Wu Gang and the Moon Tree · chapter 3 of 3
The Scent of Autumn
桂花香
It is Mid-Autumn night and the moon tree is covered in flowers. Wu Gang learns where the golden petals go, and who is waiting for them below.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 八月十五是中秋。月亮又大又圆，桂花开满了树。
Bā yuè shíwǔ shì Zhōngqiū. Yuèliang yòu dà yòu yuán, guìhuā kāi mǎn le shù.
The fifteenth of the eighth month was Mid-Autumn. The moon was big and round, and the tree was covered in osmanthus flowers.
- Yutu 树上都是金色的小花！好多好多！
Shù shàng dōu shì jīnsè de xiǎo huā! Hǎo duō hǎo duō!
The tree is full of little golden flowers! So many!
- Wu Gang 我每砍一下，花就掉下来。
Wǒ měi kǎn yí xià, huā jiù diào xiàlái.
Each time I chop, flowers fall down.
Chapter 3 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Wu Gang and the Moon Tree is free, and so are The Second Cup of Tea, Mulan, The Butterfly Lovers, Journey to the West: The Monkey King, Cinderella, The Night of the Nian, Chang'e and the Moon, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, Aesop's Fables, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling, Pangu and Nüwa: How the World Began, Beauty and the Beast, The Magic Lotus Lantern, Alice in Wonderland, Zhong Kui the Demon Queller, The Odyssey, Robin Hood, Jiang Ziya Goes Fishing, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Kitchen God from start to finish.
- Chang'e 你砍得很好，吴刚。
Nǐ kǎn de hěn hǎo, Wú Gāng.
You are chopping very well, Wu Gang.
- Wu Gang 可是树还是没倒。
Kěshì shù háishi méi dǎo.
But the tree still hasn't fallen.
- Yutu 没倒更好！我喜欢花。
Méi dǎo gèng hǎo! Wǒ xǐhuan huā.
Better that it hasn't! I like flowers.
- Wu Gang 你喜欢花，还是喜欢吃桂花糕？
Nǐ xǐhuan huā, háishi xǐhuan chī guìhuā gāo?
Do you like the flowers, or do you like eating osmanthus cake?
- Yutu 都喜欢！特别是桂花糕！
Dōu xǐhuan! Tèbié shì guìhuā gāo!
Both! Especially the cake!
- Chang'e 好了，你们看。下面有人在说话。
Hǎo le, nǐmen kàn. Xiàmiàn yǒu rén zài shuōhuà.
All right, look. Someone is talking down below.
- The Child 妈妈，你闻！什么这么香？
Māma, nǐ wén! Shénme zhème xiāng?
Mama, smell that! What smells so sweet?
- The Mother 是桂花香！中秋到了。我们吃桂花糕吧！
Shì guìhuā xiāng! Zhōngqiū dào le. Wǒmen chī guìhuā gāo ba!
It's osmanthus! Mid-Autumn is here. Let's eat osmanthus cake!
- The Child 花是从哪儿来的？
Huā shì cóng nǎr lái de?
Where do the flowers come from?
- The Mother 月亮上有一棵大树。有一个人天天在砍它。
Yuèliang shàng yǒu yì kē dà shù. Yǒu yí gè rén tiāntiān zài kǎn tā.
There's a big tree on the moon. A man chops at it every day.
- The Mother 他叫吴刚。他砍一下，花就下来一点儿。
Tā jiào Wú Gāng. Tā kǎn yí xià, huā jiù xiàlái yìdiǎnr.
His name is Wu Gang. Each time he chops, a few flowers come down.
- Yutu 妈妈说的是你！
Māma shuō de shì nǐ!
She's talking about you!
- The Child 谢谢你，吴刚！
Xièxie nǐ, Wú Gāng!
Thank you, Wu Gang!
- Wu Gang 他们……在谢我？
Tāmen... zài xiè wǒ?
They... are thanking me?
- Chang'e 对。他们每年都在等桂花香。
Duì. Tāmen měi nián dōu zài děng guìhuā xiāng.
Yes. Every year they wait for the scent of osmanthus.
- Wu Gang 我以为砍不倒树，我什么也没做。
Wǒ yǐwéi kǎn bù dǎo shù, wǒ shénme yě méi zuò.
I thought that since I couldn't fell the tree, I had done nothing.
- Chang'e 你没有砍倒树。可是你给了大家一个好秋天。
Nǐ méiyǒu kǎn dǎo shù. Kěshì nǐ gěi le dàjiā yí gè hǎo qiūtiān.
You didn't fell the tree. But you gave everyone a good autumn.
- Wu Gang 一个好秋天……我第一次没有说累。
Yí gè hǎo qiūtiān... Wǒ dì yī cì méiyǒu shuō lèi.
A good autumn... For the first time, I haven't said I'm tired.
- Yutu 我也第一次听你说这个！
Wǒ yě dì yī cì tīng nǐ shuō zhège!
And it's the first time I've heard you say that!
- Wu Gang 师父说，树倒了我就能飞。可是我现在不想飞了。
Shīfu shuō, shù dǎo le wǒ jiù néng fēi. Kěshì wǒ xiànzài bù xiǎng fēi le.
Master said I could fly when the tree falls. But right now I don't want to fly anymore.
- Wu Gang 玉兔，把斧子给我！
Yùtù, bǎ fǔzi gěi wǒ!
Yutu, hand me the axe!
- Yutu 给你！小心，别砍到我这只兔子！
Gěi nǐ! Xiǎoxīn, bié kǎn dào wǒ zhè zhī tùzi!
Here! Careful, don't chop this rabbit!
- Wu Gang 一，二，三！桂花来了！
Yī, èr, sān! Guìhuā lái le!
One, two, three! Here come the flowers!
- Chang'e 你看，金色的花，像雨一样下去了。
Nǐ kàn, jīnsè de huā, xiàng yǔ yíyàng xiàqù le.
Look, the golden flowers are going down like rain.
- Wu Gang 明年中秋，我还砍！你们还来看我吗？
Míngnián Zhōngqiū, wǒ hái kǎn! Nǐmen hái lái kàn wǒ ma?
Next Mid-Autumn I'll still be chopping! Will you come see me again?
- Chang'e 每一年都来。我们一起看月亮。
Měi yì nián dōu lái. Wǒmen yìqǐ kàn yuèliang.
Every year. We'll watch the moon together.
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What happens each time Wu Gang chops the tree in bloom?
“我每砍一下，花就掉下来。”
- What does the mother say the sweet smell is?
“是桂花香！中秋到了。”
- What does the child do when she learns about Wu Gang?
“谢谢你，吴刚！”
- What does Chang'e say Wu Gang gave everyone?
“可是你给了大家一个好秋天。”
- What does Wu Gang ask at the end?
“明年中秋，我还砍！你们还来看我吗？”