The Great Race: The Twelve Animals · chapter 1 of 5
The Jade Emperor's Race
玉帝的比赛
The Jade Emperor will name the years after the first twelve animals across the great river. Rat can't swim, but he has a plan, and a very sleepy best friend.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，老鼠和猫住在大河旁边。他们是好朋友。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Lǎoshǔ hé Māo zhù zài dà hé pángbiān. Tāmen shì hǎo péngyou.
Long, long ago, Rat and Cat lived beside a great river. They were the best of friends.
- Rat 猫！猫！快起来！玉帝来了！他要找十二个动物！
Māo! Māo! Kuài qǐlái! Yùdì lái le! Tā yào zhǎo shí'èr gè dòngwù!
Cat! Cat! Get up, quick! The Jade Emperor is here! He's looking for twelve animals!
- Cat 老鼠，别叫……让我再睡五分钟。
Lǎoshǔ, bié jiào… ràng wǒ zài shuì wǔ fēnzhōng.
Rat, stop shouting… Just five more minutes.
- Narrator 老鼠拉着猫跑到河边。天上，玉帝坐在一片白云上。
Lǎoshǔ lāzhe Māo pǎo dào hébiān. Tiānshàng, Yùdì zuò zài yí piàn báiyún shang.
Rat dragged Cat down to the river. Up in the sky, the Jade Emperor sat on a white cloud.
- The Jade Emperor 大家好！站好，站好！别说话！
Dàjiā hǎo! Zhàn hǎo, zhàn hǎo! Bié shuōhuà!
Hello, everyone! Line up, line up! No talking!
- The Jade Emperor 我要给年起名字。一年，一个动物！
Wǒ yào gěi nián qǐ míngzi. Yì nián, yí gè dòngwù!
I'm going to name the years. One animal for each year!
- The Jade Emperor 明天早上，大家过这条大河，到那边找我。第一个到的，是第一年！
Míngtiān zǎoshang, dàjiā guò zhè tiáo dà hé, dào nàbiān zhǎo wǒ. Dì yī gè dào de, shì dì yī nián!
Tomorrow morning, you'll all cross this great river and come find me on the other side. The first to arrive gets the first year!
- Rat 第一年！猫，你听见了吗？我要做第一！
Dì yī nián! Māo, nǐ tīngjiàn le ma? Wǒ yào zuò dì yī!
The first year! Cat, did you hear that? I'm going to be first!
- Cat 大河？老鼠，我们都不会游泳啊。
Dà hé? Lǎoshǔ, wǒmen dōu bú huì yóuyǒng a.
The great river? Rat, neither of us can swim.
- Tiger 小老鼠，你也想做第一？第一是我的！我是山里的大王！
Xiǎo lǎoshǔ, nǐ yě xiǎng zuò dì yī? Dì yī shì wǒ de! Wǒ shì shān lǐ de dàwáng!
You want to be first too, little rat? First place is mine! I'm the king of the mountains!
- The Jade Emperor 老虎！我说了，别说话！
Lǎohǔ! Wǒ shuō le, bié shuōhuà!
Tiger! I said no talking!
- The Jade Emperor 还有：十二年，十二个动物。第十三个？没有！我写一下……
Háiyǒu: shí'èr nián, shí'èr gè dòngwù. Dì shísān gè? Méiyǒu! Wǒ xiě yíxià…
And another thing: twelve years, twelve animals. Number thirteen? No such thing! Let me write that down…
- Rat 河这么大，我们这么小……怎么办？
Hé zhème dà, wǒmen zhème xiǎo… zěnme bàn?
The river is so big, and we're so small… What are we going to do?
- Rat 有了！我有一个好办法！
Yǒu le! Wǒ yǒu yí gè hǎo bànfǎ!
I've got it! I have a great plan!
- Cat 什么办法？可以睡觉吗？
Shénme bànfǎ? Kěyǐ shuìjiào ma?
