Welcome Mandarin Chinese learners. The focus of today’s class is writing Mandarin Chinese and a bit of culture with an introduction to a 16th century novel called Journey to the West.
The content of today’s class is delivered by a teacher who works in a Chinese primary school in Beijing and the content is from 一年级语文, the Chinese primary school textbook. The series of videos that we work through today were created by the Chinese Education Department to assist students unable to attend class during lockdown. We believe that this series of videos also provides an invaluable resource for non-native Chinese Learners. A link to the video which we will use in today’s class can be found here: I love Chinese Literature.
After some vocabulary we learn how to hold a pen correctly when writing Chinese characters. This part of the class is an introduction to writing Chinese for students who are new to Chinese. Then we are introduced to a classic of Chinese literature called A Journey to the West. Enjoy the class students and we hope the translation will be useful and add to your understanding and enjoyment.
00.04: 亲爱的同学们你们好我们又见面了。我是北京市海淀区民族小学的窦丽娜老师。上一节课我们一起学习了我是小学生感受到了作为小学生的喜悦和自豪。
Qīnàide tóngxuémen nǐmenhǎo wǒmen yòu jiànmiàn le. Wǒshì Běijīng Shì Hǎidiànqū mínzú xiǎoxué de dòu línuó lǎoshī 。 Shàng yī jié kè wǒmen yīqǐ xuéxí le wǒshì xiǎo xuéshēng gǎnshòu dào le zuòwéi xiǎo xuéshēng de xǐyuè hè zìháo.
Hello dear students, we meet again. I am teacher dòu línuó from the People’s Primary School in Haidian District, Beijing. In our last class we studied ‘I am a student’ and the joy and pride we feel from being a primary school student.
In the next section of the class we are introduced to the book upon which this series of classes are based. 一年级语文 can be translated as first year literature and language. This edition is currently in use and will be familiar to all Chinese primary school students. It is the foundation book for students in the first year of the school journey.
3.1 Describing the front cover of a book in Chinese
00.25: 这一节课我们一起来学习‘我爱学语文’。 同学们你们看这是我们一本书漂亮的封面。
zhèyī jié kè wǒmen yìqǐlái xuéxí
wǒ ài xué yǔwén. Tóngxuémen nǐmen kàn zhè shì wǒmen yī běn shū piàoliang de fēngmiàn.In this lesson we can study language together. Students look, this is the beautiful front cover of our book.
00.40： 在封面上你都看到什么了？
Zài fēngmiàn shàng nǐ dōu kàndào shénme le？
On the front cover what can you see?
00.44: 我看到了小朋友在放风筝。
Wǒ kàndào le xiǎopéngyǒu zài fàng fēngzhēng。
I can see a small friend flying a kite.
00.49: 我看到了红色的树叶， 还有可爱的小狗小松鼠。
Wǒ kàndào le hóngsè de shùyè háiyǒu kěài de xiǎogǒu xiǎo sōngshǔ
I can see the red leaves, a cute dog, and a cute squirrel
The Mandarin Chinese word for kite is 风筝. Can you describe the type sof kites that the children are flying? If not see below for help.
00.55：是啊，秋天到了我们看树叶变火红火红的有的金灿灿的。在美丽的田野上一群可爱的同学们正在快乐的放着风筝。
Shì a, qiūtiān dàole wǒmen kàn shùyè biàn huǒhóng huǒhóng de yǒude jīncàncàn de zài měilì de tiányě shàng yīqún kěàide tóngxuémen zhèngzài kuàilè de fàng zhe fēngzhēng.
Yes, when Autums comes, we see the leaves turn red and some become golden. A group of lovely classmates are happily flying kites on a beautiful field.
01.11：有彩色的蝴蝶风筝，又漂亮的金鱼风筝，还有常常的蜈蚣风筝。多漂亮啊。
Yǒu cǎisè de húdié fēngzhēng， yòu piàoliang de jīnyú fēngzhēng， háiyǒu chángcháng de wúgōng fēngzhēng duō piàoliang a。
There is a colourful butterfly kite, a beautiful goldfish kite, and a long centipede kite. They are all beautiful.
1.22: 那么在封面上除了这些漂亮的图，还有什么呢。
Nàme zài fēngmiàn shàng， chúle zhèxiē piàoliang de tú háiyǒu shénme ne。
Now other than the beautiful pictures, what else is on the cover?
01.30: 我还看到了语文，一年级上册的几个字。
Wǒ hái kàndào le yǔwén yīnián jí shàng cè de jǐge zì。
I can also see the characters for Language first year textbook.
