Strange Tales for Beginners · chapter 5 of 5
The Painted Wall
画里的花园
Scholar Zhu can't stop looking at a girl in a wall painting. One day she looks back, and the painted garden opens like a door.
Read what you hear
- The Old Monk 朱先生，请看。这是我们庙里的大画。
Zhū xiānsheng, qǐng kàn. Zhè shì wǒmen miàolǐ de dà huà.
Mr. Zhu, please look. This is our temple's big painting.
- Mr. Zhu 哇！好大的画！好多花！好多女孩！
Wā! Hǎo dà de huà! Hǎoduō huā! Hǎoduō nǚhái!
Wow! What a big painting! So many flowers! So many girls!
- The Old Monk 你慢慢看。我去做饭。
Nǐ mànmàn kàn. Wǒ qù zuòfàn.
Take your time. I'll go cook.
Chapter 5 is part of SayMei Stories Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1 and 2 of Strange Tales for Beginners are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Mr. Zhu 这个女孩最好看。她的头发上，有一朵红花。
Zhège nǚhái zuì hǎokàn. Tā de tóufa shàng, yǒu yì duǒ hóng huā.
This girl is the prettiest. She has a red flower in her hair.
- Mr. Zhu 她在笑。她在看我吗？
Tā zài xiào. Tā zài kàn wǒ ma?
She's smiling. Is she looking at me?
- Mr. Zhu 你好……你叫什么名字？
Nǐ hǎo…… nǐ jiào shénme míngzi?
Hello... what's your name?
- Mr. Zhu 咦？花在动……我怎么在飞？
Yí? Huā zài dòng…… wǒ zěnme zài fēi?
Huh? The flowers are moving... why am I flying?
- Yu'er 你好，先生。你是谁？
Nǐ hǎo, xiānsheng. Nǐ shì shuí?
Hello, sir. Who are you?
- Mr. Zhu 我是朱先生。这是哪儿？你是……画里的女孩？
Wǒ shì Zhū xiānsheng. Zhè shì nǎr? Nǐ shì…… huà lǐ de nǚhái?
I'm Mr. Zhu. Where is this? Are you... the girl in the painting?
- Yu'er 我是玉儿。这里是画里的花园。
Wǒ shì Yù'er. Zhèlǐ shì huà lǐ de huāyuán.
I'm Yu'er. This is the garden inside the painting.
- Mr. Zhu 我在画里？太奇怪了！可是，这里真好看。
Wǒ zài huà lǐ? Tài qíguài le! Kěshì, zhèlǐ zhēn hǎokàn.
I'm inside the painting? How strange! But it's so beautiful here.
- Yu'er 你看我，看了很久。我知道。
Nǐ kàn wǒ, kàn le hěn jiǔ. Wǒ zhīdào.
You looked at me for a long time. I know.
- Mr. Zhu 对不起！可是你真好看。
Duìbuqǐ! Kěshì nǐ zhēn hǎokàn.
I'm sorry! But you really are beautiful.
- Yu'er 来，我带你看我的花园。这里有花，有鸟，有很大的树。
Lái, wǒ dài nǐ kàn wǒ de huāyuán. Zhèlǐ yǒu huā, yǒu niǎo, yǒu hěndà de shù.
Come, I'll show you the garden. There are flowers, birds and big trees.
- The Guard 谁在这里？有人进来了吗？
Shuí zài zhèlǐ? Yǒurén jìnlái le ma?
Who's there? Has someone come in?
- Yu'er 嘘！朱先生，快藏起来！
Xū! Zhū xiānsheng, kuài cáng qǐlái!
Shh! Mr. Zhu, hide quickly!
- Mr. Zhu 我藏在哪儿？
Wǒ cáng zài nǎr?
Where do I hide?
- Yu'er 在我后面。别说话。
Zài wǒ hòumiàn. Bié shuōhuà.
Behind me. Don't say a word.
- The Guard 没有人？奇怪……我再看看。
Méiyǒu rén? Qíguài…… wǒ zài kànkan.
Nobody? Strange... I'll look again.
- Yu'er 他走了。你没事吧？
Tā zǒu le. Nǐ méishì ba?
He's gone. Are you all right?
- The Old Monk 朱先生！朱先生！回来吧！
Zhū xiānsheng! Zhū xiānsheng! Huílái ba!
Mr. Zhu! Mr. Zhu! Come back!
- Mr. Zhu 是师父！玉儿，我要回去了。
Shì shīfu! Yù'er, wǒ yào huíqù le.
It's the master! Yu'er, I have to go back.
- Yu'er 去吧。我会一直在这儿等你。
Qù ba. Wǒ huì yìzhí zài zhèr děng nǐ.
Go. I'll always be here waiting for you.
- Mr. Zhu 咦？我在……大厅里？我回来了！
Yí? Wǒ zài…… dàtīng lǐ? Wǒ huílái le!
Huh? I'm... in the hall? I'm back!
- The Old Monk 你站在这儿很久了，一直看着墙。
Nǐ zhàn zài zhèr hěn jiǔ le, yìzhí kànzhe qiáng.
You stood there a long time, staring at the wall.
- Mr. Zhu 师父，画里有一个大花园！有一个女孩，她叫玉儿！
Shīfu, huà lǐ yǒu yí gè dà huāyuán! Yǒu yí gè nǚhái, tā jiào Yù'er!
Master, there's a garden in the painting! There's a girl named Yu'er!
- The Old Monk 你看，她的头发，不一样了。
Nǐ kàn, tā de tóufa, bù yíyàng le.
Look, her hair is different now.
- Mr. Zhu 玉儿，谢谢你。我明天还会来看你！
Yù'er, xièxie nǐ. Wǒ míngtiān hái huì lái kàn nǐ!
Yu'er, thank you. I'll come see you again tomorrow!
- Yu'er 好。我等你，朱先生。
Hǎo. Wǒ děng nǐ, Zhū xiānsheng.
Good. I'll be waiting for you, Mr. Zhu.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does Zhu notice about the girl in the painting?
“她的头发上，有一朵红花。”
- What is the girl's name?
“我是玉儿。这里是画里的花园。”
- What does Yu'er do when the guard comes?
“快藏起来！”……“在我后面。别说话。”
- Who calls Zhu back?
“朱先生！朱先生！回来吧！”
- What has changed in the painting when Zhu returns?
“你看，她的头发，不一样了。”