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DingTalk CEO Leaves With 75,000-Character Letter — episode cover art
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一封很长的信,换掉了一个大公司的老板

DingTalk CEO Leaves With 75,000-Character Letter

About this story

How a DingTalk product manager's 75,000-character resignation letter exposed exhausting management, was echoed by a former executive, and led Alibaba to replace the CEO — a story about the power of telling the truth. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 2 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 14 key vocabulary words such as 上班、累、换 and walks through 7 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.

今天我们说一件最近大家都在说的事。
这件事,发生在一个中国的大公司。
我们先说一个东西。
这个东西,叫"钉钉"。
在中国,很多大人上班,都用钉钉。
什么是上班呢?
上班就是:去一个地方,做事,拿钱。
上班的时候,大家要一起做事。
要互相说话。
要发东西给别人。
钉钉就是用来做这些的。
你打开手机,打开钉钉。
就可以跟一起上班的人说话。
也可以看老板发的话。
所以在中国,很多公司都用钉钉。
钉钉自己,也是一个公司做的。
这个公司,也有很多人上班。
他们每天的事,就是把钉钉做得更好。
今天我们说的这个人,就在这个公司上班。
他做钉钉,做了好几年。
他做的,是钉钉里一个很新的东西。
是一个很聪明的东西。
但是,前几天,他走了。
他不在这个公司上班了。
他为什么走呢?
他走的时候,做了一件大事。
他写了一封信。
这封信,非常非常长。
有多长呢?
有七万多个字。
七万多个字,是很多很多话。
他为什么写这么长呢?
因为他心里,有很多话想说。
他在信里说:
"我在这里上班,很累。
不只是我累,大家都很累。
我们每天做很多事。
但是有的事,做了没有用。
我们的老板,很多时候,
只想让上面的人看着高兴。
不是真的想把东西做好。
我们白白地累。
我很难过,所以我要走了。
这封信,公司里很多人都看了。
他们看完,心里也想:
"他说的,就是我们的样子。
过了几天,又有一个人,也站出来了。
这个人,以前是公司里的一个老板。
他也写了东西。
他说:"他说的,都是真的。
我以前也是这样,每天很累。
有时候我自己都不知道,
我是在做好东西,还是只是在瞎忙。
这两个人的话,越传越远。
看的人,越来越多。
后来,更大的公司也知道了。
钉钉的上面,还有一个更大的公司。
是中国一个很有名的大公司。
这个大公司说话了。
它说:
"让大家这样累,是不对的。
只想着好看,不想着人,
这不是我们想要的样子。
又过了一两天。
钉钉最大的那个老板,走了。
他是钉钉的头儿。
他做这个位子,才做了一年多。
现在,他不做了。
那谁来做呢?
公司找了一个新的人。
这个新的人,很年轻。
他今年才三十四岁。
他很会做东西。
以前,他自己做的东西,很多人都喜欢。
现在,公司请他,来做钉钉最大的老板。
最后,我们一起想一想。
一个普通的人,写了一封信。
他只是把真话,写了出来。
后来,公司里最大的老板,换了。
一封信,真的有这么大的用处吗?
也许,真话本来就有用。
只是平时,很少有人敢说。
最后,我想问你一下。
你心里,有没有一句话,
很想说,但是一直没说出来?
也许是对老板。
也许是对家里的人。
那句话,你想好怎么说了吗?
English transcript reference

Today we'll talk about something everyone has been discussing lately.

This happened at a big Chinese company.

First, let's talk about a thing.

This thing is called 'DingTalk'.

In China, many grown-ups use DingTalk for work.

What is 'going to work'?

Going to work means: going to a place, doing tasks, earning money.

When you're at work, everyone has to do things together.

They have to talk to each other.

They have to send things to others.

DingTalk is used for all of this.

You open your phone, open DingTalk.

Then you can talk to the people you work with.

You can also see what the boss sends.

So in China, many companies use DingTalk.

DingTalk itself is also made by a company.

That company also has many people working there.

Their daily job is to make DingTalk better.

The person we're talking about today works at this company.

He worked on DingTalk for several years.

What he worked on was a very new thing inside DingTalk.

It was a very smart thing.

But, a few days ago, he left.

He no longer works at this company.

Why did he leave?

When he left, he did a big thing.

He wrote a letter.

This letter was very, very long.

How long?

