The Little Match Girl · chapter 3 of 3
Grandma's Hand
奶奶的手
Grandma has come for her, but the match is burning down fast. This time, the little girl isn't going to light just one.
Read what you hear
- Grandma 是我，我的好孩子。你的小手怎么这么冷？
Shì wǒ, wǒ de hǎo háizi. Nǐ de xiǎo shǒu zěnme zhème lěng?
It's me, my dear child. Why are your little hands so cold?
- The Little Match Girl 奶奶！我好冷，好饿，火柴也没有人买……
Nǎinai! Wǒ hǎo lěng, hǎo è, huǒchái yě méiyǒu rén mǎi…
Grandma! I'm so cold and so hungry, and nobody would buy my matches…
- Grandma 不哭，不哭。奶奶在这儿呢。
Bù kū, bù kū. Nǎinai zài zhèr ne.
There, there, don't cry. Grandma's here.
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Little Match Girl is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- The Little Match Girl 可是，这根火柴快灭了！大火炉走了，烤鹅走了，圣诞树也走了……
Kěshì, zhè gēn huǒchái kuài miè le! Dà huǒlú zǒu le, kǎo'é zǒu le, shèngdànshù yě zǒu le…
But this match is about to go out! The big stove went away, the roast goose went away, and the Christmas tree went away too…
- The Little Match Girl 奶奶，您也要走吗？别走！带我一起走吧！
Nǎinai, nín yě yào zǒu ma? Bié zǒu! Dài wǒ yìqǐ zǒu ba!
Grandma, are you going to leave too? Don't go! Take me with you!
- The Little Match Girl 如果火柴都点了，明天卖什么呢？……可是，我不要奶奶走！
Rúguǒ huǒchái dōu diǎn le, míngtiān mài shénme ne?… Kěshì, wǒ bú yào nǎinai zǒu!
If I light them all, what will I sell tomorrow? …But I don't want Grandma to go!
- The Little Match Girl 这一次，不是一根……是所有的火柴！
Zhè yí cì, bú shì yì gēn… shì suǒyǒu de huǒchái!
This time, not just one… every match I've got!
- Narrator 嚓！所有的火柴一起亮了。墙角比白天还要亮。
Cā! Suǒyǒu de huǒchái yìqǐ liàng le. Qiángjiǎo bǐ báitiān hái yào liàng.
Scratch! Every match flared up at once, and the corner shone brighter than daylight.
- The Little Match Girl 奶奶，您怎么变得这么高，这么漂亮？
Nǎinai, nín zěnme biàn de zhème gāo, zhème piàoliang?
Grandma, how did you get so tall and so beautiful?
- Grandma 哈哈，是你的火柴太亮了吧！
Hāhā, shì nǐ de huǒchái tài liàng le ba!
Ha ha! That must be your matches. They're so bright!
- Grandma 来，拉着奶奶的手。我们一起走。
Lái, lāzhe nǎinai de shǒu. Wǒmen yìqǐ zǒu.
Come, take Grandma's hand. We'll go together.
- The Little Match Girl 我们去哪儿？
Wǒmen qù nǎr?
Where are we going?
- Grandma 去一个又暖和又亮的地方。
Qù yí gè yòu nuǎnhuo yòu liàng de dìfang.
To a place that's warm and bright.
- Narrator 奶奶拉着她的手，她们一起飞了起来，飞得很高很高。
Nǎinai lāzhe tā de shǒu, tāmen yìqǐ fēi le qǐlái, fēi de hěn gāo hěn gāo.
Grandma held her hand, and together they rose into the air, flying up and up, so very high.
- The Little Match Girl 奶奶，我们在飞！我的脚一点儿也不冷了！
Nǎinai, wǒmen zài fēi! Wǒ de jiǎo yìdiǎnr yě bù lěng le!
Grandma, we're flying! My feet aren't one bit cold anymore!
- The Little Match Girl 您看，下面的房子和街，都变得那么小！
Nín kàn, xiàmiàn de fángzi hé jiē, dōu biàn de nàme xiǎo!
Look, the houses and streets down there have gotten so small!
