Upper-Intermediate - The King (D0151)

A: 我们周末去打羽毛球吧。 Womenˇ zhoum¯ o` qu` daˇ yumˇ aoqi´ u´ ba. Let’s go and play badminton this weekend.

B: 不行，我有很重要的事。 Bux` ´ıng, woˇ youˇ henˇ zhongy` ao` de sh`ı. Can’t do. I have something very important planned.

A: 有约会？ Youˇ yuehu¯ `ı? You have a date?

B: 我要看《西游记》。 Woˇ yao` kan` X¯ıyouj´ `ı . I am going to watch ””.

A: 天哪！都重播过几百遍了。你还要看！ Tianna!¯ Dou¯ chongb´ o¯ guo jˇıbaiˇ bian` le. Nˇı haiy´ ao` kan!` My goodness! It’s been rerun hundreds of times. And you still want to watch it!

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1 B: 我最喜欢《西游记》了。小时候，我还不识 字，就迷上了《西游记》连环画。那个时候， 我的梦想就是跟唐僧、孙悟空他们一起去西天 取经。 Woˇ zu`ı xˇıhuan X¯ıyouj´ `ı le. Xiaoshˇ ´ıhou, woˇ hai´ bu` sh´ız`ı, jiu` m´ıshang` le X¯ıyouj´ `ı lianhu´ anhu´ a.` Nage` sh´ıhou, woˇ de mengxi` angˇ jiush` `ı gen¯ Tang´ seng,¯ ¯ Wuk` ong¯ tamen¯ y¯ıqˇı qu` x¯ıtian¯ qujˇ ¯ıng. ‘Journey to the West’ is my favorite. When I was a kid and couldn’t read yet, I loved looking at the picture book version. Back then, my dream was to go with Tang Seng and Sun Wukong on a pilgrimage to the Western Par- adise.

A: 那倒是。每个人都喜欢这种天马行空的故事。 唐僧，孙悟空，沙和尚， 猪八戒经过妖魔鬼 怪设计的八十一难，最后终于到西天取到了经 书。故事不但刺激，而且还激励人。 Na` daosh` `ı. Meigerˇ en´ dou¯ xˇıhuan zhezh` ongˇ tianm¯ axˇ ´ıng- kong¯ de gushi.` Tang´ Seng,¯ Sun¯ Wuk` ong,¯ Sha¯ heshang,´ Zhu¯ Baji¯ e` j¯ıngguo` yaom¯ ogu´ ˇıguai` shej` `ı de bash¯ ´ı y¯ı nan,` zu`ıhou` zhongy¯ u´ dao` x¯ıtian¯ qudˇ ao` le j¯ıngshu.¯ Gushi` bu-` dan` c`ıj¯ı, erqi´ eˇ hai´ j¯ıl`ı ren.´ True. Everyone is drawn to this kind of fantasy. Tang Seng, Sun Wu Kong, Sha Heshang and Zhubajie over- came 81 traps set by ghosts and demons to finally reach the Western Paradise and acquire the sacred scripture. Not only is the story fascinating, it’s inspiring too.

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2 B: 还很搞笑呢。比如女儿国国王向唐僧逼婚的情 节。 Hai´ henˇ gaoxiˇ ao` ne. Bˇıru´ Nu¨ˇergu´ o´ guow´ ang´ xiang` Tang´ Seng¯ b¯ıhun¯ de q´ıngjie.´ It’s also pretty funny, like the plot where the Queen of the Country of Woman forced Tang Seng to marry her.

A: 说到唐僧，我最不喜欢的就是他。孙悟空对他 忠心耿耿，他却老是不领情，还冤枉他，念紧 箍咒，让孙悟空吃了这么多苦。其实没有孙悟 空打妖怪，保护大家，他们四个人早“上西天 ”了。 Shuod¯ ao` Tang´ seng,¯ woˇ zu`ı bu` xˇıhuan de jiush` `ı ta.¯ Sun¯ Wuk` ong¯ du`ı ta¯ zhongx¯ ¯ıngenggˇ eng,ˇ ta¯ que` laoshiˇ bu` lˇıng- q´ıng, hai´ yuanwang¯ ta,¯ nian` jˇınguzh¯ ou,` rang` Sun¯ Wuk` ong¯ ch¯ı le zheme` duo¯ ku.ˇ Q´ısh´ı meiy´ ouˇ Sun¯ Wuk` ong¯ daˇ yao-¯ guai,` baohˇ u` daji` a,¯ tamen¯ s`ı ge ren´ zao”shˇ ang` x¯ıtian”le.¯ Speaking of Tang Seng, I hate him the most. Sun Wu Kong treated him with complete loyalty. But Tang Seng never acknowledged him. He always did him wrong and recited the curse that would squeeze Sun Wu Kong’s head in a metal vice. He put him through so much pain and grief. If it weren’t for Su Wu Kong fighting the ghosts and demons, the four of them would have died early on.

