The White Snake · chapter 13 of 25
Water over Jinshan
水漫金山
The Yangtze climbs toward Jinshan Temple, but Fahai has one more trick, and a god nobody expected steps into the fight.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 长江的水涨起来了，越来越高，向金山上爬去。
Cháng Jiāng de shuǐ zhǎng qǐlái le, yuè lái yuè gāo, xiàng Jīnshān shàng pá qù.
The Yangtze rose, higher and higher, climbing up the hill of Jinshan.
- Xiaoqing 小姐，你看，水上山了！那些和尚跑得比小青还快！
Xiǎojiě, nǐ kàn, shuǐ shàng shān le! Nàxiē héshang pǎo de bǐ Xiǎoqīng hái kuài!
Look, Miss, the water's climbing the hill! Those monks are running faster than Xiaoqing!
- Bai Suzhen 法海，你看见了吗？放了我丈夫，我就让水回去！
Fǎhǎi, nǐ kànjiàn le ma? Fàng le wǒ zhàngfu, wǒ jiù ràng shuǐ huíqu!
Fahai, do you see this? Let my husband go, and I'll send the water back!
Chapter 13 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Part 1 of The White Snake (chapters 1–5) is free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free from start to finish.
- Xiaoqing 法海，你的那些神仙，会不会游泳？
Fǎhǎi, nǐ de nàxiē shénxiān, huì bu huì yóuyǒng?
Hey, Fahai, can those gods of yours swim?
- Fahai 我不跑，也不放人。金山寺，水上不来。
Wǒ bù pǎo, yě bú fàng rén. Jīnshān Sì, shuǐ shàng bu lái.
I will not run, and I will not let him go. The water will not reach Jinshan Temple.
- Narrator 法海拿下袈裟，向山上一放，袈裟变得像山一样大。
Fǎhǎi ná xià jiāshā, xiàng shān shàng yí fàng, jiāshā biàn de xiàng shān yíyàng dà.
Fahai took off his kasaya and cast it over the hill, and it grew as big as the hill itself.
- Xiaoqing 怎么回事？这件袈裟这么厉害？水到了那儿，就上不去了！
Zěnme huí shì? Zhè jiàn jiāshā zhème lìhai? Shuǐ dào le nàr, jiù shàng bu qù le!
What's going on? How can a kasaya be that strong? The water gets that far and can't go any higher!
- Bai Suzhen 不好！水往回走了，向山下的镇江去了！
Bù hǎo! Shuǐ wǎng huí zǒu le, xiàng shān xià de Zhènjiāng qù le!
Oh no! The water's turning back. It's heading down onto Zhenjiang!
- Bai Suzhen 不要！水，快回来！
Bú yào! Shuǐ, kuài huílái!
No! Water, come back!
- Narrator 大水到了山下的镇江，很多房子和很多人，都没有了。
Dà shuǐ dào le shān xià de Zhènjiāng, hěn duō fángzi hé hěn duō rén, dōu méiyǒu le.
The flood reached Zhenjiang below the hill, and many houses and many people were lost.
- Fahai 白蛇！你害了这么多人，今天我不能让你走！
Báishé! Nǐ hài le zhème duō rén, jīntiān wǒ bù néng ràng nǐ zǒu!
White snake! You have harmed so many people. Today I cannot let you go!
- Xiaoqing 小姐，小心！他的禅杖！
Xiǎojiě, xiǎoxīn! Tā de chánzhàng!
Miss, look out! His staff!
- Narrator 就在这时，考试的神仙魁星从天上来了，用他的笔接住了禅杖。
Jiù zài zhè shí, kǎoshì de shénxiān Kuíxīng cóng tiānshàng lái le, yòng tā de bǐ jiēzhù le chánzhàng.
At that very moment Kuixing, the god of exams, came down from the sky and caught the staff on his brush.
- Fahai 魁星？考试的神仙，为什么要帮一个妖怪？
Kuíxīng? Kǎoshì de shénxiān, wèishénme yào bāng yí gè yāoguài?
