Wu Song and the Tiger · chapter 2 of 4
Up Jingyang Ridge
上景阳冈
Wu Song is sure the tiger is just a trick to keep him at the inn overnight. Then, near the top of the ridge, he finds a notice he can't laugh off.
Read what you hear
- Narrator 武松拿起棍子，走出了酒店。店家也跟着跑了出来。
Wǔ Sōng ná qǐ gùnzi, zǒu chū le jiǔdiàn. Diànjiā yě gēnzhe pǎo le chūlái.
Wu Song picked up his staff and strode out of the inn. The innkeeper came running out after him.
- The Innkeeper 客人，等等！我说的是真的！
Kèrén, děngdeng! Wǒ shuō de shì zhēn de!
Sir, wait! I'm telling you the truth!
- The Innkeeper 县官说了，过景阳冈，只能中午走。还要很多人一起走！
Xiànguān shuō le, guò Jǐngyáng Gāng, zhǐ néng zhōngwǔ zǒu. Hái yào hěn duō rén yìqǐ zǒu!
The magistrate's orders: people may cross Jingyang Ridge only around midday, and only in a big group!
Chapter 2 is part of SayMei Stories ($2.99 a month) and SayMei Premium. Chapter 1 of Wu Song and the Tiger 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 and The Odyssey from start to finish.
- The Innkeeper 你看，太阳快下山了，你又是一个人……
Nǐ kàn, tàiyáng kuài xià shān le, nǐ yòu shì yí gè rén…
Look, the sun's about to go down, and you're all by yourself...
- Wu Song 啊，我明白了。你想让我住在你的店里，多给你钱，对不对？
À, wǒ míngbai le. Nǐ xiǎng ràng wǒ zhù zài nǐ de diàn lǐ, duō gěi nǐ qián, duì bu duì?
Ah, I get it. You want me to stay the night at your inn and pay you more money, right?
- The Innkeeper 你，你！我是好心，你还不信我！
Nǐ, nǐ! Wǒ shì hǎoxīn, nǐ hái bú xìn wǒ!
Why, you...! I'm trying to help you, and you won't even believe me!
- Wu Song 我走过景阳冈很多次了，从来没见过老虎！
Wǒ zǒuguo Jǐngyáng Gāng hěn duō cì le, cónglái méi jiànguo lǎohǔ!
I've crossed Jingyang Ridge plenty of times, and I've never once seen a tiger!
- The Innkeeper 好，好，你去吧！老虎吃了你，别来找我！
Hǎo, hǎo, nǐ qù ba! Lǎohǔ chī le nǐ, bié lái zhǎo wǒ!
Fine, fine, off you go! But if the tiger eats you, don't come complaining to me!
- The Innkeeper 三碗不过冈，他喝了十八碗……这个人，不要命了！
Sān wǎn bú guò gāng, tā hē le shíbā wǎn… Zhège rén, bú yào mìng le!
Three bowls and you won't cross the ridge, and he's had eighteen... That man's got a death wish!
- Narrator 武松一个人上了山。走了没多远，他看见一棵大树。树上写着字。
Wǔ Sōng yí gè rén shàng le shān. Zǒu le méi duō yuǎn, tā kànjiàn yì kē dà shù. Shù shàng xiězhe zì.
Wu Song climbed the mountain alone. Before long he came to a big tree with words written on it.
- Wu Song “山上有老虎，大家不要一个人上山。”哈哈！
“Shān shàng yǒu lǎohǔ, dàjiā bú yào yí gè rén shàng shān.” Hāhā!
“There is a tiger on the mountain. Do not go up alone.” Ha ha!
- Wu Song 这一定是店家写的。店家啊店家，你的字写得真不错！
Zhè yídìng shì diànjiā xiě de. Diànjiā a diànjiā, nǐ de zì xiě de zhēn búcuò!
The innkeeper must have written this himself. Oh, innkeeper, innkeeper, what lovely handwriting you have!
- Narrator 又走了一会儿，武松看见一个小庙。庙的墙上，贴着一张告示。
Yòu zǒu le yíhuìr, Wǔ Sōng kànjiàn yí gè xiǎo miào. Miào de qiáng shàng, tiēzhe yì zhāng gàoshi.
A little farther on, Wu Song came to a small temple. A notice was pasted on its wall.
- Wu Song “景阳冈上有老虎，已经伤了很多人……”下面还有县官的红印！
“Jǐngyáng Gāng shàng yǒu lǎohǔ, yǐjīng shāng le hěn duō rén…” Xiàmiàn hái yǒu xiànguān de hóng yìn!
