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一封七万字的辞职信，换掉了钉钉的 CEO
A 75,000-Character Resignation Letter That Replaced DingTalk's CEO
HSK 3 Chinese listening practice. DingTalk product manager Teng Yaxin's 75,000-character resignation letter, the former VP who backed him up, Alibaba's rebuke of the management culture, and the CEO change from Chen Hang to 34-year-old Chen Yusen.
This is an HSK 3-4 Chinese listening episode that runs about 5 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 13 key vocabulary words such as 辞职、产品经理、管理 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，这几天在中国网上特别火的事。
Today we'll talk about something that's been especially hot on the Chinese internet these past few days.
跟一个叫"钉钉"的产品有关系。
It's related to a product called 'DingTalk'.
你可能知道钉钉。
You might know DingTalk.
在中国，很多公司上班，都用钉钉。
In China, many companies use DingTalk for work.
大家用它发消息、开会、打卡。
People use it to send messages, hold meetings, and clock in.
钉钉是一个很大的公司做的。
DingTalk is made by a very big company.
这个公司，也有很多人上班。
That company also has many people working there.
今天的主角，就是其中一个。
Today's main character is one of them.
他叫滕雅辛。
His name is Teng Yaxin.
他在钉钉做事，做的是 AI。
He worked on AI at DingTalk.
就是那种很聪明的、新的功能。
That is, the kind of smart, new features.
他做的那个 AI 产品，曾经很厉害。
The AI product he worked on was once impressive.
最多的时候，每天有三百万人用。
At its peak, three million people used it every day.
但是后来，这个产品，慢慢被砍掉了。
But later, this product was slowly cut back.
就在前几天，滕雅辛走了。
Just a few days ago, Teng Yaxin left.
他从这个公司辞职了。
He resigned from this company.
辞职就是：自己不想做了，主动离开。
Resigning means: deciding you don't want to do it anymore, and leaving on your own.
他走的时候，做了一件很特别的事。
When he left, he did something very unusual.
他写了一封很长很长的辞职信。
He wrote a very, very long resignation letter.
有多长呢？
How long?
有七万五千个字。
Seventy-five thousand characters.
七万五千个字，差不多是一本小书了。
Seventy-five thousand characters is almost a small book.
他为什么写这么长？
Why did he write so much?
因为他想把心里的话，全部说出来。
Because he wanted to say everything in his heart.
他在信里，写了那个 AI 产品的整个故事。
In the letter, he wrote the whole story of that AI product.
从一开始大家很兴奋，
From everyone being excited at the start,
到最后，慢慢做不下去。
to slowly, in the end, not being able to keep going.
他说，问题不在产品本身。
He said the problem wasn't the product itself.
问题在管理。
The problem was management.
他说，公司里有一种很不好的风气。
He said the company had a very bad atmosphere.
大家做事，不是为了把东西做好。
People did their work not to make things good.
而是为了让上面的领导高兴。
But to make the leaders above happy.
领导喜欢什么，大家就做什么。
Whatever the leaders liked, that's what people did.
就算明知道没用，也要做。
Even when they clearly knew it was useless, they still did it.
还有，公司里加班特别多。
Also, there was a lot of overtime at the company.
很多班，加得没有意义。
Much of it was meaningless overtime.
人也越来越累，越来越没劲。
And people grew more and more tired, more and more drained.
这封信发出来以后，整个公司都震动了。
After this letter came out, the whole company was shaken.
很多同事看完，都说：
Many colleagues, after reading it, said:
"他写的，就是我们每天的样子。
'What he wrote is exactly what our days are like.'
过了几天，又有一个人站了出来。
A few days later, another person stepped forward.
这个人，以前是钉钉的副总裁。
This person used to be a vice president of DingTalk.
也是管 AI 的。
Also in charge of AI.
他在5月就已经离开了。
He had already left in May.
他也写了一篇文章。
He also wrote an article.
他说，滕雅辛写的，都是真的。
He said what Teng Yaxin wrote was all true.
他还说，他在那段时间，
He also said that, during that time,
自己都分不清：
he himself couldn't tell:
"我到底是在做产品，
'Was I actually making a product,
还是只是在拼命追一个永远追不上的进度。
or just desperately chasing a pace I could never catch up to?'
这两篇文章，越传越广。
These two articles spread wider and wider.
最后，惊动了钉钉上面的大公司。
Finally, they alarmed the big company above DingTalk.
钉钉的母公司，是阿里巴巴。
DingTalk's parent company is Alibaba.
这是中国最有名的公司之一。
It's one of the most famous companies in China.
