齐天大圣
Great Sage Equal to Heaven
Name: ________________ Date: ________
孙悟空在天宫做了弼马温，每天照顾天宫的马。他做得很认真：早上带马出去吃草，晚上给马洗澡。半个月以后，马一天比一天胖。悟空很高兴：“看，我这个官做得多好！”
有一天，大家一起喝酒。悟空问：“弼马温是多大的官？”别人都笑了：“大官？在天宫里，这是最小的官，小得都不能算官！马再胖，也没有人谢你；马要是瘦了，大家都来骂你。”
悟空一听，生气地跳了起来：“什么？我在花果山是王，到这里来给人看马？我不干了！”他从耳朵里拿出金箍棒，一直打到了南天门，谁也拦不住他。他一下子就飞回了花果山。
猴子们看见他回来了，高兴得又叫又跳：“大王，您走了十几年，在天宫做了什么大官？”悟空很奇怪：“十几年？我才走了半个月啊！”天宫的一天，就是人间的一年。悟空红着脸说：“不要说了，他们让我去看马！”大家都叫了起来：“您这么厉害，怎么能去看马？”这时，两个客人来看他，说：“大王，您应该叫齐天大圣！”悟空一听，高兴极了：“好！齐天大圣，意思就是我和天一样高！”猴子们马上做了一面大旗，上面写着四个大字：齐天大圣。
玉皇大帝知道了，非常生气。他马上叫托塔李天王和他的儿子哪吒带着很多人，去花果山打悟空。
第一个来的是巨灵神。他个子很高，站在门口大声说：“小猴子，快出来！”悟空笑着说：“大个子，看我的！”才打了几下，巨灵神的大斧子就断了。他害怕极了，转身就跑。
后来，哪吒来了。他看起来是个孩子，可是非常厉害。他大叫一声：“变！”一下子就变出了三颗头、六只手，每只手里都拿着一件武器。悟空一看，也大叫一声：“变！”他也有了三颗头、六只手，手里拿着三根金箍棒。两个人打来打去，打了很久。最后，悟空用一根毛变出一个假悟空。假悟空在前面跟哪吒打，真悟空来到哪吒后面，用金箍棒打中了他的左胳膊。哪吒疼得大叫，只好跑了。
李天王没有办法，回天宫去了。这时，太白金星对玉皇大帝说：“就让他做齐天大圣吧。这个官只有名字，什么事也管不了。他高兴了，就不会再打了。”玉皇大帝点了点头。
悟空听说天宫同意了，开心极了。他又来到天宫，还有了自己的大房子。他每天什么事也不用做，到处找朋友喝酒、聊天。
可是有人担心：“这只猴子每天没事做，以后一定会出问题。”所以，玉皇大帝给了悟空一个新工作：去看蟠桃园。蟠桃园里有很多很多树，树上都是桃子。看园子的老人告诉他：“这里的桃子，最快的也要三千年才熟一次。吃了，就能长生不老！”长生不老？悟空不是一直想要长生不老吗？他看着树上又大又香的桃子，肚子“咕咕”地叫了起来……
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 照顾 | zhàogu | to take care of; to look after |
| 认真 | rènzhēn | conscientious; earnest; serious; to take seriously |
| 带 | dài | belt; band; ribbon |
| 马 | mǎ | (vulgar) mother (used in curses as a stand-in for 妈) |
| 草 | cǎo | grass; straw |
| 洗澡 | xízǎo | to bathe; to take a bath or shower |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | later; afterwards; in the future |
| 胖 | pàng | fat; plump |
| 别人 | biéren | other people; others; someone else |
| 瘦 | shòu | thin; skinny |
| 生气 | shēngqì | to get angry; to be mad |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump; to leap |
English (for the teacher)
Sun Wukong became Keeper of the Heavenly Horses in the Heavenly Palace, and every day he looked after heaven's horses. He worked very hard: in the morning he took the horses out to eat grass, and in the evening he gave them a bath. Half a month later, the horses were getting fatter every day. Wukong was very pleased: "Look, what a great job I'm doing as an official!"
One day, everyone was drinking together. Wukong asked: "How big an official is Keeper of the Heavenly Horses?" The others all laughed: "A big official? In the Heavenly Palace it's the smallest post of all, so small it doesn't even count as an official! However fat the horses get, nobody thanks you; if they get thin, everybody comes to tell you off."
When Wukong heard this, he jumped up in anger: "What? I'm a king on Flower Fruit Mountain, and I came here to look after horses for other people? I quit!" He took his golden-hooped staff out of his ear and fought his way all the way to the Southern Gate of Heaven, and nobody could stop him. In a flash he flew back to Flower Fruit Mountain.
When the monkeys saw him come back, they shouted and jumped for joy: "Your Majesty, you've been gone more than ten years! What big post did you get in the Heavenly Palace?" Wukong was puzzled: "More than ten years? I was only gone half a month!" One day in the Heavenly Palace is one year in the world of people. Wukong said, red in the face: "Don't ask. They had me looking after horses!" Everyone cried out: "You're so amazing, how could you look after horses?" Just then two visitors came to see him and said: "Your Majesty, you should call yourself Great Sage Equal to Heaven!" Wukong was thrilled: "Yes! Great Sage Equal to Heaven means I'm as high as heaven!" At once the monkeys made a big banner with four large characters on it: Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
When the Jade Emperor found out, he was furious. At once he sent Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li and his son Nezha with lots of soldiers to Flower Fruit Mountain to fight Wukong.
The first to come was the Giant Spirit God. He was very tall, and he stood at the door and shouted: "Little monkey, come out!" Wukong laughed: "Big guy, watch this!" After only a few blows, the Giant Spirit God's big axe broke. He was terrified, turned and ran.
Then Nezha came. He looked like a child, but he was very powerful. He shouted: "Change!" In a flash he had three heads and six arms, with a weapon in every hand. Wukong took one look and shouted too: "Change!" He also had three heads and six arms, with three golden-hooped staffs in his hands. The two of them fought back and forth for a long time. In the end, Wukong used one of his hairs to make a fake Wukong. The fake Wukong fought Nezha from the front, while the real Wukong came up behind Nezha and hit his left arm with the staff. Nezha howled with pain and had to run away.
Heavenly King Li could do nothing, so he went back to the Heavenly Palace. Then the Great White Planet said to the Jade Emperor: "Just let him be Great Sage Equal to Heaven. The post is only a name, and he won't be in charge of anything. Once he's happy, he won't fight any more." The Jade Emperor nodded.
When Wukong heard that heaven had agreed, he was overjoyed. He went back up to the Heavenly Palace and even got a big house of his own. Every day he had nothing to do, so he went all over the place drinking and chatting with friends.
But someone was worried: "This monkey has nothing to do all day. Sooner or later there will be trouble." So the Jade Emperor gave Wukong a new job: to look after the Peach Garden. In the Peach Garden there were lots and lots of trees, all covered in peaches. The old man who kept the garden told him: "The peaches here take at least three thousand years to ripen. Eat one, and you will live forever!" Live forever? Wasn't living forever exactly what Wukong had always wanted? He looked at the big, sweet-smelling peaches on the trees, and his stomach began to rumble...