The Little Match Girl · chapter 1 of 3
The Last Night of the Year
一年的最后一晚
On the last night of the year, a barefoot girl can't sell a single match, so she dares to strike one, and something warm and wonderful appears in the flame.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，一年的最后一个晚上，天很冷，雪下得很大。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, yì nián de zuìhòu yí gè wǎnshang, tiān hěn lěng, xuě xià de hěn dà.
Long, long ago, on the last night of the year, it was freezing cold, and the snow was coming down hard.
- The Little Match Girl 火柴！卖火柴！谁要买火柴？
Huǒchái! Mài huǒchái! Shéi yào mǎi huǒchái?
Matches! Matches for sale! Who'll buy my matches?
- Narrator 街上走着一个小女孩。她穿着妈妈的旧鞋，鞋太大了。
Jiē shang zǒuzhe yí gè xiǎo nǚhái. Tā chuānzhe māma de jiù xié, xié tài dà le.
A little girl was walking down the street. She had on her mother's old shoes, and they were far too big.
- The Little Match Girl 明天就是新年了。可是，我一根火柴也没卖出去……怎么回家呢？
Míngtiān jiù shì xīnnián le. Kěshì, wǒ yì gēn huǒchái yě méi mài chūqù… Zěnme huí jiā ne?
Tomorrow's New Year's Day. But I haven't sold a single match… How can I go home?
- The Little Match Girl 先生，先生！您买点儿火柴吧！
Xiānsheng, xiānsheng! Nín mǎi diǎnr huǒchái ba!
Sir! Sir! Won't you buy some matches?
- The Gentleman 不买，不买！快走开，马车来了！
Bù mǎi, bù mǎi! Kuài zǒukāi, mǎchē lái le!
No, no! Get out of the way, there's a carriage coming!
- Narrator 两辆马车飞快地跑过来。小女孩快跑，两只大鞋都掉了。
Liǎng liàng mǎchē fēikuài de pǎo guòlái. Xiǎo nǚhái kuài pǎo, liǎng zhī dà xié dōu diào le.
Two carriages came racing down the street. The little girl ran for it, and both her big shoes flew off.
- The Little Match Girl 我的鞋！在哪儿呢？
Wǒ de xié! Zài nǎr ne?
My shoes! Where are they?
- The Boy 哈哈，这儿有一只！这么大的鞋，是你的吗？
Hāhā, zhèr yǒu yì zhī! Zhème dà de xié, shì nǐ de ma?
Ha ha, here's one! Is this giant shoe yours?
- The Little Match Girl 这是我妈妈的鞋！请你还给我吧！
Zhè shì wǒ māma de xié! Qǐng nǐ huán gěi wǒ ba!
That's my mother's shoe! Please give it back!
- The Boy 不给！这只鞋像一张小床。以后我有了孩子，就让他睡在里面！
Bù gěi! Zhè zhī xié xiàng yì zhāng xiǎo chuáng. Yǐhòu wǒ yǒu le háizi, jiù ràng tā shuì zài lǐmiàn!
No way! This shoe's like a little bed. When I have a baby someday, it can sleep in here!
- The Little Match Girl 你别跑！……另一只呢？雪太大了，我找不到了！
Nǐ bié pǎo!… Lìng yì zhī ne? Xuě tài dà le, wǒ zhǎo bú dào le!
Don't run off! …And where's the other one? It's snowing so hard, I can't find it!
- The Little Match Girl 现在，我没有鞋了。我的脚又红又疼……
Xiànzài, wǒ méiyǒu xié le. Wǒ de jiǎo yòu hóng yòu téng…
Now I've got no shoes at all. My feet are so red and sore…
- The Little Match Girl 太太，您买点儿火柴吧？很便宜！
Tàitai, nín mǎi diǎnr huǒchái ba? Hěn piányi!
Ma'am, won't you buy some matches? They're very cheap!
- The Lady 火柴？不要，不要！我要回家吃烤鹅了！
Huǒchái? Bú yào, bú yào! Wǒ yào huí jiā chī kǎo'é le!
Matches? No, no! I'm on my way home to eat roast goose!
