A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
中国和日本的买卖与旅游
China-Japan Trade and Tourism After the Election
About this story
Easy talk about trade and travel between China and Japan after the election — what changed and what people still buy. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 1 minute. 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 虽然、雪、没关系 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 matters regarding China and Japan, we need to look at how business is currently.
Right now, Japan has a new person (leader).
She is number one.
Because she speaks, China does not like to listen.
Therefore, China and Japan are not very happy.
This makes people doing business very worried.
People in companies, although they are working, are very careful.
They do not know what tomorrow will be like.
Although they are very worried, the work still must be done.
Things still must be sold.
Some people ask, do Chinese people still buy Japanese things?
I think, they still buy them.
Because some things are very good.
Everyone still likes them.
Let's talk about tourism matters again.
Before, many people went to Japan to have fun.
Now, the people going are fewer than before.
Because everyone heard the news, they are not very happy.
So, many people are not going.
However, there are also different people.
Young people still go to Japan.
They go to Japan to see the snow.
They go to eat delicious fish.
They feel it doesn't matter.
Going to have fun is just going to have fun.
So, do Japanese people come to China?
The people coming are also very few.
Much fewer than before.
Because they are also worried.
Everyone is waiting.
Waiting for what?
Waiting for next year.
Next year, everyone might meet.
Everyone will sit together and talk.
Hoping it can get a little better.
This needs time.
The above is regarding matters between China and Japan.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇Conjunction used to introduce a concessive clause, often paired with '但是' (but).
Noun referring to snow. '看雪' means to watch/see the snow.
A common phrase used to forgive an apology or state that something is not an issue.
Time noun indicating the past.
Can be used as a verb or a noun expressing desire for a certain outcome.
HSK 1-2. company.
A compound word made of 'buy' and 'sell'. It is a colloquial way to refer to business or trade.
Used as a verb or adjective to express anxiety about a situation.
Literally 'small heart', meaning to be cautious or careful.
Refers to news reports or information about current events.
Adjective describing age. '年轻人' means young people.
Verb-object compound meaning to meet someone in person.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法The standard structure for cause and effect: 'Because [cause], so [result]'.
因为她说话，中国不爱听。所以，中国和日本不太高兴。
因为大家听了新闻，不太高兴。所以，很多人不去了。
A conjunction pair meaning 'Although ..., but ...'. Unlike English, Chinese often uses both connectors in the same sentence.
公司里的人，虽然在工作，但是很小心。
虽然很担心，但是工作还要做。
The comparison structure. It means 'A is more [Adjective] than B'.
现在，去的人比以前少了。
比以前少了很多。
In this context, it indicates that a state or action continues ('still').
我觉得，还是买的。
大家还是喜欢。
年轻人还去日本。
A phrase used to introduce a topic, meaning 'Speaking of...' or 'When it comes to...'.
说到中国和日本的事情，我们要看看现在的买卖怎么样。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
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