The Steadfast Tin Soldier · chapter 2 of 3
The Paper Boat
纸船
Two street boys send the soldier down the gutter in a paper boat. A rat wants a pass, a waterfall roars, and then everything goes dark.
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Street Boy 看！地上有一个锡兵！
Kàn! Dìshang yǒu yí gè xībīng!
Look! There's a tin soldier on the ground!
- Street Boy 他只有一条腿，可是他还站着！真好笑！
Tā zhǐ yǒu yì tiáo tuǐ, kěshì tā hái zhànzhe! Zhēn hǎoxiào!
He has only one leg, but he's still standing! How funny!
- Street Boy 下雨了。我们做一只纸船吧！
Xià yǔ le. Wǒmen zuò yì zhī zhǐ chuán ba!
It's raining. Let's make a paper boat!
- Street Boy 锡兵，你坐船，去大河玩吧！
Xībīng, nǐ zuò chuán, qù dà hé wán ba!
Tin soldier, get in the boat and go play on the big river!
- Tin Soldier 不！我不去！我要回家，我要回去看她！
Bù! Wǒ bú qù! Wǒ yào huíjiā, wǒ yào huíqù kàn tā!
No! I won't go! I want to go home, I want to go back and see her!
- Street Boy 走吧，小船！跑快一点儿！
Zǒu ba, xiǎo chuán! Pǎo kuài yìdiǎnr!
Go, little boat! Run faster!
- Tin Soldier 水好快！可是我不会动，我是兵。
Shuǐ hǎo kuài! Kěshì wǒ bú huì dòng, wǒ shì bīng.
The water is so fast! But I won't move. I'm a soldier.
- Tin Soldier 小舞者现在做什么？玩具们都睡了吗？她想我吗？
Xiǎo wǔzhě xiànzài zuò shénme? Wánjùmen dōu shuì le ma? Tā xiǎng wǒ ma?
What is the little dancer doing now? Are the toys all asleep? Is she thinking of me?
- Street Boy 再见了，锡兵！你要小心啊！
Zàijiàn le, xībīng! Nǐ yào xiǎoxīn a!
Goodbye, tin soldier! Be careful on your trip!
- Tin Soldier 哇！这里好黑！这是什么地方？
Wā! Zhèlǐ hǎo hēi! Zhè shì shénme dìfang?
Wow! It's so dark in here! What is this place?
- Water Rat 站住！这条路是我的！你的票呢？
Zhànzhù! Zhè tiáo lù shì wǒ de! Nǐ de piào ne?
Stop! This road is mine! Where is your pass?
- Water Rat 我是这里的老鼠大王！大家都要给我票！
Wǒ shì zhèlǐ de lǎoshǔ dàwáng! Dàjiā dōu yào gěi wǒ piào!
I am the rat king of this place! Everybody must give me a pass!
- Water Rat 要过这里，就要给我票！
Yào guò zhèlǐ, jiù yào gěi wǒ piào!
To get through here, you must give me a pass!
- Tin Soldier 一只老鼠？我不说话，也不看你。
Yì zhī lǎoshǔ? Wǒ bù shuōhuà, yě bú kàn nǐ.
A rat? I won't say a word or even look at you.
- Tin Soldier 我看着前面。我不怕，我不怕。
Wǒ kànzhe qiánmiàn. Wǒ bú pà, wǒ bú pà.
I'll keep looking ahead. I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid.
- Water Rat 你不说话？好！小木头，小草，快来！
Nǐ bù shuōhuà? Hǎo! Xiǎo mùtou, xiǎo cǎo, kuài lái!
You won't talk? Fine! Sticks, straw, come quick!
- Water Rat 别让他走！他没给我票！
Bié ràng tā zǒu! Tā méi gěi wǒ piào!
Don't let him go! He didn't give me a pass!
- Tin Soldier 老鼠先生，我不怕你，你也不能让我停下来！
Lǎoshǔ xiānsheng, wǒ bú pà nǐ, nǐ yě bù néng ràng wǒ tíng xiàlái!
Mr. Rat, I'm not afraid of you, and you can't make me stop!
- Tin Soldier 前面的声音好大！那是什么？
Qiánmiàn de shēngyīn hǎo dà! Nà shì shénme?
The noise ahead is so loud! What is that?
- Tin Soldier 船进水了！我要掉下去了！我不能动！
Chuán jìn shuǐ le! Wǒ yào diào xiàqù le! Wǒ bù néng dòng!
The boat is filling with water! I'm going to sink! I must not move!
- Tin Soldier 小舞者……再见了。我还站着。
Xiǎo wǔzhě… zàijiàn le. Wǒ hái zhànzhe.
Little dancer... goodbye. I'm still standing.
- Narrator 一条大鱼一口吃了他。
Yì tiáo dà yú yì kǒu chī le tā.
A big fish swallowed him in one gulp.
- Tin Soldier 哇！这里比河里更黑！我在哪儿？
Wā! Zhèlǐ bǐ hé lǐ gèng hēi! Wǒ zài nǎr?
Whoa! It's even darker here than the river! Where am I?
- Tin Soldier 我在……鱼的肚子里？
Wǒ zài… yú de dùzi lǐ?
I'm... in a fish's belly?
- Tin Soldier 别怕，别怕。我是兵，我要站好。
Bié pà, bié pà. Wǒ shì bīng, wǒ yào zhàn hǎo.
Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm a soldier. I must stand tall.
- The Maid 这条鱼真大！今天我们可以吃鱼了！
Zhè tiáo yú zhēn dà! Jīntiān wǒmen kěyǐ chī yú le!
What a big fish! We can have fish today!
- The Maid 咦？鱼肚子里有东西！
Yí? Yú dùzi lǐ yǒu dōngxi!
Huh? There's something inside the fish!
- The Maid 是锡兵！我在小男孩的家里见过他！
Shì xībīng! Wǒ zài xiǎo nánhái de jiā lǐ jiànguo tā!
It's a tin soldier! I've seen him at the little boy's house!
What changed in the story?
- What do the street boys make?
“我们做一只纸船吧！”
- Why doesn't the soldier want to go?
“我要回家！我要回去看她！”
- What does the rat want from the soldier?
“要过这里，就要给我票！”
- What does the soldier decide to do when the rat shouts?
“我不说话。”……“我看着前面。”
- Where is the soldier at the end of the chapter?
“鱼肚子里有东西！”