- Grandma 以后，你不会再冷，不会再饿，也不会再怕了。
Yǐhòu, nǐ bú huì zài lěng, bú huì zài è, yě bú huì zài pà le.
From now on, you'll never be cold again, or hungry, or afraid.
- The Little Match Girl 也不用再卖火柴了吗？
Yě bú yòng zài mài huǒchái le ma?
And I won't have to sell matches anymore?
- Grandma 一根也不用卖了。
Yì gēn yě bú yòng mài le.
Not a single one.
- Narrator 第二天早上，雪停了。新年的太阳出来了。
Dì'èr tiān zǎoshang, xuě tíng le. Xīnnián de tàiyáng chūlái le.
The next morning, the snow had stopped, and the New Year's sun came up.
- Narrator 小女孩还坐在墙角里。她的脸红红的，嘴边带着笑。
Xiǎo nǚhái hái zuò zài qiángjiǎo lǐ. Tā de liǎn hónghóng de, zuǐ biān dàizhe xiào.
The little girl was still sitting in the corner. Her cheeks were rosy, and there was a smile on her lips.
- The Gentleman 这不是昨天晚上那个卖火柴的孩子吗？孩子，你怎么了？
Zhè bú shì zuótiān wǎnshang nàge mài huǒchái de háizi ma? Háizi, nǐ zěnme le?
Isn't this the little match girl from last night? Child, what's wrong?
- The Gentleman 她……已经走了。
Tā… yǐjīng zǒu le.
She's… gone.
- The Boy 先生！我来还她的鞋……她怎么了？
Xiānsheng! Wǒ lái huán tā de xié… Tā zěnme le?
Sir! I came to give her shoe back… What's wrong with her?
- The Gentleman 你看这些火柴。她一定是太冷了，想暖和一下。
Nǐ kàn zhèxiē huǒchái. Tā yídìng shì tài lěng le, xiǎng nuǎnhuo yíxià.
Look at all these matches. She must have been so cold. She was trying to get warm.
- The Boy 可是先生，您看，她在笑。她为什么笑呢？
Kěshì xiānsheng, nín kàn, tā zài xiào. Tā wèishénme xiào ne?
But look, sir, she's smiling. Why is she smiling?
- The Gentleman 我也不知道……
Wǒ yě bù zhīdào…
I don't know…
- Narrator 大家只看见了地上的火柴。火炉、烤鹅、圣诞树和奶奶，谁也没有看见。
Dàjiā zhǐ kànjiàn le dì shang de huǒchái. Huǒlú, kǎo'é, shèngdànshù hé nǎinai, shéi yě méiyǒu kànjiàn.
All anyone saw were the matches on the ground. The stove, the goose, the Christmas tree and Grandma: nobody saw any of them.
- The Boy 你的鞋……我放在这儿了。对不起。
Nǐ de xié… wǒ fàng zài zhèr le. Duìbuqǐ.
Your shoe… I've put it here for you. I'm sorry.
- Narrator 这时候，在一个又暖和又亮的地方，小女孩正拉着奶奶的手。
Zhè shíhou, zài yí gè yòu nuǎnhuo yòu liàng de dìfang, xiǎo nǚhái zhèng lāzhe nǎinai de shǒu.
At that very moment, in a place that was warm and bright, the little girl was holding her grandma's hand.
- The Little Match Girl 奶奶，新年快乐！
Nǎinai, xīnnián kuàilè!
Happy New Year, Grandma!
- Grandma 新年快乐，我的好孩子。
Xīnnián kuàilè, wǒ de hǎo háizi.
Happy New Year, my dear child.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- Why does the girl light all her matches at once?
“可是，我不要奶奶走！”……“这一次，不是一根……是所有的火柴！”
- How does Grandma explain why she looks so tall and beautiful?
“是你的火柴太亮了吧！”
- What does Grandma promise the girl as they fly?
“以后，你不会再冷，不会再饿，也不会再怕了。”
- Why has the boy come back in the morning?
“我来还她的鞋”
- What does the boy notice about the girl's face?
“她在笑。”