The Ugly Duckling · chapter 5 of 5
The Bird in the Water
水里的鸟
Spring comes, and the duckling at last meets the white birds he dreamed of all winter, and sees something in the water he never expected.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 春天的花园里，花都开了。三只白鸟在水上游着。
Chūntiān de huāyuán lǐ, huā dōu kāi le. Sān zhī bái niǎo zài shuǐ shang yóuzhe.
In the spring garden, every flower was in bloom, and three white birds were gliding on the water.
- The Ugly Duckling 他们真漂亮……我很丑，他们会打我吧？
Tāmen zhēn piàoliang… Wǒ hěn chǒu, tāmen huì dǎ wǒ ba?
They're so beautiful… and I'm so ugly. They'll peck me, won't they?
- The Ugly Duckling 鸭子打我，鸡也打我，狗也不要我……
Yāzi dǎ wǒ, jī yě dǎ wǒ, gǒu yě bú yào wǒ…
The ducks nipped me, the hens pecked me, even the dog didn't want me…
- The Ugly Duckling 他们打我，也没关系。我要去！我想跟他们在一起！
Tāmen dǎ wǒ, yě méi guānxi. Wǒ yào qù! Wǒ xiǎng gēn tāmen zài yìqǐ!
If they peck me, so be it. I'm going! I want to be with them!
- Narrator 丑小鸭飞到水上，向白鸟游了过去。
Chǒu Xiǎoyā fēi dào shuǐ shang, xiàng bái niǎo yóu le guòqù.
The Ugly Duckling flew down onto the water and swam toward the white birds.
- The Swan 你好！你是从哪儿来的？
Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ shì cóng nǎr lái de?
Hello! Where have you come from?
- The Ugly Duckling 对不起……我很丑。你们要打我，就打吧。
Duìbuqǐ… Wǒ hěn chǒu. Nǐmen yào dǎ wǒ, jiù dǎ ba.
I'm sorry… I know I'm very ugly. If you want to peck me, go ahead.
- The Ugly Duckling 水里……水里有一只鸟。白白的，脖子长长的……
Shuǐ lǐ… shuǐ lǐ yǒu yì zhī niǎo. Báibái de, bózi chángcháng de…
In the water… there's a bird in the water. All white, with a long neck…
- The Ugly Duckling 我动，他也动……这是……我吗？
Wǒ dòng, tā yě dòng… Zhè shì… wǒ ma?
When I move, he moves… Is that… me?
- The Swan 对，是你！你是天鹅，跟我们一样！
Duì, shì nǐ! Nǐ shì tiān'é, gēn wǒmen yíyàng!
Yes, it's you! You're a swan, just like us!
- The Ugly Duckling 天鹅？我……我不是鸭子吗？
Tiān'é? Wǒ… wǒ bú shì yāzi ma?
A swan? I… I'm not a duck?
- The Swan 你在鸭子的家里长大。可是，你是从天鹅蛋里出来的！
Nǐ zài yāzi de jiā lǐ zhǎngdà. Kěshì, nǐ shì cóng tiān'é dàn lǐ chūlái de!
You grew up with the ducks. But you hatched from a swan's egg!
- The Ugly Duckling 最大的那个蛋……原来，是天鹅蛋！
Zuì dà de nàge dàn… yuánlái, shì tiān'é dàn!
The biggest egg… so that's what it was. A swan's egg!
- The Ugly Duckling 鸭奶奶说，那是火鸡的蛋……她错了！
Yā nǎinai shuō, nà shì huǒjī de dàn… Tā cuò le!
Granny Duck said it was a turkey egg… She was wrong!
- Narrator 天鹅们游过来，用嘴轻轻地碰了碰他。
Tiān'émen yóu guòlái, yòng zuǐ qīngqīng de pèng le pèng tā.
The swans swam up and gently stroked him with their beaks.
- The Swan 欢迎你，我们的新朋友！
Huānyíng nǐ, wǒmen de xīn péngyou!
Welcome, our new friend!
- The Ugly Duckling 新朋友？我？对不起，对不起……
Xīn péngyou? Wǒ? Duìbuqǐ, duìbuqǐ…
A new friend? Me? Sorry, I'm sorry…
- The Swan 又说对不起？你什么也没做错啊！
Yòu shuō duìbuqǐ? Nǐ shénme yě méi zuòcuò a!
Sorry again? You haven't done anything wrong!
- Narrator 这时候，几个孩子跑进了花园。
Zhè shíhou, jǐ gè háizi pǎo jìn le huāyuán.
Just then, some children ran into the garden.
- The Little Girl 你们看！来了一只新天鹅！
Nǐmen kàn! Lái le yì zhī xīn tiān'é!
Look, everyone! A new swan has come!
- The Little Girl 爸爸，妈妈，快来看！新来的最好看！
Bàba, māma, kuài lái kàn! Xīn lái de zuì hǎokàn!
Dad! Mom! Come and see! The new one is the most beautiful of all!
- The Little Girl 新天鹅，来，吃面包！
Xīn tiān'é, lái, chī miànbāo!
New swan, come and have some bread!
- The Ugly Duckling 最好看的……是我？
Zuì hǎokàn de… shì wǒ?
The most beautiful… me?
- Narrator 丑小鸭不好意思了。他把头放到了翅膀下边。
Chǒu Xiǎoyā bù hǎoyìsi le. Tā bǎ tóu fàng dào le chìbǎng xiàbian.
The Ugly Duckling felt so shy that he tucked his head under his wing.
- The Ugly Duckling 以前，大家都说我丑。今天，大家都说我好看……
Yǐqián, dàjiā dōu shuō wǒ chǒu. Jīntiān, dàjiā dōu shuō wǒ hǎokàn…
Before, everyone said I was ugly. Today, everyone says I'm beautiful…
- The Ugly Duckling 我还是我啊。我不会笑别人丑。
Wǒ háishi wǒ a. Wǒ bú huì xiào biérén chǒu.
I'm still me, though. And I'll never laugh at anyone for being ugly.
- The Swan 来吧，打开翅膀！我们一起飞！
Lái ba, dǎkāi chìbǎng! Wǒmen yìqǐ fēi!
Come on, open your wings! Let's fly together!
- The Ugly Duckling 以前，我天天说对不起。今天，我想说：谢谢你们！我好快乐！
Yǐqián, wǒ tiāntiān shuō duìbuqǐ. Jīntiān, wǒ xiǎng shuō: xièxie nǐmen! Wǒ hǎo kuàilè!
I used to say sorry every day. Today I want to say thank you, all of you! I'm so happy!
What changed in the story?
- Why is the duckling afraid to go to the white birds?
“我很丑，他们会打我吧？”
- What does he see when he looks into the water?
“水里有一只鸟。白白的，脖子长长的……”
- What does the swan tell him?
“你是天鹅，跟我们一样！……你是从天鹅蛋里出来的！”
- What does the little girl say about the new swan?
“新来的最好看！”
- How does he feel at the end?
“丑小鸭不好意思了……谢谢你们！我好快乐！”