The Little Mermaid · chapter 2 of 5
The Storm
大风浪
In the storm the little mermaid saves the sinking prince, but someone else gets his thanks. At home her grandmother tells her about souls.
Read what you hear
- The Little Mermaid 王子！王子在哪儿？雨太大了，我什么都看不见！
Wángzǐ! Wángzǐ zài nǎr? Yǔ tài dà le, wǒ shénme dōu kàn bújiàn!
Prince! Where are you? The rain is so heavy, I can't see anything!
- The Little Mermaid 船碎了！海上到处都是木头！
Chuán suì le! Hǎi shàng dàochù dōu shì mùtou!
The ship is broken! There's wood everywhere!
- The Little Mermaid 找到了！他在往下沉，我要快一点！
Zhǎodào le! Tā zài wǎng xià chén, wǒ yào kuài yìdiǎn!
Found him! He's sinking, I have to hurry!
Chapter 2 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 Little Mermaid 醒醒！你不要睡！我带你上去！
Xǐng xǐng! Nǐ búyào shuì! Wǒ dài nǐ shàngqù!
Wake up! Don't sleep! I'm taking you up!
- The Little Mermaid 他的脸好白，手好冷……他不能死。
Tā de liǎn hǎo bái, shǒu hǎo lěng… Tā bù néng sǐ.
His face is so white, his hands so cold... He can't die.
- The Little Mermaid 我在这儿，别怕。我们去有沙子的地方。
Wǒ zài zhèr, bié pà. Wǒmen qù yǒu shāzi de dìfang.
I'm here, don't be afraid. We're going where there's sand.
- The Little Mermaid 风，你停下来！浪，你慢一点！
Fēng, nǐ tíngxià lái! Làng, nǐ màn yìdiǎn!
Wind, stop! Waves, slow down!
- Narrator 天亮了，风也停了。海边有一座白房子，房子里有钟声。
Tiān liàng le, fēng yě tíng le. Hǎibiān yǒu yízuò bái fángzi, fángzi lǐ yǒu zhōng shēng.
Dawn came, and the wind stopped. By the shore stood a white building, and a bell was ringing inside.
- The Little Mermaid 到了。你看，沙子是暖的，太阳也出来了。你会好起来的。
Dào le. Nǐ kàn, shāzi shì nuǎn de, tàiyáng yě chūlái le. Nǐ huì hǎo qǐlái de.
We're here. See, the sand is warm, and the sun is coming up. You'll be all right.
- The Little Mermaid 我不知道你的名字，可是我不会忘记你。
Wǒ bù zhīdao nǐ de míngzi, kěshì wǒ bú huì wàngjì nǐ.
I don't know your name, but I won't forget you.
- The Little Mermaid 有人来了！我要躲到石头后面。
Yǒurén lái le! Wǒ yào duǒ dào shítou hòumiàn.
Someone's coming! I have to hide behind the rocks.
- The Princess 快来！这里有一个人！
Kuài lái! Zhèlǐ yǒu yí gè rén!
Come quick! There's a man here!
- The Princess 你还好吗？醒一醒！
Nǐ hái hǎo ma? Xǐng yì xǐng!
Are you all right? Please wake up!
- The Prince 我……我在哪儿？发生了什么？
Wǒ… Wǒ zài nǎr? Fāshēng le shénme?
Where... where am I? What happened?
- The Princess 别怕，你现在安全了。
Bié pà, nǐ xiànzài ānquán le.
Don't be afraid. You're safe now.
- The Prince 是你找到了我吗？谢谢你，你救了我！
Shì nǐ zhǎodào le wǒ ma? Xièxie nǐ, nǐ jiù le wǒ!
Did you find me? Thank you, you saved my life!
- The Little Mermaid 不是她，是我啊……可是他看不见我。
Bú shì tā, shì wǒ a… Kěshì tā kàn bújiàn wǒ.
It wasn't her, it was me... but he can't see me.
- Eldest Sister 小妹，你去哪儿了？你三天没说话了！
Xiǎomèi, nǐ qù nǎr le? Nǐ sān tiān méi shuōhuà le!
Little sister, where have you been? You haven't said a word in three days!
- Eldest Sister 你的脸红了！是不是你看见了一个人？
Nǐ de liǎn hóng le! Shì bu shì nǐ kànjiàn le yí gè rén?
Your face is red! Did you see someone up there?
- The Little Mermaid 才没有！我只是有点累。
Cái méiyǒu! Wǒ zhǐshì yǒu diǎn lèi.
No, I didn't! I'm just a little tired.
- The Little Mermaid 奶奶，人会活很久吗？
Nǎinai, rén huì huó hěn jiǔ ma?
Grandmother, do humans live a long time?
- Grandmother 不会。人比我们活得短，可是人有灵魂，死了以后去很美的地方。
Bú huì. Rén bǐ wǒmen huó de duǎn, kěshì rén yǒu línghún, sǐ le yǐhòu qù hěn měi de dìfang.
No. Humans live shorter lives than we do, but they have souls, and after they die they go to a beautiful place.
- Grandmother 我们人鱼可以活三百岁，然后变成海上的泡沫，什么也没有了。
Wǒmen rényú kěyǐ huó sān bǎi suì, ránhòu biànchéng hǎi shàng de pàomò, shénme yě méiyǒu le.
We mermaids can live three hundred years, and then we turn into foam on the sea, and that is all.
- The Little Mermaid 什么也没有……我不要。有办法可以有灵魂吗？
Shénme yě méiyǒu… Wǒ búyào. Yǒu bànfǎ kěyǐ yǒu línghún ma?
Nothing at all... I don't want that. Is there a way to have a soul?
- Grandmother 只有一个办法。一个人爱你，比爱他的爸爸妈妈还多，和你结婚。
Zhǐyǒu yí gè bànfǎ. Yí gè rén ài nǐ, bǐ ài tā de bàba māma hái duō, hé nǐ jiéhūn.
There's only one way. A human must love you more than his own mother and father, and marry you.
- Grandmother 可是人不喜欢鱼的尾巴，他们喜欢两条腿。
Kěshì rén bù xǐhuan yú de wěiba, tāmen xǐhuan liǎng tiáo tuǐ.
But humans don't like fish tails. They like two legs.
- The Little Mermaid 尾巴……如果我不要尾巴，有腿呢？
Wěiba… Rúguǒ wǒ búyào wěiba, yǒu tuǐ ne?
Tails... but what if I didn't have a tail, and had legs instead?
- Grandmother 孩子，你在想什么？
Háizi, nǐ zài xiǎng shénme?
Child, what are you thinking?
- The Little Mermaid 奶奶，我要去找海底的女巫。
Nǎinai, wǒ yào qù zhǎo hǎidǐ de nǚwū.
Grandmother, I'm going to see the sea witch.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What does the mermaid see when she finds the prince?
“找到了！他在往下沉！”
- Where does she leave the prince?
“海边有一座白房子”……“沙子是暖的”
- Why does the mermaid hide behind the rocks?
“有人来了！我要躲到石头后面。”
- Who does the prince thank for saving him?
“是你找到了我吗？谢谢你，你救了我！”
- What happens to a mermaid after three hundred years?
“变成海上的泡沫，什么也没有了。”