Formal story texts: The Story of the Eight Kings

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（Play All）Formal story texts: The Story of the Eight Kings

prepared by Tian Jinggui, Dianfang Township, Longshan; narrated by Lu Meiyan, Tasha, Longshan County
recorded on 28 March 2003

This text relates the legend of the Eight Great Kings, brothers reputed to be the ancestors of the Tujia in northern Xiangxi. As well as describing the origins of the Tujia, the tale explains the significance of the dragon and phoenix totems in their traditional baishouwu dance. This is a prepared text, written down using Chinese characters as phonetic aide-memoires to indicate Tujia words. The photo archive includes a photograph of the footprint reputed to have been left on a large boulder by one of the eight brothers.

01	ye³ti³ci¹ba¹-nie³ ze² li³. The Story of the Eight Kings
02	ye³ti³ci¹ba¹ bi²zi¹ka³ ze² li³-zu²-nie³ luo⁴ci¹ba¹, bi²zi¹ka³-nie³ nie³ti³ge¹ti¹. The Eight Kings are major characters in Tujia legends and are the ancestors of the Tujia people.
03	qie²long¹-nie³ zi¹ge¹, pa²ni¹ po³pa¹ nie¹ hu³, re¹ hi² long¹ nie⁴ se¹tong¹ ta²ci¹-zu², bo¹li³ tai². Once upon a time, there was an old couple who after more than forty years still remained childless.
04	ta¹nie¹ jie²ri¹-hi¹ce¹, long⁴-ma¹ tai²-xi² ge⁴, la² nie¹ hi⁴lie³ zi². ei¹ la² nie¹, ma¹pa³ a³si³-nie³ po³pa¹cei¹ lao⁴ pa²ni¹ bo³ li³: "ni² guo² eng¹di¹ ra²gu¹-bu²li¹ ye³ bu² luo² mo³ ce³ hu³-lie³ qing²die¹ xie²." Every day they wept, afraid that when they were too old to work there would be no one to look after them. One day a white-bearded old man said to the old woman: "Take these eight tea-leaves, drink the tea brewed from them, and then you will have children."
05	pa²ni¹ guo²-jiao³-lie¹ ra²gu¹-bu²li¹ ye³ bu² huo³-lie³ cu¹ luo² mo³ ce³ hu³-lie³, suo¹ long¹ wo³ si¹ ye⁴-nie³ lang³cei¹ bo¹li³ long⁴-liao³. The old lady took the eight tea-leaves home with her, made tea from them and drank it. One evening, after three and a half years, she gave birth.
06	po³pa¹cei¹ xie¹hu¹ cong³gao³ tie⁴tie³ ti²-bo³ ba⁴-xie²: "me²! bo¹li³ he²la³! bo¹li³ qian²la²bu¹!" lao⁴ lao⁴ mo³ hi⁴-lie³, ye³ hu³-nie³ luo⁴bi³! Her husband immediately lit an oil-lamp to have a look. Good heavens! Such children, so many of them! Counting them one by one, altogether there were eight boys!
07	po³pa¹cei¹ ge⁴-xi³tai², qie⁴ die²ka¹la¹ la² tong⁴ die²-lie³, guo² guo² rong¹ti¹ la² rong¹ huo³lie³ wo⁴-lie³ kang³ku¹ ku¹za⁴ ga³-bo³ tu²-lu³. The old man was very frightened, wondering what kind of evil brood they might be. He carried them away in a large back-basket and abandoned them in the mountains.
08	luo⁴bi³ ye³ la¹hu³ gua²gua² mo³ zi²-zu², li² a³si³ lao⁴ eng³zou², za²qi¹ ga²ga¹ mo³ bo¹li³ ga²-zu², pu³ tie²ba¹ lao⁴ ra²-diu², jie²tang¹ke¹ huo³lie³ bo¹li³-die¹ a²hu¹-bo³, li² a³si³ ge⁴ mo³ xi⁴ca³-lu³. Whilst the eight babies were crying, a white tiger appeared. Just as it was opening its mouth wide to eat them, a big phoenix came flying down and used its wings to protect the children. The tiger ran away in fright.
