1:21
美国人一年动两回表，累！现在他们想不动了
Americans Change the Clocks Twice a Year, and They're Tired of It
A simple beginner Chinese listening story about why Americans change their clocks twice a year, why it wears people out, and the new push to stop.
This is an HSK 1 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 东西、喜欢、看 and walks through 3 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.
在美国，有一个东西，很多人都不喜欢。
In America, there's one thing a lot of people don't like.
是什么？
What is it?
是表。
It's the clock.
表，是看几点的东西。
A clock is the thing you look at to tell the time.
在美国，一年里，大家要动两回表。
In America, twice a year, everyone has to change the clocks.
有一回，表要快一个小时。
One time, the clock goes forward an hour.
有一回，表要慢一个小时。
One time, the clock goes back an hour.
表快了，慢了，很多人都很累。
Faster, then slower — it leaves a lot of people tired.
现在，美国想：我们不动表了，好吗？
Now America is asking: what if we stop changing the clocks?
Trump 也说：好，不动了。
Trump says so too: fine, let's stop.
不动表，有好，也有不好。
Not changing the clocks has an upside and a downside.
好的是：晚上，外面亮的时候，会多一点。
The good part: in the evening, it stays light outside a little longer.
大家都喜欢，晚上外面亮亮的。
Everyone likes it being bright outside in the evening.
不好的是：上午，外面黑的时候，也多一点。
The bad part: in the morning, it stays dark outside a little longer.
上午，小孩要去学校。
In the morning, kids have to go to school.
外面黑黑的，很不好。
It's dark outside, and that's no good.
不动表，是好，还是不好？
Stop changing the clocks — good, or not good?
很多人，都在想。
A lot of people are thinking it over.
你呢？
And you?
在你的地方，一年里，大家也动表吗？
Where you live, does everyone change the clocks too?
A general word for an object or "thing": 一个东西 = one thing.
不喜欢 = to not like. 很多人都不喜欢 = a lot of people dislike it.
看几点 = look to see what time it is.
表要快一个小时 = the clock moves an hour faster (forward).
The opposite of 快. 表要慢一个小时 = the clock moves an hour slower (back).
去学校 = to go to school.
很多人都在想 = a lot of people are thinking about it.
一个小时 = one hour.
The core word of this story. 动表 = to change the clocks. Grounded here as 看几点的东西 (the thing you look at to tell time).
Here 动表 = to move the clock (change the time). 不动表了 = stop changing the clocks.
外面亮 = it is light outside. Opposite of 黑.
外面黑黑的 = it is dark outside.
* beyond level超纲词
有一回……有一回……
Repeat 有一回 ("on one occasion") to lay two cases side by side.
有一回，表要快一个小时。
有一回，表要慢一个小时。
……，好吗？
Add 好吗？("okay?") to the end of a statement to turn it into a gentle suggestion.
我们不动表了，好吗？
A，还是 B？
还是 links two choices in a question: "A, or B?"
不动表，是好，还是不好？
Free account
You just read the story — hear it next. A free account saves your level, the words you keep from this episode, and the line you stop at, so you can pick the story back up on any device.