CHINESE MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES

AWAY flies the butterfly,

To catch it, I will never attempt;

The butterfly's about to take flight,

I wouldn't want it even if I could.

Little baby, full of joy,

Won't you come and hang out with me?

Strike the stick and kick the ball,

And at the picnic spot, we'll call.

And you will come and eat with me,

And you will come and drink my tea.

When I invite you to join me in this game,

How do you escape?

GRANDPA is holding the baby,

He's sitting on one knee

Eating lamb dumplings

With vinegar and tea.

Then grandpa says to the baby,

"When you've had enough,

You'll be a cheeky baby

"And treat your grandpa badly."

BAT, bat, in your floral shoes,

Come join us here in the room,

This little girl will be the bride,

And I will be the groom.

You, dear little baby,

Don't cry;

Your dad's drawing water.

In the south, nearby,

A red tassel hat

He wears on his head;

I need some thread,

Both green and red.

I want a long needle;

I want some hair strands.

For ankle bracelets,

Give to Mrs. Wang.

The tree leaves are whispering.

Baby's really tired and wants his mom.

Go to sleep, my baby, and then get into bed,

And any spooky thing that comes,

I'll hit him on the head.

O H man! oh man! just look how far

His head is at his feet!

So far, he really has to bend

Whenever he feels like eating.

And when he wants to fight someone

He lifts him up soon,

And when he wants to wash his face

He pours the water.

My baby is sleeping,

My baby is asleep,

My flower is taking a break,

I'll give you a look;

How sly he looks

He's napping on my arm!

My flower is the most charming

Of all those who charm.

Do you want to buy a beauty?

Do you want to buy something beautiful?

If you hire him, he will keep an eye on your house,

And do it as if it’s his responsibility.

And it doesn't matter when it comes to servants,

You might have them, or you might not.

But you'll never have to lock your door.

Or think about your home.

THE drum on the ground is perfectly round, so round,

My mom just spanked me so hard, so hard,

And I, oh dear, am like floating grass here,

But I'll only stay for a year, just a year.

A husband I’d love and serve so faithfully,

I'd worship his gods, that's what I'd do,

And I’d call his mom my mom, too!

You naughty girl, what are you up to?

I was saying the beans are boiling well,

And it's just about time to add the rice.

A tiny little boy

Opened a store,

In two equal halves

Are his front door,

A tiny table,

A tiny chair,

And black chopsticks

And plates are there.

ladybug

Fly away, do,

Fly to the mountain.

And feed on dew,

Feed on dew

And sleep on a rug,

And then逃跑

Like a good little insect.

Little baby, it's bedtime.

We'll put a hoop around your head,

And with the oil we get from that,

Our little bean cake we will fry.

And when we've fried our bean cake until it's brown,

We'll see the king head into town,

An iron helmet on his head;

Now you should definitely go to bed.

A jittery disposition

He had when he was born,

To rush to a fair one day,

He got up at dawn;

Put on his wife's green pants

And started the sale,

A ride on a donkey—

He turned his face toward its tail.

little snail, little snail,

With your hard, rocky bed,

First stick out your horns,

Then stick your head out.

Your mom and dad

I brought you some food,

Fried liver and lamb,

Isn't that great?

And now, tiny snail,

Just as I say

You need to eat it right away,

Or I’ll remove it.

Oh, where has the little snail gone, I ask?

He has tucked himself away, head and horns, in his shell.

MY brother the waterman,

Listen, I'm asking,

On the south riverbank

You chill and relax.

When it's a sunny day,

You carry as much as you can;

And when the day is gloomy,

You're a lazy old dude.

COMING from the fair!

Just got back from the fair!

We bought a small bottle

For our baby over there;

Unfortunately, we broke it,

And we tried to buy another one,

But the stores were all shut,

So we hurried home to Mom.

A SAD old cow thought to herself,

While the north wind whistled through her shed:

"To make a drum, they will take my skin,

And they'll shape my bones into a large hairpin,

The pieces of bone they'll turn into dice,

And sell them for a very cheap price;

My muscles they'll turn into whips, I know.

And they'll throw my body into a big soup pot.

AN old black crow perched on a tree,

And there he sat and said to me:

"Hey, Mr. Wang, there's a sheep on the hill,

I really wish you would catch and kill it;

You can eat meat three times a day,

And I'll eat the parts you throw away."

the dragon pagoda,

It reaches the sky,

The dragon tower,

Thirteen stories tall.

THERE was a little girl and she dreamed, people say,

That her future mother-in-law came to visit one day,

And gold and fancy gifts were brought,

And a floral dress and an embroidered jacket.

Pat a cake, pat a cake,

Fair little girl,

There's a priest in the temple

Bald.

You grab a tile,

And I’ll grab a brick,

And we'll get the priest

In the back of the neck.

hard worm beans

Without any hassle,

A wife he married

And doesn't want his mom.

He must leave his mom,

Or argue with his wife,

And so they are separated

Their entire life.

He overeaten,

That other brother,

And after he had eaten

He hit his mom.

He pulled up the wick

With the candle knife,

And found he got married

A wife with a bald head.

Her eyes were crooked,

And her mouth was crooked,

And the goofy old guy

Was so angry he could cry.

THERE was a small guy,

Who was playful, they say,

They sent him to the melon patch.

To see it all day long.

They told him he had to stay there.

Until the melons turned completely white,

And not return home to mom,

Not even at night.

LOOK at the white-breasted crows above!

My dad took a shot, and ten crows fell down dead.

When boiled or fried, they taste really good,

But seriously, I’m telling you, there’s no better food.

