Story Voice

The Nightingale Story

The Nightingale is a classic story from Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales, for children aged 4–8. This page has the English story with a native English narration (about 2 min), plus the Chinese version with Mandarin narration (about 2 min). Free to read and listen, no sign-up.

Andersen's tale of the Emperor of China, the real nightingale he forgets for a jewelled mechanical bird, and the song that brings him back to health. With native English narration, plus the Chinese version in Mandarin.

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A narrator, and a voice of its own for each character: The Emperor, The Nightingale, The Kitchen Maid, The Courtier

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Read The Nightingale

Long ago in China, a nightingale lived in the forest behind the Emperor's palace. Nobody sang more sweetly.

The Emperor read about her in a book. "Why have I never heard her?" he asked. Only a kitchen maid knew. "She sings every night," she said.

She led a courtier to the forest. "The Emperor asks you to sing," he said. The nightingale said, "My song is best here, but I will come."

Her song made the Emperor cry with joy. Then a jewelled mechanical bird arrived. It sang the same song every time. Everyone watched it, and the real nightingale flew home.

Years later the mechanical bird broke. The Emperor fell ill. His room was cold and full of shadows. "Please sing," he whispered. The jewelled bird was silent.

Then the nightingale's song came through the window. As she sang, the shadows left the room one by one. "I forgot you, and still you came," said the Emperor. "Your tears were my reward. I will come again," said the nightingale.

The Chinese version: 夜莺

很久以前，中国有一位皇帝。宫殿后面有一片树林，树林里住着一只夜莺。她的歌声那么好听，连渔夫听了都会忘了收网。

皇帝从书里读到了夜莺，就问大臣：“我的宫里有这样一只鸟，我怎么不知道？”大臣找遍了宫殿，只有厨房里的小姑娘说：“我认识她，每天晚上都听她唱歌。”

小姑娘带着大臣走进树林，夜莺正在树枝上唱歌。大臣说：“皇帝请你进宫唱歌。”夜莺说：“我的歌在树林里最好听，不过我愿意去。”

夜莺在宫里一唱，皇帝的眼睛里就涌出了泪水。可是不久，有人送来一只镶满宝石的机器鸟，上紧发条就唱同一支歌。大家都围着它看，真的夜莺悄悄飞回了树林。

一年又一年，机器鸟的发条坏了。皇帝病了，房间里又冷又暗，影子一个个围在床边。他轻轻地说：“唱歌吧，唱歌吧……”机器鸟一声也不响。

就在这时，窗外传来了歌声。是夜莺，她听说皇帝病了，飞回来了。她唱着唱着，影子一个个离开了房间，月光洒了进来。皇帝说：“谢谢你，我把你忘了，你却回来了。”夜莺说：“你的眼泪就是最好的礼物。我会常常来，把外面的事唱给你听。”

The Nightingale Story: the moral of the story

The real thing matters more than the shiny thing. The mechanical bird could only sing one song; the real nightingale asked for nothing and came back when she was needed most.

Chinese words in The Nightingale

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

  • 夜莺yè yīng

    nightingale

  • 皇帝huáng dì

    emperor

  • 宫殿gōng diàn

    palace

  • 树林shù lín

    forest

  • 唱歌chàng gē

    to sing

  • 眼泪yǎn lèi

    tears

  • 影子yǐng zi

    shadow

  • 月光yuè guāng

    moonlight

For families learning Mandarin

Mandarin learning pack

Print the story, read it together, then listen and say it back. Made for heritage families and children learning Mandarin.

  • A printable PDF (3 pages): the Chinese story with pinyin over every character, the words to know, the English version, questions to talk about, and character writing practice.
  • Slow Mandarin audio (5 min): every sentence at a gentler pace, followed by a pause long enough to say it back.

Buy once, download again any time. The story itself stays free to read and hear. Try the free sample pack (The Tortoise and the Hare) first.

Page one of the The Nightingale learning pack: the Chinese story with pinyin over every character

Bedtime storytelling tips

  • You don't need to sing the nightingale's song. Slow down and soften your voice at "As she sang," and let your child imagine it.
  • Read "It sang the same song every time" in a flat, clockwork voice, so the two birds sound different.
  • Pause when the shadows leave the room and ask, "How does the Emperor feel now?"

Things to talk about afterwards

  • What happened when the Emperor first heard the nightingale?
  • How was the mechanical bird different from the real one?
  • The Emperor forgot the nightingale. Why did she come back?

Read this story to your child in your own voice

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The Nightingale Story: common questions

What is the moral of The Nightingale?
The real thing is worth more than the shiny copy. The jewelled bird could only repeat one song and fell silent when it mattered; the real nightingale asked for nothing and came back when the Emperor needed her most.
Who wrote The Nightingale?
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). It was first published in 1843 and is set in an imagined China. Many believe Andersen wrote it with the Swedish singer Jenny Lind in mind, who was known as "the Swedish nightingale."
Is The Nightingale too scary for small children?
Our retelling is written for ages 4–8. In Andersen's original, Death visits the Emperor's bedside; here the room fills with shadows that leave one by one when the nightingale sings, and the ending is warm.
Is there a Chinese version of The Nightingale?
Yes. It is called 夜莺 (yè yīng). This page has our Chinese retelling with Mandarin narration next to the English one.

Source and how we retold it

By the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, Nattergalen, first published in 1843 and now in the public domain. Our retelling follows Andersen's plot and does not use any existing translation. In the original, Death sits by the Emperor's bed and the nightingale's song sends him away; here the shadows gather around the bed and then leave the room one by one. We left out the courtiers mistaking cows and frogs for the nightingale, the singing contest between the two birds and the music master's book.

The narration on this page is AI-generated: the English is read by our narrator and the Chinese by our narrator. The audio files are labeled as AI-generated.

If you liked The Nightingale Story, 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