Wang Li wrote, "Dushulang (literally means a little schoolboy, A Pupil,) in Chinese, it was a pop song composed in the 1940s and sung by Chinese children ever since then. The words may vary in different editons."

Notes

Here's an alternate translation by Yi Lin and Martha Tseng:

The little boy
Goes to school with his schoolbag
He's not afraid of a sunburn,
He's not afraid of rainstorms,
He's just afraid of the teacher calling him lazy,
He is ashamed to see his parents if he doesn't learn anything.
Tra la la la la…

Not to become a local official.
Not for his vanity.
Only to become a decent person capable of the challenging difficulties in life.
Not to be bullied by others
Not to work hard like cattle or sheep*.

*Yin Li said that "cattle and sheep" means ignoramus or dimwit.

*****
Pinyin

xiǎo ma xiǎo ér láng bèi zhe nà shū bāo shàng xué táng 
bù pà tai yáng shai yě bù pà nà fēng yǔ kuáng 
zhī pà xiān shēng mà wǒ lǎn na 
méi yǒu xué wèn luo wú yán jiàn diē niáng 
lǎng lǐ gé lǎng lǎng gé lǐ gé lǎng 
méi yǒu xué wèn lou wú liǎn jiàn diē niáng

xiǎo ma xiǎo ér láng bèi zhe nà shū bāo shàng xué táng 
bù shì wéi zuò guān yě bù shì wéi miàn zǐ guāng 
zhī wéi qióng rén yào fān shēn na
bù shòu rén qī fù wei bù zuò niú hé yáng 
lǎng lǐ gé lǎng lǎng gé lǐ gé lǎng 
bù shòu rén qī fù wèi bù zuò niú hé yáng
 
xiǎo ma xiǎo ér láng bèi zhe nà shū bāo shàng xué táng 
bù pà tai yáng shai yě bù pà nà fēng yǔ kuáng 
zhī pà xiān shēng mà wǒ lǎn na 
méi yǒu xué wèn luo wú yán jiàn diē niáng 　
 
xiǎo ma xiǎo ér láng bèi zhe nà shū bāo shàng xué táng 
bù shì wéi zuò guān yě bù shì wéi miàn zǐ guāng 
zhī wéi qióng rén yào fān shēn nǎ 
bù shòu rén qī fù wei bù zuò niú hé yáng 　
lǎng lǐ gé lǎng lǎng gé lǐ gé lǎng 
bù shòu rén qī fù wèi bù zuò niú hé yáng
lǎng lǐ gé lǎng lǎng lǐ gé lǎng lǎng lǐ gé lǎng
lǎng lǐ gé lǎng lǐ gé lǎng lǎng gé lǐ gé lǎng

Comments

Words and music by Song Yang

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Many thanks to Yi Lin for singing this song for us!

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Thanks to Wang Li for sending the instrumental version of this song.

Thanks and Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Yuan Ping for contributing this song and to Wang Li for translating the first version and to Yi Lin and Martha Tseng for the 2nd translation. Thanks to Wang Li for the scores and the Pinyin.

M goi! & Xie xie!