09	ta¹nie¹, pu² tie²ba¹ lao⁴ eng³zou², pu², guo² bo¹li³-die¹ bo³ mang³ a⁴; huan³, guo² bo¹li³-die¹ bo³ suo⁴ti³ luo⁴. Later, a large dragon also came. The dragon suckled the children and the phoenix warmed them with its body.
10	hang²la³, bo¹li³ ye³ la¹hu³ pu²-nie³ mang³ ku³, pu³-nie³ luo⁴-bo³ ong²-lie³ luo⁴ci¹ba¹ zi²-liao³. So, drinking the dragon's milk and warmed by the phoenix, the eight children grew to adulthood.
11	ei¹ la² nie¹, ye³ la¹hu³ luo⁴bi³-die¹ da¹bu³ mo³ ge³ci²-la¹, pu² nie¹ pu³ ge⁴ze¹ bo³ li³: "se² ta⁴ ge³ci²-gu², xie¹hu¹ nie³ba³ ba⁴-i-duo³-hu³, nie³ba³ se² die² mo³ zi² mo³ luo²bu¹ta²pa⁴ duo³ hu³-liao³." One day, when the eight young men were enjoying themselves wrestling with one another, the dragon and the phoenix said to them: "Don't play any more, go quickly and visit your parents, their eyes are swollen with crying from missing you."
12	luo⁴bi³ ye³ la¹hu³ ku¹za⁴ da³-lie³ xi⁴ca³ mo³ cu¹-nie³ nie³ba³ yi³-liao³, ki⁴-bo³ mo³ a¹nie³ a³ba¹ jie³. The eight boys ran down the mountain to their parents' home. When they saw them, they knelt down and cried, "Father! Mother!"
13	nie³ba³, guo² luo⁴bi³-die¹ song¹kuo¹-xi² yi³-lie³, nie⁴ mo³ luo²bu¹ce³ sa²gi¹ duo³-diu². When their parents saw they had returned, they cried for joy.
14	a¹nie³ a³ba¹ ge⁴ze¹ luo⁴ tie²ba¹ bi²kui¹ lao⁴ wa jie³-xi² lao⁴ jie³: ngao³ce³huo³se⁴, xi¹ti¹lao⁴, xi¹a¹lao⁴, li¹du¹, su¹du¹, la¹wu¹mi¹, long¹ci¹ye¹suo¹ye¹cong¹, jie²ye¹hui¹ye¹la¹hui¹lie¹ye¹. They then gave each of them names, from the eldest to the youngest: Ngaocehuose, Xitilao, Xi'alao, Lidu, Sudu, Lawumi, Longciyesuoyecong, and Jieyehuiyelahuilieye.
15	ge⁴ze¹ jie³-nie³-xi² ti³-alie³, luo⁴ guo² ye³ hu³ qian¹ngai⁴-die¹ jie³. After they had been given their names, people called them the Eight Brothers.
16	ye³ hu³ qian¹ngai⁴-die¹ cu¹ jie²ri¹, tuo²ga¹ a³bu³ di³, kang³ku¹ si³jie⁴, hu³pa³ song² zuo², la² ye³ hi¹hi¹ ri¹-xi² ca²; The eight brothers worked around the home, digging bracken and kudzu, hunting in the hills, catching fish in the rivers; whatever they did, they did well.
17	ge⁴ze¹ xie¹qi¹ ca²-xi³tai², me³guo³ wo²tu¹ ze³, wu¹ni³zi³ ca², kang³ku¹ ka³ wo⁴, ka³mong³ ci¹ba¹ la² mong¹ la² mong¹ mo³ be⁴-adi²-di¹xi³, kang³ku¹ si³jie⁴, li² tie²ba¹ jie² huo³lie³ bi¹ci⁴ mo³ nie¹ za¹ zi². They were full of might, both brave and resourceful. When they went into the mountains to fetch firewood, they could bring back a whole tree at a time; when they went hunting, they could tear a big tiger in two with their bare hands.
18	ge⁴ze¹ ye³ hu³ qian¹ngai⁴-die¹ la² ma¹ nie⁴ka¹-xi² ca²-liao³, luo⁴ da⁴xi⁴ mo³, hu²ni¹ nie⁴ka¹ ca²-liao³. The eight brothers and their parents lived happily together, and helped others to live happily too.
