HSK 4 · Story · 677 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/butterfly-lovers-legend

梁山伯与祝英台

The Butterfly Lovers

Name: ________________ Date: ________

在zài中国zhōngguó，有yǒu一个yígè爱情àiqíng故事gùshi，几乎jīhū每měi个gè人rén都dōu知道zhīdào。人们rénmen常常chángcháng叫jiào它tā“中国zhōngguó的de《罗密欧与朱丽叶luómì’ōuyǔzhūlìyè》”。不过búguò，这个zhège故事gùshi的de结尾jiéwěi很hěn不bù一样yíyàng：最后zuìhòu，两liǎng个gè年轻人niánqīngrén都dōu变成biànchéng了le蝴蝶húdié。

故事gùshi发生fāshēng在zài一千六百多yìqiānliùbǎiduō年nián前qián。那nà时候shíhou，女孩子nǚháizi是shì不能bùnéng去qù学校xuéxiào读书dúshū的de。可是kěshì有yǒu一个yígè叫jiào祝英台zhùyīngtái的de小姐xiǎojie特别tèbié爱ài学习xuéxí，她tā想xiǎng出chū了le一yí个gè办法bànfǎ：穿chuān上shàng男人nánrén的de衣服yīfu，把bǎ自己zìjǐ打扮dǎban成chéng一个yígè男孩子nánháizi，去qù杭州hángzhōu上学shàngxué。

在zài去qù杭州hángzhōu的de路上lùshang，她tā认识rènshi了le一个yígè年轻niánqīng的de读书人dúshūrén，叫jiào梁山伯liángshānbó。两liǎng个gè人rén一yí见面jiànmiàn就jiù聊liáo得de很hěn开心kāixīn，还hái结拜jiébài成chéng了le兄弟xiōngdì。

在zài学校xuéxiào里，他们tāmen一起yìqǐ读书dúshū，一起yìqǐ吃饭chīfàn，一起yìqǐ爬山páshān，整整zhéngzhěng三sān年nián。梁山伯liángshānbó一直yìzhí把bǎ祝英台zhùyīngtái当成dàngchéng好hǎo兄弟xiōngdì，从来没有cóngláiméiyǒu怀疑huáiyí过guò她tā是shì女孩子nǚháizi。可是kěshì祝英台zhùyīngtái的de心里xīnli，早就zǎojiù爱上àishàng了le这个zhège老实lǎoshi的de“哥哥gēge”。

三sān年nián后hòu，家里jiālǐ来信láixìn，让ràng祝英台zhùyīngtái马上mǎshàng回家huíjiā。梁山伯liángshānbó舍不得shěbude她tā，陪péi她tā走zǒu了le一yí段duàn又yòu一yí段duàn，一共yígòng送sòng了le十八shíbā里lǐ路lù。

一路上yílùshàng，祝英台zhùyīngtái不停bùtíng地de暗示ànshì他tā。她tā指zhǐ着zhe水shuǐ里的de一yí对duì鸳鸯yuānyāng说shuō：“你nǐ看kàn，它们tāmen多duō像xiàng我们wǒmen两liǎng个gè。”梁山伯liángshānbó却què笑xiào着zhe说shuō：“它们tāmen是shì一yì男nán一yì女nǚ，我们wǒmen两liǎng个gè都dōu是shì男nán的de，怎么zěnme会huì像xiàng呢ne？”

祝英台zhùyīngtái没有méiyǒu办法bànfǎ，只好zhíhǎo说shuō：“我wǒ家里jiālǐ有yǒu一yí个gè妹妹mèimei，长得zhǎngde跟gēn我wǒ一模一样yìmú-yíyàng。你nǐ早些zǎoxiē来lái我家wǒjiā提亲tíqīn吧ba！”其实qíshí，这个zhège“妹妹mèimei”就是jiùshì她tā自己zìjǐ。

可是kěshì梁山伯liángshānbó晚wǎn了le一yí步bù。等děng他tā到dào了le祝zhù家jiā，才cái知道zhīdào原来yuánlái祝英台zhùyīngtái是shì个gè女孩子nǚháizi。更gèng让ràng他tā伤心shāngxīn的de是shì，祝英台zhùyīngtái的de父母fùmǔ已经yǐjīng决定juédìng把bǎ她tā嫁jià给gěi一个yígè有钱人yǒuqiánrén家jiā的de儿子érzi。

两liǎng个gè人rén哭kū着zhe告别gàobié。梁山伯liángshānbó回去huíqù以后yǐhòu，一天yìtiān比bǐ一天yìtiān瘦shòu，不久bùjiǔ就jiù病死bìngsǐ了le。