Our teacher now invites the students to comment on which parts of 语文一年级上册 (First year primary school languages textbook) they find most interesting.
01.35：你认识的字可真多啊。我们一本书的封面都这样漂亮。那里面的内容一定就更精彩呢。
nǐ rènshi de zì kě zhēn duō a. Wǒmen yī běn shū de fēngmiàn dōu zhèyàng piàoliang. Nà limiàn de nèiróng yīdìng jiù gèng jīngcǎi ne.
You know so many of the characters. The cover of our textbook is so beautiful. The content inside must be even more exciting.
3.2 Describing contents of a book in Chinese
Useful Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 一本书 | yī běn shū | a book |
| 页 | yè | page |
| 内容 | nèiróng | inside / contents |
| 画 | huà | picture 、illustration |
| 吸引 |
xīyǐn | attract |
| 田野 |
tiányě | in a field |
| 植树 |
zhíshù | plant a tree |
| 猴子 |
hóuzi | monkey |
| 捞 |
lāo | to dredge up, or draw, ie draw water from a well. |
| 月亮 |
yuèliang | moon |
| 井里 | jǐng lǐ | a well |
| 故事 |
gùshì | story |
| 目录 | mùlù | table of contents |
By this stage of term our teacher expects the students to have leafed through their copy of 一年级上册语文 several times. In the next section the teacher asks the students to comment on the section they found most interesting. This section is particularly useful for lower-intermediate Mandarin Chinese students looking for tips on how to describe a book.
1.47：相信同学们在这几天一定把一本书翻了又翻。那么在一本书里那些内容特别吸引你呢？
xiāngxìn tóngxuémen zài zhèjǐtiān yīdìng bǎ yī běn shū fān le yòu fān. Nàme zài yī běn shū lǐ nàxiē nèiróng tèbié xīyǐn nǐne?
I believe you students by this time will have looked through the book. So which part of the book did you find most interesting?
1.58: 我看到了语文书里有很多漂亮的画特别吸引我。比如七十二页小朋友在美丽的田野里植树。
Wǒ kàndào le yǔwén shū lǐ yǒu hěnduō piàoliang de huà tèbié xīyǐn wǒ。 Bǐrú qīshíèr yè xiǎo péngyǒu zài měilì de tiányě lǐ zhíshù。
I have seen that inside the book has lots of beautiful illustrations that are very attractive to me. For example, on page 72 there are some young friends in a beautiful field planting a tree.
2.12： 第一百零三页有几只猴子在井里捞月亮，很有意思。
Dìyībǎi líng sān yè yǒu jǐ zhǐ hóuzi zài jǐng lǐ lāo yuèliang hěn yǒuyìsī。
On page 103 there are several monkeys drawing the moon from a well， it’s really interesting.
2.20：我发现一本书里有拼音有识字还有很多小儿歌和故事。
Wǒ fāxiàn yī běn shū lǐ yǒu pīnyīn yǒu shízì， háiyǒu hěnduō xiǎoér gē hé gùshi。
I found that the book has lots of pinyin and reading, it also has songs and stories.
2.27：是啊在一本书里还有好多有趣的知识都在等待着你们去学习呢。
Shì a zài yī běn shū lǐ háiyǒu hǎoduō yǒuqù de zhīshi dōu zài děngdài zhe nǐmen qù xuéxí ne。
Yes, the book contains lots of interesting knowledge waiting for you to study it.
In the next part our teacher kindly explains the meaning of 目录. This means the table of contents which we can find in all non-fiction books, such as
2.35: 在一本书的最前面还有目录。目录告诉我们这一本书里都有什么内容，后面的这些数字代表是页书。
zài yī běn shū de zuì qiánmian háiyǒu mùlù。 Mùlù gàosù wǒmen zhè yī běn shū lǐ dōu yǒu shénme nèiróng hòumiàn de zhèxiē shùzì dàibiǎo shì yè。
Right at the front of the book is a table of contents. The table of contents tells us the sections of the book, and beside it the page number represents where we can locate it.
2.51: 目录就像是小小引导员可以帮助我们快速找到每一刻在书中的位置。
Mùlù jiùxiàng shì xiǎoxiǎo yǐndǎoyuán kěyǐ bāngzhù wǒmen kuàisù zhǎodào měiyī kè zài shū zhòngdì wèizhi。
The table of contents is like a mini-guide that allows us to quickly find where the different parts of the book are located.
