The Fisherman and the Golden Fish · chapter 2 of 4
The New Washtub
新木盆
The fisherman asks the golden fish for a washtub. It is only the start of his wife's wishes, and the sea is changing.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 海很蓝，天很亮。老渔夫又来了。
Hǎi hěn lán, tiān hěn liàng. Lǎo yúfū yòu lái le.
The sea was blue and the sky was bright. The old fisherman had come again.
- The Old Fisherman 金鱼！金鱼！你在吗？
Jīnyú! Jīnyú! Nǐ zài ma?
Golden fish! Golden fish! Are you there?
- The Golden Fish 我在这儿。老爷爷，今天您要什么？
Wǒ zài zhèr. Lǎo yéye, jīntiān nín yào shénme?
I'm here. Grandfather, what do you want today?
- The Old Fisherman 对不起，金鱼。我的老太太要一个新木盆。
Duìbuqǐ, jīnyú. Wǒ de lǎo tàitai yào yí gè xīn mùpén.
I'm sorry, golden fish. My wife wants a new washtub.
- The Golden Fish 好。回家吧。新木盆在你家。
Hǎo. Huí jiā ba. Xīn mùpén zài nǐ jiā.
All right. Go home. The new washtub is at your house.
- The Old Fisherman 谢谢你，金鱼！你真好！
Xièxie nǐ, jīnyú! Nǐ zhēn hǎo!
Thank you, golden fish! You are so good!
- The Golden Fish 不用谢。您真是好人。
Bú yòng xiè. Nín zhēn shì hǎorén.
Don't mention it. You are a good man.
- The Old Fisherman 一个新木盆。这次，她会高兴的。
Yí gè xīn mùpén. Zhè cì, tā huì gāoxìng de.
A new washtub. This time she'll be happy.
- The Old Wife 老头子，你看！新木盆！
Lǎo tóuzi, nǐ kàn! Xīn mùpén!
Old man, look! A new washtub!
- The Old Fisherman 太好了！老太太，你高兴吗？
Tài hǎo le! Lǎo tàitai, nǐ gāoxìng ma?
Wonderful! Wife, are you happy?
- The Old Wife 好大啊！我可以洗一百件衣服！
Hǎo dà a! Wǒ kěyǐ xǐ yì bǎi jiàn yīfu!
It's so big! I can wash a hundred pieces of clothing!
- The Old Fisherman 一百件？我只有一件衣服。
Yì bǎi jiàn? Wǒ zhǐyǒu yí jiàn yīfu.
A hundred? I only have one piece of clothing.
- The Old Wife 你不懂！可是，我们的房子太小了。
Nǐ bù dǒng! Kěshì, wǒmen de fángzi tài xiǎo le.
You don't understand! But our house is too small.
- The Old Fisherman 小？我们在这儿住了三十年。
Xiǎo? Wǒmen zài zhèr zhù le sānshí nián.
Small? We've lived here for thirty years.
- The Old Wife 就是啊！太久了！我们要一个大房子！
Jiùshì a! Tài jiǔ le! Wǒmen yào yí gè dà fángzi!
Exactly! That's too long! We need a big house!
- The Old Fisherman 可是这里有海，有风，我很喜欢。
Kěshì zhèlǐ yǒu hǎi, yǒu fēng, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.
But here we have the sea and the wind, and I like it.
- The Old Wife 海和风不能吃！去，要大房子！
Hǎi hé fēng bù néng chī! Qù, yào dà fángzi!
You can't eat the sea and the wind! Go and ask for a big house!
- The Old Fisherman 又去？金鱼会不高兴的。
Yòu qù? Jīnyú huì bù gāoxìng de.
Again? The golden fish won't be happy.
- The Old Wife 你去不去？我要大房子！
Nǐ qù bú qù? Wǒ yào dà fángzi!
Are you going or not? I want a big house!
- The Old Fisherman 好，好，我去。
Hǎo, hǎo, wǒ qù.
All right, all right, I'll go.
- Narrator 老渔夫又去了海边。海有点儿绿。
Lǎo yúfū yòu qù le hǎibiān. Hǎi yǒudiǎnr lǜ.
The old fisherman went to the sea again. The water was a little green.
- The Old Fisherman 金鱼……金鱼，你在吗？
Jīnyú… Jīnyú, nǐ zài ma?
Golden fish... golden fish, are you there?
- The Golden Fish 我在。老太太高兴吗？
Wǒ zài. Lǎo tàitai gāoxìng ma?
I'm here. Is your wife happy?
- The Old Fisherman 高兴……一点儿。可是……
Gāoxìng… yìdiǎnr. Kěshì…
Happy... a little. But...
- The Golden Fish 她还想要。您看，海不蓝了。您要什么？
Tā hái xiǎng yào. Nín kàn, hǎi bù lán le. Nín yào shénme?
She wants more. Look, the sea isn't blue anymore. What do you want?
- The Old Fisherman 对不起……我的老太太要一个大房子。
Duìbuqǐ… wǒ de lǎo tàitai yào yí gè dà fángzi.
I'm sorry... my wife wants a big house.
- The Golden Fish 好。你回家看看吧。
Hǎo. Nǐ huí jiā kànkan ba.
All right. Go home and take a look.
- The Old Fisherman 谢谢你，金鱼。我不会再来了。
Xièxie nǐ, jīnyú. Wǒ bú huì zài lái le.
Thank you, golden fish. I won't come again.
- The Golden Fish 老爷爷，我们还会见面的。
Lǎo yéye, wǒmen hái huì jiànmiàn de.
Grandfather, we will meet again.
What changed in the story?
- What does the fisherman ask the golden fish for first?
“我的老太太要一个新木盆。”
- What is the joke about the hundred pieces of clothing?
“一百件？我只有一件衣服。”
- Why does the wife want a new house?
“我们的房子太小了。”……“我们在这儿住了三十年。”
- How has the sea changed?
“海不蓝了。”
- What does the golden fish say at the end?
“我们还会见面的。”