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The Steadfast Tin Soldier

The Steadfast Tin Soldier is a classic story from Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales, for children aged 5–9. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 3 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 6 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

Andersen's one-legged tin soldier loves a paper dancer and stands straight through a fall, a paper-boat voyage and a fish. With native English narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.

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Read The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Once there were twenty-five tin soldiers. They were all brothers, made from one old tin spoon. They wore red and blue coats and held their guns on their shoulders.

They were a birthday present for a little boy. He put them on the table. All the soldiers looked the same, but the last one had only one leg. There was not enough tin for him. Still, he stood just as straight as the others.

On the table, there was a paper castle. At the door stood a pretty paper dancer. She held out her arms and lifted one leg very high. The soldier could not see that leg. "She has one leg, just like me," he thought. "She would be the right wife for me."

All night, he looked at her. At midnight, a little goblin jumped out of a box. "Stop looking at her!" he said. The soldier did not answer. "Wait and see!" said the goblin.

In the morning, the boy put the soldier by the window. The window flew open, and the soldier fell down, down, down into the street. Then it rained hard.

Two boys found him. They made a paper boat and put him in it. The boat sailed down the gutter, fast and bumpy. The soldier was afraid, but he held his gun and looked straight ahead.

The boat went into a dark tunnel. A big rat shouted, "Stop! Show me your pass!" But the water went faster and faster. The paper got wet and soft, and the boat sank. Then a big fish swallowed the soldier!

It was very dark inside the fish. Then one day, there was light. "The tin soldier!" someone cried. The fish was caught and sold, and the cook found him. It was the same house!

The soldier was back on the table. He saw the castle and the little dancer. She looked at him, and he looked at her.

Then a boy threw the soldier into the stove. Nobody knew why. The fire was very hot, and the soldier began to melt. But he still stood straight. Then the door opened. The wind picked up the dancer, and she flew into the stove, right next to the soldier. In a moment, she was gone.

The next morning, the maid found a little tin heart in the ashes. Of the dancer, only her shiny little flower was left, burned black.

The Chinese version: 坚定的锡兵

从前，有二十五个锡兵。他们是亲兄弟，都是用同一把旧锡勺子熔化以后做成的。他们穿着红蓝两色的军装，肩上扛着枪，眼睛直直地望着前方。

这是一个小男孩的生日礼物。他一打开盒盖，就高兴地喊：“哇，是锡兵！”他把锡兵一个挨一个排在桌上。二十五个兄弟里，只有最小的一个只有一条腿——做到他的时候，锡用完了。可是你看他，一条腿站得笔直，和别的兄弟一样稳。

桌上还摆着一座纸做的城堡，门前有一面小镜子当湖水，几只蜡做的天鹅在“湖”上游。城堡门口，站着一位纸剪的小舞女。她穿着白纱裙，肩上的蓝丝带上别着一朵亮闪闪的小花。她两只胳膊轻轻张开，一条腿向后高高地抬起。锡兵从这边望过去，看不见那条腿，心想：“她和我一样，也只有一条腿呢！她多美呀，要是能做我的妻子就好了。”

那天夜里，锡兵躲在一个鼻烟盒后面，一直望着小舞女。小舞女踮着脚尖站着，锡兵也用一条腿站着，谁也没有动一下。半夜，鼻烟盒的盖子“啪”地弹开，跳出一个黑色的小妖精。“锡兵，”小妖精说，“不该看的别乱看！”锡兵假装没听见。“好，你等着瞧！”小妖精说。

第二天早上，小男孩把锡兵放在窗台上。不知道是小妖精捣的鬼，还是风吹的，窗户忽然开了，锡兵头朝下，从三楼一直掉到街上，枪尖卡在了石头缝里。小男孩跑下楼找了半天，差点儿踩到他，却没有看见。锡兵想，只要喊一声“我在这儿”，他就能找到我。可锡兵觉得，穿着军装在大街上大喊大叫，不像个样子。

下雨了，雨越下越大。雨停以后，两个男孩走过来。“看，有个锡兵！让他去航海吧！”他们用报纸折了一只小船，把锡兵放进去，让小船顺着路边的水沟漂走了。水哗哗地流，纸船一会儿翘起来，一会儿打着转。锡兵有点儿害怕，可他一动不动，扛着枪，直直地望着前方。

