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一封很长的信，换掉了一个大公司的老板
A Very Long Letter That Replaced a Big Company's Boss
HSK 2 Chinese listening practice. 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.
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 钉钉、上班、老板 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.
今天我们说一件最近大家都在说的事。
Today we'll talk about something everyone has been discussing lately.
这件事，发生在一个中国的大公司。
This happened at a big Chinese company.
我们先说一个东西。
First, let's talk about a thing.
这个东西，叫"钉钉"。
This thing is called 'DingTalk'.
在中国，很多大人上班，都用钉钉。
In China, many grown-ups use DingTalk for work.
什么是上班呢？
What is 'going to work'?
上班就是：去一个地方，做事，拿钱。
Going to work means: going to a place, doing tasks, earning money.
上班的时候，大家要一起做事。
When you're at work, everyone has to do things together.
要互相说话。
They have to talk to each other.
要发东西给别人。
They have to send things to others.
钉钉就是用来做这些的。
DingTalk is used for all of this.
你打开手机，打开钉钉。
You open your phone, open DingTalk.
就可以跟一起上班的人说话。
Then you can talk to the people you work with.
也可以看老板发的话。
You can also see what the boss sends.
所以在中国，很多公司都用钉钉。
So in China, many companies use DingTalk.
钉钉自己，也是一个公司做的。
DingTalk itself is also made by a company.
这个公司，也有很多人上班。
That company also has many people working there.
他们每天的事，就是把钉钉做得更好。
Their daily job is to make DingTalk better.
今天我们说的这个人，就在这个公司上班。
The person we're talking about today works at this company.
他做钉钉，做了好几年。
He worked on DingTalk for several years.
他做的，是钉钉里一个很新的东西。
What he worked on was a very new thing inside DingTalk.
是一个很聪明的东西。
It was a very smart thing.
但是，前几天，他走了。
But, a few days ago, he left.
他不在这个公司上班了。
He no longer works at this company.
他为什么走呢？
Why did he leave?
他走的时候，做了一件大事。
When he left, he did a big thing.
他写了一封信。
He wrote a letter.
这封信，非常非常长。
This letter was very, very long.
有多长呢？
How long?
有七万多个字。
More than seventy thousand characters.
七万多个字，是很多很多话。
More than seventy thousand characters is a lot, a lot of words.
他为什么写这么长呢？
Why did he write so much?
因为他心里，有很多话想说。
Because in his heart, he had a lot to say.
他在信里说：
In the letter he said:
"我在这里上班，很累。
'I work here, and I'm very tired.
不只是我累，大家都很累。
Not just me — everyone is tired.
我们每天做很多事。
We do a lot of things every day.
但是有的事，做了没有用。
But some things, once done, are useless.
我们的老板，很多时候，
Our bosses, much of the time,
只想让上面的人看着高兴。
only want the people above to be pleased.
不是真的想把东西做好。
Not to truly make things good.
我们白白地累。
We're tired for nothing.
我很难过，所以我要走了。
I'm sad, so I'm going to leave.'
这封信，公司里很多人都看了。
Many people at the company read this letter.
他们看完，心里也想：
After reading, in their hearts they thought too:
"他说的，就是我们的样子。
'What he said is exactly how we are.'
过了几天，又有一个人，也站出来了。
A few days later, another person also stepped forward.
这个人，以前是公司里的一个老板。
This person used to be a boss at the company.
他也写了东西。
He also wrote something.
他说："他说的，都是真的。
He said: 'What he said is all true.
我以前也是这样，每天很累。
I used to be like this too — tired every day.
有时候我自己都不知道，
Sometimes I myself didn't even know
我是在做好东西，还是只是在瞎忙。
whether I was making something good, or just busy for nothing.'
这两个人的话，越传越远。
These two people's words spread farther and farther.
看的人，越来越多。
More and more people read them.
后来，更大的公司也知道了。
Later, an even bigger company found out.
钉钉的上面，还有一个更大的公司。
Above DingTalk, there's an even bigger company.
是中国一个很有名的大公司。
It's a very famous big company in China.
这个大公司说话了。
This big company spoke up.
它说：
It said:
"让大家这样累，是不对的。
'Making everyone this tired is not right.
只想着好看，不想着人，
Only thinking about looking good, not thinking about people —
这不是我们想要的样子。
this is not the way we want things to be.'
又过了一两天。
Another day or two passed.
钉钉最大的那个老板，走了。
DingTalk's biggest boss left.
他是钉钉的头儿。
He was the head of DingTalk.
他做这个位子，才做了一年多。
He'd only held that position for a little over a year.
现在，他不做了。
Now, he's not doing it anymore.
那谁来做呢？
So who will do it?
公司找了一个新的人。
The company found a new person.
这个新的人，很年轻。
This new person is very young.
他今年才三十四岁。
He's only thirty-four this year.
他很会做东西。
He's very good at making things.
以前，他自己做的东西，很多人都喜欢。
Before, the things he made himself, many people liked.
现在，公司请他，来做钉钉最大的老板。
Now, the company has invited him to be DingTalk's biggest boss.
最后，我们一起想一想。
Finally, let's think together.
一个普通的人，写了一封信。
An ordinary person wrote a letter.
他只是把真话，写了出来。
He just wrote down the truth.
后来，公司里最大的老板，换了。
Later, the biggest boss at the company was replaced.
一封信，真的有这么大的用处吗？
Can a letter really have such a big effect?
也许，真话本来就有用。
Maybe the truth is useful all along.
只是平时，很少有人敢说。
It's just that, usually, few people dare to say it.
最后，我想问你一下。
Finally, I want to ask you.
你心里，有没有一句话，
In your heart, is there a sentence
很想说，但是一直没说出来？
you really want to say, but have never said?
也许是对老板。
Maybe to your boss.
也许是对家里的人。
Maybe to the people at home.
那句话，你想好怎么说了吗？
That sentence — have you figured out how to say it?
Glossed inline: 去一个地方，做事，拿钱 = go to a place, do tasks, earn money.
HSK 2. 大家都很累 = everyone is tired. The emotional core of the letter.
最大的老板，换了 = the biggest boss was replaced.
Glossed inline as the app used for work communication. Made by Alibaba.
HSK 4. 看老板发的话 = read what the boss sends. 最大的老板 = the biggest boss.
Here expressed simply as 走 (leave) and 不在这个公司上班了 = no longer works here.
HSK 3. 他写了一封信 = he wrote a letter. The 75,000-character resignation letter.
我们白白地累 = we're tired for nothing. 白白 = without result.
他只是把真话写了出来 = he just wrote down the truth. The moral center.
HSK 3. 一个很聪明的东西 = a very smart thing (the AI feature).
又有一个人，也站出来了 = another person also stepped forward.
HSK 3. 很少有人敢说 = few people dare to say it.
他做这个位子，才做了一年多 = he held this position only a little over a year.
还是只是在瞎忙 = or just busy for nothing. 瞎 = blindly / pointlessly.
* beyond level超纲词
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。