3.3 What does 语文 mean?
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 语文 | yǔwén | Language and literature |
| 读书 | dúshū | Read books |
| 写字 | xiězì | Write characters |
| 讲故事 |
jiǎng gùshì | tell stories |
| 听故事 | tīng gùshì | listen to stories |
In the next section our teacher gives us an overviey of the meaning of the academic subject 语文。Roughly translate into English as Language and Literature, it is the foundation of our school life. Only once we have achieved a certain level in 语文 can we confidently branch out and attempt other subjects. Let’s learn a bit more about 语文：
3.00: 那么在语文课上我们都会学习什么呢？
Nàme zài yǔwén kè shàng wǒmen dōuhuì xuéxí shénme ne?
So what do we study in Language and Literature?
3.06: 我们会：(wǒmen huì) we can
- 读书 (dúshū) read books
- 会写字 (huì xiězì) can write characters
- 还会讲故事。(hái huì jiǎng gùshì) also can tell stories
- 听故事 (tìng gùshì) Listen to stories.
So the early years Language and Literature program, known as 语文, consists of reading, writing, learning Chines characters, and telling and listening to stories. Let’s repeat:
3.17: 我们一起来读读。。。读书，写字，讲故事，听故事。
wǒmen yìqǐlái dú dú。。dúshū，xiězì，讲故事，tìng gùshì
Let’s read together.. read books, write characters, tell stories, listen to stories.
3.27：你们看在语文课上我们能学到这么多的本领啊。是不是特别期待呢？
Nǐmen kànzài yǔwén kè shàng wǒmen néng xuédào zhèmeduō de běnlǐng a. Shìbùshì tèbié qīdài ne?
Everyone, look how much we will learn in our Langauge and Literature classes. Are you looking forward to it?
3.4 some notes on reading
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 姿势 | zīshì | posture |
| 挺 | yāo | waist |
| 驼背 | tuóbèi | hunch your back |
| 双手 | shuāngshǒu | both hands |
| 拿书 | ná shū | hold book |
In the next part of our class teacher gives us some advice on reading safely and comfortably.
3.35: 那接下来我们先来看看这位小同学她在认真的读书. 那么怎样的读书姿势是正确的呢？
Nǎ jiēxiàlái wǒmen xiān lái kànkàn zhèwèi xiǎo tóngxué tā zài rènzhēn de dúshū nàme zěnyàng de dúshū zīshì shì zhèngquè de ne？
Now，next let’s look at this student she is diligently reading her book. Is her reading posture correct?
3.47: 请你观察一下她的动作，我们再来说说。
qǐng nǐ guānchá yīxià tāde dòngzuò wǒmen zàilái shuō shuō
Please look at what she is doing and we will say it again.
3.55: 读书的时候我们应该把腰挺起来不要驼背。
Dúshū deshíhòu wǒmen yīnggāi bǎ yāo tǐng qǐlai bùyào tuóbèi。
When reading we should keep our waist straighy and not hunch our backs.
3.59: 读书的时候双手拿书，向外倾斜放在桌子上。
Dúshū deshíhòu shuāngshǒu ná shū xiàngwài qīngxié fàngzài zhuōzi shàng。
When reading hold the book with both hands and rest it on the table.
4.06: 好，同学们你们看这样就是双手拿书，向外倾斜。
Hǎo tóngxuémen nǐmen kàn zhèyàng jiùshì shuāngshǒu ná shū ， xiàngwài qīngxié。
Ok, students look this is how to have both hands on the book leaning out.
4.14: 我们在读书的时候还要注意啊, 要双脚放平. 老师把这些正确的姿势变成了一首儿歌。
Wǒmen zàidú shū deshíhòu hái yào zhùyì a。 Yào shuāngjiǎo fàngpíng. lǎoshī bǎ zhèxiē zhèngquè de zīshì biànchéng le yī shǒu érgē
There is one other thing to pay attention to when reading: you should keep your flat. Teacher has turned these rules for correct posture into a song.
To round off this section our teacher introduces us to a song called the posture song.
4.27 – 身坐直 （shēn zuò zhí）body is straight
脚放平 （jiǎo fàngpíng）feet lie flat
双手拿书向外倾
shuāngshǒu ná shū xiàngwài qīng
Two hands on the book leaning out
Grammar Note 1
Next we come across a useful piece of grammar that we can use in our speaking. This is 一边。。。。一边。。。。This means while. For example, 我喜欢一边洗澡一边听音乐。。。I like to listen to music while I take a shower. For more information on this useful Mandarin grammar point click on the link below.
4.34： 那接下来我们一边读儿歌一边做出正确的读书姿势吧。
Nǎ jiēxiàlái wǒmen yībiān dú érgē yībiān zuòchū zhèngquè de dúshū zīshì ba。
Now, next let’s read the song while sitting in the correct posture.