19	ei¹ la² long¹, wo⁴ta³-nie³ luo⁴die¹ ang² guo³jia¹ ha³-diu², huan³di² guo² ha³ mo³ hhi²-ya¹ti¹, seng²zi¹ da³-lie³ ye³ hu³ qian¹ngai⁴-die¹ duo³ [ha³-xie²]. One year, foreigners came to attack our country. The emperor was unable to repulse them, so he issued an edict ordering the eight brothers to go and fight.
20	ye³ hu³ qian¹ngai⁴-die¹ da⁴ha³-nie³ zi¹gi¹ ye⁴-lie³, jie² nie¹ ci³ huo³lie³ luo⁴ zuo²-bo³, la¹sa¹die¹ kuo¹ba¹-bu²li¹ tie²-lu³, la¹sa¹die¹ ji³ nie¹ ci³ ci¹ca⁴-lie³ nie¹ za¹ zi², luo⁴ci¹ba¹ guo² ca³ca¹ku¹li¹ zuo²-xi² da⁴ze³, luo⁴ die²ka¹la¹ qian²la²bu¹ ha³-si³. When the eight brothers reached the battlefield, they used their hands to seize the enemy: they plucked off the heads of some and tore the legs off others, just like a man grasping a grasshopper. They put to death many of the enemy.
21	se²-da²-nie³ luo⁴die¹ kuo¹ba¹ a²hu¹ mo³ xi⁴ca³-ji²-lu³. Those who survived fled, clutching their heads.
22	ye³ hu³ qian¹ngai⁴-die¹ guo³jia¹ a²hu¹ mo³ gong¹ ti³-lie³, huan³di², guo² lao⁴ bo³ wan³ lao⁴ po¹, ye³ti³ci¹ba¹ jie³, la² hu³ la² dong² ka⁴, la² dong² la² bu²luo⁴. The eight brothers made a great contribution to saving the nation, so the emperor conferred a kingship on each of them, and called them the Eight Kings. He gave each of them a tract of land to rule, one per tribe.
23	ze² li³, tie²ba¹ long³ce¹ ong³, bi²kui¹ sou¹ba¹dong¹ ong³. According to legend, the eldest ruled in Nongche [in Longshan] and the youngest in Shoubadong [in Baojing].
24	ta¹nie¹-nie³ re⁴bi²-die¹ guo² die²-zu², se¹ba¹ ri¹-zu² ge⁴ze¹ jing²-la¹. Afterwards, their descendants wanted to commemorate them, venerating them during the 'baishouwu' dance.
25	mu²la¹, bao¹jing³ sui¹ba¹dong¹ ye³ti³ci¹ba¹-nie³ miao² ti²mi¹ ai⁴duo³ xie²-nie², long³sang¹ long³ce¹-nie³ se¹ba¹ ci¹ba¹ ri¹-nie³-xi² luo⁴ hu²ni¹ ri¹-de¹xi³. Today, the remains of the Eight Kings Temple still exist at Shuibadong in Baojing; and in Nongche in Longshan, people still know how to perform the large-scale 'baishouwu' dance.
26	ze² li³-zu², ei¹ la² a³tong¹ ga³ ye³ti³ci¹ba¹-nie³ ji³mi² lao⁴ xie². According to legend, one of the king's footprints can be seen on a depression in the rock there.
27	bi²zi¹ka³ se¹ba¹ ci¹ba¹ ri¹-zu², wei³zi³ ka³tong³ ga³ha² pu² nie¹ pu³ qi³ nie¹ hhi¹ zuo¹-bo³-duo³, pu² pu³, guo² bi²zi¹ka³-nie³ nie³ti³ge¹ti¹ long⁴-nie³ qing³ die²-xi². When the Tujia perform the large-scale 'baishouwu' dance, they must hang flags depicting a dragon and a phoenix on two poles, to commemorate the kindness shown by the dragon and phoenix in raising the ancestors of the Tujia.

