World classic, retold in simple Mandarin
Sherlock Holmes: The Blue Carbuncle
福尔摩斯：蓝宝石
Sherlock Holmes: The Blue Carbuncle (福尔摩斯：蓝宝石, Fú'ěrmósī: lán bǎoshí) is a classic by Arthur Conan Doyle, retold in simple Mandarin as a 4-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 2 (Elementary).
Retold from Arthur Conan Doyle's Christmas classic: an old hat, a Christmas goose and a stolen blue gem lead Sherlock Holmes on a merry chase through London.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — The warm storyteller who sets the scene.
- Sherlock Holmes · 福尔摩斯 — A sharp, playful detective who reads clues in a hat.
- Dr. Watson · 华生 — Holmes's kind, loyal friend, always a step behind.
- Peterson · 彼得森 — An honest messenger whose Christmas goose holds a surprise.
- Mr. Baker · 贝克 — A poor gentleman who lost his hat and his goose.
- The Innkeeper · 酒馆老板 — A proud innkeeper who runs a Christmas goose club.
- Mr. Breckinridge · 布雷 — A loud, grumpy goose seller in Covent Garden.
- James Ryder · 赖德 — A nervous hotel worker who is hiding a terrible secret.
4 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Hat and the Goose
帽子和鹅
Two days after Christmas, a battered hat and a goose lead Holmes to a stolen blue stone hidden where no one would look. Who put it there?
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Chapter 2: Mr. Baker's Goose
贝克先生的鹅
A shivering gentleman comes for his hat and his goose, but the goose is gone. Holmes follows its trail to a noisy inn.
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Chapter 3: The Night Market
夜里的市场
At a busy market stall, Holmes trades a pound for a name. Then a pale, trembling stranger starts asking about the very same geese.
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Chapter 4: The Christmas Gift
圣诞节的礼物
In the warm light of Baker Street, a frightened man tells the truth about the gem and the goose. Holmes decides what Christmas is for.
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Key words in Sherlock Holmes: The Blue Carbuncle
Behind the story
"The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" was written by Arthur Conan Doyle and published in 1892. It is one of the Christmas stories in the Sherlock Holmes collection, and it is famous for being warm and funny as well as clever.
Chinese readers know the detective as 福尔摩斯 and have loved the stories for over a hundred years. Translations first appeared in China in 1896, and 福尔摩斯探案集 is still a favorite in bookshops and school libraries.
Did you know?
- A carbuncle is an old word for a deep red or blue gem; in this story it is a blue stone stolen from a countess.
- In Victorian England, poor families often paid into a "goose club" at a pub all year, so they could have a goose for Christmas dinner.
- Holmes lets the thief go at the end because it is Christmas, the season of forgiveness.