Below is the song with just the Chinese characters, can you remember the pinyin? If not look above for a reminder.
4.41: 身坐直，脚放平，双手拿书向外倾。
4.49：同学们，你们现在的读书姿势应该和这位同学是一样的了吧。真棒！
Tóngxuémen nǐmen xiànzài de dúshū zīshì yīnggāi hé zhèwèi tóngxué shì yīyàng de le ba. Zhēnbàng!
Students, your reading posture should be the same as this student. Very good.
3.5 Writing in Chinese
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 铅笔 | qiānbǐ | pencil |
| 握 | wò | hold (a pen, pencil etc) |
| 正确 | zhèngquè | Correct |
| 一指 | yī zhǐ | thumb |
| 二指 | èr zhǐ | index finger |
| 三指 | sān zhǐ | middle finger |
| 四指 | sì zhǐ | ring finger |
| 小指 | xiǎozhǐ | little finger |
| 笔尖 | bǐjiān | nib |
| 笔杆 | bǐgǎn | the body (shaft) |
In the next section of the class our teacher gives some invaluable advice on writing in Chinese. Advice ranges from how to hold the pen effectively to some of the basic stroke that make up the Chinese writing system.
4.57 – 读完书， 我们就要学习写字了。那接下来你先和老师来学一学正确的握笔姿势。
Dú wán shū wǒmen jiùyào xuéxí xiězì le. Nà jiēxiàlái nǐ xiān hé lǎoshī lái xué yī xué zhèngquè de wò bǐ zīshì.
After finishing reading we move on to study writing Chinese characters. Now you and your teacher will study the way to hold a pen correctly.
One thing to note is that the thumb is usually called 一指, or first finger in Chinese. This means that what we call the index finger, is commonly referred to in Chinese as 二指。The middle finger and ring finger are called 三指 and 四指。
Another point of difference between Chinese and English is in the use of the Chinese word for posture which is 姿势. In English we use the word posture to describe the position in which we we stand, or the way we sit. When we say good posture we usually mean that we are stading or sitting well. The same is true in Chinese, but in addition Chinese uses the word 姿势 to descibe the way we hold a pen, or chopstick etc. See an example below:
握笔姿势 – holding a pen posture (or position)
拿筷子的姿势 – holding chopsticks posture (position)
5.08: 我们一起来看。小铅笔手中拿一指二指捏指，三指四指托着, 小指往里躺着。
Wǒmen yìqǐlái kàn. Xiǎo qiānbǐ shǒu zhōng ná yī zhǐ èr zhǐ niē zhǐ, sān zhǐ sì zhǐ tuōzhuó, xiǎozhǐ wǎng lǐ tǎngzhe.
Let’s look together. The small pencil is held between the thumb and first finger, held in place by the middle finger and ring finger. The little finger rests on the top of the palm.
5.25： 笔尖向前写着，笔杆向后躺着。
bǐjiān xiàng qián xiě zhe, bǐgǎn xiànghòu tǎngzhe
The nib of the pencil is at the front so you can write, and the body lies behind.
5.30 – 你拿起你的小铅笔和老师做一做正确的握笔姿势。是否跟我一样呢。
Nǐ náqǐ nǐde xiǎo qiānbǐhé lǎoshī zuò yī zuò zhèngquè de wò bǐ zīshì。shìfǒu gēn wǒ yīyàng ne？
You hold your pencil in the same way as the teacher, this is the correct position. Are you (holding) it the same?
5.40: 我们在写字的时候还要注意什么呢？我们再来看看这位小同学。他的写字姿势就特别的漂亮：书本平方在卓面上，左手压制本子。
Wǒmen zài xiězì deshíhòu hái yào zhùyì shénme ne？ Wǒmen zàilái kànkan zhèwèi xiǎo tóngxué tāde xiězì zīshì jiù tèbié de piàoliang： shūběn píngfāng zài zhuó miàn shàng zuǒshǒu yāzhì běnzi
What else do we have to bear in mind when we are writing? Let’s look at the small student again, his posture is particularly good: the book is resting on the table and the left hand is pressing on the book (to hold it in place).
Next we learn a common recommendation when we are writing Chinese characters. This is that we should keep our fingers 1 inch from the nib of the pen or pencil we are writing with.