祝英台zhùyīngtái出嫁chūjià那天nàtiān，大家dàjiā送sòng她tā去qù新郎xīnláng家jiā，路上lùshang正好zhènghǎo经过jīngguò梁山伯liángshānbó的de坟fén。突然tūrán，天上tiānshàng刮guā起qǐ了le大风dàfēng，下xià起qǐ了le大雨dàyǔ，大家dàjiā只好zhíhǎo停tíng了le下来xiàlai，没法méifǎ再zài往前wǎngqián走zǒu。祝英台zhùyīngtái穿chuān着zhe一身yìshēn红hóng衣服yīfu，走zǒu到dào坟fén前qián，大哭dàkū起来qǐlai。

这时候zhèshíhou，天上tiānshàng突然tūrán打雷dǎléi了le，坟fén一下子yíxiàzi就jiù裂liè了le。祝英台zhùyīngtái没有méiyǒu犹豫yóuyù，跳tiào了le进去jìnqu。然后ránhòu，坟fén马上mǎshàng又yòu合hé上shàng了le。

风fēng停tíng了le，雨yǔ也yě停tíng了le。人们rénmen看见kànjiàn，从cóng那里nàlǐ飞fēi出chū了le两liǎng只zhī美丽měilì的de蝴蝶húdié。它们tāmen在zài花huā中间zhōngjiān飞来飞去fēilái-fēiqù，再也zàiyě不bù分开fēnkāi了le。

一九五九年yījiúwújiǔnián，两liǎng位wèi年轻niánqīng的de作曲家zuòqǔjiā把bǎ这zhè个gè故事gùshi写成xiěchéng了le小提琴xiǎotíqín协奏曲xiézòuqǔ《梁祝liángzhù》。直到zhídào今天jīntiān，很hěn多duō中国zhōngguó人rén一yì听到tīngdào这zhè首shǒu曲子qǔzi，就jiù会huì想起xiángqǐ那nà两liǎng只zhī蝴蝶húdié。

Key words

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
故事	gùshi	story; tale
常常	chángcháng	often; frequently
一样	yíyàng	same; alike
爱情	àiqíng	romantic love
兄弟	xiōngdì	brother; bro (friendly address among men)
陪	péi	to accompany; to keep someone company
指	zhǐ	to mean; to refer to
只好	zhíhǎo	to have no choice but to; to be forced to
步	bù	step; pace
伤心	shāngxīn	sad; heartbroken
父母	fùmǔ	parents; father and mother
正好	zhènghǎo	happen to; as it happens

English (for the teacher)

In China there is a love story that almost everyone knows. People often call it “China’s Romeo and Juliet”. But its ending is very different: in the end, the two young people both turn into butterflies.

The story takes place more than sixteen hundred years ago. In those days girls were not allowed to go to school. But a young lady named Zhu Yingtai loved learning so much that she came up with a plan: she put on men’s clothes, dressed herself up as a boy and went to study in Hangzhou.

On the road to Hangzhou she met a young scholar named Liang Shanbo. The two hit it off the moment they met, and even swore to be brothers.

At school they studied together, ate together and climbed the hills together for three whole years. Liang Shanbo always treated Zhu Yingtai as a good brother and never once suspected she was a girl. But in her heart Zhu Yingtai had long since fallen in love with this honest, simple “big brother”.

Three years later a letter came from home telling Zhu Yingtai to come back at once. Liang Shanbo couldn’t bear to part with her and walked her one stretch after another, eighteen li in all.

All the way, Zhu Yingtai kept dropping hints. She pointed at a pair of mandarin ducks on the water and said: “Look, aren’t they just like the two of us?” But Liang Shanbo laughed: “They’re a male and a female, and we’re both men. How could they be like us?”

Zhu Yingtai had no choice but to say: “I have a little sister at home who looks exactly like me. Come to my house early and ask for her hand!” In fact, this “sister” was herself.

But Liang Shanbo was one step too late. When he reached the Zhu house, he finally learned that Zhu Yingtai was a girl. What hurt him even more was that her parents had already decided to marry her to the son of a rich family.

The two said goodbye in tears. After Liang Shanbo went home he grew thinner day by day, and before long he fell ill and died.

On the day Zhu Yingtai was married off, everyone escorted her to the groom’s house, and the road happened to pass Liang Shanbo’s grave. Suddenly a great wind blew up and heavy rain began to fall, and everyone had to stop, unable to go any further. Zhu Yingtai, dressed all in red, walked up to the grave and burst into tears.

At that moment thunder suddenly crashed, and the grave split open at a stroke. Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhu Yingtai jumped in. Then the grave closed again at once.

The wind stopped, and so did the rain. People saw two beautiful butterflies fly out of it. They flew back and forth among the flowers, and they were never parted again.

In 1959 two young composers turned the story into the violin concerto The Butterfly Lovers. To this day, many Chinese people think of those two butterflies the moment they hear it.