The Cat Teaches the Tiger · chapter 2 of 3
The Best Student
最好的学生
The tiger learns to hide and to jump, and soon he is the best student ever. Then his stomach growls, and he looks at his teacher in a strange new way.
Read what you hear
- Cat 第二课，藏。老虎，你藏到草里去。
Dì èr kè, cáng. Lǎohǔ, nǐ cáng dào cǎo lǐ qù.
Second lesson: hiding. Tiger, hide in the grass.
- Tiger 好！我藏好了。老师，你看得到我吗？
Hǎo! Wǒ cáng hǎo le. Lǎoshī, nǐ kàn de dào wǒ ma?
Okay! I'm hidden. Teacher, can you see me?
- Cat 我能看到你的尾巴。
Wǒ néng kàndào nǐ de wěiba.
I can see your tail.
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Cat Teaches the Tiger 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.
- Tiger 啊？我的尾巴太大了！怎么办？
Á? Wǒ de wěiba tài dà le! Zěnme bàn?
What? My tail is too big! What do I do?
- Cat 尾巴放低。想一想，你是草。
Wěiba fàng dī. Xiǎng yi xiǎng, nǐ shì cǎo.
Put your tail down. Think: you are grass.
- Tiger 我是草……我是草……我是小草。
Wǒ shì cǎo… wǒ shì cǎo… wǒ shì xiǎo cǎo.
I'm grass… I'm grass… I'm little grass.
- Cat 很好！我走过去了。你别动。
Hěn hǎo! Wǒ zǒu guòqù le. Nǐ bié dòng.
Very good! I'm walking past now. Don't move.
- Tiger 我不动，我不动……啊……我想打喷嚏！
Wǒ bú dòng, wǒ bú dòng… ā… wǒ xiǎng dǎ pēntì!
I won't move, I won't move… ah… I need to sneeze!
- Cat 哈哈！草不会打喷嚏！
Hāhā! Cǎo bú huì dǎ pēntì!
Ha ha! Grass doesn't sneeze!
- Tiger 对不起，老师。我太笨了，草里还有小虫。
Duìbuqǐ, lǎoshī. Wǒ tài bèn le, cǎo lǐ hái yǒu xiǎo chóng.
Sorry, Teacher. I'm so clumsy, and there are bugs in the grass.
- Cat 再来一次。这次别想小虫，想想草。
Zài lái yí cì. Zhè cì bié xiǎng xiǎo chóng, xiǎngxiang cǎo.
Try again. This time, don't think about bugs. Think about grass.
- Tiger 好。我不动，不打喷嚏，不理小虫……老师？你在哪儿？
Hǎo. Wǒ bú dòng, bù dǎ pēntì, bù lǐ xiǎo chóng… Lǎoshī? Nǐ zài nǎr?
Okay. I won't move, I won't sneeze, I won't mind the bugs… Teacher? Where are you?
- Cat 我在你后面！你藏得很好了！
Wǒ zài nǐ hòumiàn! Nǐ cáng de hěn hǎo le!
I'm right behind you! You hide very well now!
- Cat 第三课，跳。前面有一条河。
Dì sān kè, tiào. Qiánmiàn yǒu yì tiáo hé.
Third lesson: jumping. There's a river ahead.
- Tiger 这条河好大！我会掉进去的！我不会游泳！
Zhè tiáo hé hǎo dà! Wǒ huì diào jìnqù de! Wǒ bú huì yóuyǒng!
This river is so big! I'll fall in! I can't swim!
- Cat 不会。腿用力，眼睛看前面。
Bú huì. Tuǐ yònglì, yǎnjing kàn qiánmiàn.
No, you won't. Push with your legs and look ahead.
- Tiger 一，二，三……跳！
Yī, èr, sān… tiào!
One, two, three… jump!
- Tiger 好冷！我掉进河里了！
Hǎo lěng! Wǒ diào jìn hé lǐ le!
So cold! I fell in the river!
- Cat 别怕。再来一次。腿要用力！
Bié pà. Zài lái yí cì. Tuǐ yào yònglì!
Don't be afraid. Try again. Use your legs!
- Tiger 一，二，三……跳！我跳过来了！
Yī, èr, sān… tiào! Wǒ tiào guòlái le!
One, two, three… jump! I made it across!
- Cat 太好了！你是我最好的学生！
Tài hǎo le! Nǐ shì wǒ zuì hǎo de xuésheng!
Wonderful! You are my best student!
- Tiger 我是最好的老虎！我会扑，会藏，会跳！我不笨了！
Wǒ shì zuì hǎo de lǎohǔ! Wǒ huì pū, huì cáng, huì tiào! Wǒ bú bèn le!
I'm the best tiger! I can pounce, hide and jump! I'm not clumsy anymore!
- Cat 你学得真快。老师很高兴。
Nǐ xué de zhēn kuài. Lǎoshī hěn gāoxìng.
You learn so fast. Your teacher is very happy.
- Tiger 老师……我的肚子在叫。
Lǎoshī… wǒ de dùzi zài jiào.
Teacher… my stomach is growling.
- Cat 你饿了？森林里有很多好吃的。
Nǐ è le? Sēnlín lǐ yǒu hěn duō hǎochī de.
You're hungry? There's plenty of good food in the forest.
- Tiger 可是我的肚子说，我只想吃一样东西。
Kěshì wǒ de dùzi shuō, wǒ zhǐ xiǎng chī yí yàng dōngxi.
But my stomach says I only want to eat one thing.
- Cat 什么东西？
Shénme dōngxi?
What thing?
- Tiger 你，老师！你看起来……很好吃。
Nǐ, lǎoshī! Nǐ kàn qǐlái… hěn hǎochī.
You, Teacher! You look… delicious.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What can the cat see when the tiger hides?
“我能看到你的尾巴。”
- Why does the tiger's hiding go wrong the first time?
“我不动，我不动……啊……我想打喷嚏！”
- What happens on the tiger's first jump over the river?
“好冷！我掉进河里了！”
- What does the cat call the tiger?
“你是我最好的学生！”
- What does the tiger say at the end?
“你，老师！你看起来……很好吃。”