“There is a tiger on Jingyang Ridge. It has already hurt many people...” And at the bottom, the magistrate's red seal!
- Wu Song 这是县官的告示……是真的！山上真的有老虎！
Zhè shì xiànguān de gàoshi… Shì zhēn de! Shān shàng zhēn de yǒu lǎohǔ!
This is the magistrate's own notice... It's true! There really is a tiger up here!
- Wu Song 天快黑了，我又喝了这么多酒……
Tiān kuài hēi le, wǒ yòu hē le zhème duō jiǔ…
It's nearly dark, and I've drunk all that wine...
- Wu Song 回去吗？可是回去，店家一定会笑我。
Huíqù ma? Kěshì huíqù, diànjiā yídìng huì xiào wǒ.
Should I go back? But if I go back, the innkeeper is sure to laugh at me.
- Wu Song 他会说：“哈哈，十八碗的好汉，怕老虎了吧？”
Tā huì shuō: “Hāhā, shíbā wǎn de hǎohàn, pà lǎohǔ le ba?”
He'll say, “Ha ha! Mr. Eighteen Bowls got scared of a tiger, did he?”
- Wu Song 不行！怕什么！有老虎，我就打老虎！
Bù xíng! Pà shénme! Yǒu lǎohǔ, wǒ jiù dǎ lǎohǔ!
No way! What's there to be afraid of? If there's a tiger, I'll fight the tiger!
- Wu Song 走！过了景阳冈，就能看见哥哥了！
Zǒu! Guò le Jǐngyáng Gāng, jiù néng kànjiàn gēge le!
Let's go! Once I'm over Jingyang Ridge, I'll get to see my brother!
- Narrator 太阳下山了。十八碗酒，这时候都上了头。
Tàiyáng xià shān le. Shíbā wǎn jiǔ, zhè shíhou dōu shàng le tóu.
The sun went down. And now all eighteen bowls of wine went to his head.
- Wu Song 好热……我没醉，我没醉。可是这条山路，怎么在动？
Hǎo rè… Wǒ méi zuì, wǒ méi zuì. Kěshì zhè tiáo shānlù, zěnme zài dòng?
So hot... I'm not drunk. I'm not drunk. So why is this mountain path moving?
- Wu Song 那边有一块大石头，又大又平，像一张床！
Nà biān yǒu yí kuài dà shítou, yòu dà yòu píng, xiàng yì zhāng chuáng!
There's a big rock over there, big and flat, just like a bed!
- Wu Song 睡一会儿吧……就一会儿……
Shuì yíhuìr ba… jiù yíhuìr…
Just a little nap... just a short one...
- Narrator 武松把棍子放在旁边，躺在了石头上。他很快就睡着了。
Wǔ Sōng bǎ gùnzi fàng zài pángbiān, tǎng zài le shítou shàng. Tā hěn kuài jiù shuìzháo le.
Wu Song laid his staff beside him and stretched out on the rock. Soon he was fast asleep.
- Narrator 忽然，山上起风了。大树后面，有什么东西在动。
Hūrán, shān shàng qǐ fēng le. Dà shù hòumiàn, yǒu shénme dōngxi zài dòng.
Suddenly a wind rose on the mountain. Something was moving behind the big trees.
- The Tiger 好香啊……是酒的味道。石头上，有一个人在睡觉！
Hǎo xiāng a… shì jiǔ de wèidao. Shítou shàng, yǒu yí gè rén zài shuìjiào!
What a lovely smell... wine! And there's a man asleep on that rock!
- The Tiger 我三天没吃东西了。慢慢地……慢慢地……别让他醒。
Wǒ sān tiān méi chī dōngxi le. Mànmàn de… mànmàn de… bié ràng tā xǐng.
I haven't eaten in three days. Slowly... slowly... don't wake him.
- The Tiger 今天的晚饭，自己走上山来了！
Jīntiān de wǎnfàn, zìjǐ zǒu shàng shān lái le!
Tonight's dinner has walked up the mountain all by itself!
Hear the chapter
What changed in the story?
- What rule has the magistrate made for crossing the ridge?
“过景阳冈，只能中午走。还要很多人一起走！”
- What does Wu Song think the innkeeper really wants?
“你想让我住在你的店里，多给你钱，对不对？”
- Why does Wu Song laugh at the words on the tree?
“这一定是店家写的。”
- What makes Wu Song believe the notice at the temple?
“下面还有县官的红印！”……“这是县官的告示……是真的！”
- Why doesn't Wu Song go back to the inn?
“可是回去，店家一定会笑我。”