5.58 – 右手握笔。右手握笔的时候我们还要注意：手离笔尖一寸。一寸是有多长呢？老师告诉你呀，大概就是你的两个小手指并拢起来的宽度。
Yòu shǒu wò bǐ. Yòu shǒu wò deshíhòu wǒmen hái yào zhùyì: shǒu lí bǐjiān yī cùn. Yī cùn shì yǒu duōcháng ne? Lǎoshī gàosu nǐ ya, dàgài jiùshì nǐde liǎng ge xiǎo shǒuzhǐ bìng lǒng qǐlai de kuāndù.
Right hand holds the pen. When holding the pen with the right hand you need to remember to keep your fingers one inch from the nib of the pencil. How long is one inch? Teacher will tell you: it is about the same width as two of your fingers held together.
6.19 – 你们看这样大概就是一寸。我们在写字的时候还要注意眼离书本一尺。
Nǐmen kàn zhèyàng dàgài jiùshì yī cùn。 Wǒmen zài xiězì deshíhòu hái yào zhùyì yǎn lí shūběn yī chǐ。
Look this is about an inch. When we are writing we also need to remember to keep our eyes about a foot from the book.
6.33 – 一尺大概就是我们的一个小手臂的长度。
Yī chǐ dàgài jiùshì wǒmende yīgè xiǎo shǒubì de chángdù.
A chinese foot (一尺) is about the length of our lower arm.
6.38 – 我们还要做到胸离书桌一拳。好这就是写字的三个宜。
wǒmen hái yào zuòdào xiōng lí shūzhuō yī quán， Hǎo zhèjiùshì xiězì de sān gè yí 。
We also need to remember to keep a distance about the size of a fist between out chest/stomach and the desk when we write.
6.50 – 我们再来读一读：
- 手离笔尖一寸
- 眼离书本一尺
- 胸离书桌一拳
Wǒmen zàilái dú yī dú：
- shǒu lí bǐjiān yī cùn
- yǎn lí shūběn yī chǐ
- xiōng lí shūzhuō yīquán
Let’s read this again:
- hand (fingers) one inch from the nib of the pencil
- eyes a chinese foot from the book
- chest the width of a fist away from the desk
7.03 – 那你现在就保持这正确的写的姿势在联系本上写系你的名字吧。
Nà nǐ xiànzài jiù bǎochí zhè zhèngquè de xiě de zīshì zài liánxì běn shàngxiě xì nǐde míngzi ba。
Now write your name in the exercise book to practice the correct writing position.
7.12 – 我们来看看这位小同学写字的姿势对吗？
Wǒmen lái kànkàn zhè wèi xiǎo tóngxué xiězì de zīshì duì ma?Let’s watch this student write, is her writing position correct?
7.18 一寸，一尺，一拳。你们看我的写字姿势对吗？Yī cùn， yī chǐ，yīquán。Nǐmen kàn wǒde xiězì zīshì duìma？One inch, one (Chinese) foot, a fist. Everyone look, is my writing position correct?7.28 – 相信你们和她一样，都掌握了正确的写字姿势。xiāngxìn nǐmen hé tā yīyàng dōu zhǎngwò le zhèngquè de xiězì zīshì.I believe that you are holding the pen in the correct position, just like the girl.7.35 – 同学们，我们刚才学习了读书，写字的姿势。希望你们再以后的学习中，一定要坚持养成好习惯。这样才会保护你的眼睛不会近视。让你的身体啊挺拔精神。Tóngxuémen wǒmen gāngcái xuéxí le dúshū ， xiězì de zīshì. Xīwàng nǐmen zài yǐhòu de xuéxí zhōng yīdìng yào jiānchí yǎng chéng hǎo xíguàn. Zhèyàng cái huì bǎohù nǐde yǎnjing bùhuì jìnshì ràng nǐde shēntǐ a tǐngbá jīngshen.Students we have just been sudying reading and position for writing. I hope write in the future you continue to do so in this way so that it becomes a habit. This will stop you from becoming near-sighted and is good for your body.
3.6 – Reading a story in Chinese – Journey to the West
Vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 讲故事 |
jiǎng gùshi | tell a story |
| 听故事 | tìng gùshi | listen to a story |
| 猜 | cāi | guess |
| 西游记 | XīyóuJì | Journey to the West |
Having covered reading and writing, our teacher now turns to another aspect of 语文， which is telling stories. The story that we get to cover in this section is Journey to the West, which is one of the classics of Chinese literature. Some of the most famous characters, including the Monkey King himself, are depicted below and on the Headdresses of the children in the picture.
