迪士尼和格林童话都不是灰姑娘故事的起源。事实上，灰姑娘的故事非常古老，几乎每个国家都有自己的版本。据记载，灰姑娘最古老的版本之一出现在公元860年的中国。
One of the oldest documented versions of the story appeared in China, around 860. In that version, Ye Xian is incredibly beautiful, kind and gentle girl, who is gifted in many skills such as pottery and poetry. She befriends a fish which embodies the spirit of her mother, but Ye Xian’s stepmother kills the fish.
据记载，灰姑娘最古老的版本之一出现在公元860年的中国。在这一版本中，女主人公名叫叶限，是个善良温柔、多才多艺的美丽姑娘，她擅长陶艺、作诗等。叶限和母亲化作的鱼成了好朋友，但她的后妈把鱼杀死了。
Ye Xian saves the bones of the fish which are magical and create her a gown for the New Year Festival where she is recognized by her stepmother and stepsister. While running away from them, she loses her slipper. The king finds the slipper, falls in love with Ye Xian and saves her from the cruelty she lives in.
叶限将鱼骨保存起来，这些有魔力的骨头为她变出了一件参加春节庆典的衣裙。叶限在庆典上被后妈和同父异母的姐妹认了出来，在逃走的过程中，她的鞋子跑丢了。君王拾得了鞋子，爱上了叶限，并将她从水深火热之中救了出来。
There are also a few interesting versions of the story from Iran and the Middle East. One of them is titled as the “Maah Pishànih” which means “The Girl With The Moon On Her Forehead.” These versions have a different beginning of the story – Cinderella kills her mother so that her father could marry the Quran observer in the neighborhood. But her new stepmother is very cruel and her stepsister is stupid and mean.
伊朗和中东地区也有几个很有意思的版本，其中一版叫做“额头戴月的女孩”。这些版本的情节一开始有些不一样。灰姑娘杀死了自己的母亲，这样父亲就可以和信奉伊斯兰教的邻居结婚。而她的后妈非常恶毒，后妈的女儿也愚蠢自私。
She is harassed and lonely, so she befriends either a cow (her mother’s spirit/reincarnation) or a 1000-year-old, underground female demon which becomes her helper.
灰姑娘受尽屈辱，孤独寂寞，于是跟一头牛（这头牛是她母亲的化身）成了朋友，在其他版本中是一个神秘的千年女妖，她们后来都成了她的帮手。
After working hard for her stepmother, she is rewarded with a moon-shaped jewel on her forehead. Then, one day, respectively to the culture, the Sultan, eventually the King, or the Emperor sees her face at a celebration. She escapes as she feels embarrassed (Islamic women should hide their face and stay reserved in front of men) but the King falls in love with her. The plot is pretty similar to the familiar story.
灰姑娘辛辛苦苦为后妈工作，终于得到了一个月亮形状的额饰。一天，苏丹（在伊斯兰文化中对统治者的称呼）在一场庆典上看到了灰姑娘的容貌，灰姑娘觉得很害羞（在伊斯兰文化中，女性应该遮面，且在男性面前表现得矜持），于是她逃走了。但苏丹对她一见钟情，后面的故事就是我们熟知的套路了。
Also, there are some elements of the story that vary in the different versions and make it creepy and frightening. For example, Disney’s motion picture from 1950 is based on the Brothers Grimm version but the original Grimm’s story is bloodier than the movie.
在不同版本的灰姑娘故事里，也有一些另类的恐怖元素。例如，1950年的迪士尼动画版《灰姑娘》改编自《格林童话》，但原版故事比电影更加血腥。
In this version, Cinderella’s stepsisters cut off their toes so the golden slipper would fit their feet. Also, instead of a godmother, there is a wishing tree next to her mother’s grave.
在原来的版本中，灰姑娘的姐姐们为了穿上水晶鞋，把自己的脚趾剁掉了；另外，帮助灰姑娘的也不是仙女，而是她母亲坟墓旁的一棵许愿树。
Considering Cinderella’s father, in some versions, he stands with his wife (Cinderella’s stepmother) and humiliates his daughter. In other, he isn’t aware of the situation or he’s presented as being away on a trip or as deceased.
在某些版本中，灰姑娘的父亲与后妈一同羞辱自己的女儿。而在另外一些版本中，灰姑娘的父亲要么对此全然不知，要么就是离家外出，或者已经去世。
There are versions of the story where the stepmother doesn’t appear at all and Cinderella is harassed by her stepsisters. Sometimes the antagonist is rather a stepfather who oppresses her because he wants to enlarge the dowry of his daughters on account of Cinderella’s belongings.
有些故事里继母根本没有出现，虐待灰姑娘的是她同父异母的姐妹。也有些版本，欺负灰姑娘的是继父，因为他觊觎灰姑娘的财产，想给自己的女儿争得更多嫁妆。