Romeo and Juliet · chapter 4 of 6
The Hot Day
热得要命的一天
On the hottest day of summer, Tybalt hunts for Romeo in the square. Romeo begs for peace, but his friend has already drawn a sword.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天中午，维罗纳热极了。
Nà tiān zhōngwǔ, Wéiluónà rè jí le.
That noon, Verona was scorching hot.
- Benvolio 太热了。我们回家吧。热天里，人的脾气最坏，很容易吵架。
Tài rè le. Wǒmen huíjiā ba. Rètiān lǐ, rén de píqi zuì huài, hěn róngyì chǎojià.
It's too hot. Let's go home. In hot weather people lose their tempers and start quarrels.
- Mercutio 你才容易吵架呢！上个月，你为了一个鸡蛋跟人吵了一个小时！
Nǐ cái róngyì chǎojià ne! Shàng gè yuè, nǐ wèile yí gè jīdàn gēn rén chǎo le yí gè xiǎoshí!
You're the one who quarrels! Last month you argued for an hour over a single egg!
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Romeo and Juliet is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Benvolio 那是因为他说我的鸡蛋是臭的！
Nà shì yīnwèi tā shuō wǒ de jīdàn shì chòu de!
That's because he said my egg was rotten!
- Mercutio 你们看，连太阳都在生气！今天什么事都会发生。
Nǐmen kàn, lián tàiyáng dōu zài shēngqì! Jīntiān shénme shì dōu huì fāshēng.
Look, even the sun is angry! Anything could happen today.
- Tybalt 蒙太古家的朋友们。罗密欧在哪儿？
Méngtàigǔ jiā de péngyoumen. Luómì'ōu zài nǎr?
Friends of the Montagues. Where is Romeo?
- Mercutio 提伯尔特！你的脸这么红，是天气太热，还是你太生气？
Tíbó'ěrtè! Nǐ de liǎn zhème hóng, shì tiānqì tài rè, háishi nǐ tài shēngqì?
Tybalt! Your face is so red. Is it the weather, or are you just that angry?
- Tybalt 那天晚上，他戴着面具，来我们家的舞会。我要他给我一个说法！
Nà tiān wǎnshang, tā dàizhe miànjù, lái wǒmen jiā de wǔhuì. Wǒ yào tā gěi wǒ yí gè shuōfǎ!
That night he wore a mask and came to our party. I want an explanation from him!
- Romeo 各位好。提伯尔特，我不想跟你吵架。
Gèwèi hǎo. Tíbó'ěrtè, wǒ bù xiǎng gēn nǐ chǎojià.
Hello, everyone. Tybalt, I don't want to quarrel with you.
- Tybalt 你这个小偷，来偷我家的舞会！拿起你的剑！
Nǐ zhège xiǎotōu, lái tōu wǒ jiā de wǔhuì! Ná qǐ nǐ de jiàn!
You thief, sneaking into my family's party! Pick up your sword!
- Romeo 我不是你的敌人。我爱你们的家，比你想的多。以后你就明白了。
Wǒ bú shì nǐ de dírén. Wǒ ài nǐmen de jiā, bǐ nǐ xiǎng de duō. Yǐhòu nǐ jiù míngbai le.
I'm not your enemy. I care for your family more than you think. You'll understand one day.
- Mercutio 什么？罗密欧，你怕他吗？这太丢脸了！
Shénme? Luómì'ōu, nǐ pà tā ma? Zhè tài diūliǎn le!
What? Romeo, are you afraid of him? This is so embarrassing!
- Mercutio 提伯尔特，你要打的话，我来陪你！
Tíbó'ěrtè, nǐ yào dǎ de huà, wǒ lái péi nǐ!
Tybalt, if you want a fight, I'll give you one!
- Romeo 茂丘西奥，别打！请你们都把剑放下！
Màoqiūxī'ào, bié dǎ! Qǐng nǐmen dōu bǎ jiàn fàng xià!
Mercutio, don't! Please, both of you, put your swords down!
- Tybalt 来吧，话多的人。我们去墙后面。
Lái ba, huà duō de rén. Wǒmen qù qiáng hòumiàn.
Come on, big talker. Let's go behind the wall.
- Mercutio 好啊。罗密欧，你别过来。我很快回来，请你喝酒！
Hǎo a. Luómì'ōu, nǐ bié guòlái. Wǒ hěn kuài huílái, qǐng nǐ hē jiǔ!