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| 孙悟空 （The Monkey King) | 唐僧 Tang Seng |
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| 猪八戒 Zhu Ba Jie | 沙和尚 Sha He Shang |
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| 红孩二 Hong Hai er – the red child |
白骨精 – white bone spirit |
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| 铁扇公主 – Princess Iron Fan |
7.55 – 读了书，写了字，接下来我们就要讲故事， 听故事了。
Dú le shū, xiě le zì, jiēxiàlái wǒmen jiùyào jiǎng gùshi tīng gùshi le.
We have done some reading and writing. Next let’s listen to and tell a story.
8.04 – 我们来看看四位小同学带着头饰。一人讲故事，三个人在听。他们在讲什么呢？近人怎么开心。
Wǒmen lái kàn kàn sì wèi xiǎo tóngxué dài zhe tóushì. Yī rén jiǎng gùshi sān gè rén zài tìng。 Tāmen zài jiǎng shénme ne? jìnrén zěnme kāixīn.
Look there are four children wearing head dresses. One child is telling a story and the others are listening. What story are they telling? The close friends are very happy!
8.17 – 你猜出来了吗？
Nǐcāi chulai le ma?
Have you guessed what it is yet?
8.19 – 我猜他们讲的一定是西游记的故事。因为我发现他们头上戴着头饰，分别是唐僧，孙悟空，猪八戒，还有沙和尚。
Wǒ cāi tāmen jiǎng de yīdìng shì XīyóuJì de gùshi yīnwèi wǒ fāxiàn tāmen tóushàng dàizhe tóushì fēnbié ， Tángsēng SūnWùkōng ZhūBājiè háiyǒu Shāhéshang
I guess they are telling the story of Journey to the West because they are wearing headdresses of The Monkey King (Sun Wu kong), Tangseng, Zhubajie and also Shaheshang.
西游记 is a collection of stories that follow the life and times of the mythical Monkey King, a famous figure from Chinese folklore. Next the teacher asks the student what their favourite story from the compilation is.
8.36 – 你观察的课真仔细啊。同学们相信你们一定都特别喜欢西游记的故事。那谁来说说你喜欢西游记中的那些故事呢？
Nǐ guānchá de kè zhēn zǐxì a . Tóngxuémen xiāngxìn nǐmen yīdìng dōutèbié xǐhuan XīyóuJì de gùshi. Nǎ shéi láishuō shuō shuō nǐ xǐhuan XīyóuJì zhòngde nàxiē gùshi ne.
You have been observing very carefully. I expect all of you students love the story of the Journey to the West. Who can tell me what their favourite story is in Journey to the West?
8.50 – 我喜欢 西游记里的孙悟空大战红孩儿，三借芭蕉扇两个故事。
Wǒ xǐhuan Xīyóujì lǐ de Sūn Wù Kōng dàzhàn hóng háiér， sān jiè bājiāoshàn liǎng ge gùshi。
In the Journey to the West I like the stories of Sun Wu Kong fighting the Red Child, and the story of the three attempts to borrow the plaintain fan.
8.58 – 我还喜欢西游记里的大闹天宫三打白骨精两个故事。
Wǒ hái xǐhuan Xīyóujì lǐ de Dà nào Tiāngōng， sān dǎ báigǔjīng liǎng ge gùshi。
I also like the stories in Journey to the West of Havoc in the Palace and three fights with the White Bone Spirit.
9.04 – 老师和你们一样，也喜欢西游记的故事。那接下来啊老师就来给大家讲一个我喜欢的故事，是什么呢。
Lǎoshī hé nǐmen yīyàng， yě xǐhuan XīyóuJì de gùshi。Nǎ jiēxiàlái a lǎoshī jiù lái gěi dàjiā jiǎng yīgè wǒ xǐhuan de gùshi， shì shénme ne？
Teacher also likes Journey to the West, the same as you. Now next teacher is going to tell a story that I like, what is it?
3.7 – Retelling a story 大闹天宫 （havoc in the Temple in Heaven)
Next the teacher tells us a story from the Journey to the West. This story, called 大闹天宫 or havoc in the Temple in Heaven. This story centres around Sun Wu Kong stealing a weapon from another immortal creature. In response a higher God punishes Sun Wu Kong by forcing him to work in the Palace. Chaos ensues of course.