pn: The Eight Great Kings (Tujia legend) suff: ['s] cl: mouthful, sentence vt: to say n: Tujia minority suff: [then] n: adult n: ancestor advt: a long time n: front n: old lady n: old person num: two cl: (for people) num: four num: ten cl: year n: day cl: year (of age) num: [plus] n: child vi: to not have n: back vi: to labour vsuff: [not manage] vt: to give birth; to raise vsuff: [doer] vsuff: [that which] vt: to fear num: one cl: day num: [each one] vi: to cry pron: that n: beard, moustache vi: to be white n: old person num+cl: one (person/animal) part: (IO) pron: you pron: he pron: this n: tea-leaf nsuff: [little] num: eight cl: (for compact round items such as eggs, stones, millet, firecrackers, and for events of brief duration) vt: to cook part: (-wise) n: water vt: to drink, smoke vsuff: [past] n: child vt: to have nsuff: [in the hand] nsuff: [at, from] vt: to hold vsuff: [go] n: home num: three num: six cl: month vt: to arrive advt: at night vsuff: [past+now] advt: immediately n: (wood used for kindling) n: lamp vt: to light (lamp, candle) vsuff: [stative] vt: to look at vsuff: [come] n: sky advm: like this n: lots vt: to count n: son vsuff: [very] pron: what vi: to be bad cl: (for nests, lairs) vt: to think of n: large backbasket cl: (for large backbaskets) vt: to use vt: to carry on the back n: (in the) mountains n: mountain n: on nsuff: [towards] vt: to pour vsuff: [go] cl: (for people) onom: (sound of crying) n: tiger vi: to come n: mouth vt: to open wide vt: to eat, bite n: phoenix n: large (one) vi: to fly vsuff: [come+now] n: wing nsuff: [plural] vt: to help someone vi: to run n: dragon n: milk vt: to feed with n: phoenix n: body vt: to be warm advm: like this vt: to suck vi: to grow up vt: to change vi: to wrestle (in play) vi: to have fun vsuff: [continuous, repetitive] conj: and pron: they pron: you (pl) neg: don't vsuff: [now] n: parents vsuff: [irrealis] vsuff: [want] vsuff: [imminent] n: eyelid advm: all vi: to swell up vt: to go down vt: to see vi: to kneel n: mother n: father vt: to shout, call vi: to return vi: to smile, laugh n: tears n: warm (one) vt: to flow, cry n: person n: small (one) part: (excl) pn: (name of a person) pn: (name of a person) pn: (name of a person) pn: (name of a person) pn: (name of a person) pn: (name of a person) pn: (name of a person) pn: (name of a person) vt: to get vsuff: [go] n: brother n: bracken n: kudzu vine vt: to dig (up) n+vt: to hunt n: river n: fish vt: to seize, catch n: thing num: [each one] vt: to work, do vi: to be good n: strength, effort n: belly n: inside vi: to be good n: martial arts n: firewood n: tree n: large (one) cl: (for trees, large plants) vt: to move vsuff: [come] vsuff: [can] n: hand vt: to break apart cl: half cl: household vi: to live, get by vt: to help pron: everyone n: outside pron: (other) people pron: we n: nation vt: to hit n: emperor vt: to go vsuff: [can't] n: imperial edict part: (agent) vi: to quarrel, fight n: front cl: (for limbs, rice-cakes, buckets) pron: some n: head vt: to pick, pluck n: foot vt: to tear n: grasshopper vt: to resemble vsuff: [dead] vi: to die vsuff: [not] vsuff: [end] n: exploit n: king vt: to place, pasture, release, shoot n: former tribal region in minority areas vt: to guard n: tribe pn: Nongche (township in Longshan County) vi: to sit pn: (name of a place) n: grandson n: 'baishouwu' dance vt: to show respect advt: now pn: Baojing (county in Xiangxi Prefecture) pn: (name of a place) n: temple n: remains advm: yet, still vsuff: [yet] pn: Longshan (county in Xiangxi Prefecture) vsuff: [can] n: cave, hollow in rock n: footprint n: mast, pole n: (wooden) pillar n: on n: flag cl: (for thin, flat things: paper, leaves, flags) vt: to hang n: feeling, emotion