The Little Mermaid · chapter 4 of 5
The Silent Girl
不说话的女孩
The mute girl becomes the prince's dearest friend and dances for him through the pain. Then he tells her about the girl he loves.
Read what you hear
- The Prince 来，我的小朋友！今天我们骑马去山上！
Lái, wǒ de xiǎo péngyou! Jīntiān wǒmen qí mǎ qù shān shàng!
Come, my little friend! Today we're riding up the mountain!
- The Little Mermaid 每走一步都像走在刀上。可是他在笑，我也笑。
Měi zǒu yíbù dōu xiàng zǒu zài dāo shàng. Kěshì tā zài xiào, wǒ yě xiào.
Every step feels like walking on knives. But he's smiling, so I smile too.
- The Prince 你从来不说不。你是我最好的朋友！
Nǐ cónglái bù shuō bù. Nǐ shì wǒ zuìhǎo de péngyou!
You never say no. You're my best friend!
Chapter 4 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of The Little Mermaid 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, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- The Prince 而且你不会说我的秘密，这样最好了！
Érqiě nǐ bú huì shuō wǒ de mìmì, zhèyàng zuìhǎo le!
And you never tell my secrets, which is even better!
- The Prince 你在笑？我知道，你想说：好主意！
Nǐ zài xiào? Wǒ zhīdao, nǐ xiǎng shuō: hǎo zhǔyì!
You're smiling? I know what you want to say: great idea!
- The Little Mermaid 我想去的地方，只有一个：你去的地方。
Wǒ xiǎng qù de dìfang, zhǐyǒu yí gè: nǐ qù de dìfang.
There's only one place I want to go: wherever you go.
- Narrator 晚上，宫里有音乐。她为王子跳舞，跳得比所有人都好。
Wǎnshang, gōng lǐ yǒu yīnyuè. Tā wèi Wángzǐ tiàowǔ, tiào de bǐ suǒyǒu rén dōu hǎo.
That evening there was music in the palace. She danced for the prince, better than anyone.
- The Prince 太美了！你跳舞像水一样！谁教你的？
Tài měi le! Nǐ tiàowǔ xiàng shuǐ yíyàng! Shuí jiào nǐ de?
Beautiful! You dance like water! Who taught you?
- The Little Mermaid 我的脚好疼，可是我不会停。
Wǒ de jiǎo hǎo téng, kěshì wǒ bú huì tíng.
My feet hurt so much, but I won't stop.
- The Prince 你很像一个我认识的人，可是我想不起来是谁。
Nǐ hěn xiàng yí gè wǒ rènshi de rén, kěshì wǒ xiǎng bù qǐlái shì shuí.
You remind me of someone I know, but I can't think who.
- The Prince 来，坐这里。我要告诉你一个秘密。
Lái, zuò zhèlǐ. Wǒ yào gàosu nǐ yí gè mìmì.
Come, sit here. I'm going to tell you a secret.
- The Prince 有一天，我在海上遇到大风浪，差一点死了。
Yǒu yìtiān, wǒ zài hǎi shàng yùdào dà fēng làng, chà yìdiǎn sǐ le.
One day I was caught in a terrible storm at sea, and I almost died.
- The Little Mermaid 是我……是我救了你……
Shì wǒ… Shì wǒ jiù le nǐ…
It was me... I saved you...
- The Prince 有一个女孩在海边找到我。我只见过她一次，可是我忘不了她。
Yǒu yí gè nǚhái zài hǎibiān zhǎodào wǒ. Wǒ zhǐjiàn guò tā yícì, kěshì wǒ wàng bù liǎo tā.
A girl found me on the beach. I only saw her once, but I can't forget her.
- The Little Mermaid 她只是找到你。救你的人，是我啊。
Tā zhǐshì zhǎodào nǐ. Jiù nǐ de rén, shì wǒ a.
She only found you. The one who saved you was me.
- The Prince 爸爸要我去看邻国的公主，说我们可以结婚。可是我不想。
Bàba yào wǒ qù kàn línguó de Gōngzhǔ, shuō wǒmen kěyǐ jiéhūn. Kěshì wǒ bù xiǎng.
Father wants me to visit the neighboring princess and says we might marry. But I don't want to.
- The Prince 但是我可以跟你说这些。你像我的家人。你懂我，对不对？
Dànshì wǒ kěyǐ gēn nǐ shuō zhèxiē. Nǐ xiàng wǒ de jiārén. Nǐ dǒng wǒ, duì bu duì?
But I can tell you all this. You're like family. You understand me, don't you?
- The Little Mermaid 我懂。我什么都懂。
Wǒ dǒng. Wǒ shénme dōu dǒng.
I understand. I understand everything.
- Narrator 几天以后，他们坐船到了邻国。
Jǐ tiān yǐhòu, tāmen zuò chuán dào le línguó.
A few days later, they sailed to the neighboring kingdom.
- The Prince 我不想来。我不会喜欢她的。
Wǒ bù xiǎng lái. Wǒ bú huì xǐhuan tā de.
I didn't want to come. I won't like her.
- The Princess 欢迎你，王子！啊……是你！
Huānyíng nǐ, Wángzǐ! A… Shì nǐ!
Welcome, Prince! Oh... it's you!
- The Prince 海边的女孩！是你！
Hǎibiān de nǚhái! Shì nǐ!
The girl from the beach! It's you!
- The Princess 你还活着！我一直在想，你好不好！
Nǐ hái huó zhe! Wǒ yìzhí zài xiǎng, nǐ hǎo bu hǎo!
You're alive! I've always wondered how you were!
- The Little Mermaid 原来是她。原来她是公主。
Yuánlái shì tā. Yuánlái tā shì Gōngzhǔ.
So it's her. So she's a princess.
- The Prince 你看，我找到她了！她就是我说的那个女孩！
Nǐ kàn, wǒ zhǎodào tā le! Tā jiùshì wǒ shuō de nà ge nǚhái!
Look, I found her! She's the girl I told you about!
- The Little Mermaid 他这么高兴……我也应该高兴。
Tā zhème gāoxìng… Wǒ yě yīnggāi gāoxìng.
He's so happy... I should be happy too.
- The Prince 我们三天以后结婚！
Wǒmen sān tiān yǐhòu jiéhūn!
We'll be married in three days!
- The Princess 三天？这么快？
Sān tiān? Zhème kuài?
Three days? So soon?
- The Prince 我不想再等了！
Wǒ bù xiǎng zài děng le!
I don't want to wait any longer!
- The Prince 你会来参加我的婚礼，对吗？你是我最好的朋友。
Nǐ huì lái cānjiā wǒ de hūnlǐ, duì ma? Nǐ shì wǒ zuìhǎo de péngyou.
You'll come to my wedding, won't you? You're my best friend.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the mermaid do for the prince in the evening?
“她为王子跳舞，跳得比所有人都好。”
- How do her feet feel when she dances?
“我的脚好疼，可是我不会停。”
- Who does the prince say he can't forget?
“有一个女孩在海边找到我。”
- Who is the princess of the neighboring kingdom?
“海边的女孩！是你！”
- What does the prince ask the mermaid at the end?
“你会来参加我的婚礼，对吗？”