Kuixing? Why would the god of exams help a demon?
- Xiaoqing 考试的神仙？小姐，你又不考试！
Kǎoshì de shénxiān? Xiǎojiě, nǐ yòu bù kǎoshì!
The god of exams? Miss, you're not even taking any exams!
- Fahai 我明白了。白蛇，你的肚子里有一个孩子，他以后要当状元。
Wǒ míngbai le. Báishé, nǐ de dùzi lǐ yǒu yí gè háizi, tā yǐhòu yào dāng zhuàngyuan.
Now I understand. White snake, there is a child in your belly, and one day he will be the top scholar.
- Xiaoqing 孩子？小姐，你有孩子了？你怎么不早告诉小青？
Háizi? Xiǎojiě, nǐ yǒu háizi le? Nǐ zěnme bù zǎo gàosu Xiǎoqīng?
A child? Miss, you're having a baby? Why didn't you tell Xiaoqing sooner?
- Bai Suzhen 我想先告诉官人。法海，谁也不能害我的孩子！
Wǒ xiǎng xiān gàosu guānrén. Fǎhǎi, shéi yě bù néng hài wǒ de háizi!
I wanted to tell him first. Fahai, no one is going to harm my child!
- Fahai 好，今天我不打你。我等这个孩子出生。
Hǎo, jīntiān wǒ bù dǎ nǐ. Wǒ děng zhège háizi chūshēng.
Very well. Today I will not strike you. I will wait until this child is born.
- Xiaoqing 他放我们走了？小姐，我们没事了！
Tā fàng wǒmen zǒu le? Xiǎojiě, wǒmen méishì le!
He's letting us go? Miss, we're safe!
- Xiaoqing 小姐？你怎么一直看着山下？
Xiǎojiě? Nǐ zěnme yìzhí kànzhe shān xià?
Miss? Why do you keep staring down the hill?
- Bai Suzhen 山下那些人，他们做错了什么？是我的水害了他们……
Shān xià nàxiē rén, tāmen zuò cuò le shénme? Shì wǒ de shuǐ hài le tāmen…
Those people down there, what did they ever do wrong? My water did this to them...
- Bai Suzhen 我对天神发誓的时候，说过不做坏事。可是今天，我做了最坏的事。
Wǒ duì tiānshén fāshì de shíhou, shuō guo bú zuò huàishì. Kěshì jīntiān, wǒ zuò le zuì huài de shì.
When I swore my oath to the god from heaven, I said I would do no wrong. And today I have done the worst wrong of all.
- Xiaoqing 小姐，别说了！小青不想听……
Xiǎojiě, bié shuō le! Xiǎoqīng bù xiǎng tīng…
Miss, don't say it! Xiaoqing doesn't want to hear...
- Bai Suzhen 做了坏事，就要压在雷峰塔下……小青，我好后悔。
Zuò le huàishì, jiù yào yā zài Léifēng Tǎ xià… Xiǎoqīng, wǒ hǎo hòuhuǐ.
I've done wrong, so I'll be pressed under Leifeng Pagoda... Xiaoqing, I wish I'd never done it.
- Xiaoqing 小姐，别看了！我们得逃，快回杭州！
Xiǎojiě, bié kàn le! Wǒmen děi táo, kuài huí Hángzhōu!
Miss, stop looking! We have to run. Quick, back to Hangzhou!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What stops the water from reaching Jinshan Temple?
“法海拿下袈裟，向山上一放”
- Where does the water go when it turns back?
“水往回走了，向山下的镇江去了”
- Who stops Fahai's staff?
“考试的神仙魁星从天上来了，用他的笔接住了禅杖”
- Why does Fahai decide not to strike Bai today?
“你的肚子里有一个孩子，他以后要当状元……我等这个孩子出生”
- How does Bai feel when she looks down at Zhenjiang?
“是我的水害了他们……我好后悔”