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 kàn zhe 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。
Xǐzǎo? Bǐsài de shíhou, xǐzǎo? … Hǎo ba, Gǒu, dì-shíyī.
A bath? In the middle of a race? …Oh, very well. Dog, eleventh.
- Rat 还有一个……最后一个，会是猫吗？
Hái yǒu yí gè… zuìhòu yí gè, huì shì Māo ma?
One more… Could the last one be Cat?
- 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 别追我！对不起！下次我一定大声叫你！
Bié zhuī wǒ! Duìbuqǐ! Xià cì wǒ yídìng dàshēng jiào nǐ!
Stop chasing me! Sorry! Next time I'll call you really loudly, I promise!
- Narrator 从那天起，到今天，猫看见老鼠，就要追。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, dào jīntiān, māo kànjiàn lǎoshǔ, jiù yào zhuī.
And 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？你属什么？
Shí'èr gè dòngwù, shí'èr nián. Nǐ ne? Nǐ shǔ shénme?
Twelve animals, twelve years. And what about you? What's your animal?
What changed in the story?
- Why is Dog so late, even though he swims best?
“因为水太好玩儿了！我洗了一个澡，又玩儿了一会儿！”
- Why is Pig 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 get a year?
“十二年，已经有十二个动物了。”
- What does Rat admit to Cat?
“我叫了！我……叫得很小声。”
- According to the story, why do cats chase rats?
“很小声？老鼠！你别跑！……从那天起，到今天，猫看见老鼠，就要追。”