Traditional Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin
The Carp and the Dragon Gate
鲤鱼跳龙门
The Carp and the Dragon Gate (鲤鱼跳龙门, Lǐyú tiào lóngmén) is a Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin as a 3-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 1 (Beginner).
Retold from the Chinese legend of the Yellow River: a small red carp keeps leaping a great waterfall to become a dragon, while her friends find funny reasons to quit.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — The warm grandfather storyteller.
- Xiao Hong · 小红 — A small red carp who never stops trying.
- Pang Pang · 胖胖 — A chubby golden carp who loves food and naps.
- Lan Lan · 蓝蓝 — A thin blue carp who is afraid of everything.
- Grandpa Turtle · 龟爷爷 — A very old turtle who has seen the Dragon Gate.
- Red Dragon (Xiao Hong) · 红龙 — Xiao Hong after she leaps the Dragon Gate.
3 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Red Carp and the Old Turtle
红鲤鱼和老龟
A little red carp dreams of the Dragon Gate, where a carp who jumps becomes a dragon. Her friends laugh, until an old turtle tells her how high it is.
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Chapter 2: The Friends Give Up
朋友回家了
The river gets fast and Xiao Hong's friends have excuses. She reaches the great waterfall alone, and thunder rolls in.
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Chapter 3: The Leap
跳过龙门
In a thunderstorm at the foot of the Dragon Gate, Xiao Hong tries one more time. Will she make it over?
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Key words in The Carp and the Dragon Gate
Behind the story
The carp leaping the Dragon Gate is a very old Chinese legend. It says that carp swim up the Yellow River each spring, and the one that jumps the Dragon Gate waterfall turns into a dragon.
Today the saying 鲤鱼跳龙门 is used for someone who works hard and rises in life, such as a student who does well on a big exam. Carp are also painted on New Year pictures and cards.
Did you know?
- The words 鱼 and 余 sound the same (yú), so a carp picture means “may you have more than enough every year”.
- The Dragon Gate is said to be on the Yellow River, the second-longest river in China.
- Carp really do swim upstream, which may be why the legend began.