The Princess and the Pea

Illustration for the Chinese story “The Princess and the Pea”

Tap any word for its meaning

一个yī ge下大雨xià dà yǔ的de晚上wǎn shang,王宫wáng gōng门口mén kǒu突然tū rán传来chuán lái敲门声qiāo mén shēng。On a rainy evening, there was a sudden knock at the palace gate.老国王lǎo guó wáng打开dǎ kāi门mén,看见kàn jiàn一个yī ge淋得lín de湿透shī tòu的de女孩nǚ hái,她tā说shuō自己zì jǐ是shì真正的zhēn zhèng de公主gōng zhǔ,请求qǐng qiú借宿jiè sù一yī晚wǎn。The old king opened the door and saw a girl soaked to the skin, who claimed to be a real princess and asked to stay for the night.

王后wáng hòu悄悄qiāo qiāo想xiǎng了le个gè主意zhǔ yi。The queen quietly came up with an idea.她tā往wǎng床板chuáng bǎn上shàng放fàng了le一yī粒lì豌豆wān dòu,然后rán hòu搬bān来lái二十èr shí层céng厚厚hòu hòu的de床垫chuáng diàn和hé二十èr shí床chuáng羽绒被yǔ róng bèi,让ràng女孩nǚ hái睡shuì在zài上面shàng miàn。She placed a pea on the bedboard, then brought twenty thick mattresses and twenty down quilts, and let the girl sleep on top.

第二天dì èr tiān早上zǎo shang,王后wáng hòu问wèn:“昨晚zuó wǎn睡shuì得de好hǎo吗ma?”The next morning, the queen asked, 'Did you sleep well last night?'

女孩nǚ hái揉róu着zhe眼睛yǎn jing说shuō:“床chuáng好hǎo软ruǎn,可kě我wǒ总zǒng觉得jué de有yǒu什么shén me硬yìng东西dōng xi硌gè着zhe背bèi,整夜zhěng yè都dōu没méi睡着shuì zháo!您nín看kàn,我wǒ背bèi上shàng还hái有yǒu瘀青yū qīng呢ne!”The girl rubbed her eyes and said, 'The bed was very soft, but I kept feeling something hard pressing against my back, and I couldn't sleep all night! Look, there are bruises on my back!'

王后wáng hòu立刻lì kè笑xiào了le:“只有zhǐ yǒu真正zhēn zhèng的de公主gōng zhǔ才cái会huì这么zhè me娇嫩jiāo nen,连lián被子bèi zi下xià的de豌豆wān dòu都dōu能néng感觉gǎn jué到dào!”The queen immediately smiled and said, 'Only a real princess would be so delicate that she could feel a pea under the quilts!'

国王guó wáng高兴gāo xìng地de宣布xuān bù:“你nǐ就是jiù shì我们wǒ men要yào找zhǎo的de公主gōng zhǔ!”The king happily announced, 'You are the princess we are looking for!'后来hòu lái,王子wáng zǐ和hé这位zhè wèi细心xì xīn的de公主gōng zhǔ结jié了le婚hūn,那nà粒lì豌豆wān dòu还hái被bèi收shōu进jìn了le博物馆bó wù guǎn呢ne!Later, the prince married this attentive princess, and that pea was even kept in a museum!

寓意yù yì:真正zhēn zhèng的de特别tè bié之zhī处chù,往往wǎng wǎng藏cáng在zài最zuì细微xì wēi的de地方dì fāng。Moral: True uniqueness often lies in the smallest details.

Want to read along with audio? Every story in the Literate Chinese app is narrated by a native speaker — in Mainland or Taiwan Mandarin — so you can listen while you read, and tap any word to save it as a flashcard. See what's in the app.

More free stories: more HSK 4 stories · all Classic Fables stories · traditional characters · test your reading level

Try reading your first story

The fastest way to make characters stick is to meet them in a story you can actually finish. Literate Chinese has 1,000+ graded stories matched to the words you know — in Mainland or Taiwan Mandarin, Simplified or Traditional. Free on iOS and Android.

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

Prefer the browser? Read a free story on the web →