A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
很有名的 Diddy，现在为什么在坐牢？
Once-Famous Musician Diddy: Why Is He in Prison Now?
About this story
An easy Chinese listening story about Diddy: the famous American musician was sent to prison, got into a fight there, and is now locked alone in a small room while his lawyers appeal. 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 喜欢、钱、朋友 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.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Diddy is a very famous American.
Lots of people love his music.
He has a lot of money and a lot of friends.
But in recent years, he ran into big trouble.
He did some bad things and ended up in court.
In the end, the court sent him to prison for several years.
The prison is far from home, a place you can't just walk out of.
Last week, there, he got into a fight with another man.
That man insulted him first, and the two of them started fighting.
After the fight, he was shut into a very small room.
In this room there's only him — he can't come out, and can't see anyone.
His lawyers say this is too harsh, and want him out sooner.
But so far, there's no result.
Diddy used to be a huge figure in music.
Now he sits alone in a very small room, waiting for the day he can go home.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇很多人都喜欢他的音乐 = lots of people like his music.
很多钱 = a lot of money.
很多朋友 = a lot of friends.
离家很远 = far from home.
等着回家的那一天 = waiting for the day he can go home.
一个很小的房间 = a very small room.
不能见别人 = can't see anyone.
不能见别人 = can't see other people.
他的音乐 = his music.
去了法院 = ended up in court.
让他去坐牢 = sent him to prison.
他的律师 = his lawyers.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法可是……
可是 = "but", turning to a contrast.
可是这几年，他有了很大的麻烦。
被 + verb
被 marks the passive — something is done TO the subject.
打完以后，他被关进了一个很小的房间。
只有……
只有 = "there is only …".
这个房间只有他一个人。
Proper Nouns
专有名词Free account
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