THE the thieving old magpie has taken our food,

The chicken eats millet like it’s tasty,

The loyal old watchdog keeps an eye on the house,

And the cat has come over to catch us a mouse.

AS the sun rose, a ball of red,

My teacher rode his horse ahead,

While I rode closely behind my dragon steed,

He by

the street.

and I by

the mead.

My adorable little son,

I love him the most.

Three years since I've seen him,

And he’s become really tall.

My horse can ride him.

He can take my knife.

Can I lift my kneading board?

And help me sell my cake.

THE tail of one magpie is as long as another,

He married a wife and left his mother.

When his mom asked him to buy her some cake,

He wanted to know how much money it would take;

When his wife wanted pears, he got his horse ready,

And started to plan a feast to buy for her;

He removed the peeling with a lot of flair,

And politely asked her to have a few pears.

SOMEONE is banging on the door really loudly,

The dog is making a huge noise;

Now I'm asking, who can it be?

'Tis only a donkey-man I see,

Calling out at the top of his lungs:

Here's where you can get your rice,

Coarse rice or white rice,

Just a heads up,

Rice in the husk,

Or swept clean by the wind.

A PURSE, a purse, for better or worse,

Indeed, believe it or not, I’ve married a wallet.

My wife’s young daughter once got really sick,

And we called a doctor to give her a pill;

It has both a nose and eyes,

But it hasn’t taken a breath since it was born,

It can't go to heaven,

And it won't stay on earth.

yellow dog, yellow dog,

You hang around and watch.

While I pick roses

In the southern rose garden.

ROUND bean cakes with bright red spots,

The blind who eat them regain their sight;

They treat the deaf and heal the disabled,

And keep the teeth of the old woman.

The bald who eat them grow a queue,

And the priest can read his Bible all the way through,

They help the Taoist find a seat.

Their virtues are numerous—buy my cake.

The man who eats doesn’t fear his wife,

And the woman works harder her whole life.

the small pug,

It jumped over there;

It has no tail.

And it has no hair.

It will never bark,

If a stranger comes,

But runs around

Like a lost puppy.

the little boy,

He bought some oil.

But tripped and spilled it

On the ground.

His mom said:

You reckless dude,

I'll give you a shout.

Because

you're

not good.

A BIG, dead snake is lying there,

It has no ears and it has no hair;

I breathe some enchanting air into it,

And it

lives

and is

running

everywhere.

A COCK'S comb flower he wears on his head.

For his clothes, he doesn’t need a thimble or thread;

Though you are a great man, I want you to know,

Ten thousand doors would open if he were to crow.

The moon shines bright,

The moon shines brightly,

The girl wants wedding gifts to put in her hair;

A few blocks of powder,

Incense tips,

And two hundred blushes to apply to cheeks and lips.

Come and see everyone!

Everyone come check it out!

A black hen laid a white egg for me!

Oh, look!

Oh, check that out!

A big, furry rat!

IN the first month, when it is night,

If you're smart, you'll light your lamp;

And when you meet in the second month,

If you're hungry, you should eat;

And in the third month more than ever,

To build a house, you need to put up a wall.

A RED pepper blossom,

Ling, ling, ling,

Mom will listen

And the baby will sing.

My dear little brother,

Is fat and round,

A bracelet he wears on his arm,

A red chest guard,

Green pants,

Keep him neither too cold nor too hot.

FROGGIE, old frog,

Come here;

You'll never return.

To your house in the ocean.

You're a lazy old coot

As always, I saw,

And if not calling Dad,

You're calling mom.

the lazy woman

She cleans the floor,

And leaves the dirt behind

Behind the door.

She makes her rice.

In a grimy pot,

And sleeps at night.

On an old straw bed.

the neat woman

Is always clean.

No mess in her home

Is ever seen.

Her food is healthy.

For a king to dine,

And her hair and outfit

Are

always

cool.

Three horses are drinking,

Three horses are eating.

The two guys are fighting.

The elderly woman pleading,

The baby is upset.

But no one is listening.

KNOCK on the door,

See a face,

Smell a scent,

Hear a voice,

Have your dinner,

Lift your chin, or

You know, you know.

THERE once was a bald guy, his name was Lee,

No one ever burnt as much incense as he did;

Now, people burn incense to help them have a child,

But the bald guy burned incense to grow some hair.

When he discovered that all his hair had grown back in three days,

He gave a coat and burned more incense;

When he discovered that all his hair had fallen out in just three days,

He angered the god and started kicking him around.

Then the god got angry and picked up a sword,

And made into scoops that bald-headed gourd.

If you steal a needle,

Or borrow a thread,

A pimple will form

On your head;

If you take a dog

Or take a cat,

A pimple will form

Under your hat.

ALL over the ground the old black woman rolled,

And for not buying powder, her husband did criticize;

He bought her some powder, but she refused to use it,

And for not buying hemp for him, she would harshly criticize him;

He got her some hemp, but she just got worse,

And was scolded for not buying a horse;

He got her a horse, but she never fed it.

And was scolded because she needed a clothes-press;

He bought her a wardrobe, but nothing she packed,

And was scolded because it was a rope that she needed;

He bought her a rope, and she hanged herself.

And scared her husband nearly out of his mind.

OLD Mr. Blind Man, come here fast,

I see you have a feeling-stick;

You head to the riverbank,

And feed the little frogs every day;

A frog, one day, poked his head out,

And bit your toe, I've heard people say.

A SMALL boy came from the south side of the farm,

With a bamboo basket on his arm,

With mutton bones, the basket was filled,

From a sheep that his family had killed that day.

A monkey appeared from a pile of stones.

To take that kid's fresh mutton bones,