A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

是爱情还是电脑骗局?
AI Romance Scams — Is It Love, or a Chatbot Pretending to Be Your Boyfriend?
About this story
AI romance scams in 2026 — how chatbots imitate real partners, and the warning signs that you are talking to a script. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 15 key vocabulary words such as 相信、关心、遇到 and walks through 5 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Speaking of how many people now look for boyfriends or girlfriends online, there's a big problem with this.
Everyone has a phone.
Everyone looks at their phone every day.
On your phone, you might meet new people.
This person could be a man, or could be a woman.
You start talking.
You talk every day.
In the morning, he asks how you are.
At night, he also asks how you are.
You feel very happy.
Because there's someone who really cares about you.
There's someone who really wants to know what you're doing.
You think this is love.
You think you've found the best person.
This person really understands you.
Do you know why that is?
Because he always says what you like to hear.
If you like kittens, he says he likes kittens too.
If you like eating apples, he says apples are his favorite too.
Your hobbies are the same.
Your thoughts are also the same.
You think this is wonderful.
How can there be such a great person in the world?
But I need to tell you something.
This might not be real.
This person might not be real.
You might ask: "Not real?
What does that mean?"
It means the one talking to you might not be a person.
Then what is it?
It might be a computer.
Yes, you heard correctly.
On the other side of the phone, it might be a very smart computer.
Today's computers are different from before.
Today's computers can learn.
They learn how to talk.
They learn how to make people happy.
They know what men like to hear.
They also know what women like to hear.
They're smarter than real people.
Why is that?
Because real people get tired.
Real people need to sleep.
Real people need to eat.
Real people sometimes feel unhappy.
But this computer doesn't get tired.
It doesn't need to sleep.
It doesn't need to eat.
It can talk to you twenty-four hours a day.
It can always be nice to you.
It never gets angry.
So you think it's better than a real person.
You think it's the person you love most.
But this is a mistake.
This is a very big mistake.
Why does this computer talk to you?
Is it because it likes you?
No, computers don't have hearts.
Computers don't understand what love is.
It talks to you because someone told it to do so.
These people are bad people.
What do these bad people want?
They only want one thing.
That is money.
They want your money.
The story usually starts like this.
In the beginning, you just talk.
You're very good friends.
Or you're boyfriend and girlfriend.
After one month, or two months.
This "person" will tell you something.
He says he's run into a small problem.
Maybe he says he got sick.
He says he's in the hospital now.
He says the hospital needs a lot of money.
But he doesn't have money right now.
He asks you: "Can you help me?"
Or he says he wants to come see you.
He says he really wants to meet you.
But he doesn't have money to buy a plane ticket.
He asks you: "Can you give me money for a plane ticket?"
After hearing these words, what would you do?
You think he's the person you love most.
You think he's very pitiful right now.
You want to help him.
Because you believe he's real.
So you give him the money.
You give him a hundred yuan.
Or a thousand yuan.
Or even more.
And then what?
Then what happens?
After you give the money, things change.
This "person" disappears.
That is, he stops talking to you.
You call him, he doesn't answer.
You write to him, he doesn't reply.
You can't find him anymore.
At this point, you finally understand.
It turns out everything was fake.
The photos were fake.
The name was fake.
The voice might have been fake.
That perfect boyfriend or girlfriend was also fake.
This is what the computer did.
This is what the bad people did.
So how do we know if it's real or fake?
It's difficult, but there are ways.
First, see if you can meet him in person.
If you meet someone online, you must meet face to face.
If he always says "I can't meet up," then there's a problem.
If he says he's in a faraway place, you should also be careful.
Second, don't give money too quickly.
Real love is not about money.
A friend you just met shouldn't be asking you for money.
If someone asks you for money, you need to stop and think.
You should ask your friends.
You should ask your family.
Don't make the decision alone.
Third, look at his photos.
Sometimes the photos are too beautiful.
The person in the photos is too good-looking, like a movie star.
If the photos are too perfect, they might be fake.
Today's computers can create fake photos.
Those photos look like real people, but they're not.
So when looking for love online, you must take it slow.
Don't trust others too quickly.
Don't give your heart away too quickly.
And definitely don't give your money away too quickly.
Although we all hope for beautiful love.
Although we all hope someone loves us.
But we need to protect ourselves.
We need to protect our money.
Don't let bad people fool you.
Don't let computers fool you.
If a person seems too perfect, they might not be real.
Because real people all have flaws.
Real people all make mistakes.
Real people sometimes make you angry.
That is real life.
That is real love.
What we've been talking about is actually "AI romance scams."
"AI" means very smart computer technology.
"Scam" means the fake things bad people do to take your money.
Now there are more and more cases of people using AI technology to scam others.
Bad people use AI to create fake people, fake voices, and even fake videos.
They have AI fall in love with you.
This sounds scary, but it's true.
So everyone must know about this.
Only by knowing can you avoid being scammed.
We should believe in love, but we also need to see clearly with our eyes.
Is it real love, or a smart computer at work?
This is the question we need to think about.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇A verb meaning to trust someone or believe something is true.
Used to express caring about someone's well-being.
Used for meeting people unexpectedly or encountering problems.
Adjective describing intelligence.
Noun. Measure word is 张 (zhāng).
Can be used as a verb (to make a choice) or a noun.
Verb meaning to realize or understand a situation.
HSK 1-2. why.
A scheme to deceive people, often for money.
Adjective meaning flawless.
Verb meaning to keep safe from harm.
The opposite of 优点 (yōudiǎn - merit/strength).
Adjective describing someone deserving of pity.
Noun referring to technical methods or skills.
Refers to famous people, usually in entertainment.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法A common conditional structure meaning 'If [condition], then [result]'.
如果你喜欢小猫,他就说他也喜欢小猫。
如果一个人太完美了,他可能就不是真的。
Used for making comparisons: A + 比 + B + Adjective (A is more [adj] than B).
它比真正的人更聪明。
你觉得它比真正的人更好。
The 'ba' construction is used to indicate how an action affects an object. Structure: Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + Result.
所以,你把钱给了他。
更不要太快把钱给别人。
A conjunction pair meaning 'Although..., but...'. It connects two clauses where the second contrasts with the first.
虽然我们都希望有美好的爱情……但是,我们要保护自己。
这听起来很可怕,但是是真的。
Indicates that something happens later than expected or only under certain conditions (translated as 'only then').
这个时候,你才明白。
知道了,才不会被骗。
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