The Magic Lotus Lantern · chapter 4 of 6
Mother's Voice
妈妈的声音
Chenxiang finally learns the truth and sets off for Mount Hua with a bag of buns. But can a boy's two hands open a mountain?
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 那天晚上，刘彦昌给儿子讲了一个很长很长的故事。
Nà tiān wǎnshang, Liú Yànchāng gěi érzi jiǎng le yí gè hěn cháng hěn cháng de gùshi.
That night, Liu Yanchang told his son a very, very long story.
- Chenxiang 我的妈妈……是神仙？她在华山下面？
Wǒ de māma… shì shénxiān? Tā zài Huà Shān xiàmiàn?
My mother... is a goddess? And she's under Mount Hua?
- Liu Yanchang 对。是你的舅舅二郎神，把她压在了山下。
Duì. Shì nǐ de jiùjiu Èrláng Shén, bǎ tā yā zài le shān xià.
Yes. It was your uncle, Erlang Shen, who shut her away under the mountain.
- Chenxiang 舅舅？他是妈妈的哥哥啊！他怎么能这样？
Jiùjiu? Tā shì māma de gēge a! Tā zěnme néng zhèyàng?
My uncle? He's Mom's own brother! How could he do that?
- Liu Yanchang 因为天条。神仙和人，不能在一起。
Yīnwèi tiāntiáo. Shénxiān hé rén, bù néng zài yìqǐ.
Because of heaven's law. Gods and humans can't be together.
- Chenxiang 所以……妈妈给了我这块沉香。
Suǒyǐ… māma gěi le wǒ zhè kuài chénxiāng.
So that's why... Mom gave me this agarwood.
- Liu Yanchang 她说，你带着它，她一闻就知道是你。
Tā shuō, nǐ dàizhe tā, tā yì wén jiù zhīdào shì nǐ.
She said that as long as you wear it, she'll know you by its smell.
- Chenxiang 那我现在就去华山！我要去救妈妈！
Nà wǒ xiànzài jiù qù Huà Shān! Wǒ yào qù jiù māma!
Then I'm going to Mount Hua right now! I'm going to save Mom!
- Liu Yanchang 不行！你舅舅有三只眼睛，本领很大！
Bù xíng! Nǐ jiùjiu yǒu sān zhī yǎnjing, běnlǐng hěn dà!
No! Your uncle has three eyes, and his powers are enormous!
- Chenxiang 他有三只眼睛，我有两只手！
Tā yǒu sān zhī yǎnjing, wǒ yǒu liǎng zhī shǒu!
He's got three eyes? Well, I've got two hands!
- Liu Yanchang 你跟你妈妈一样……好吧。等一下！
Nǐ gēn nǐ māma yíyàng… hǎo ba. Děng yíxià!
You're just like your mother... All right. Wait a minute!
- Liu Yanchang 带上这些包子，路上吃。还有这些……还有这些！
Dài shàng zhèxiē bāozi, lùshang chī. Hái yǒu zhèxiē… hái yǒu zhèxiē!
Take these buns to eat on the way. And these... and these!
- Chenxiang 爸爸，二十个包子？我是去救妈妈，不是去吃饭！
Bàba, èrshí gè bāozi? Wǒ shì qù jiù māma, bú shì qù chī fàn!
Dad, twenty buns? I'm going to save Mom, not to have a feast!
- Liu Yanchang 救妈妈，也不能饿着！
Jiù māma, yě bù néng èzhe!
You can't save your mother on an empty stomach!
- Narrator 沉香在华山下找了三天三夜。
Chénxiāng zài Huà Shān xià zhǎo le sān tiān sān yè.
For three days and three nights, Chenxiang searched all around the foot of Mount Hua.
- Chenxiang 妈妈！妈妈！你在哪儿？我是沉香！
Māma! Māma! Nǐ zài nǎr? Wǒ shì Chénxiāng!
Mom! Mom! Where are you? It's me, Chenxiang!
- Narrator 没有人回答。只有风，在山上吹着。
Méiyǒu rén huídá. Zhǐyǒu fēng, zài shān shang chuīzhe.
No one answered. There was only the wind, blowing over the mountain.
- Chenxiang 华山这么大，妈妈会在哪儿呢？她……还在吗？
Huà Shān zhème dà, māma huì zài nǎr ne? Tā… hái zài ma?
