Romance of the Western Chamber · chapter 6 of 21
Who Dares Go?
谁敢去
The bandits' drums are still beating, and Zhang Sheng has just promised to drive five thousand men away. Now Madam Cui wants to know how.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 五千个强盗还围在寺外。老夫人答应了：谁打跑他们，莺莺就嫁给谁。
Wǔqiān gè qiángdào hái wéi zài sì wài. Lǎo fūrén dāying le: shéi dǎ pǎo tāmen, Yīngyīng jiù jià gěi shéi.
Five thousand bandits still surrounded the temple. Madam Cui had given her word: whoever drove them away would marry Yingying.
- Madam Cui 先生，三天以后，他们就要烧寺，还要杀我们。你一个人，有什么办法？
Xiānsheng, sān tiān yǐhòu, tāmen jiù yào shāo sì, hái yào shā wǒmen. Nǐ yí gè rén, yǒu shénme bànfǎ?
Sir, in three days they will burn the temple and kill us. You are one man. What can you do?
- Zhang Sheng 老夫人，您别害怕。白马将军杜确，就像我的哥哥一样！
Lǎo fūrén, nín bié hàipà. Báimǎ jiāngjūn Dù Què, jiù xiàng wǒ de gēge yíyàng!
Madam, don't be afraid. Du Que, the White Horse General, is like an elder brother to me!
Chapter 6 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 将军？那他有兵吗？
Jiāngjūn? Nà tā yǒu bīng ma?
A general? Then does he have soldiers?
- Zhang Sheng 他有十万兵，就在蒲关，离这儿只有四十五里！
Tā yǒu shíwàn bīng, jiù zài Pú Guān, lí zhèr zhǐ yǒu sìshíwǔ lǐ!
He has a hundred thousand soldiers at Pu Pass, only forty-five li from here!
- Madam Cui 那你快写信，请他来救我们！
Nà nǐ kuài xiě xìn, qǐng tā lái jiù wǒmen!
Then write to him quickly, and ask him to come and save us!
- Zhang Sheng 好！长老，请您先去跟强盗说：小姐答应了，三天以后就出来。
Hǎo! Zhǎnglǎo, qǐng nín xiān qù gēn qiángdào shuō: xiǎojiě dāying le, sān tiān yǐhòu jiù chūlai.
Right! Abbot, first please go and tell the bandits: the young lady has agreed, and she'll come out in three days.
- Abbot Faben 让我去跟强盗说话？
Ràng wǒ qù gēn qiángdào shuōhuà?
You want me to go and talk to the bandits?
- Zhang Sheng 您放心。今天，他们最爱听您说话！
Nín fàngxīn. Jīntiān, tāmen zuì ài tīng nín shuōhuà!
Don't worry. Today there's nothing they'd love more than to hear you talk!
- Abbot Faben 将军，小姐答应了！可是她还在为父亲难过，请您等三天。
Jiāngjūn, xiǎojiě dāying le! Kěshì tā hái zài wèi fùqīn nánguò, qǐng nín děng sān tiān.
General, the young lady has agreed! But she is still grieving for her father, so please wait three days.
- Sun Feihu 老和尚，三天以后，她真的出来？
Lǎo héshang, sān tiān yǐhòu, tā zhēn de chūlai?
Old monk, in three days she'll really come out?
- Abbot Faben 真的。她会穿着漂亮的衣服，带着很多东西出来。
Zhēn de. Tā huì chuānzhe piàoliang de yīfu, dàizhe hěn duō dōngxi chūlai.
Truly. She'll come out in pretty clothes, bringing many things with her.
- Sun Feihu 好，我就等三天！像我这么听话的女婿，你们去哪儿找？
Hǎo, wǒ jiù děng sān tiān! Xiàng wǒ zhème tīnghuà de nǚxu, nǐmen qù nǎr zhǎo?
Fine, I'll wait three days! Where else will you find a son-in-law who does as he's told?
- Zhang Sheng 信写好了！可是强盗把寺围了，谁能送出去呢？
Xìn xiě hǎo le! Kěshì qiángdào bǎ sì wéi le, shéi néng sòng chūqu ne?
The letter's written! But the bandits have the temple surrounded. Who can get it out?
- Abbot Faben 寺里有个和尚，叫惠明。他不爱念经，只爱喝酒吃肉，谁都不怕。
Sì li yǒu gè héshang, jiào Huìmíng. Tā bú ài niàn jīng, zhǐ ài hē jiǔ chī ròu, shéi dōu bú pà.
There's a monk here called Huiming. He doesn't care for chanting. He only likes wine and meat, and he's afraid of nobody.
- Zhang Sheng 就是他了！
Jiù shì tā le!
He's the one!