What plan? Can I sleep through it?
- Rat 你看那边，是谁在吃草？
Nǐ kàn nàbiān, shì shéi zài chī cǎo?
Look over there. Who's that eating grass?
- Cat 是牛……他很大，也很慢。
Shì Niú… tā hěn dà, yě hěn màn.
That's Ox… He's very big, and very slow.
- Rat 很大，也很会游泳！走，我们去找他！
Hěn dà, yě hěn huì yóuyǒng! Zǒu, wǒmen qù zhǎo tā!
Very big, and a very good swimmer! Come on, let's go and talk to him!
- Rat 牛，你好！你今天真好看！
Niú, nǐ hǎo! Nǐ jīntiān zhēn hǎokàn!
Hello, Ox! You're looking very handsome today!
- Ox 老鼠，你好……你想要什么？慢慢说。
Lǎoshǔ, nǐ hǎo… nǐ xiǎng yào shénme? Mànmàn shuō.
Hello, Rat… So what is it you want? Take your time.
- Rat 明天，你带我们过河，好吗？我们很小，一点儿也不重！
Míngtiān, nǐ dài wǒmen guò hé, hǎo ma? Wǒmen hěn xiǎo, yìdiǎnr yě bú zhòng!
Tomorrow, will you carry us across the river? We're tiny. We hardly weigh a thing!
- Ox 带你们两个？可是我游得很慢啊。
Dài nǐmen liǎng gè? Kěshì wǒ yóu de hěn màn a.
Carry both of you? But I swim very slowly.
- Rat 没关系！我坐在你的头上，给你唱歌！
Méi guānxi! Wǒ zuò zài nǐ de tóu shang, gěi nǐ chànggē!
That doesn't matter! I'll sit on your head and sing to you!
- Ox 唱歌？我喜欢听歌……好吧。慢慢来。明天早上，你们来找我。
Chànggē? Wǒ xǐhuan tīng gē… hǎo ba. Mànmàn lái. Míngtiān zǎoshang, nǐmen lái zhǎo wǒ.
Singing? I do like a song… All right. Slowly does it. Come and find me tomorrow morning.
- Rat 太好了！谢谢你，牛！
Tài hǎo le! Xièxie nǐ, Niú!
Wonderful! Thank you, Ox!
- Cat 那好。老鼠，明天早上，你一定要叫我起床啊！
Nà hǎo. Lǎoshǔ, míngtiān zǎoshang, nǐ yídìng yào jiào wǒ qǐchuáng a!
Good. Rat, tomorrow morning you have to wake me up, all right?
- Rat 放心吧，好朋友！
Fàngxīn ba, hǎo péngyou!
Don't worry, old friend!
- Narrator 第二天，天还没亮，老鼠就起来了。猫还在睡觉。
Dì èr tiān, tiān hái méi liàng, Lǎoshǔ jiù qǐlái le. Māo hái zài shuìjiào.
The next day, before the sky was light, Rat was already up. Cat was still asleep.
- Rat 我们两个一起到，那谁是第一呢？
Wǒmen liǎng gè yìqǐ dào, nà shéi shì dì yī ne?
If the two of us get there together, then who's first?
- Rat 猫睡得真好……我叫她，还是不叫她？
Māo shuì de zhēn hǎo… wǒ jiào tā, háishi bú jiào tā?
Cat is sleeping so soundly… Should I wake her, or not?
What changed in the story?
- What does the Jade Emperor want to do?
“我要给年起名字。一年，一个动物！”
- What problem do Rat and Cat have?
“大河？老鼠，我们都不会游泳啊。”
- How does Rat get Ox to agree to carry them?
“我坐在你的头上，给你唱歌！”……“唱歌？我喜欢听歌……好吧。”
- What does Cat ask Rat to do?
“老鼠，明天早上，你一定要叫我起床啊！”
- What is Rat wondering at the end of the chapter?
“猫睡得真好……我叫她，还是不叫她？”