Mount Hua is so big. Where could Mom be? Is she... even still here?
- Sanshengmu 这个味道……是沉香？是我的沉香吗？
Zhège wèidao… shì chénxiāng? Shì wǒ de Chénxiāng ma?
That smell... agarwood? Is that my Chenxiang?
- Chenxiang 妈妈？是你吗？妈妈！
Māma? Shì nǐ ma? Māma!
Mom? Is that you? Mom!
- Sanshengmu 是我，孩子！你长这么大了！你的声音，跟你爸爸一样好听。
Shì wǒ, háizi! Nǐ zhǎng zhème dà le! Nǐ de shēngyīn, gēn nǐ bàba yíyàng hǎotīng.
It's me, my child! Look how big you've grown! You sound just like your father.
- Chenxiang 爸爸很好。他还天天给你写一首诗呢！
Bàba hěn hǎo. Tā hái tiāntiān gěi nǐ xiě yì shǒu shī ne!
Dad's fine. He still writes you a poem every single day!
- Sanshengmu 他的诗……还是写得不太好吧？
Tā de shī… háishi xiě de bú tài hǎo ba?
And his poems... still not very good, I suppose?
- Chenxiang 对，还是不太好！
Duì, háishi bú tài hǎo!
Yep. Still not very good!
- Chenxiang 妈妈，你等着！我现在就把山打开，救你出来！
Māma, nǐ děngzhe! Wǒ xiànzài jiù bǎ shān dǎkāi, jiù nǐ chūlái!
Hang on, Mom! I'll break the mountain open right now and get you out!
- Sanshengmu 不行，孩子！用手打不开的！你听妈妈说。
Bù xíng, háizi! Yòng shǒu dǎ bu kāi de! Nǐ tīng māma shuō.
No, child! Hands can't open it! Listen to me.
- Sanshengmu 这座山，要用神仙的斧头，才能劈开。我的宝莲灯，在你舅舅那儿。
Zhè zuò shān, yào yòng shénxiān de fǔtou, cái néng pīkāi. Wǒ de Bǎolián Dēng, zài nǐ jiùjiu nàr.
Only an immortal's axe can split this mountain. And my Lotus Lantern is with your uncle.
- Sanshengmu 可是你记住：宝莲灯是妈妈的。你叫它，它也会听你的。
Kěshì nǐ jìzhù: Bǎolián Dēng shì māma de. Nǐ jiào tā, tā yě huì tīng nǐ de.
But remember this: the Lotus Lantern is mine. If you call it, it will listen to you, too.
- Chenxiang 神仙的斧头？在哪儿？谁能教我？
Shénxiān de fǔtou? Zài nǎr? Shéi néng jiāo wǒ?
An immortal's axe? Where do I find one? Who can teach me?
- Sanshengmu 快走，沉香！我听见狗叫了！是你舅舅的狗！
Kuài zǒu, Chénxiāng! Wǒ tīngjiàn gǒu jiào le! Shì nǐ jiùjiu de gǒu!
Run, Chenxiang! I can hear a dog barking! It's your uncle's dog!
- Chenxiang 狗？在哪儿？……我不走！我不能走！
Gǒu? Zài nǎr? … Wǒ bù zǒu! Wǒ bù néng zǒu!
A dog? Where? ...I'm not leaving! I can't leave!
- Pili Daxian, the Thunder Immortal 哈哈哈！好孩子！快上来，抓住我的胡子！
Hāhāhā! Hǎo háizi! Kuài shànglái, zhuāzhù wǒ de húzi!
Ha ha ha! Good lad! Quick, up you come! Grab hold of my beard!
What changed in the story?
- Who shut Chenxiang's mother away under Mount Hua?
“是你的舅舅二郎神，把她压在了山下。”
- What does Chenxiang say when his father warns him about his uncle's three eyes?
“他有三只眼睛，我有两只手！”
- How does his mother know Chenxiang has come?
“这个味道……是沉香？是我的沉香吗？”
- What does Chenxiang need to split the mountain, according to his mother?
“这座山，要用神仙的斧头，才能劈开。”
- What does his mother say about the Lotus Lantern?
“你叫它，它也会听你的。”