小船漂进了一条长长的暗沟，里面黑乎乎的。一只大水老鼠窜出来喊：“站住！你有通行证吗？”锡兵什么也没说。水越流越急，暗沟外面就是一条大河。纸船被水泡软了，慢慢沉了下去。锡兵想起了小舞女：“我再也见不到她了。”就在这时，一条大鱼游过来，一口把他吞进了肚子里。

鱼肚子里比暗沟还黑，还挤。锡兵还是扛着枪，直直地躺着。过了很久很久，忽然一道亮光照进来，有人喊：“锡兵！”原来，这条鱼被人捉住，送到市场上卖，又被买回了家。厨娘剖开鱼，发现了他。这正是锡兵原来住的那户人家！

锡兵又回到了桌子上。他看见了熟悉的城堡，也看见了那位小舞女。她还是踮着脚尖站着，和他一样坚定。锡兵感动极了，他望着她，她也望着他，可是谁也没有说话。

忽然，一个小男孩拿起锡兵，一下子把他扔进了火炉。为什么呢？谁也说不清，也许又是小妖精捣的鬼。炉火把锡兵围了起来，他身上的颜色慢慢褪去了，身子也一点一点地软了。可他还是扛着枪，站得笔直，眼睛一直望着小舞女。

就在这时，门开了，一阵风吹进来。小舞女像一只蝴蝶一样，轻轻飞进了火炉，落在锡兵身边。火光一闪，她就不见了。

第二天，女仆来清理炉灰，发现了一颗小小的锡做的心。小舞女只留下她身上那朵亮闪闪的小花，已经被烧得黑黑的了。

The Steadfast Tin Soldier: the moral of the story

Be brave and steady, however hard things get. And a body that is different can be just as strong: the soldier stands as straight on one leg as his brothers do on two.

Chinese words in The Steadfast Tin Soldier

Play the Chinese narration and listen for these words. The pinyin shows the tones.

  • 锡兵xī bīng

    tin soldier

  • 坚定jiān dìng

    steadfast, firm

  • 腿tuǐ

    leg

  • 小舞女xiǎo wǔ nǚ

    little dancer

  • 城堡chéng bǎo

    castle

  • 纸船zhǐ chuán

    paper boat

  • 大鱼dà yú

    big fish

  • 火炉huǒ lú

    stove

Bedtime storytelling tips

  • The soldier always holds his gun and looks straight ahead. Each time that comes up, have your child stand tall, or try standing on one leg like the soldier.
  • Read the paper-boat ride a little faster, rocking your hand like the boat, then slow down and soften your voice for the last two paragraphs.
  • The ending is sad. Afterward you can tell your child that the soldier and the dancer left behind a little heart and a little flower, side by side at last.

Things to talk about afterwards

  • The soldier had only one leg. Could he stand steady?
  • What dangers did the soldier meet after he fell out of the window?
  • What do you think steadfast means? When was the soldier most steadfast?

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The Steadfast Tin Soldier: common questions

What is the moral of The Steadfast Tin Soldier?
Stay brave and steady, whatever happens. The soldier has only one leg but stands as straight as anyone, which also shows that someone whose body is different can be just as strong.
Who wrote The Steadfast Tin Soldier?
The Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). It was first published in 1838. It is an Andersen fairy tale, not a Grimm one.
Why does the tin soldier have only one leg?
He was the last of twenty-five brothers made from one old tin spoon, and there was not enough tin left to finish him. He still stands just as straight as the others.
What happens in The Steadfast Tin Soldier?
A one-legged tin soldier falls in love with a paper dancer. He falls from a window into the street, sails down the gutter in a paper boat, and is swallowed by a fish, which is caught, sold and cut open in the very same house. Back on the table, a boy throws him into the stove for no reason anyone knows.
How does The Steadfast Tin Soldier end?
The soldier melts in the stove, still standing straight, and the wind blows the dancer into the fire beside him. The next morning the maid finds a little tin heart in the ashes, and of the dancer only her shiny little flower is left, burned black.

Source and how we retold it

By the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, Den standhaftige Tinsoldat, first published in 1838 and now in the public domain. Our retelling follows Andersen's plot and does not use any existing Chinese translation. We kept the sad ending, telling the soldier's melting in the stove and the dancer being blown into the fire more briefly, and left out a few details, such as the water rat chasing after the paper boat and the soldier being so moved he almost cries tin tears.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by 英伦绅士 and the Chinese by 温柔妈妈. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked The Steadfast Tin Soldier, there are more stories in Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales. You can also read this one to your child in your own voice.

More Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales