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Aladdin · 2019 — Chapter 8 of 24 · 6'14" · B2

Genie Explains the Three Wishes, Explained: ring a bell

Aladdin rubs the lamp and gets a blue, nonstop Genie instead of a sober servant. The first thing Genie does is complain that his new master knows nothing: "Genie, wishes, lamp, none of that ringing a bell?" What follows is a song that is also a rulebook for the three wishes.

What happens

Aladdin rubs the lamp and a giant blue Genie bursts out, ready with a grand oath — then immediately starts chatting. Genie can't believe his new master knows nothing about lamps or wishes, so he explains the rules in song: rub the lamp, say what you want, and stick to three wishes.

Small talkTeasingExplainingPromisingBoss & employeeB2slowamericanClean
IMDb ↗

Listen for

ring a bellstand bya differencehow it works

00:00 / 06:14
Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
  59. ❝ MonologueFriend Like Me41 linesPractice page ↗
  107. ❝ MonologueThree-wish house rules14 linesPractice page ↗
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Phrase of the scene

ring a bell

听着耳熟；有点印象

灯神问阿拉丁是否真没听说过灯神、愿望和神灯这套说法，用这句话确认他是不是在装傻。

Does the name ring a bell at all?

Also in this scene

  • stand by

    keep a promise; stay loyal to a position

  • a difference

    there is a distinction

  • how it works

    the way something operates

Everything marked in this scene

26 notes across 120 lines

Phrase · B2stand by something

keep a promise; stay loyal to a position

I stand by my oath, loyalty to wishes three.
Phrase · B1help someone outHelp me out here. Where's your boss?
SoundHelp me out

liaison

Help me out here. Where's your boss?
Phrase · B1there is a difference

there is a distinction

I am a genie. There is a difference.
Grammar · B2been doing this a long time

present perfect continuous

Look, kid, I've been doing this a long time, all right?
Phrase · B1get someone's pointI mean, you get my point. Where's that guy?
Phrase · A2just you and meSo, it's just you and me down here?
Phrase · B2someone's personal businessThat's your personal business...
Grammar · B1gonna need to talk

gonna

but we gonna need to talk about that monkey later.
Grammar · B1you rubbed the lamp

past simple question

So, you rubbed the lamp?
Phrase · B1do you mindOh. Okay. Hey, do you mind...
Phrase · B1how something works

the way something operates

Right, but that's not quite how it works, though.
Phrase · B2ring a bellGenie, wishes, lamp, none of that ringing a bell?
Phrase · B2that's a firstWow! Well, that's a first.
Phrase · B1be in luckBut, master, you're in luck Because up your sleeve
Phrase · B2up one's sleeveBut, master, you're in luck Because up your sleeve
Phrase · B2in someone's cornerYou got some power In your corner now
SoundIn your corner

liaison

You got some power In your corner now
Phrase · B1in the moodHave some of column A Try all of column B I'm in the mood To help you, dude
Soundin the mood

liaison

Have some of column A Try all of column B I'm in the mood To help you, dude
Slang · B1dudeHave some of column A Try all of column B I'm in the mood To help you, dude
Phrase · C1bona fideYou got me bona fide Certified
Grammar · B1must begin with

must

they must begin with rubbing the lamp and saying, "I wish." Got it?
Phrase · B1feel free to do somethingFeel free to interrupt me anytime you don't understand.
Phrase · B1have to do with somethingand it generally has to do with
Phrase · B1tons of somethingtons of money and power!

Genie Explains the Three Wishes, explained

What's really going on

The Genie arrives like a showman, but the scene is really about a servant figuring out his master. He opens with a formal vow — "I stand by my oath, loyalty to wishes three" — and then spends the rest of the number testing whether this kid is worth the trouble. Aladdin's ignorance is both a joke and a chance: "Genie, wishes, lamp, none of that ringing a bell?" The song disguises the fine print as entertainment, spelling out the limits — no extra wishes, no forced love, no raising the dead. Even the correction, "I am a genie. There is a difference," is about taking him seriously. The comedy works because the power dynamic is upside down: the all-powerful one keeps asking the poor kid for approval.

Theme

FriendshipThe all-powerful Genie keeps reaching for a connection with his master, framing the whole deal as a friendship rather than a service.
PowerThe scene plays with who really holds the power: the master gives orders, but the Genie sets all the rules.

Listen for

  • Help me out — liaison
  • In your corner — liaison
  • in the mood — liaison
I stand by my oath, loyalty to wishes three.

Genie's formal opening vow: he will honor the deal and grant exactly three wishes, nothing more.

I am a genie. There is a difference.

A correction for anyone who lumps genies in with giants — he takes his identity, and the rules, seriously.

You ain't never had A friend like me

The song's boast and its promise: no other friend can give you what the Genie can.

The whole song was the instructions!

Genie's exasperated reminder that the big musical number already explained how the wishes work.

You can't wish for more wishes. Three is enough.

One of the hard rules of the lamp, delivered like a shrug: three wishes, and no cheating your way to more.

Questions about this scene

How many wishes does Aladdin get?

Three. The Genie says so more than once, and one rule forbids wishing for more wishes — three is all anyone gets.

Why does the Genie sing instead of just explaining?

It's both a joke and a shortcut: the number entertains while it lays out the rules, which is why Genie later calls the whole song the instructions.

What are the rules of the lamp?

Rub the lamp and say "I wish." You get three wishes, can't wish for more, and can't make someone love someone or bring back the dead.

What does "ring a bell" mean here?

It means sounding familiar. Genie asks if genies, wishes, and lamps ring a bell, because his new master seems to have heard of none of it.

Aladdin · 24 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 9the cherry on topAladdin Becomes Prince Ali
Chapter 1The diamond in the roughThe Mariner Tells Aladdin's StoryChapter 2one jump aheadAladdin's One Jump Ahead ChaseChapter 3Come and go as we pleaseAladdin Shares His Rooftop HomeChapter 4Remember your placeJafar Manipulates the SultanChapter 5like you own the placeAladdin Sneaks into the PalaceChapter 6nothing comes for freeJafar Offers Aladdin a DealChapter 7see the light of dayAladdin Enters the Cave of WondersWatching · Chapter 8ring a bellGenie Explains the Three WishesChapter 9the cherry on topAladdin Becomes Prince AliChapter 10weak in the kneesPrince Ali's Grand ParadeChapter 11out of the gamePrince Ali's Awkward First ImpressionChapter 12see right through someoneAladdin Panics as Prince AliChapter 13in a charming sort of a wayA Prince Calls on the PrincessChapter 14crystal clearAladdin's Magic Carpet RideChapter 15shine throughJafar Unveils Aladdin's LieChapter 16in the neighborhoodGenie Backdates a Wish to Save AladdinChapter 17under a spellJasmine Exposes JafarChapter 18live a lieGenie Confronts Aladdin's LieChapter 19seen and not heardJafar Seizes the Sultan's ThroneChapter 20written in stoneJasmine Turns Hakim Against JafarChapter 21the ends of the earthJafar Exposes AladdinChapter 22nothing withoutJasmine Grabs the LampChapter 23mark my wordsJafar Wishes to Be the Most PowerfulChapter 24owe you everythingAladdin's Last Wish Frees the Genie
Chapter 8 of 24 · about 65 min to go