The Great Race: The Twelve Animals · chapter 5 of 5
Why Cats Chase Rats
猫为什么追老鼠
The sun is setting, two places are left, and a very wet cat is on her way. How the twelve years got their animals, and why cats still chase rats.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 太阳快下山了。玉帝看着大河，等啊等。
Tàiyáng kuài xià shān le. Yùdì kànzhe dà hé, děng a děng.
The sun was about to set. The Jade Emperor watched the great river, and waited, and waited.
- The Jade Emperor 快一点儿，快一点儿！太阳下山，比赛就完了！
Kuài yìdiǎnr, kuài yìdiǎnr! Tàiyáng xià shān, bǐsài jiù wán le!
Hurry up, hurry up! When the sun goes down, the race is over!
- Dog 我来了！我来了！
Wǒ lái le! Wǒ lái le!
I'm here! I'm here!
- The Jade Emperor 狗？你最会游泳，为什么这么晚？
Gǒu? Nǐ zuì huì yóuyǒng, wèishénme zhème wǎn?
Dog? You're the best swimmer of all. Why are you so late?
- Dog 因为水太好玩儿了！我洗了一个澡，又玩儿了一会儿！
Yīnwèi shuǐ tài hǎowánr le! Wǒ xǐ le yí gè zǎo, yòu wánr le yíhuìr!
Because the water was so much fun! I had a bath, and then I played for a while!
- The Jade Emperor 洗澡？比赛的时候，洗澡？……好吧，狗，第十一。我写一下。
Xǐzǎo? Bǐsài de shíhou, xǐzǎo?… Hǎo ba, Gǒu, dì shíyī. Wǒ xiě yíxià.
A bath? In the middle of a race? …Oh, very well. Dog, eleventh. Let me write that down.
- The Jade Emperor 还有一个！最后一个！
Hái yǒu yí gè! Zuìhòu yí gè!
One more to go! The very last one!
- Rat 最后一个……会是猫吗？
Zuìhòu yí gè… huì shì Māo ma?
The last one… could it be Cat?
- Narrator 太阳快没有了。玉帝拿起了他的大书。
Tàiyáng kuài méiyǒu le. Yùdì ná qǐ le tā de dà shū.
The sun had almost gone. The Jade Emperor picked up his big book.
- Pig 等一等！等一等！还有我！
Děng yi děng! Děng yi děng! Hái yǒu wǒ!
Wait! Wait! Don't forget me!
- The Jade Emperor 猪？你怎么这么慢？
Zhū? Nǐ zěnme zhème màn?
Pig? What took you so long?
- Pig 我饿了，就吃了一点儿东西。吃饱了，就睡了一会儿……
Wǒ è le, jiù chī le yìdiǎnr dōngxi. Chī bǎo le, jiù shuì le yíhuìr…
I got hungry, so I ate a little something. Then I was full, so I had a little nap…
- Ox 一点儿？
Yìdiǎnr?
A little something?
- Pig 好吧……很多很多东西。
Hǎo ba… hěn duō hěn duō dōngxi.
All right… lots and lots of somethings.
- The Jade Emperor 猪，第十二！好了，十二个动物都到了！比赛完了！
Zhū, dì shí'èr! Hǎo le, shí'èr gè dòngwù dōu dào le! Bǐsài wán le!
Pig, twelfth! There we are, all twelve animals are here! The race is over!
- Narrator 这时候，猫从河里爬出来了。她全身都是水。
Zhè shíhou, Māo cóng hé lǐ pá chūlái le. Tā quánshēn dōu shì shuǐ.
Just then, Cat crawled out of the river, dripping wet from head to tail.
- Cat 等一等！我来了！我是第几？
Děng yi děng! Wǒ lái le! Wǒ shì dì jǐ?
Wait! I'm here! What place am I?
- The Jade Emperor 猫……对不起。十二年，已经有十二个动物了。
Māo… duìbuqǐ. Shí'èr nián, yǐjīng yǒu shí'èr gè dòngwù le.
Oh, Cat… I'm sorry. There are twelve years, and they already have twelve animals.
- Cat 什么？没有我的年？可是我不会游泳，我也过来了啊！
Shénme? Méiyǒu wǒ de nián? Kěshì wǒ bú huì yóuyǒng, wǒ yě guòlái le a!
What? There's no year for me? But I can't even swim, and I still got across!
- The Jade Emperor 我知道，猫。你很好。可是十二年，不能多一个。
Wǒ zhīdào, Māo. Nǐ hěn hǎo. Kěshì shí'èr nián, bù néng duō yí gè.
I know, Cat. You did very well. But twelve years is twelve years. I can't add one more.
- Cat 老鼠！你为什么不叫我？
Lǎoshǔ! Nǐ wèishénme bú jiào wǒ?
Rat! Why didn't you wake me?
- Rat 我叫了！我……叫得很小声。
Wǒ jiào le! Wǒ… jiào de hěn xiǎoshēng.
I did call you! I just… called very quietly.
- Cat 很小声？老鼠！你别跑！
Hěn xiǎoshēng? Lǎoshǔ! Nǐ bié pǎo!
Very quietly? Rat! Don't you run away!
- Rat 对不起！对不起！下次我一定大声叫你！
Duìbuqǐ! Duìbuqǐ! Xià cì wǒ yídìng dàshēng jiào nǐ!
Sorry! Sorry! Next time I'll call you really loudly, I promise!
- Narrator 猫追着老鼠跑了。从那天起，到今天，猫看见老鼠，就要追。
Māo zhuīzhe Lǎoshǔ pǎo le. Cóng nà tiān qǐ, dào jīntiān, māo kànjiàn lǎoshǔ, jiù yào zhuī.
And off Cat ran after Rat. From that day to this, whenever a cat sees a rat, it gives chase.
- The Jade Emperor 好了，好了！别追了！大家站好，听我说！
Hǎo le, hǎo le! Bié zhuī le! Dàjiā zhàn hǎo, tīng wǒ shuō!
All right, all right! Stop chasing! Everyone, line up and listen!
- The Jade Emperor 老鼠、牛、老虎、兔子、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴子、公鸡、狗、猪！
Lǎoshǔ, Niú, Lǎohǔ, Tùzi, Lóng, Shé, Mǎ, Yáng, Hóuzi, Gōngjī, Gǒu, Zhū!
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig!
- The Jade Emperor 十二个动物，十二年。你呢？你是哪一年的？你属什么？
Shí'èr gè dòngwù, shí'èr nián. Nǐ ne? Nǐ shì nǎ yì nián de? Nǐ shǔ shénme?
Twelve animals, twelve years. And what about you? Which year were you born in? What's your animal?
What changed in the story?
- Why is Dog, the best swimmer, so late?
“因为水太好玩儿了！我洗了一个澡，又玩儿了一会儿！”
- What made Pig so late?
“我饿了，就吃了一点儿东西。吃饱了，就睡了一会儿……”
- Why can't Cat have a year?
“十二年，已经有十二个动物了。”
- What is Rat's excuse?
“我叫了！我……叫得很小声。”
- According to the story, what still happens today?
“从那天起，到今天，猫看见老鼠，就要追。”