Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 2 of 21
Who Asked You?
谁问你了
Zhang Sheng comes back to the temple to take a room, and Hongniang comes with a question for the abbot. Zhang has a great deal to tell her.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 第二天早上，张生又来到了普救寺。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, Zhāng Shēng yòu láidào le Pǔjiù Sì.
The next morning, Zhang Sheng came back to Pujiu Temple.
- Facong 长老，昨天那个书生来了！他看小姐，看得眼睛都直了！
Zhǎnglǎo, zuótiān nàge shūshēng lái le! Tā kàn xiǎojiě, kàn de yǎnjing dōu zhí le!
Abbot, that scholar from yesterday is here! He stared at the young lady till his eyes were glued to her!
- Abbot Faben 法聪，别说了。先生，请坐。你从哪儿来？
Fǎcōng, bié shuō le. Xiānsheng, qǐng zuò. Nǐ cóng nǎr lái?
That's enough, Facong. Please sit down, sir. Where have you come from?
- Zhang Sheng 长老，我叫张君瑞，从洛阳来。我想借一间房，在寺里读书。
Zhǎnglǎo, wǒ jiào Zhāng Jūnruì, cóng Luòyáng lái. Wǒ xiǎng jiè yì jiān fáng, zài sì li dúshū.
Abbot, my name is Zhang Junrui, and I come from Luoyang. I'd like to take a room here at the temple to study.
- Abbot Faben 好啊。读书的人，我们都欢迎。
Hǎo a. Dúshū de rén, wǒmen dōu huānyíng.
Why, of course. Anyone who studies is welcome here.
- Zhang Sheng 这是一块银子，请长老收下。
Zhè shì yí kuài yínzi, qǐng zhǎnglǎo shōuxià.
Here is a piece of silver. Please accept it, Abbot.
- Abbot Faben 这么多？那我一定给你找一间安静的房间。
Zhème duō? Nà wǒ yídìng gěi nǐ zhǎo yì jiān ānjìng de fángjiān.
So much? Then I'll be sure to find you a quiet room.
- Hongniang 长老！老夫人让我来问：给相国念经，是哪一天？
Zhǎnglǎo! Lǎo fūrén ràng wǒ lái wèn: gěi xiàngguó niànjīng, shì nǎ yì tiān?
Abbot! Madam sent me to ask which day the chanting for the Chief Minister will be.
- Abbot Faben 就在明天，二月十五的晚上。
Jiù zài míngtiān, èryuè shíwǔ de wǎnshang.
Tomorrow, on the evening of the fifteenth of the second month.
- Hongniang 好。过了明天，我们小姐就不用穿白衣服了。
Hǎo. Guò le míngtiān, wǒmen xiǎojiě jiù bú yòng chuān bái yīfu le.
Good. After tomorrow, our young lady won't have to wear white anymore.
- Zhang Sheng 长老，我的父母也都去世了……我也想请您，给他们念经。
Zhǎnglǎo, wǒ de fùmǔ yě dōu qùshì le… Wǒ yě xiǎng qǐng nín, gěi tāmen niànjīng.
Abbot, my parents have passed away too... I'd like to ask you to chant for them as well.
- Abbot Faben 好。明天晚上，我们也给你的父亲、母亲念经。
Hǎo. Míngtiān wǎnshang, wǒmen yě gěi nǐ de fùqīn, mǔqīn niànjīng.
Very well. Tomorrow night we'll chant for your father and mother too.
- Zhang Sheng 谢谢长老！这些钱，也请您收下。
Xièxie zhǎnglǎo! Zhèxiē qián, yě qǐng nín shōuxià.
Thank you, Abbot! Please accept this money as well.
- Narrator 红娘走了出去，张生也跟了出去。
Hóngniáng zǒu le chūqu, Zhāng Shēng yě gēn le chūqu.
Hongniang went out, and Zhang Sheng followed her out.
- Zhang Sheng 红娘，请等一等！
Hóngniáng, qǐng děng yi děng!
Hongniang, please wait a moment!
