Upper-Intermediate - The Legend of the White Snake (Part 3) (D2173)

转眼端午节到了。许仙很忐忑,但他也想知道真相,所以非要和老婆一起饮酒。白素贞只好喝了一点。她非常难受,让许仙去拿解酒药。白素贞倒在床上,现出了原形。
zhuǎnyǎn duānwǔjié dào le. Xǔ Xiān hěn tǎntè, dàn tā yě xiǎng zhīdào zhēnxiàng, suǒyǐ fēiyào hé lǎopó yīqǐ yǐnjiǔ. Bái Sùzhēn zhǐhǎo hē le yīdiǎn. tā fēicháng nánshòu, ràng Xǔ Xiān qù ná jiějiǔ yào. Bái Sùzhēn dǎo zài chuáng shàng, xiàn chū le yuánxíng.
In a flash, Dragon Boat Festival arrived. Xu Xian was very troubled, but he still wanted to know the truth, so he had to drink with his wife. Bai Suzhen only needed to drink a little bit. She felt extremely terrible and asked Xu Xian to get her some medicine to deal with the effects of the alcohol. Bai Suzhen fell upon the bed and revealed her true form.
许仙看到那条巨大的白蛇,立刻就被吓死了。白素贞醒来,发现丈夫死了。她擦干眼泪,飞到天上去采灵芝。人家不让她采,她就偷了一颗。王母娘娘非常生气,要处死白素贞,观音娘娘为她求情,白素贞才拿到灵芝,回家救活了丈夫。
Xǔ Xiān kàndào nà tiáo jùdà de bái shé, lìkè jiù bèi xià sǐ le. Bái Sùzhēn xǐnglái, fāxiàn zhàngfu sǐ le. tā cā gān yǎnlèi, fēi dào tiānshàng qù cǎi língzhī. rénjiā bùràng tā cǎi, tā jiù tōu le yī kē. Wángmǔniángniang fēicháng shēngqì, yào chǔsǐ Bái Sùzhēn, Guānyīnniángniang wèi tā qiúqíng, Bái Sùzhēn cái ná dào língzhī, huíjiā jiùhuó le zhàngfu.
As soon as Xu Xian saw the giant white snake, he was immediately scared to death. When Bai Suzhen awoke, she discovered that her husband was dead. Wiping away her tears, she flew up to heaven to pick a medicinal fungus. No one gave her permission to take one; she just stole it. The Queen Mother of the West was extremely angry and wanted to kill Bai Suzhen. Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy, asked for leniency so that Bai Suzhen could take the medicinal fungus and return home and save her husband.
许仙见妻子还跟以前一样温柔善良,乐于助人,慢慢忘记了法海的话。他觉得妻子就算是蛇妖,也是一个好蛇妖。他们感情更好了。没多久,白素贞怀孕了。
Xǔ Xiān jiàn qīzi hái gēn yǐqián yīyàng wēnróu shànliáng, lèyúzhùrén, mànmàn wàngjì le Fǎhǎi de huà. tā juéde qīzi jiùsuàn shì shéyāo, yě shì yī gè hǎo shéyāo. tāmen gǎnqíng gèng hǎo le. méi duō jiǔ, Bái Sùzhēn huáiyùn le.
Xu Xian saw that his wife looked the same as before - soft, kind and full of compassion - and slowly forgot about what Fa Hai had said. He felt that even if his wife was a snake spirit, then she was a good snake spirit. Their love for each other grew even stronger. In no time at all, Bai Suzhen was pregnant.
这时候,法海又来了,他把许仙骗到了金山寺。白素贞要救丈夫,水里的鱼虾蟹都来帮助她,水淹金山寺,逼法海放人。没想到却让老百姓遭了水灾。
zhèshíhòu, Fǎhǎi yòu lái le, tā bǎ Xǔ Xiān piàn dào le Jīnshānsì. Bái Sùzhēn yào jiù zhàngfu, shuǐ lǐ de yú xiā xiè dōu lái bāngzhù tā, shuǐ yān Jīnshānsì, bī Fǎhǎi fàngrén. méixiǎngdào què ràng lǎobǎixìng zāo le shuǐzāi.
At this time, Fa Hai returned again, and tricked Xu Xian into coming to Jinshan Temple. Bai Suzhen wanted to save her husband, and all the fish, shrimp and crabs of the water came to help her. Water inundated Jinshan Temple and compelled Fa Hai to give him up. However, unexpectedly, this caused a disastrous flood for the common people.
白素贞触犯了天条。一生下孩子,法海就把她收服,镇压在雷峰塔下。许仙非常难过,也出家了。
Bái Sùzhēn chùfàn le tiāntiáo. yī shēngxià háizi, Fǎhǎi jiù bǎ tā shōufú, zhènyā zài Léifēng tǎ xià. Xǔ Xiān fēicháng nánguò, yě chūjiā le.
Bai Suzhen had committed a crime against the gods. As soon as her child was born, Fa Hai subdued Bai Suzhen and imprisoned her in Leifeng Tower. Xu Xian was extremely sad and became a monk.
二十年后,许仙和白素贞的儿子考中状元,到塔前祭母,孝心感动了天庭,白素贞被放出了雷峰塔,一家人终于团聚了。
èrshí nián hòu, XǔXiān hé Bái Sùzhēn de érzi kǎozhòngzhuàngyuán, dào tǎ qián jì mǔ, xiàoxīn gǎndòng le tiāntíng, Bái Sùzhēn bèi fàngchū le Léifēngtǎ, yījiārén zhōngyú tuánjù le.
Twenty years later, Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen's son received the highest mark on the imperial examination and went to the tower to make a sacrifice for his mother. His filial piety moved the gods, and Bai Suzhen was released from Leifeng Tower. The family was finally reunited.

Key Vocabulary

转眼 zhuǎnyǎn in the blink of an eye, in no time
忐忑 tǎntè anxious, perturbed
真相 zhēnxiàng true situation
解酒 jiějiǔ to sober up
现出 xiàn chū to reveal
原形 yuánxíng true form
xià to scare
cǎi to pick
灵芝 língzhī medicinal fungus
王母娘娘 Wángmǔniángniang Queen Mother of the West
观音娘娘 Guānyīnniángniang Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy
求情 qiúqíng to plead a case
乐于助人 lèyúzhùrén to be happy to help people
蛇妖 shéyāo snake spirit
金山寺 Jīnshānsì Jinshan Temple
yān to flood
zāo to meet with something bad
水灾 shuǐzāi flood
触犯 chùfàn to violate, offend
天条 tiāntiáo the laws of heaven
收服 shōufú to subdue
镇压 zhènyā to put down, supress
雷峰塔 Léifēng tǎ Leifeng Tower
出家 chūjiā to become a monk
to make a religious sacrifice for someone
天庭 tiāntíng the gods
团聚 tuánjù to reunite

Supplementary Vocabulary

白蛇传 Báishé zhuàn The Legend of the White Snake
神话 shénhuà myth
真理 zhēnlǐ truth
缓解 huǎnjiě to alleviate
出现 chūxiàn to appear
菌类 jūnlèi fungus
道教 Dàojiào Taoism
宽恕 kuānshù forgiveness
违反 wéifǎn to go against
压制 yāzhì to supress
武力 wǔlì military strength
祭祀 jìsì to make a religious sacrifice
孝顺 xiàoshùn to show filial piety

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