Chinese Brushpainting of Hen and Chicks
“Los Pollitos Dicen” (The Baby Chicks Are Saying) is a cute nursery rhyme that is popular in Latin America. If you are not familiar with the tune, please click on this link to hear what it sounds like in Spanish.
In the following, the English translation of the original lyrics is in italics. Below it is the English translation of my Chinese interpretation.
小鸡吱吱地叫: The baby chicks go chirping:
Xiǎo jī zhī zhī de jiào The baby chicks are peeping:
妈妈快快来哟! Pio, pio, pio,
Māmā kuài kuài lái yō! Mama come here, hurry!
我们肚子饿了, When they feel so hungry;
Wǒmen dùzi èle, We are all so hungry,
我们也好冷哟! When they feel they’re freezing.
wǒmen yě hǎo lěng yō! we are also freezing!
母鸡四处寻找 Mother hen goes searching
Mǔ jī sìchù xúnzhǎo Mother hen goes searching
小麦和玉蜀黍. For wheat and for some maize.
xiǎomài hé yùshǔshǔ. for wheat and for some maize.
她要小鸡吃饱; She gives the chicks a feeding,
Tā yào xiǎo jī chī bǎo; She wants the chicks to be well fed;
她要小鸡舒服. And warms them with her embrace.
tā yào xiǎo jī shūfú. she wants the chicks to feel comfortable.
母鸡张开翅膀 Under the hen’s warm wings,
Mǔ jī zhāng kāi chìbǎng The hen opens her wings
盖著她的宝宝. The chicks snuggle and pack tight.
gàizhe tā de bǎobǎo. to cover her darling babies.
小鸡不再吵闹. No more noise and clamor,
Xiǎo jī bù zài chǎonào. No more noise and clamor,
他们乖乖睡著. They sleep all through the night.
tāmen guāiguāi shuìzhe. they fall into slumber.
小鸡吱吱地叫: The baby chicks go chirping:
Xiǎo jī zhī zhī de jiào The baby chicks are peeping:
妈妈快快来哟! Pio, pio, pio,
Māmā kuài kuài lái yō! Mama come here, hurry!
我们肚子饿了, When they feel so hungry;
Wǒmen dùzi èle, We are all so hungry,
我们也好冷哟! When they feel they’re freezing.
wǒmen yě hǎo lěng yō! we are also freezing!
母鸡四处寻找 Mother hen goes searching
Mǔ jī sìchù xúnzhǎo Mother hen goes searching
小麦和玉蜀黍. For wheat and for some maize.
xiǎomài hé yùshǔshǔ. for wheat and for some maize.
小鸡吃得饱饱; She gives the chicks a feeding,
Xiǎo jī chī dé bǎo bǎo; The chicks are full and happy,
躲到妈妈怀里. And warms them with her embrace.
duǒ dào māmā huái lǐ. and they hide in mama’s embrace.
母鸡翅膀温馨, Under the hen’s warm wings,
Mǔ jī chìbǎng wēnxīn, The hen’s wings are warm and comfy,
好像被窝一样. The chicks snuggle and pack tight.
hǎoxiàng bèiwō yīyàng. just like a comforter.
小鸡闭上眼睛, Till the next sun shines bright,
Xiǎo jī bì shàng yǎnjīng, The baby chicks close their eyes,
一觉睡到天亮. They sleep all through the night.
yī jué shuì dào tiānliàng. and sleep till the sun shines bright.
四处 (sìchù) means in all directions, or everywhere.
温馨 (wēnxīn) means heart-warming, whereas 温暖 (wēnnuǎn) could mean heart-warming or warm in the physical sense.
一觉睡到天亮 (yī jué shuì dào tiānliàng sleeping until daybreak) is the Chinese expression for sleeping through the night.
Singing songs, watching videos and reading stories are effective ways to learn a foreign language. After singing this song a few times, you should have added to your Chinese vocabulary as well as picked up a couple words in Spanish. Please check out “Learn Chinese through Song and Rhymes” if you don’t already have this book and the associated audio files.
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