- The Little Match Girl 烤鹅……好香啊！家家都亮着灯，家家都在过新年。
Kǎo'é… Hǎo xiāng a! Jiājiā dōu liàngzhe dēng, jiājiā dōu zài guò xīnnián.
Roast goose… it smells so good! There's a light on in every house. Everyone's celebrating the New Year.
- Narrator 小女孩走累了。她坐在两个房子中间的墙角里。
Xiǎo nǚhái zǒu lèi le. Tā zuò zài liǎng gè fángzi zhōngjiān de qiángjiǎo lǐ.
The little girl was worn out. She sat down in a corner between two houses.
- The Little Match Girl 我不能回家。一分钱也没有，爸爸会生气的。
Wǒ bù néng huí jiā. Yì fēn qián yě méiyǒu, bàba huì shēngqì de.
I can't go home. I haven't earned a single penny, and Dad will be angry.
- The Little Match Girl 家里也很冷。风从屋顶吹进来，跟外边一样冷。
Jiā lǐ yě hěn lěng. Fēng cóng wūdǐng chuī jìnlái, gēn wàibian yíyàng lěng.
And it's cold at home too. The wind blows in through the roof. It's just as cold as out here.
- The Little Match Girl 我的小手冷得不能动了……如果点一根火柴，就能暖和一下。
Wǒ de xiǎo shǒu lěng de bù néng dòng le… Rúguǒ diǎn yì gēn huǒchái, jiù néng nuǎnhuo yíxià.
My hands are so cold I can't move them… If I lit a match, I could warm them up a little.
- The Little Match Girl 可是，火柴是要卖的……好吧，就一根！只点一根！
Kěshì, huǒchái shì yào mài de… Hǎo ba, jiù yì gēn! Zhǐ diǎn yì gēn!
But the matches are for selling… Oh, all right. Just one! I'll only light one!
- Narrator 嚓！火柴亮了。小小的火，像一根小蜡烛。
Cā! Huǒchái liàng le. Xiǎoxiǎo de huǒ, xiàng yì gēn xiǎo làzhú.
Scratch! The match flared up: a tiny flame, like a little candle.
- The Little Match Girl 好暖和啊……这里怎么有一个大火炉？
Hǎo nuǎnhuo a… Zhèlǐ zěnme yǒu yí gè dà huǒlú?
Oh, how warm… Where did this big stove come from?
- The Little Match Girl 大火炉，你真好！火又红又大，我的手不冷了！
Dà huǒlú, nǐ zhēn hǎo! Huǒ yòu hóng yòu dà, wǒ de shǒu bù lěng le!
Oh, big stove, you're wonderful! The fire's so big and red, and my hands aren't cold anymore!
- The Little Match Girl 小脚，小脚，你们也来暖和暖和吧！
Xiǎo jiǎo, xiǎo jiǎo, nǐmen yě lái nuǎnhuo nuǎnhuo ba!
Come on, little feet, you get warm too!
- Narrator 可是，火柴很快就灭了。大火炉也没有了。
Kěshì, huǒchái hěn kuài jiù miè le. Dà huǒlú yě méiyǒu le.
But the match soon went out, and the big stove was gone.
- The Little Match Girl 火炉呢？……我的手上，只有一根黑黑的火柴。
Huǒlú ne?… Wǒ de shǒu shang, zhǐyǒu yì gēn hēihēi de huǒchái.
Where's the stove? …All I've got in my hand is one burnt, black match.
- The Little Match Girl 一根火柴，就有一个大火炉。我还有这么多火柴……那第二根，会有什么呢？
Yì gēn huǒchái, jiù yǒu yí gè dà huǒlú. Wǒ hái yǒu zhème duō huǒchái… Nà dì'èr gēn, huì yǒu shénme ne?
One match gave me a big, warm stove. And I've still got so many matches… So what will the second one bring?
What changed in the story?
- When does the story take place?
“一年的最后一个晚上”
- Why is the girl afraid to go home?
“一分钱也没有，爸爸会生气的。”
- What does the boy say he will do with her shoe?
“这只鞋像一张小床。以后我有了孩子，就让他睡在里面！”
- Why won't the lady buy any matches?
“我要回家吃烤鹅了！”
- What appears when the girl lights her first match?
“这里怎么有一个大火炉？”