- Abbot Faben 可是你请他，他不去。你说没人敢去，他马上就去！
Kěshì nǐ qǐng tā, tā bú qù. Nǐ shuō méi rén gǎn qù, tā mǎshàng jiù qù!
But if you ask him, he won't go. Say nobody dares, and he'll go at once!
- Zhang Sheng 这封信，要送到蒲关去！谁敢去？
Zhè fēng xìn, yào sòng dào Pú Guān qù! Shéi gǎn qù?
This letter has to go to Pu Pass! Who dares take it?
- Huiming 我敢去！书生，信给我！五千个强盗，我一个人就够了！
Wǒ gǎn qù! Shūshēng, xìn gěi wǒ! Wǔqiān gè qiángdào, wǒ yí gè rén jiù gòu le!
I dare! Scholar, give me that letter! Five thousand bandits? I'm enough on my own!
- Zhang Sheng 惠明，把信交给杜将军，请他快来救我们！
Huìmíng, bǎ xìn jiāo gěi Dù jiāngjūn, qǐng tā kuài lái jiù wǒmen!
Huiming, give the letter to General Du, and ask him to come quickly and save us!
- Narrator 惠明一个人跑了出去。两天以后，天快亮的时候，来了很多兵和马。
Huìmíng yí gè rén pǎo le chūqu. Liǎng tiān yǐhòu, tiān kuài liàng de shíhou, lái le hěn duō bīng hé mǎ.
Huiming ran out alone. Two days later, just before dawn, a great many soldiers and horses came.
- Du Que 我是白马将军杜确！谁敢烧寺？还不快走！
Wǒ shì Báimǎ jiāngjūn Dù Què! Shéi gǎn shāo sì? Hái bú kuài zǒu!
I am Du Que, the White Horse General! Who dares burn this temple? Get out, now!
- Sun Feihu 杜将军，别杀我！我以后不敢了！
Dù jiāngjūn, bié shā wǒ! Wǒ yǐhòu bù gǎn le!
General Du, don't kill me! I won't dare do it again!
- Du Que 孙飞虎，今天不杀你。带着你的人，回去吧！
Sūn Fēihǔ, jīntiān bù shā nǐ. Dàizhe nǐ de rén, huíqu ba!
Sun Feihu, I won't kill you today. Take your men and go back!
- Zhang Sheng 杜大哥！你真的来了！
Dù dàgē! Nǐ zhēn de lái le!
Brother Du! You really came!
- Du Que 君瑞！看了你的信，我们的马跑了一夜！
Jūnruì! Kàn le nǐ de xìn, wǒmen de mǎ pǎo le yí yè!
Junrui! Once I read your letter, our horses ran all night!
- Zhang Sheng 老夫人说了：谁打跑强盗，小姐就嫁给谁！
Lǎo fūrén shuō le: shéi dǎ pǎo qiángdào, xiǎojiě jiù jià gěi shéi!
Madam gave her word: whoever drives the bandits away, the young lady will marry him!
- Du Que 这么说，你要当女婿了！老夫人要是说话算话，我就等着喝你的喜酒！
Zhème shuō, nǐ yào dāng nǚxu le! Lǎo fūrén yàoshi shuōhuà suànhuà, wǒ jiù děngzhe hē nǐ de xǐjiǔ!
So you're going to be a son-in-law! If Madam keeps her word, I'll be waiting to drink at your wedding!
- Madam Cui 将军，谢谢您救了我们一家。
Jiāngjūn, xièxie nín jiù le wǒmen yì jiā.
General, thank you for saving our whole family.
- Madam Cui 先生，以后你住在我们家的书房吧。明天我让红娘请你吃饭，有些事要和你说说。
Xiānsheng, yǐhòu nǐ zhù zài wǒmen jiā de shūfáng ba. Míngtiān wǒ ràng Hóngniáng qǐng nǐ chī fàn, yǒuxiē shì yào hé nǐ shuōshuo.
Sir, from now on, stay in our family's study. Tomorrow I'll have Hongniang invite you to a meal. There are some things we must talk over.
- Zhang Sheng 有些事要说……一定是要我和小姐结婚了！
Yǒuxiē shì yào shuō… yídìng shì yào wǒ hé xiǎojiě jiéhūn le!
Some things to talk over... it must be my wedding to the young lady!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Who does Zhang Sheng say is like an elder brother to him?
“白马将军杜确，就像我的哥哥一样”
- What does Abbot Faben tell Sun Feihu?
“将军，小姐答应了！……请您等三天”
- How does Faben say Zhang Sheng can get Huiming to go?
“你说没人敢去，他马上就去”
- What does Du Que say he will do if Madam Cui keeps her word?
“老夫人要是说话算话，我就等着喝你的喜酒”
- Where does Madam Cui tell Zhang Sheng to stay from now on?
“以后你住在我们家的书房吧”