The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea · chapter 1 of 5
Eight Treasures
八个宝贝
At a party on Penglai, Lü Dongbin dares his friends to cross the Eastern Sea on their own magic treasures. But deep under the sea, someone is watching.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，东海上有一个地方，叫蓬莱。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Dōng Hǎi shàng yǒu yí gè dìfang, jiào Pénglái.
Long, long ago, out on the Eastern Sea, there was a place called Penglai.
- Narrator 这天晚上，蓬莱的花都开了。八个神仙在花下喝酒，人们叫他们“八仙”。
Zhè tiān wǎnshang, Pénglái de huā dōu kāi le. Bā gè shénxiān zài huā xià hē jiǔ, rénmen jiào tāmen “Bāxiān”.
One evening, when every flower on Penglai was in bloom, eight immortals sat drinking wine beneath the blossoms. People called them the Eight Immortals.
- Lü Dongbin 朋友们，再喝一杯！今天的酒，真好喝！
Péngyoumen, zài hē yì bēi! Jīntiān de jiǔ, zhēn hǎohē!
Friends, one more cup! The wine tonight is wonderful!
- He Xiangu 吕洞宾，你已经喝了十杯了！
Lǚ Dòngbīn, nǐ yǐjīng hē le shí bēi le!
Lü Dongbin, you've already had ten cups!
- Lü Dongbin 十杯？我是神仙！十杯不多，二十杯也不多！
Shí bēi? Wǒ shì shénxiān! Shí bēi bù duō, èrshí bēi yě bù duō!
Ten cups? I'm an immortal! Ten is nothing. Twenty is nothing!
- Zhang Guolao 天这么晚了……老张想回家睡觉了。
Tiān zhème wǎn le… Lǎo Zhāng xiǎng huí jiā shuìjiào le.
It's so late… Old Zhang wants to go home to bed.
- He Xiangu 好，那我们坐上白云，一起飞过东海吧。
Hǎo, nà wǒmen zuò shàng bái yún, yìqǐ fēi guò Dōng Hǎi ba.
All right, then let's get on a white cloud and fly home across the Eastern Sea together.
- Lü Dongbin 坐云？太没意思了！今天我们不坐云，也不坐船！
Zuò yún? Tài méi yìsi le! Jīntiān wǒmen bú zuò yún, yě bú zuò chuán!
Ride a cloud? How boring! Tonight we won't ride a cloud, and we won't take a boat either!
- Lan Caihe 那坐什么，坐什么？快说，快说！
Nà zuò shénme, zuò shénme? Kuài shuō, kuài shuō!
Then what do we ride? What do we ride? Tell us, tell us!
- Lü Dongbin 别急，蓝采和！大家都用自己的宝贝过海！
Bié jí, Lán Cǎihé! Dàjiā dōu yòng zìjǐ de bǎobèi guò hǎi!
Easy, Lan Caihe! We each cross the sea on our own treasure!
- Lü Dongbin 八个神仙，八个宝贝。这就叫“八仙过海，各显神通”！
Bā gè shénxiān, bā gè bǎobèi. Zhè jiù jiào “Bāxiān guò hǎi, gè xiǎn shéntōng”!
Eight immortals, eight treasures. We'll call it “The Eight Immortals cross the sea, each with their own magic!”
- Zhang Guolao 好玩！老张第一个说“好”！
Hǎowán! Lǎo Zhāng dì yī gè shuō “hǎo”!
What fun! Old Zhang is the first to say yes!
- He Xiangu 可是天这么黑，海这么大，大家要小心啊。
Kěshì tiān zhème hēi, hǎi zhème dà, dàjiā yào xiǎoxīn a.
But the night is so dark, and the sea is so big. Everyone, be careful.
- Li Tieguai 何仙姑，怕什么！我铁拐李先来！
Hé Xiān'gū, pà shénme! Wǒ Tiěguǎi Lǐ xiān lái!
What's there to be afraid of, He Xiangu? I, Li Tieguai, will go first!
- Narrator 铁拐李把葫芦放在水上。葫芦马上变大了，大得像一条船。
Tiěguǎi Lǐ bǎ húlu fàng zài shuǐ shàng. Húlu mǎshàng biàn dà le, dà de xiàng yì tiáo chuán.
Li Tieguai set his gourd on the water. At once it began to grow, until it was as big as a boat.
- Li Tieguai 怎么样？我的葫芦，就是我的船！
Zěnmeyàng? Wǒ de húlu, jiù shì wǒ de chuán!
How about that? My gourd is my boat!
- Lan Caihe 你们看，你们看！汉钟离坐扇子，韩湘子坐笛子，曹国舅站在玉板上！
Nǐmen kàn, nǐmen kàn! Hàn Zhōnglí zuò shànzi, Hán Xiāngzǐ zuò dízi, Cáo Guójiù zhàn zài yùbǎn shàng!
Look, look! Han Zhongli is riding his fan, Han Xiangzi is riding his flute, and Cao Guojiu is standing on his jade clappers!
- Lü Dongbin 看我的！宝剑，飞！
Kàn wǒ de! Bǎojiàn, fēi!
Watch this! Sword, fly!
- He Xiangu 我的荷花，开吧！
Wǒ de héhuā, kāi ba!
My lotus, open up!
- Lan Caihe 张果老，你呢？你的驴在哪儿？
Zhāng Guǒlǎo, nǐ ne? Nǐ de lǘ zài nǎr?
Zhang Guolao, what about you? Where's your donkey?
- Zhang Guolao 驴？在老张的包里呢！
Lǘ? Zài Lǎo Zhāng de bāo lǐ ne!
My donkey? It's right here in Old Zhang's bag!
- Narrator 张果老拿出一头纸做的小驴。他喝了一口水，对着纸驴一吹……
Zhāng Guǒlǎo ná chū yì tóu zhǐ zuò de xiǎo lǘ. Tā hē le yì kǒu shuǐ, duìzhe zhǐ lǘ yì chuī…
Zhang Guolao took out a little donkey made of paper. He took a mouthful of water and blew it onto the paper donkey…
- Lan Caihe 纸驴变成真驴了！真的，真的！
Zhǐ lǘ biànchéng zhēn lǘ le! Zhēn de, zhēn de!
The paper donkey turned into a real donkey! It's real, it's real!
- Zhang Guolao 纸驴最好！不吃草，不花钱，不用的时候，放在包里就行！
Zhǐ lǘ zuì hǎo! Bù chī cǎo, bù huā qián, bú yòng de shíhou, fàng zài bāo lǐ jiù xíng!
Paper donkeys are the best! They don't eat grass, they don't cost a thing, and when you're done, you just put them back in your bag!
- He Xiangu 张果老，你的驴在水上走得真好！可是你怎么倒着坐？
Zhāng Guǒlǎo, nǐ de lǘ zài shuǐ shàng zǒu de zhēn hǎo! Kěshì nǐ zěnme dàozhe zuò?
Zhang Guolao, your donkey walks on water beautifully! But why are you sitting on it backwards?
- Zhang Guolao 前边有什么好看的？老张就喜欢看后边！后边还有蓝采和呢！
Qiánbian yǒu shénme hǎokàn de? Lǎo Zhāng jiù xǐhuan kàn hòubian! Hòubian hái yǒu Lán Cǎihé ne!
What's so interesting up ahead? Old Zhang likes looking back! And look who's still back there: Lan Caihe!
- Lan Caihe 来了，来了！花篮，走吧！花儿红，花儿白，花篮里边花儿开！
Lái le, lái le! Huālán, zǒu ba! Huār hóng, huār bái, huālán lǐbian huār kāi!
Coming, coming! Off we go, basket! Flowers red, flowers white, flowers blooming in my basket!
- Narrator 花篮里的花亮亮的，那光一直照到了海的最下边。
Huālán lǐ de huā liàngliàng de, nà guāng yìzhí zhào dào le hǎi de zuì xiàbian.
The flowers in the basket shone, and their light reached all the way down to the bottom of the sea.
- The Dragon Prince 上边是什么？那么亮，那么好看，还会唱歌……
Shàngbian shì shénme? Nàme liàng, nàme hǎokàn, hái huì chàng gē…
What's that up there? So bright, so beautiful… and it sings…
- The Dragon Prince 我是东海龙王的儿子。东海里的东西，都是我的！
Wǒ shì Dōng Hǎi Lóngwáng de érzi. Dōng Hǎi lǐ de dōngxi, dōu shì wǒ de!
I am the son of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. Everything in the Eastern Sea belongs to me!
- The Dragon Prince 我要它！我一定要它！
Wǒ yào tā! Wǒ yídìng yào tā!
I want it! I have to have it!
What changed in the story?
- Why doesn't Lü Dongbin want to ride a cloud home?
“坐云？太没意思了！”
- What happens to Li Tieguai's gourd on the water?
“葫芦马上变大了，大得像一条船。”
- Where does Zhang Guolao keep his donkey?
“驴？在老张的包里呢！”
- Why does Zhang Guolao say paper donkeys are the best?
“不吃草，不花钱”
- Who wants the shining thing he sees from the bottom of the sea?
“我是东海龙王的儿子……我要它！我一定要它！”