Fine. Romeo, stay here. I'll be back soon, and I'll buy you a drink!
- Romeo 天啊……他们走了。我心里好不安。
Tiān a… tāmen zǒu le. Wǒ xīnlǐ hǎo bù'ān.
Oh no... they're gone. I feel so uneasy.
- Benvolio 罗密欧……茂丘西奥……他不在了。
Luómì'ōu… Màoqiūxī'ào… tā bú zài le.
Romeo... Mercutio... he's gone.
- Romeo 他是为了我才打的！我的朋友……
Tā shì wèile wǒ cái dǎ de! Wǒ de péngyou…
He fought for my sake! My friend...
- Romeo 他说过，他要请我喝酒……他还笑着说……
Tā shuō guo, tā yào qǐng wǒ hē jiǔ… tā hái xiàozhe shuō…
He said he'd buy me a drink... he even said it laughing...
- Romeo 提伯尔特在哪里？我不要再等了！
Tíbó'ěrtè zài nǎlǐ? Wǒ bú yào zài děng le!
Where is Tybalt? I won't wait any longer!
- Narrator 在墙后面，罗密欧和提伯尔特打了起来。提伯尔特没有再站起来。
Zài qiáng hòumiàn, Luómì'ōu hé Tíbó'ěrtè dǎ le qǐlái. Tíbó'ěrtè méiyǒu zài zhàn qǐlái.
Behind the wall, Romeo and Tybalt fought. Tybalt did not get up again.
- Romeo 我做了什么？提伯尔特……是朱丽叶的亲人啊！
Wǒ zuò le shénme? Tíbó'ěrtè… shì Zhūlìyè de qīnrén a!
What have I done? Tybalt... he was Juliet's family!
- Benvolio 快走，罗密欧！人们都来了，亲王也来了！
Kuài zǒu, Luómì'ōu! Rénmen dōu lái le, qīnwáng yě lái le!
Run, Romeo! People are coming, and the Prince too!
- The Prince 是谁先动的剑？班伏里奥，你说。
Shì shéi xiān dòng de jiàn? Bānfúlǐ'ào, nǐ shuō.
Who drew a sword first? Benvolio, you tell me.
- Benvolio 是提伯尔特先动手，茂丘西奥是为朋友打的。罗密欧本来想劝他们。
Shì Tíbó'ěrtè xiān dòngshǒu, Màoqiūxī'ào shì wèi péngyou dǎ de. Luómì'ōu běnlái xiǎng quàn tāmen.
Tybalt started it, and Mercutio fought for his friend. Romeo tried to stop them.
- The Prince 罗密欧，你劝过他们，我记得。可是你必须离开维罗纳，天亮以前就走。你要是回来，就没有办法了。
Luómì'ōu, nǐ quàn guo tāmen, wǒ jìde. Kěshì nǐ bìxū líkāi Wéiluónà, tiān liàng yǐqián jiù zǒu. Nǐ yàoshi huílái, jiù méiyǒu bànfǎ le.
Romeo, you tried to stop them, and I remember that. But you must leave Verona, before sunrise. If you come back, there will be no mercy.
- Romeo 离开维罗纳……就是离开朱丽叶。这比什么都难受。
Líkāi Wéiluónà… jiùshì líkāi Zhūlìyè. Zhè bǐ shénme dōu nánshòu.
Leaving Verona means leaving Juliet. Nothing hurts more.
- Benvolio 去神父那里吧。他一定会帮你想办法。
Qù shénfu nàlǐ ba. Tā yídìng huì bāng nǐ xiǎng bànfǎ.
Go to the friar. He'll surely help you find a way.
- Romeo 朱丽叶还不知道这一切。我要怎么对她说？
Zhūlìyè hái bù zhīdào zhè yíqiè. Wǒ yào zěnme duì tā shuō?
Juliet doesn't know any of this yet. How can I tell her?
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What silly quarrel does Mercutio tease Benvolio about?
“你为了一个鸡蛋跟人吵了一个小时”
- Why does Romeo refuse to fight Tybalt?
“我不想跟你吵架……我不是你的敌人”
- Who steps forward to fight Tybalt instead?
“提伯尔特，你要打的话，我来陪你”
- What does Romeo realize after the fight?
“提伯尔特……是朱丽叶的亲人啊”
- What does the Prince decide about Romeo?
“你必须离开维罗纳，天亮以前就走”