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 Unlimited ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapters 1 and 2 of Wu Gang and the Moon Tree are free, and The Second Cup of Tea, The Great Race: The Twelve Animals, The Kitchen God, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Chang'e and the Moon, Alice in Wonderland and Judge Dee's Cases are free 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？”