Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, China’s archetypal tragic romantic couple, the Romeo and Juliet of the Middle Kingdom. Their tale is one of the great folktales of the nation, especially well known in the south China.
梁山伯与祝英台，中国典型的浪漫悲剧，中原王朝的罗密欧与朱丽叶。他们的故事是中国伟大的民间故事之一，在中国南方尤其有名。
Yingtai is the daughter of a wealthy merchant, allowed an educated upbringing. She begs her father to send her to school and, like a scholarly Mulan, disguises herself as a boy to sneak into this patriarchal world undetected.
英台是一个富商的女儿，受到良好的教育。她恳求父亲送她去上学，并像一个有学问的花木兰一样，把自己伪装成一个男孩，潜入这个父权制的世界而不被发现。
On the trip there she meets classmate Liang Shanbo, the two gradually becoming close friends during their studies. Shanbo (despite sleeping in the same bed as Yingtai) never apparently realizes Yingtai is a woman, despite several heavy hints from her once she realizes she has fallen in love with him.
在旅途中，她遇到了同学梁山伯，两人在学习期间逐渐成为亲密的朋友。山伯（尽管与英台睡在同一张床上）显然从未意识到英台是个女人，尽管她一旦意识到自己爱上了英台，就会有几次沉重的暗示。
Things become urgent when Yingtai’s father orders her to return home, so she tells Shanbo that he must visit her family courtyard and marry Yingtai’s “sister.” Once Shanbo is finally made aware of his best friend’s true identity, the two pledge their love to each other.
当英台的父亲命令她回家时，事情变得很紧急，所以她告诉山伯，他必须去她家的院子里，和英台的 "妹妹 "结婚。当山伯终于知道了他好的朋友的真实身份后，两人互相承诺他们的爱情。
But Yingtai is forced by her parents to marry a wealthy merchant. Filled with grief, Shanbo dies alone in his position of a poor official. Yingtai orders her wedding procession to visit his grave so she can pay her respects. Suddenly overcome with grief, she prays to be able to join him. Shanbo’s grave opens with a crack of thunder, and she flings herself inside. She and Shanbo are then transformed into two butterflies, now forever able to stay together.
但英台被她的父母强迫嫁给一个富商。山伯满怀悲痛，在穷困的官场上孤独地死去。英台命令她的婚礼队伍去看他的坟墓，以便她能向他致意。她突然悲痛欲绝，祈求能够与他团聚。山伯的坟墓在雷声中打开，她跳了进去。她和山伯就变成了两只蝴蝶，现在可以永远在一起了。
The story has been doing the rounds amongst Chinese audiences since at least 700 A.D., when the first written mention of it is documented. The lovers’ metamorphosis after death was added during the Ming dynasty. By the turn of the 20th century the story was well-known.This story has been hailed as a classic of love. From ancient times to the present, countless people have been infected by the poignant love of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai
至少从公元700年开始，这个故事就在中国观众中流传开来，当时第一次有文字记载的就是这个故事。恋人死后的蜕变是在明朝时期增加的。到20世纪初，这个故事已经广为人知。这个故事被誉为爱情的经典。从古至今，人都被梁山伯与祝英台的凄美爱情所感染。