The Ugly Duckling · chapter 1 of 5
The Biggest Egg
最大的蛋
Mother Duck's biggest egg just won't hatch, and when it finally does, the chick inside is big, gray and nothing like the others. Is he even a duck?
Hear the chapter
Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久以前的一个夏天。河边的草里，鸭妈妈坐在五个蛋上。
Hěn jiǔ yǐqián de yí gè xiàtiān. Hébiān de cǎo lǐ, Yā māma zuò zài wǔ gè dàn shang.
Long ago, one summer, Mother Duck sat on five eggs in the tall grass by a river.
- The Ugly Duckling 这里好黑，好小啊……外边是什么样子？
Zhèlǐ hǎo hēi, hǎo xiǎo a… Wàibian shì shénme yàngzi?
It's so dark in here, and so small… What's it like outside?
- Mother Duck 孩子们，快出来吧！妈妈坐了很多很多天了！
Háizimen, kuài chūlái ba! Māma zuò le hěn duō hěn duō tiān le!
Come out soon, children! Mama's been sitting here for days and days!
- Narrator 蛋一个一个地开了，黄黄的小鸭子出来了。
Dàn yí gè yí gè de kāi le, huánghuáng de xiǎo yāzi chūlái le.
One by one the eggs cracked open, and out came fluffy yellow ducklings.
- Big Sister 外边好大啊！我是第一个出来的！
Wàibian hǎo dà a! Wǒ shì dì yī gè chūlái de!
It's so big out here! I'm the first one out!
- Mother Duck 一、二、三、四……还有一个呢？最大的蛋，怎么还不开？
Yī, èr, sān, sì… Hái yǒu yí gè ne? Zuì dà de dàn, zěnme hái bù kāi?
One, two, three, four… and the last one? Why won't the biggest egg open?
- The Ugly Duckling 我也想出去！我想看妈妈！我想去水里玩！
Wǒ yě xiǎng chūqù! Wǒ xiǎng kàn māma! Wǒ xiǎng qù shuǐ lǐ wán!
I want to get out too! I want to see Mama! I want to play in the water!
- Narrator 鸭奶奶走了过来。她的腿上，有一块红布。
Yā nǎinai zǒu le guòlái. Tā de tuǐ shang, yǒu yí kuài hóng bù.
Granny Duck waddled over. She had a red cloth tied on her leg.
- Granny Duck 让我看看……这个蛋太大了！我知道，这不是鸭子的蛋，是火鸡的蛋！
Ràng wǒ kànkan… Zhège dàn tài dà le! Wǒ zhīdào, zhè bú shì yāzi de dàn, shì huǒjī de dàn!
Let me see… This egg is far too big! I know what this is. It's no duck egg. It's a turkey egg!
- Mother Duck 火鸡的蛋？鸭奶奶，真的吗？
Huǒjī de dàn? Yā nǎinai, zhēn de ma?
A turkey egg? Granny Duck, are you sure?
- Granny Duck 真的！我以前也坐过一个。那只小火鸡，怎么也不下水！
Zhēn de! Wǒ yǐqián yě zuòguo yí gè. Nà zhī xiǎo huǒjī, zěnme yě bú xiàshuǐ!
Quite sure! I sat on one myself once. That little turkey would never go into the water!
- Granny Duck 别坐了，快带孩子们去河里吧！
Bié zuò le, kuài dài háizimen qù hé lǐ ba!
Get off that egg and take your children to the river!
- Mother Duck 不，我再坐一会儿。
Bù, wǒ zài zuò yíhuìr.
No. I'll sit a little longer.
- The Ugly Duckling 妈妈别走！我快出来了！
Māma bié zǒu! Wǒ kuài chūlái le!
Don't go, Mama! I'm almost out!
- Narrator 这时候，最大的蛋开了。
Zhè shíhou, zuì dà de dàn kāi le.
Just then, the biggest egg cracked open.
- The Ugly Duckling 我出来了！妈妈！妈妈！
Wǒ chūlái le! Māma! Māma!
I'm out! Mama! Mama!
- Mother Duck 孩子，你……你怎么这么大，这么灰？
Háizi, nǐ… nǐ zěnme zhème dà, zhème huī?
My child… why are you so big? And so gray?
- Big Sister 他好丑啊！跟我们一点儿也不一样！
Tā hǎo chǒu a! Gēn wǒmen yìdiǎnr yě bù yíyàng!
He's so ugly! He's nothing like us!
- Granny Duck 你看，又大又灰！我知道，是火鸡！
Nǐ kàn, yòu dà yòu huī! Wǒ zhīdào, shì huǒjī!
See? Big and gray! I knew it. A turkey!
- The Ugly Duckling 火鸡？火鸡是什么？我不是鸭子吗？
Huǒjī? Huǒjī shì shénme? Wǒ bú shì yāzi ma?
A turkey? What's a turkey? Aren't I a duck?
- Mother Duck 明天去河里看看，就知道了！
Míngtiān qù hé lǐ kànkan, jiù zhīdào le!
Tomorrow we'll go to the river and see. Then we'll know!
- Narrator 第二天早上，太阳很好。鸭妈妈带着孩子们，走进了河里。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshang, tàiyáng hěn hǎo. Yā māma dàizhe háizimen, zǒujìn le hé lǐ.
The next morning the sun was shining, and Mother Duck led her children down into the river.
- Big Sister 我是第一个！
Wǒ shì dì yī gè!
Me first!
- The Ugly Duckling 水凉凉的，好舒服……我会游！我会游！
Shuǐ liángliáng de, hǎo shūfu… Wǒ huì yóu! Wǒ huì yóu!
The water's cool and lovely… I can swim! I can swim!
- Mother Duck 你们看，他游得多好！头高高的！
Nǐmen kàn, tā yóu de duō hǎo! Tóu gāogāo de!
Look how well he swims! And he holds his head up so high!
- The Ugly Duckling 妈妈，我……我游得好吗？
Māma, wǒ… wǒ yóu de hǎo ma?
Mama, am I… am I swimming well?
- Mother Duck 真好！你不是火鸡，你是我的孩子！
Zhēn hǎo! Nǐ bú shì huǒjī, nǐ shì wǒ de háizi!
Beautifully! You're no turkey. You're my child!
- Mother Duck 明天，妈妈带你们去大院子，见见大家！
Míngtiān, māma dài nǐmen qù dà yuànzi, jiànjian dàjiā!
Tomorrow Mama will take you all to the big farmyard to meet everyone!
- Big Sister 大家会笑他的！丑小鸭！丑小鸭！
Dàjiā huì xiào tā de! Chǒu Xiǎoyā! Chǒu Xiǎoyā!
Everyone's going to laugh at him! Ugly Duckling! Ugly Duckling!
- The Ugly Duckling 丑小鸭……是我吗？明天，大家会喜欢我吗？
Chǒu Xiǎoyā… shì wǒ ma? Míngtiān, dàjiā huì xǐhuan wǒ ma?
Ugly Duckling… is that me? Tomorrow… will they like me?
What changed in the story?
- Why does Mother Duck want her children to come out soon?
“孩子们，快出来吧！妈妈坐了很多很多天了！”
- What does the chick inside the biggest egg want?
“我想看妈妈！我想去水里玩！”
- What does Granny Duck say the biggest egg is?
“这不是鸭子的蛋，是火鸡的蛋！”
- How will Mother Duck find out whether her big gray chick is a turkey?
“那只小火鸡，怎么也不下水！……明天去河里看看，就知道了！”
- What happens when he goes into the river?
“你们看，他游得多好！头高高的！”