Below we provide some useful vocabulary to help you follow the gist of the story:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 花果山 | HuāguǒShān | Flower and fruits mountain |
| 联系 |
liánxì | Practice |
| 武艺 | wǔyì | Martial Arts |
| 兵器 |
bīngqì | Weapon |
| 定海神针 | Dìnghǎi
shénzhēn |
One of the pillars holding up the palace of the Dragon of the Eastern Sea. |
| (如意)精箍棒 |
jīng gū bàng | The Golden cudgel（a weapon used by the Monkey king) |
| 负责 |
fùzé | Responsibilities |
| 气急败坏 |
qìjíbàihuài | Idiom – to lose one’s temper |
| 蟠桃园 |
pántáo yuán | Peaches Orchard |
| 炼丹炉 |
liàndān lú | alchemy furnace |
| 淘气 |
táoqì | naughty |
The story begins with Sun Wu Kong teaching martial arts to the other monkeys at his home in 花果山, Flower and Fruits Mountain. He is unhappy because he doesn’t have a suitable weapon and decides he needs a new one.
Below are some more characters from Journey to the West, that appear in the retelling of 大闹天宫 Havoc in the Palace.
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| 东海龙王 Dragon King of the Eastern Sea | 玉皇大帝 – the Jade Emperor |
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| 太白金星 Evening star | 天马 – horses of heaven |
9.18 – 大闹天宫，注意老师在讲的时候你们要认真的听。待会我们还要说一说你听懂了什么呢。
Dànào Tiāngōng， zhùyì lǎoshī zài jiǎng deshíhòu nǐmen yào rènzhēn de tìng。Dài huì wǒmen hái yàoshuō nǐ tīngdǒng le shénme ne？
Havoc in the Palace, pay close attention while the teacher is telling the story. After you will talk about what you understood.
9.31 – 孙悟空在花果山带着猴子们联系武艺，可是没有一件像样的好兵器。
SūnWùkōng zài HuāguǒShān dài zhe hóuzi men liánxì wǔyì， kěshì méiyǒu yījiàn xiàngyàng de hǎo bīngqì。
The Monkey King was in Flower and Fruits Mountain teaching the other monkeys martial arts. However, he didn’t have a suitable weapon.
Unable to find a suitable weapon the Monkey King goes to the home of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. There he steals a pillar from his palace (定海神针) and begins to use it as a weapon which he names 如意精箍棒。Hearing about the theft, the Jade Emperor decides to trick the Monkey King into coming to his kingdom in the Sky, so he can punish him. This was part of plan concocted by the God of the Evening Star.
9.41 – 就去东海龙王那抢来了定海神针, 如意精箍棒. 玉皇大帝听了太白金星的计策骗孙悟空上天封位弼马温。
Jiù qù DōngHǎi LóngWáng nǎ qiǎnglái le dìng hǎi shén zhēn
,rúyì jīng gū bàng. YùhuángDàdì tìngle Tàibái JīnXīng de jìcè piàn SūnWùkōng shàngtiān fēng wèi bì mǎwēn。So the Monkey King went and robbed a pillar from the home of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. He used this as a staff which he called Ruyi Jing Gu Bang. When the Jade Emperor heard this he decided to put the God of the Evening Star’s plan into action. He tricked Sun Wu Kong into coming to his palace in the sky by promising to bestow in him the title of Protector of the Horses.
9.56 – 当他听说这只是负责饲养天马的小官后就气急败坏的一路打出了南天门回到了花果山。
Dāng tā tīngshuō zhè zhǐshì fùzé sìyǎng tiānmǎ de xiǎoguān hòu jiù qìjíbàihuài de yīlù dǎ chū le nántiānmén huídào le HuāguǒShān.
However when he (the Monkey King） heard that the responsibilities of his new job would just entail looking after the horses of heaven, he stormed off back to the Flower and Fruits Mountain (his home). On the way he smashed the southern gate of the Jade Emperor’s palace in Heaven.
10.08 – 玉皇大帝就派天兵天将去抓拿孙悟空但都被孙悟空打回了天宫
YùhuángDàdì jiù pài tiānbīng tiānjiàng qù zhuāná SūnWùkōng dàn bèi SūnWùkōng dǎ huí liǎo le Tiāngōng。
The Jade Emperor sent his generals and his soldiers to capture the Monkey king, but the Monkey King beat them back to the palace.
10.16 – 太白金星又想了一个计策，答应封孙悟空为齐天大圣掌管蟠桃园把他再次骗会了天宫。
Tàibái jīnxīng yòu xiǎng le yīgè jìcè dāying fēng SūnWùkōng wèi qítiān dàshèng zhǎngguǎn pántáo yuán bǎ tā zàicì piàn huì le Tiāngōng。
The God of the Evening Star then came up with another plan to lure the Monkey King back to the Heavenly Palace. He decided to offer him the job of looking after the Peaches Orchard in the Royal Garden.
Having lured him back to Heaven, the God of the Evening Star soon finds out that his plans for the Monkey King are not going to work out this time either. Trouble kicks off when the Monkey king finds out he has not been invited to a conference.
