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S1E2 | SECRET STORY...A Strange Stone

S1E2 | 秘密故事...奇怪的石头


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*note, videos for these episodes are linked at the very end of this blog post! :)

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Hello Panda Cubs!  Today, I’ll be sharing a very special story with you, a story called《西游记》/“Journey to the West”. This story is very, very old… and one of the most famous stories in Chinese history! It’s also one of my favorite stories. Alright, ready to begin? Let’s get started! 

熊猫宝宝们,你好!今天啊,我们要开始讲中国历史上最有名的故事之一!这个故事叫做《西游记》。熊猫宝宝们,准备好了吗?我们开始讲故事吧!



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Once upon a time, there was a deep blue sea. And in that big blue sea, there was a small island! A very beautiful island, with white sandy beaches that glittered under the sun. On that island, there was a mountain. On that mountain, flowers bloomed and sweet fruit grew…This mountain - was called “Hua-Guo-Shan”: Flower-Fruit-Mountain. 

从前啊,有一片蓝蓝的海洋。在蓝蓝的海洋上有一座小岛,一座非常美丽的小岛!在阳光下,岛上的白沙滩闪闪发光!岛上有座山,山上有花有果,这座山,叫做花果山!


NOW IT IS ON HUA-GUO-SHAN THAT OUR STORY BEGINS…

我们的故事啊,就从花果山讲起…

On the highest peak of Hua Guo Shan, that mountain of flower and fruit, there was… a stone. A strange stone it was: thirty-six feet tall and twenty-four feet wide!

在花果山的山顶上有一块石头,一块奇怪的石头!它非常大,高三丈六,宽二丈四!

At first glance, it was a gray stone. Yet, under warm sunshine it shimmered purple, and under moonlight it shone a jade green… 

第一眼看上去它就是块灰色的石头,但在温暖阳光下,它却发出了紫色的光,而在银色的月光下,它又发出了碧绿色的光。

Some say that the stone dropped from the hands of the goddess Nüwa, when she had repaired the sky. But all that happened a long, long time ago. Now, almost all had forgotten from whence the stone came. All we know, is that it was very, very old…

有人说那块石头,是从神仙女娲手中落下的…不过那已经是很久很久以前的事了。如今,几乎所有人都已忘记石头是从哪里来的。我们只知道它非常非常的古老...

 One day, something strange happened: the stone, it began to move! First, it wiggled. And then... a hop! And then…lighting flashed, and thunder roared! And with an almighty CRACK, the stone… split into two! 

有一天,一件奇怪的事情发生了:石头自己开始动了!最开始,它扭了扭…又跳了跳!然后…电闪雷鸣!咔嚓的一声巨响…石头啊,裂成了两半!

 

And from inside the stone, do you know what came leaping out? 

从石头里蹦出了一个什么呢?

 

 Why, something with two fuzzy arms and two fuzzy legs; one long tail, and a pair of curious eyes!

哇!它有两只毛茸茸的手,两条毛茸茸的腿,一条长长的尾巴…和一双好奇的眼睛!

Can you guess what this was?

你能猜出这是什么吗?

 If you guessed a Monkey , then congratulations! You guessed right!

若你猜的是猴子,恭喜你,猜对了!

However, this was a Stone Monkey - a shi-hou!  The Stone Monkey scratched its head, and blinked curious eyes… and from those eyes shone two beams of brilliant lights! That light shone so brightly that it shot straight through the clouds and into the celestial palace in the sky!

不过,这可是一只石猴哦!石猴挠了挠它的头,眨了眨好奇的眼睛…而从那双眼睛里射出两道金光!那光真亮!穿过了云朵,一直射进了天上的灵霄宝殿! 

And high in the sky, the Jade Emperor sat up with a start! With an imperious wave, he commanded his two captains, 千里眼(Qiānlǐyǎn) and 顺风耳(Shùnfēng'ěr) to find the source of the light.

而在天上,玉皇大帝一惊,便命千里眼、顺风耳开了南天门看看究竟怎么回事。

With sharp eyes that could see for a thousand miles, 千里眼(Qiānlǐyǎn) looked down and saw… a Monkey and a broken stone. And with ears that can hear as far as the wind blows, 顺风耳(Shùnfēng'ěr) listened to the Shi-hou (Stone Monkey) chattering down on the earth below. Returning to the palace, the two captains reported: “On Mt. Hua-Guo, there was once a strange and magical stone. Out of the stone came a Monkey, who’s eyes shone like gold.”

于是两位大将回来禀报说:“在花果山上,有一块仙石,那仙石里蹦出来一只猴子,双眼里发射出了金光”

“Pay it no mind”, came the Jade Emperor’s reply. “For what are earthly matters, to gods?”

“不用理它。”玉皇大帝答道:“对我们神仙来说,凡间的事算什么?”

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