The Boy with The Long Name Tikki Tikki Tembo哪吒雷步A Chinese folktale  Retold by Susan Dickinson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOHngXg6Fts&feature=related

 

Tiki tiki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo

踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布

Once upon a time, a long time ago, it was the custom in China to give firstborn sons great, long, important names. Second sons were given only little, short names.

In a small village there lived a mother with two sons. The second son was called Chang, which means "little or nothing". But the first son was called [Tiki], which means "the most wonderful boy in the whole world".

Every morning the mother went to the river to wash the clothes and her sons went with her. Near to the river was a well, and here the boys liked to play. Their mother said to them, "Do not play near the well, or you will fall in." But the boys did not heed her.

One day, when they were playing around the well and even walking on the well, Chang fell in! [Tiki]  ran to his mother and said, "Oh, honoured mother, Chang has fallen into the well." "Speak up, my precious son. I cannot hear you," said the mother. "Chang has fallen into the well," shouted [Tiki].

"Chang has fallen into the well," repeated the mother. "What a foolish boy. Run to the Old Man With the Ladder and he will get him out," said the mother. So [Tiki]  ran to the Old Man With the Ladder.

The Old Man was sleeping beneath a tree and [Tiki]  shook him awake and said, "Oh, Old Man With the Ladder, Chang has fallen into the well. Please will you come and get him out."

The Old Man stood up, fetched his ladder and went to the well. He put the ladder into the well and climbed down step by step by step until he found Chang. Then he carried the boy up out of the well, step by step by step. He laid Chang on the ground and pushed the water out of him and pumped air into him and soon Chang was the same as he had always been. The brothers vowed they would not play near the well again.

But several months later, after the Festival of the Eighth Moon, they went to the well to eat their rice cakes. They were sitting on the edge, dangling their legs, when [Tiki]  slipped and fell in. Chang ran to his mother and said, "Oh, honoured mother, [Tiki] has fallen into the well!" "I cannot hear you. Speak up more clearly," said the mother. "[Tiki]  has fallen into the well," said Chang. "What!" said the mother. "[Tiki], my precious son, the most wonderful boy in the world, has fallen into the well! We must do something at once. Go to the Old Man With the Ladder and ask him to help."

So Chang ran to the old Man With the Ladder who was sleeping peacefully beneath a tree.

"Oh, Sir," shouted Chang." [Tiki]  has fallen into the well." "What is this noise that disturbs my sleep?" said the Old Man. [Tiki]  has fallen into the well," repeated Chang. "Somebody has fallen into the well?" said the Old Man. "What did you say his name was?"

"[Tiki], my brother," said Chang again. "Please come and help to get him out."

So the Old Man rose from the grass and fetched his ladder and went to the well with Chang.

He put the ladder into the well and he climbed down step by step by step until he found [Tiki].

Then he carried the boy up out of the well, step by step by step.

The Old Man laid [Tiki] on the ground and he pushed the water out of him and pumped air into him and pushed the water out of him and pumped air into him until[Tiki] opened his eyes. But because [Tiki] had been in the water for so long it was many moons before he was the same as he had always been.

And nowadays you will find that people in China give all their children little, short names instead of great, long, important ones.

 

一個很長很長的名字

很久以前，中國有一個習俗，給長子取一個很長、重要的名字。接下來的兒子取一個很短的名字。

在一個小村莊裡，住著一位母親，他帶著兩個兒子。第二個兒子叫倀，意思是“不成材，沒成就”。但第一個兒子叫[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]，它的意思是“世界上最英勇、聰明的男孩”。

每天早上，媽媽去河邊洗的衣服，她的兒子也跟著去。那條河流的附近有一個井，那兩個孩子喜歡在井邊玩。媽媽對他們說：“不要靠近井邊，否則你會掉進去”但是兩個孩子沒聽媽媽的話。

有一天，當他們繞著井邊走，倀掉進井裡！[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]跑到他的母親說：“哦，慈愛的母親，倀掉到井裡頭了!”
“水聲太大，我的寶貝兒子，我聽不到你說甚麼!”媽媽說
“倀掉到井裡頭” [踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布] 大叫道。
媽媽說“倀掉到井裡頭，真是愚蠢的孩子。你去找那個揹著梯子的老人，他會救他上來”媽媽說。

[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]跑去找揹著梯子的老人。

老人睡在一棵大樹下，[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]搖醒他，說：“哦，老伯，倀掉到井裡頭啦，請你來就他“。

老人站了起來，拿了他的梯子到了井邊。他把梯子放進井裡，然後一步一步往下爬，找到了倀，把他背上來，放在地上，給他急救，來回壓倀的胸部，把水抽出來，把空氣打進去，倀活過來了。

兄弟發誓他們以後不會再靠近井邊。
但是幾個月後，中秋節剛過，他們拿著月餅去井邊吃。他們坐在井上，他們的腳在那裏晃來晃去，[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]不小心就跌到井裡。
倀跑到他的母親那裏說：“哦，慈愛的母親，[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]掉到井裡頭啦！”“水聲太大，你說清楚一點”媽媽說。
“[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]掉到井裡頭，” 倀說。
“什麼！”母親說。 “[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]，我的寶貝兒子，世界上最英勇、聰明的孩子，掉到井裡頭啦！趕快去找揹著梯子的老人，求他幫助!“

所以倀跑到老人那兒，老人在一棵大樹下睡覺。

“哦，老伯，倀大叫道： “[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]已經掉到井裡頭啦。”

“吵甚麼？你沒看見我在睡覺？”老人說。

[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]掉到井裡頭，倀反復的說。“

“有人掉到井裡頭啦？”老人說。 “你說他叫什麼名字？”

“我的哥哥叫[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]倀說。 “請你幫忙救他。”

因此，老人從草地上站起來，拿了他的梯子，跟著倀來到井邊。

他把梯子放進井裡，然後一步一步往下爬，找到了[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]，把他背上來，放在地上，給他急救，來回壓倀的胸部，把水抽出來，把空氣打進去，直到他睜開眼睛。但由於[踢著踢著騰步 哪吒雷步 砸力霸力怒氣  劈啪啪里遍布]在水裡太久，過了十幾天才恢復正常。
從此以後，中國人給他們的孩子取名字的時候，取短短的名字，不再取很長很偉大的名字。