le de shūshēng, méiyǒu yí gè xiàng nǐ zhème shǎ! Wǒ lái gěi nǐ kāi yàofāng ba.
Of all the lovesick scholars under heaven, not one is as silly as you! Let me write you a prescription.
- Zhang Sheng 你也会开药方？
Nǐ yě huì kāi yàofāng?
You can write prescriptions too?
- Hongniang 第一，别再跳过那道墙。第二，别再看小姐的诗。第三，早一点儿睡，别等月亮！
Dì yī, bié zài tiào guò nà dào qiáng. Dì èr, bié zài kàn xiǎojiě de shī. Dì sān, zǎo yìdiǎnr shuì, bié děng yuèliang!
One: no more jumping over that wall. Two: no more reading Miss's poems. Three: go to bed early, and don't wait for the moon!
- Zhang Sheng 红娘，我都要死了，你还笑我！
Hóngniáng, wǒ dōu yào sǐ le, nǐ hái xiào wǒ!
Hongniang, I'm dying, and you laugh at me!
- Hongniang 好了，不笑你了。这是小姐给你的药方。
Hǎo le, bú xiào nǐ le. Zhè shì xiǎojiě gěi nǐ de yàofāng.
All right, no more laughing. Here is Miss's prescription for you.
- Zhang Sheng 小姐的药方？这不是药方，是小姐的诗！
Xiǎojiě de yàofāng? Zhè bú shì yàofāng, shì xiǎojiě de shī!
The young lady's prescription? This isn't a prescription, it's a poem from her!
- Hongniang 又是诗？
Yòu shì shī?
Another poem?
- Zhang Sheng 你听：“你救了我们，又因为我病了。这首诗，就是我的红娘。”
Nǐ tīng: “Nǐ jiù le wǒmen, yòu yīnwèi wǒ bìng le. Zhè shǒu shī, jiù shì wǒ de Hóngniáng.”
Listen: “You saved us, and now you are ill because of me. This poem will be my Hongniang.”
- Hongniang 诗也能做红娘？那我做什么？
Shī yě néng zuò Hóngniáng? Nà wǒ zuò shénme?
A poem can be a Hongniang too? Then what am I for?
- Zhang Sheng 还有：“今天晚上，我会来。”她要来看我了！
Hái yǒu: “Jīntiān wǎnshang, wǒ huì lái.” Tā yào lái kàn wǒ le!
And: “Tonight, I will come.” She's coming to see me!
- Hongniang 昨天那首诗，也是叫你去的。
Zuótiān nà shǒu shī, yě shì jiào nǐ qù de.
Yesterday's poem invited you too.
- Zhang Sheng 这一次，她真的会来吗？
Zhè yí cì, tā zhēn de huì lái ma?
This time, will she really come?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Abbot Faben tell Madam Cui about Zhang Sheng?
“张先生病得很重，什么都不吃”
- What does Madam Cui send Hongniang to ask Zhang Sheng?
“问问他，要吃什么药”
- What does Yingying tell Hongniang to do with the prescription?
“你偷偷拿去，别让我娘看见”
- What does Hongniang's own prescription tell Zhang Sheng first?
“第一，别再跳过那道墙”
- What does Yingying's poem promise Zhang Sheng?
“今天晚上，我会来”