Upper-Intermediate - The Legend of the White Snake (Part 1) (D2137)

杭州下着毛毛雨,一位白衣姑娘和一位绿衣姑娘缓缓地走在西湖边上。白衣姑娘有点儿激动,她在寻找自己的救命恩人,她要嫁给他报恩。
Hángzhōu xià zhe máomáoyǔ, yī wèi báiyī gūniang hé yī wèi lǜyī gūniang huǎnhuǎn de zǒu zài xīhú biān shàng. báiyī gūniang yǒudiǎnr jīdòng, tā zài xúnzhǎo zìjǐ de jiùmìng ēnrén, tā yào jiàgěi tā bào\'ēn.
A fine rain fell in Hangzhou. A maiden clad in white and a maiden clad in green walked slowly beside West Lake. The white-clad maiden is a bit agitated. She is in search of the one that once saved her, for she intends to marry him to repay her debt to him.
一千七百年前,白衣姑娘是一条小白蛇。一天,它差点被一个捕蛇人杀死,幸好那时来了一个小牧童,救了它。
yīqiānqībǎi nián qián, báiyī gūniang shì yī tiáo xiǎo báishé. yītiān, tā chàdiǎnr bèi yī gè bǔshérén shā sǐ, xìnghǎo nàshí lái le yī gè xiǎo mùtóng, jiù le tā.
1700 years ago, the white-clad maiden was a small white snake. One day, she was very nearly caught and killed. Fortunately, a young shepherd boy appeared and saved her.
一年又一年,小白蛇已经在山上修炼了一千七百年。它已经修炼成人形,变成一位年轻漂亮的姑娘,她给自己起了个名字叫“白素贞”。白素贞准备下山报恩了。
yī nián yòu yī nián, xiǎo báishé yǐjīng zài shān shàng xiūliàn le yīqiānqībǎi nián. tā yǐjīng xiūliàn chéng rénxíng, biànchéng yī wèi niánqīng piàoliang de gūniang, tā gěi zìjǐ qǐ le gè míngzi jiào" Bái Sùzhēn”. Bái Sùzhēn zhǔnbèi xiàshān bào\\\'ēn le.
The years passed. The small white snake had already practiced the mystical Daoist arts for 1700 years. It had assumed a human form, and become a beautiful young maiden. She chose the name Bai Suzhen for herself. Bai Suzhen intended to come down from the mountain to repay her debt of gratitude.
下山的时候,白素贞遇到了自己的同类小青,她们一起来到了西湖。她们找啊找,终于发现了当年的小牧童。
xiàshān de shíhou, Bái Sùzhēn yùdào le zìjǐ de tónglèi Xiǎoqīng, tāmen yīqǐ láidào le Xīhú. tāmen zhǎo a zhǎo, zhōngyú fāxiàn le dāngnián de xiǎo mùtóng.
On her way down the mountain, Bai Suzhen encountered Xiaoqing, a being like herself. They went to West Lake together. Searching and searching, they finally found the little shepherd boy of years ago.
白素贞让小青施法术,雨越下越大了。救她的小牧童现在叫许仙,是一个医生。在一座小桥上,许仙刚拿出雨伞,就看到了两位姑娘。
Bái Sùzhēn ràng Xiǎoqīng shī fǎshù, yǔ yuè xià yuè dà le. jiù tā de xiǎo mùtóng xiànzài jiào Xǔ Xiān, shì yī gè yīshēng. zài yī zuò xiǎoqiáo shàng, Xǔ Xiān gāng náchū yǔsǎn, jiù kàndào le liǎng wèi gūniang.
Bai Suzhen had Xiaoqing use her powers, and the rain fell harder and harder. The little shepherd boy that once saved her was now called Xu Xian, and was a doctor. Standing on a bridge, he had just pulled out his umbrella when he saw the two maidens.
许仙看她们穿得很单薄,很想把伞借给她们,可他不敢跟女孩子说话。正在犹豫的时候,小青来借伞了。许仙赶快把伞借给了她们。白素贞问许仙住在哪里,改天好去还伞。
Xǔ Xiān kàn tāmen chuān de hěn dānbó, hěn xiǎng bǎ sǎn jiègěi tāmen, kě tā bùgǎn gēn nǚháizi shuōhuà. zhèngzài yóuyù de shíhou, Xiǎoqīng lái jiè sǎn le. Xǔ Xiān gǎnkuài bǎ sǎn jiègěi le tāmen. Bái Sùzhēn wèn Xǔ Xiān zhùzài nǎli, gǎitiān hǎo qù huán sǎn.
Xu Xian saw that they weren't dressed for the weather, and wanted to lend his umbrella to them, but he was too timid to speak to the young women. As he deliberated, Xiaoqing came over to borrow his umbrella, and Xu Xian quickly lent it to them. Bai Suzhen asked Xu Xian where he lived so that she could return his umbrella to him.
许仙回家后,眼前都是那位白衣姑娘的影子。白素贞美丽温柔,许仙对她一见钟情。他盼啊盼,终于美女来还伞了。
Xǔ Xiān huíjiā hòu, yǎnqián dōu shì nà wèi báiyī gūniang de yǐngzi. Bái Sùzhēn měilì wēnróu, Xǔ Xiān duì tā yījiànzhōngqíng. tā pàn a pàn, zhōngyú měinǚ lái huán sǎn le.
After returning home, all Xu Xian could think about was the white-clad maiden. Bai Suzhen was so beautiful and gentle; for Xu Xian it was love at first sight. How he longed to see her again. Finally, the young woman came to return the umbrella.

Key Vocabulary

毛毛雨 máomáoyǔ fine rain
缓缓 huǎnhuǎn slow
救命 jiùmìng save me, help!
恩人 ēnrén benefactor, someone who helps someone else
报恩 bào'ēn to pay a debt of gratitude
捕蛇人 bǔshérén snake catcher
牧童 mùtóng shepherd boy
修炼 xiūliàn to cultivate oneself (in a spiritual sense)
人形 rénxíng human form
同类 tónglèi of the same kind
当年 dāngnián those years
shī to use, exert
法术 fǎshù magic
单薄 dānbó fragile, feeble
犹豫 yóuyù to hesitate
影子 yǐngzi shadow
一见钟情 yījiànzhōngqíng love at first sight

Supplementary Vocabulary

白蛇传 Báishézhuàn The Legend of the White Snake
报答 bàodá to repay
恩情 ēnqíng kindness
牧羊人 mùyángrén shepherd
道家 Dàojiā Daoist master
道教 Dàojiào Daoism
投胎 tóutāi to be reincarnated
转世 zhuǎnshì reincarnation
魔法 mófǎ magic
断桥 Duànqiáo a famous bridge on the West Lake of Hangzhou
期待 qīdài to await, look forward to

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