4:25
谁在替你写信？《给阿嬷的情书》
Who's Really Writing Your Letters?
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 4 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 12 key vocabulary words such as 信、奶奶、决定 and walks through 4 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.
最近，中国有一个电影特别火。
Recently, there's a movie in China that's especially hot.
叫《给阿嬷的情书》。
It's called Letters to Grandma.
你听过没有？
Have you heard of it?
没听过也没关系。
It's okay if you haven't.
今天我跟你说说。
Today I'll tell you about it.
这是一个奶奶的故事。
This is a grandma's story.
也是一个朋友的故事。
It's also a friend's story.
也是一个写信的故事。
It's also a story about writing letters.
故事里的奶奶叫淑柔。
The grandma in the story is called Shurou.
她住在中国南方，一个叫潮汕的地方。
She lives in southern China, in a place called Chaoshan.
潮汕，是广东的一个地方。
Chaoshan is a region in Guangdong.
她的丈夫很多年前就去了泰国。
Her husband went to Thailand many years ago.
那个时候，很多中国南方的人去泰国找工作。
At that time, many people from southern China went to Thailand to find work.
他们在那边工作，然后把钱寄回中国的家。
They worked there, then sent the money they earned back to their families in China.
但是有的人，去了，就没有回来。
But some of them, they went, and never came back.
淑柔的丈夫，就是这样。
Shurou's husband was one of these.
他到了泰国不久，就走了。
Not long after he reached Thailand, he was gone.
就是已经不在了。
He had passed away.
没有人告诉淑柔。
Nobody told Shurou.
她一直以为，他还在。
She always thought he was still alive.
为什么呢？
Why?
因为有人一直给她写信。
Because someone kept writing her letters.
有人一直给她寄钱。
Someone kept sending her money.
那个人，用她丈夫的名字。
That person used her husband's name.
但其实，那个人，是别的人。
But in fact, that person was someone else.
是她丈夫在泰国的一个朋友。
It was a friend of her husband in Thailand.
是一个叫南枝的女人。
A woman called Nanzhi.
南枝也是华人。
Nanzhi was also of Chinese descent.
她从小就在泰国长大。
She grew up in Thailand from childhood.
她知道：淑柔的丈夫已经不在了。
She knew: Shurou's husband was already gone.
但是她想：
But she thought:
中国家里，还有奶奶。
back in China, there's still grandma.
还有奶奶的孩子。
There's still grandma's child.
他们要怎么过？
How will they manage?
所以南枝就决定：
So Nanzhi decided:
我来写。
I'll do the writing.
我用他的名字写。
I'll write in his name.
我用他的名字寄钱。
I'll send money in his name.
我不告诉中国的家里。
I won't tell the family in China.
就这样，南枝写了三十年。
And so, Nanzhi wrote for thirty years.
三十年，差不多每个月一封信。
Thirty years, almost one letter every month.
三十年，差不多每个月一些钱。
Thirty years, almost some money every month.
淑柔用这些钱让孩子上学。
Shurou used this money to send her child to school.
孩子上了大学。
The child went to college.
孩子有了工作。
The child got a job.
家里慢慢好起来了。
Things slowly got better at home.
淑柔不知道：
Shurou didn't know:
她三十年等的人，其实早就走了。
the man she waited thirty years for had already gone.
她不知道：
She didn't know:
那个写信的人，其实是另外一个女人。
the person writing the letters was actually another woman.
她不知道：
She didn't know:
那些字，那些钱，那些"我爱你，我想你"，
those words, that money, those "I love you, I miss you"s,
都不是丈夫的。
none were her husband's.
都是南枝的。
They were all Nanzhi's.
后来，奶奶孩子的孩子，叫晓伟，
Later, grandma's grandson, called Xiaowei,
他自己有一些事，需要钱。
he had some things going on and needed money.
他到了泰国，想去找他的爷爷。
He went to Thailand, wanting to find his grandfather.
他听说爷爷在那边很有钱。
He'd heard grandpa was rich there.
但是他没有找到爷爷。
But he didn't find grandpa.
他找到了南枝。
He found Nanzhi.
南枝告诉他：
Nanzhi told him:
你的爷爷已经不在了三十年了。
your grandpa has been gone for thirty years.
是我给你的奶奶写信。
I'm the one who wrote those letters to your grandma.
是我给你的奶奶寄钱。
I'm the one who sent that money.
晓伟听了，哭了很久。
Xiaowei cried for a long time after hearing this.
他回到了中国。
He went back to China.
他告诉了奶奶。
He told grandma.
我看电影的时候，特别想知道：
When I was watching the movie, I really wanted to know:
奶奶听完这些，会怎么样？
how would grandma react after hearing all this?
她会生气吗？
Would she be angry?
她会哭吗？
Would she cry?