10.30 – 孙悟空得知蟠桃大会没有请他, 就吃饱喝醉后把蟠桃大会全给搞砸。
SūnWùkōng dézhī pántáo dàhuì méiyǒu qǐng tā jiù chībǎo hēzuì hòu bǎ pántáo dàhuì quán gěi gǎozá。
After the Monkey King found out he hadn’t been invited to the peaches conference, he ate lots of food and got drunk. Then, he smashed up the whole conference.
10.39 – 玉皇大帝非常生气派更多天兵天将捉拿孙悟空。
Yùhuáng Dàdì fēicháng shēngqì pài gèngduō tiānbīng tiānjiàng zhuōná SūnWùkōng
The Jade Emperor was extremely angry so he sent his officers and soldiers to go an arrest the Monkey King.
Note the following mention of a 炼丹炉, this was a thick pot used in ancient times. They were made of the hardest metal to withstand high temperatures used in the creation of alchemical potions.
10.45 – 最后孙悟空被打入了太上老君的炼丹炉，可他并没有被烧死。七七四十九天后炼出了火眼金睛踹飞了炼丹炉大闹天宫。
Zuìhòu SūnWùkōng bèidǎ rù le tàishàng lǎo jūn de liàndān lú, kè tā bìng méiyǒu bèi shāosǐ. Qīqī sìshíjiǔ Tiānhòu liàn chū le huǒyǎn jīnjīng chuài fēi le liàndān lú DànàoTiāngōng.
Finally the Monkey King was thrown into an alchemy furnace, but he did not burn to death. He spent 7 x 7 days in there – 49 days – after that day his eyes became fiery and he kicked his way out of the pot. This was trouble in Heaven.
Having finished her story our teacher now invites the students to relay what they understood.
10.02 – 好同学们故事讲完了。谁来说说你听懂了什么？
Hǎo tóngxuémen gùshi jiǎng wánle。 Shéi lái shuō shuō nǐ tīngdǒng le shénme？
Good，the story is over now. Who would like to tell us what they heard?
Grammar Note – 2
The next section features some really useful grammar which we can incorporate into our daily conversation and writing. This is the Grammar of 不仅 (not only)。。。而且 (but also)。。。We can use this grammar to describe more than one factor, outcome or wish. Click on the linked section below to find out more about this commonly used Chinese grammatical structure.
11.09 – 孙悟空本领可真大啊。不仅能把定海神针拔下来, 而且那么多天兵天将都打不过他.
SūnWùkōng běnlǐng kě zhēn dà a. Bùjǐn néng bǎ dìnghǎishénzhēn báxialai érqiě nàmeduō tiānbīng tiānjiàng dōu dǎbuguò tā.
The Monkey King’s powers are very high. Not only was he able to lift the pillar to the palace, but also the soldiers and officers of heaven were unable to defeat him.
11.20 – 孙悟空很淘气。知道自己没有被邀请参加蟠桃会，就把蟠桃园打的乱起把糟。还去大闹天宫，他可真是个泼猴。
SūnWùkōng hěn táoqì. Zhīdào zìjǐ méiyǒu bèi yāoqǐng cānjiā pántáo huì, jiù bǎ/ pántáo yuán dǎde luàn qǐ ba zāo. Hái qù DànàoTiāngōng tā kě zhēnshi gè pō hóu.
The Monkey King is very naughty. When he found out he wasn’t invited to the peach conference he ruined the meeting. They he caused havoc in heaven, he’s a very naughty monkey!
Task – What do you remember about the story? Can you retell the story of the Monkey King in your own words?
3.8 Telling a story in Chinese
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
| 白骨精 | báigǔjīng | White bone spirit |
| 徒弟 | túdì | disciple |
| 白虎岭 |
Báihǔ lǐng | White Tiger Ridge |
| 遇到 | yùdào | meet, come across |
| 变成 | biànchéng | change，turn into |
Next our teacher introduces some advice and principles that we can utilise when we are telling a story in Chinese. We are also reminded a of a vocabulary item from our first class:
声音洪亮 (shēngyīn hóngliàng) – This mean speak loudly and clearly.
In this section a young girl tells her favourite story from 西游记 – Journey to the West. 三打白骨精 tells the story of the Monkey Kings three battles with the White Bone Spirit.
11.37 – 好同学们，你们看一个人讲故事其他同学认真的听。还说去自己的感受多有意思呀。那么谁也像给大家讲一讲自己喜欢的故事呢。注意啊，当我们讲故事的时候一定要声音洪亮，让大家听清楚。