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.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，老鼠和猫住在大河旁边。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, Lǎoshǔ hé Māo zhù zài dà hé pángbiān.
Long, long ago, Rat and Cat lived beside a great river.
- Rat 猫！猫！快起床！
Māo! Māo! Kuài qǐchuáng!
Cat! Cat! Get up, quick!
- 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.
- Rat 不能睡了！玉帝来了！他要找十二个动物！
Bù néng shuì le! Yùdì lái le! Tā yào zhǎo shí'èr gè dòngwù!
No more sleeping! The Jade Emperor is here! He's looking for twelve animals!
- Cat 玉帝？找动物做什么？
Yùdì? Zhǎo dòngwù zuò shénme?
The Jade Emperor? What does he want animals for?
- Rat 不知道！快走，我们去河边看看！
Bù zhīdào! Kuài zǒu, wǒmen qù hé biān kànkan!
No idea! Hurry, let's go down to the river and see!
- Narrator 河边有很多动物。天上，玉帝坐在一片白云上。
Hé biān yǒu hěn duō dòngwù. Tiān shàng, Yùdì zuò zài yí piàn báiyún shàng.
The riverbank was full of animals. 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。第一个到的，是第一年！
Míngtiān zǎoshang, dàjiā guò zhè tiáo dà hé. Dì-yī gè dào de, shì dì-yī nián!
Tomorrow morning, you will all cross this great river. 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!
- 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 十二年，十二个动物。第十三个？没有！我写一下……
Shí'èr nián, shí'èr gè dòngwù. Dì-shísān gè? Méiyǒu! Wǒ xiě yíxià…
Twelve years, twelve animals. Number thirteen? No such thing! Let me write that down…
- 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.
- 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 do we 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？是牛！牛很会游泳！
Nǐ kàn nàbiān, shì shéi zài chī cǎo? Shì Niú! Niú hěn huì yóuyǒng!
Look over there. Who's that eating grass? It's Ox! Ox is a great swimmer!
- 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? Mànman 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。明天早上，慢慢来。
Chànggē? Wǒ xǐhuan tīng gē… Hǎo ba. Míngtiān zǎoshang, mànman lái.
Singing? I do like a song… All right. Tomorrow morning, then. Slowly does it.
- Cat 老鼠，明天早上，你一定要叫我起床啊！
Lǎoshǔ, míngtiān zǎoshang, nǐ yídìng yào jiào wǒ qǐchuáng a!
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 is the Jade Emperor going to do with the animals?
“我要给年起名字。一年，一个动物！”
- Which animal gets the first year?
“第一个到的，是第一年！”
- Why does Rat need a plan?
“老鼠，我们都不会游泳啊。”
- What does Rat offer Ox for a ride?
“我坐在你的头上，给你唱歌！”
- What does Cat make Rat promise?
“明天早上，你一定要叫我起床啊！”