她会觉得自己这三十年都白白等了吗？
Would she feel those thirty years were wasted?
但是电影里，
But in the movie,
奶奶什么都没有做。
grandma didn't do anything.
她只是站起来，去看了一下菜。
She just stood up and went to check the food.
她说：菜冷了，就不好吃了。
She said: if the food gets cold, it won't taste good.
就这一句话。
Just that one line.
我当时就哭了。
I cried right then.
因为我突然懂了：
Because I suddenly understood:
她不是不知道。
it's not that she didn't know.
她是不在乎。
She just didn't care.
她不在乎那个写信的人，是不是她的丈夫。
She didn't care whether the person writing the letters was her husband.
她说：
She said:
南枝是我的好朋友。
Nanzhi is my good friend.
南枝也是我的家人。
Nanzhi is also my family.
我这三十年，
These thirty years of mine,
不是一个人过的。
weren't lived by one person.
是两个人一起过的。
They were lived by two people together.
是淑柔和南枝，一起过的。
By Shurou and Nanzhi, together.
这个电影，没有什么大事。
This movie has no big events.
没有打架，没有比赛，没有大的人。
No fights, no competitions, no important figures.
只有写信，寄钱，做菜。
Just writing letters, sending money, making food.
但是就是这些小事，
But it's these small things
是真的爱。
that are real love.
是真的朋友。
Real friendship.
是真的家人。
Real family.
所以我想告诉你：
So I want to tell you:
如果你最近想找一个电影看，
if you're looking for a movie to watch lately,
请看《给阿嬷的情书》。
please watch Letters to Grandma.
看的时候，请多带几张纸。
While you watch, bring extra tissues.
你一定会哭。
You will definitely cry.
但是哭完，
But after crying,
你会觉得：
you'll feel:
人和人之间，
between people,
不是只有家人才是家人。
it's not only blood relatives who are family.
朋友三十年，也可以是家人。
Thirty years of friendship can also be family.
就算从来没有见过面。
Even if you've never met in person.
好。
Okay.
今天就到这里。
That's all for today.
明天再聊。
Talk tomorrow.
A letter (written correspondence). The whole story is built around hundreds of letters that traveled between China and Thailand over thirty years.
Standard Mandarin for paternal grandmother. The film uses the regional Teochew word 阿嬷; the narrator uses 奶奶 to keep it clear.
To decide. The story turns on Nanzhi's quiet 决定 — to write letters in a dead man's name for thirty years.
Culture. 侨批 is described in the episode as 'a very special 文化 of the Chaoshan region' — a hundred-year-old culture of money-bearing letters.
Competition, contest, match. The narrator lists what the film lacks: 没有打架，没有比赛, 没有大的人 — no fights, no competitions, no big figures. It's small on purpose.
To accept (a situation, a person, an idea). At the climax, the narrator realizes grandma has 接受 the truth long ago — she just doesn't need to name it.
To send something through the mail. 寄信 (send a letter), 寄钱 (send money). Distinct from 送 (deliver in person) and 发 (send, generic, including electronic).
To do something on someone else's behalf, often because they can't. Nanzhi 替 Musheng writes letters for thirty years.
To care about something deeply. 不在乎 = 'doesn't care.' The film's emotional pivot: grandma doesn't 在乎 who wrote the letters — she cares that someone did.
Actually, in fact (introducing a reveal that contradicts what was previously thought). The narrator: 'Grandma 其实 knew long ago.' A pivot word used to deliver a quiet plot twist.
Story. The narrator frames the film as 'a grandma's 故事, a friend's 故事, a story about writing letters.' Despite being a common everyday word, 故事 is technically HSK 4+ in our reference list.
Suddenly, abruptly. The narrator's moment of realization: '我 突然 懂了' — 'I suddenly understood.'
* beyond level超纲词
以为 + clause (mistaken belief)
以为 marks a thought that turned out to be wrong. Distinguished from 觉得 (neutral 'I think / feel'). Grandma 以为 her husband was alive — 觉得 wouldn't carry the irony.
她一直以为，他还在。
我以为你不会来。
不是 A，是 B (correction)
Classic correction structure. The narrator: 'She's not unaware (不是 不知道) — she just doesn't care (是 不在乎).' A precise, restrained way to flip a misunderstanding.
她不是不知道，她是不在乎。
我不是不喜欢，是没时间。
替 + person + Verb
替 marks doing something in another person's place. In the film, an entire life is lived 替 someone else — Nanzhi sends letters 替 the dead Musheng for thirty years.
南枝替木生写信。
我替你去开会。
就是 + (small thing) (downplay structure)
就是 with a small noun or short action de-emphasizes scale. The film's most quoted moment uses it: '就这一句话' — 'just this one line.' Pairs with the film's whole aesthetic: the small thing IS the big thing.
就这一句话。
只有写信，寄钱，做菜。