More than seventy thousand characters.

More than seventy thousand characters is a lot, a lot of words.

Why did he write so much?

Because in his heart, he had a lot to say.

In the letter he said:

'I work here, and I'm very tired.

Not just me — everyone is tired.

We do a lot of things every day.

But some things, once done, are useless.

Our bosses, much of the time,

only want the people above to be pleased.

Not to truly make things good.

We're tired for nothing.

I'm sad, so I'm going to leave.'

Many people at the company read this letter.

After reading, in their hearts they thought too:

'What he said is exactly how we are.'

A few days later, another person also stepped forward.

This person used to be a boss at the company.

He also wrote something.

He said: 'What he said is all true.

I used to be like this too — tired every day.

Sometimes I myself didn't even know

whether I was making something good, or just busy for nothing.'

These two people's words spread farther and farther.

More and more people read them.

Later, an even bigger company found out.

Above DingTalk, there's an even bigger company.

It's a very famous big company in China.

This big company spoke up.

It said:

'Making everyone this tired is not right.

Only thinking about looking good, not thinking about people —

this is not the way we want things to be.'

Another day or two passed.

DingTalk's biggest boss left.

He was the head of DingTalk.

He'd only held that position for a little over a year.

Now, he's not doing it anymore.

So who will do it?

The company found a new person.

This new person is very young.

He's only thirty-four this year.

He's very good at making things.

Before, the things he made himself, many people liked.

Now, the company has invited him to be DingTalk's biggest boss.

Finally, let's think together.

An ordinary person wrote a letter.

He just wrote down the truth.

Later, the biggest boss at the company was replaced.

Can a letter really have such a big effect?

Maybe the truth is useful all along.

It's just that, usually, few people dare to say it.

Finally, I want to ask you.

In your heart, is there a sentence

you really want to say, but have never said?

Maybe to your boss.

Maybe to the people at home.

That sentence — have you figured out how to say it?

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
shàngbānto go to work

Glossed inline: 去一个地方,做事,拿钱 = go to a place, do tasks, earn money.

lèitired

HSK 2. 大家都很累 = everyone is tired. The emotional core of the letter.

huànto change; to replace

最大的老板,换了 = the biggest boss was replaced.

wèishénmewhy

HSK 1-2. why.

gōngsīcompany

HSK 1-2. company.

shǒujīmobile phone

HSK 1-2. mobile phone.

dìfangplace

HSK 1-2. place.

DīngdīngDingTalk (workplace app)

Glossed inline as the app used for work communication. Made by Alibaba.

lǎobǎnboss

HSK 4. 看老板发的话 = read what the boss sends. 最大的老板 = the biggest boss.

cízhí / zǒuto resign / to leave

Here expressed simply as 走 (leave) and 不在这个公司上班了 = no longer works here.

xìnletter

HSK 3. 他写了一封信 = he wrote a letter. The 75,000-character resignation letter.

báibái dein vain; for nothing

我们白白地累 = we're tired for nothing. 白白 = without result.

zhēnhuàtrue words; the truth

他只是把真话写了出来 = he just wrote down the truth. The moral center.

cōngmingsmart; clever

HSK 3. 一个很聪明的东西 = a very smart thing (the AI feature).

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法

什么是 X 呢? + full answer

Rhetorical definition question, answered completely. Glosses new words.

什么是上班呢?

上班就是:去一个地方,做事,拿钱。

Subject + 只 + Verb (only)

只 = only. Marks an exclusive focus, often critically.

只想让上面的人看着高兴。

只想着好看,不想着人。

不只是 X,... 都 ... (not just X)

'Not only X' — expands the scope.

不只是我累,大家都很累。

Verb + 出来 (resultative: emerging / producing)

Marks something coming out into the open.

他只是把真话,写了出来。

又有一个人,也站出来了。

一直没说出来?

才 + Verb / Number (only; merely)

Emphasizes that something is less / later than expected.

他做这个位子,才做了一年多。

他今年才三十四岁。

越 + Verb + 越 + Adj

'the more... the more...'. Escalation.

这两个人的话,越传越远。

看的人,越来越多。

Subject + 本来 + 就 + Clause

'X was the case all along / by nature'.

也许,真话本来就有用。

Proper nouns

专有名词
钉钉DīngdīngDingTalk — China's dominant workplace communication app, made by Alibaba中国ZhōngguóChina

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