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3 B: 完全同意。小时候，一到假期，电视台就会播 《西游记》的电视剧。虽然现在看，戏里的特 效简直可笑，但是它完全把原著的感觉拍出来 了。戏里每个演员都演活了，特别是六小龄童 扮演的孙悟空，没人能超越他。 Wanqu´ an´ tongy´ `ı. Xiaoshˇ ´ıhou, y¯ı dao` jiaq` ¯ı, diansh` `ıtai´ jiu` hu`ı bo¯ X¯ıyouj´ `ı de diansh` `ıju.` Su¯ıran´ xianz` ai` kan,` x`ı lˇı de texi` ao` jianzhˇ ´ı kexiˇ ao,` dansh` `ı ta¯ wanqu´ an´ baˇ yuanzh´ u` de ganjuˇ e´ pai¯ chulai¯ le. X`ı lˇı meigeˇ yanyuˇ an´ dou¯ yanˇ huo´ le, tebi` esh´ `ı Liuxi` aolˇ ´ıngtong´ bany` anˇ de Sun¯ Wuk` ong,¯ meir´ en´ neng´ chaoyu¯ e` ta.¯ Totally agree. When I was young, every holiday, TV sta- tions would air the TV series ’Journey to the West’. Al- though the special effects seem laughable now, it re- ally brought the original novel to life. Plus all the actors played their parts brilliantly, especially Liu Xiaolingtong’s Sun Wukong. He is unsurpassable.

A: 嗯，我也最喜欢他。孙悟空这个人物本身就是 最精彩的，幽默、聪明、而且特别讲义气。 Ng, woˇ yeˇ zu`ı xˇıhuan ta.¯ Sun¯ Wuk` ong¯ zhege` renw´ u` ben-ˇ shen¯ jiush` `ı zu`ı j¯ıngcaiˇ de, youm¯ o,` congming,¯ erqi´ eˇ tebi` e´ jiangyˇ `ıqi. Yeah, he is my favorite too. Sun Wukong really stands out from the rest of the characters in the story. He’s funny, smart, and incredibly loyal.

B: 是啊，他是猴子和人最完美的结合。说到幽 默，你觉得周星驰的 《大话西游》怎么样？

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4 Sh`ı a, ta¯ sh`ı houzi´ he´ ren´ zu`ı wanm´ eiˇ de jieh´ e.´ Shuod¯ ao` youm¯ o,` nˇı juede´ Zhou¯ X¯ıngch´ı de Dahu` ax` ¯ıyou´ zenme-ˇ yang?` Totally. He is the perfect combination of monkey and hu- man. Speaking of funny, do you like Stephen Chow’s movie ’A Chinese Odyssey’?

A: 这部电影纯粹就是无厘头搞笑，没什么内容。 真不懂为什么这么多人喜欢。 Zhe` bu` diany` ˇıng chuncu´ `ı jiush` `ı wul´ ´ıtou´ gaoxiˇ ao,` mei´ shenme´ neir` ong.´ Zhen¯ bu` dongˇ weish` enme´ zheme` duo¯ ren´ xˇıhuan. The film is pure slapstick without much content. I really don’t understand why so many people like it so much.

B: 周星驰的电影当然无厘头啦。 我倒觉得这种颠 覆挺创新的。可以让年轻人了解、喜欢古典名 著。 Zhou¯ X¯ıngch´ı de diany` ˇıng dangr¯ an´ wul´ ´ıtou´ la. woˇ dao` jue-´ de zhezh` ongˇ dianf¯ u` tˇıng chuangx` ¯ın de. Keyˇ ˇı rang` nian-´ q¯ıngren´ liaojiˇ e,ˇ xˇıhuan gudiˇ anˇ m´ıngzhu.` It is a Stephen Chow film. Of course it is slapstick. But I think this kind of spoof is quite innovative. It also allows the young generation to get to know and fall in love with literary classics.

A: 啊？了解、喜欢？明明是糟蹋。 A?´ Liaojiˇ e,ˇ xˇıhuan? M´ıngm´ıng sh`ı zaota.¯

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5 What? ’Get to know and fall in love with’? It is clearly ruining them.

Key Vocabulary

台词 taic´ ´ı dialogue script

取经 qujˇ ¯ıng to obtain the sacred texts

天马行空 tianm¯ axˇ ´ıngkong¯ powerful and unconstrained style

忠心耿耿 zhongx¯ ¯ıngeng-ˇ loyal and devoted gengˇ

讲义气 jiangˇ y`ıqi to have personal loyalty

后悔莫及 houhu` ˇı moj` ´ı too late to regret

纯粹 chuncu´ `ı pure

颠覆 dianf¯ u` to subvert

创新 chuangx` ¯ın to innovate

Supplementary Vocabulary

Visit the Online Review and Discussion(text version). c 2007 Praxis Language Ltd.

6 四大名著 s`ıda` m´ıngzhu` the Four Chinese Classical Novels

红楼梦 Hongl´ oum´ eng` Dream of the Red Chamber

三国演义 Sangu¯ oy´ anyˇ `ı Romance of the Three King- doms

水浒传 Shuˇıhuzhuˇ an` The Water Margin

西游记 X¯ıyouj´ `ı Journey to the West

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