The Pearl of West Lake · chapter 1 of 3
The Gray Stone
一块石头
Two friends find an ugly little stone and start rubbing it. Years later it shines like the sun, but someone in the sky is watching.
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Read what you hear
- Narrator 很久很久以前，天上有一条龙，还有一只凤凰。
Hěn jiǔ hěn jiǔ yǐqián, tiān shàng yǒu yì tiáo lóng, hái yǒu yì zhī fènghuáng.
Long, long ago, there was a dragon in the sky, and a phoenix too.
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 金凤，你看！山上有一块石头！
Jīnfèng, nǐ kàn! Shān shàng yǒu yí kuài shítou!
Jinfeng, look! There's a stone on the mountain!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 石头？它又小又黑，不好看。
Shítou? Tā yòu xiǎo yòu hēi, bù hǎokàn.
A stone? It's small and black. It's ugly.
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 你再看看。我觉得，石头里有光。
Nǐ zài kànkan. Wǒ juéde, shítou lǐ yǒu guāng.
Look again. I think there's light inside it.
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 光？我什么也看不见。
Guāng? Wǒ shénme yě kàn bú jiàn.
Light? I can't see anything.
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 我们一起擦它，好不好？
Wǒmen yìqǐ cā tā, hǎo bù hǎo?
Let's rub it together, okay?
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 擦石头？玉龙，你太好玩了！
Cā shítou? Yùlóng, nǐ tài hǎowán le!
Rub a stone? Yulong, you're so funny!
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 真的！你擦这边，我擦那边。
Zhēn de! Nǐ cā zhèbiān, wǒ cā nàbiān.
I mean it! You rub this side, I'll rub that side.
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 好吧。一，二，三，擦！
Hǎo ba. Yī, èr, sān, cā!
Fine. One, two, three, rub!
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 哎呀，我的手好累！
Āiyā, wǒ de shǒu hǎo lèi!
Oh my, my hands are so tired!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 才擦了一下，你就累了？我可以擦一天！
Cái cā le yí xià, nǐ jiù lèi le? Wǒ kěyǐ cā yì tiān!
You rubbed it once and you're tired already? I could rub all day!
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 你也累了。你的脸红了！
Nǐ yě lèi le. Nǐ de liǎn hóng le!
You're tired too. Your face is red!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 我的脸是红的！我不累！我还要擦！
Wǒ de liǎn shì hóng de! Wǒ bú lèi! Wǒ hái yào cā!
My face is always red! I'm not tired! I want to keep rubbing!
- Narrator 他们天天擦石头。一年过去了，两年过去了，三年过去了。
Tāmen tiāntiān cā shítou. Yì nián guòqù le, liǎng nián guòqù le, sān nián guòqù le.
Every day they rubbed the stone. One year passed, then two years, then three years.
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 金凤，你看！石头有一点白了！
Jīnfèng, nǐ kàn! Shítou yǒu yìdiǎn bái le!
Jinfeng, look! The stone is a little bit white!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 真的！它不黑了！我们再擦！
Zhēn de! Tā bù hēi le! Wǒmen zài cā!
It's true! It isn't black anymore! Let's rub some more!
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 我的手不累了。我好喜欢擦石头！
Wǒ de shǒu bú lèi le. Wǒ hǎo xǐhuan cā shítou!
My hands aren't tired anymore. I love rubbing stones!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 你看，它又白又亮！好漂亮！
Nǐ kàn, tā yòu bái yòu liàng! Hǎo piàoliang!
Look, it's white and bright! So pretty!
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 再擦一下……啊！好亮！
Zài cā yí xià... Ā! Hǎo liàng!
One more rub... Ah! So bright!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 我的眼睛好疼！这是什么？
Wǒ de yǎnjing hǎo téng! Zhè shì shénme?
My eyes hurt! What is this?
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 这是一个大珍珠！
Zhè shì yí gè dà zhēnzhū!
It's a big pearl!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 它像太阳一样亮！它是我们的珍珠！
Tā xiàng tàiyáng yíyàng liàng! Tā shì wǒmen de zhēnzhū!
It's as bright as the sun! It's our pearl!
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 我们做到了！你说石头不好看，现在呢？
Wǒmen zuò dào le! Nǐ shuō shítou bù hǎokàn, xiànzài ne?
We did it! You said the stone was ugly. What about now?
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 我错了。玉龙，你是对的。
Wǒ cuò le. Yùlóng, nǐ shì duì de.
I was wrong. Yulong, you were right.
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 好！我们去给人们看它吧！
Hǎo! Wǒmen qù gěi rénmen kàn tā ba!
Ha ha! Let's go show it to the people!
- Jinfeng, the Golden Phoenix 等一下！天上有一个人。她在看我们。她笑了！
Děng yíxià! Tiān shàng yǒu yí gè rén. Tā zài kàn wǒmen. Tā xiào le!
Wait! There's someone in the sky. She's watching us. She's smiling!
- Yulong, the Jade Dragon 她是谁？她为什么看我们的珍珠？
Tā shì shéi? Tā wèishénme kàn wǒmen de zhēnzhū?
Who is she? Why is she looking at our pearl?
What changed in the story?
- What does Yulong ask Jinfeng to do with the stone?
“我们一起擦它，好不好？”
- Why doesn't Jinfeng like the stone at first?
“它又小又黑，不好看。”
- How long do they rub the stone?
“一年过去了，两年过去了，三年过去了。”
- What does the stone become?
“这是一个大珍珠！”
- Who is watching them at the end?
“天上有一个人。她在看我们。”