- Hongniang 你怎么知道我叫红娘？
Nǐ zěnme zhīdào wǒ jiào Hóngniáng?
How do you know my name is Hongniang?
- Zhang Sheng 昨天你家小姐叫你，我听见了。
Zuótiān nǐ jiā xiǎojiě jiào nǐ, wǒ tīngjiàn le.
Yesterday your young lady called you, and I heard.
- Zhang Sheng 我叫张君瑞，洛阳人，今年二十三岁，正月里半夜生的，还没有结婚！
Wǒ jiào Zhāng Jūnruì, Luòyáng rén, jīnnián èrshísān suì, zhēngyuè li bànyè shēng de, hái méiyǒu jiéhūn!
My name is Zhang Junrui, I'm from Luoyang, I'm twenty-three, I was born at midnight in the first month, and I've never been married!
- Hongniang 谁问你了？
Shéi wèn nǐ le?
Who asked you?
- Zhang Sheng 我想让你知道。
Wǒ xiǎng ràng nǐ zhīdào.
I wanted you to know.
- Hongniang 先生，你听好了：我们老夫人管得很严。
Xiānsheng, nǐ tīng hǎo le: wǒmen Lǎo fūrén guǎn de hěn yán.
Listen carefully, sir: Madam is very strict.
- Hongniang 家里的男孩子过了十二岁，不叫，就不能进来。
Jiā li de nánháizi guò le shí'èr suì, bú jiào, jiù bù néng jìnlai.
In our house, no boy over twelve may come in unless he's called.
- Zhang Sheng 那……我已经二十三了。
Nà… wǒ yǐjīng èrshísān le.
But... I'm already twenty-three.
- Hongniang 那你就别想了！有一次小姐自己走出房间，老夫人还生了很大的气呢。
Nà nǐ jiù bié xiǎng le! Yǒu yí cì xiǎojiě zìjǐ zǒu chū fángjiān, Lǎo fūrén hái shēng le hěn dà de qì ne.
Then you can forget it! Once Miss stepped out of her room on her own, and even that made Madam furious.
- Hongniang 你是外人，还是去读你的书吧！
Nǐ shì wàirén, háishi qù dú nǐ de shū ba!
You're an outsider. You'd better go and read your books!
- Zhang Sheng 她生气了……可是她记住我的名字了！
Tā shēngqì le… kěshì tā jìzhù wǒ de míngzi le!
She's angry... but she remembered my name!
- Abbot Faben 先生，你的房间在这儿，就在塔的旁边。
Xiānsheng, nǐ de fángjiān zài zhèr, jiù zài tǎ de pángbiān.
Here's your room, sir, right beside the pagoda.
- Abbot Faben 墙那边，是老夫人的花园。很安静，好读书。
Qiáng nàbiān, shì Lǎo fūrén de huāyuán. Hěn ānjìng, hǎo dúshū.
On the other side of the wall is Madam Cui's garden. It's nice and quiet, good for studying.
- Facong 先生，读书的时候，眼睛要看书，别看墙！
Xiānsheng, dúshū de shíhou, yǎnjing yào kàn shū, bié kàn qiáng!
Sir, when you study, keep your eyes on your books, not on the wall!
- Zhang Sheng 她就在墙那边……我的心早就飞过去了。可是我，怎么过去呢？
Tā jiù zài qiáng nàbiān… wǒ de xīn zǎo jiù fēi guòqù le. Kěshì wǒ, zěnme guòqù ne?
She's just on the other side of the wall... My heart flew over long ago. But how do I get across?
What changed in the story?
- What does Zhang Sheng give Abbot Faben for a room?
“这是一块银子，请长老收下”
- When does Abbot Faben say the chanting for the Chief Minister will be?
“就在明天，二月十五的晚上”
- What will change for Yingying after tomorrow, according to Hongniang?
“过了明天，我们小姐就不用穿白衣服了”
- Which boys can't come in unless they're called, according to Hongniang?
“家里的男孩子过了十二岁，不叫，就不能进来”
- Where is Zhang Sheng's room at the temple?
“你的房间在这儿，就在塔的旁边”