阿里巴巴的一个高层委员会，
A senior committee at Alibaba
专门发了一篇内部文章回应。
specifically posted an internal article in response.
文章的题目，意思是说：
The article's title meant, roughly:
"有情有义、有成长，才是阿里该有的文化。
'Warmth, loyalty, and growth — that's what Alibaba's culture should be.'
这其实就是在说：
This was really saying:
钉钉那种只看领导脸色、把人逼得很累的管理，
DingTalk's style of management — watching the boss's face, pushing people to exhaustion —
不是我们想要的样子。
is not the way we want things to be.
又过了一天，最大的动作来了。
Another day passed, and the biggest move came.
钉钉的 CEO，陈航，卸任了。
DingTalk's CEO, Chen Hang, stepped down.
卸任就是：不再做这个位子了。
Stepping down means: no longer holding that position.
说起来，陈航跟钉钉的关系很深。
Speaking of which, Chen Hang's connection to DingTalk runs deep.
钉钉最早，就是他带着人做出来的。
DingTalk, at its very start, was built by him and his team.
后来他离开过一次。
Later, he left once.
2025年又回来，重新做 CEO。
In 2025 he came back and became CEO again.
但是这一次回来，只做了一年多，
But this time, after coming back, he only lasted a little over a year,
就又走了。
and then left again.
那谁来接他的位子呢？
So who takes over his position?
是一个很年轻的人，叫陈宇森。
It's a very young person, named Chen Yusen.
他是1992年出生的，今年才三十四岁。
He was born in 1992, and is only thirty-four this year.
他成了阿里最年轻的事业部 CEO。
He became Alibaba's youngest business-unit CEO.
他很厉害。
He's very capable.
很早就自己创业，做技术。
He started his own company early, doing tech.
最近还做了一个很受欢迎的 AI 产品。
Recently he also made a very popular AI product.
所以公司选了他，来带钉钉往前走。
So the company chose him to lead DingTalk forward.
最后，我们一起想一想。
Finally, let's think together.
这件事，最让人感慨的是什么？
What's most striking about this whole thing?
是一个普通的产品经理，
It's that an ordinary product manager,
没有靠关系，没有靠权力。
without relying on connections or power,
只是认认真真写了一封信，说了真话。
just earnestly wrote a letter and told the truth.
结果，让一家大公司，换掉了自己的 CEO。
And the result: a big company replaced its own CEO.
这说明，真话是有力量的。
This shows the truth has power.
只是很多时候，
It's just that, much of the time,
我们都不敢做那个先说真话的人。
none of us dare to be the first one to tell it.
最后我想问你。
Finally, I want to ask you.
在你的公司，或者你的生活里，
At your company, or in your life,
有没有一句真话，
is there a truth
你一直想说，但是一直没说？
you've always wanted to tell, but never have?
你在等什么呢？
What are you waiting for?
Glossed inline: 自己不想做了，主动离开 = deciding you don't want to do it and leaving on your own.
Teng Yaxin's role. 产品 (product) + 经理 (manager). Common tech job title.
HSK 4. 问题在管理 = the problem is in the management. The core critique.
一种很不好的风气 = a very bad atmosphere/culture.
HSK 5. 让上面的领导高兴 = make the leaders above happy.
公司里加班特别多 = there's a lot of overtime at the company. 加 (add) + 班 (work shift).
钉钉的副总裁 = vice president of DingTalk. 副 (deputy) + 总裁 (president).
Glossed inline: 不再做这个位子了 = no longer holding the position. 陈航卸任 = Chen Hang stepped down.
钉钉的母公司，是阿里巴巴 = DingTalk's parent company is Alibaba. 母 = mother.
整个公司都震动了 = the whole company was shaken.
今天的主角 = today's main character.
HSK 5. 真话是有力量的 = the truth has power.
HSK 4. 没有靠关系，没有靠权力 = without relying on connections or power.
* beyond level超纲词
X 就是: ... (definition gloss)
X 就是 introduces a plain-language definition of a hard term.
辞职就是：自己不想做了，主动离开。
卸任就是：不再做这个位子了。
不是 X，而是 Y (not X, but Y)
Strong correction / redirection.
问题不在产品本身。问题在管理。
大家做事，不是为了把东西做好。而是为了让上面的领导高兴。
就算 ... 也 ... (even if)
Concessive: 'even if X, still Y'.
就算明知道没用，也要做。
越来越 + Adjective
'more and more X'. Marks gradual escalation.
人也越来越累，越来越没劲。
这两篇文章，越传越广。
Subject + 到底 + 是 ... 还是 ...? (after all, is it X or Y?)
到底 sharpens a question — 'when it comes down to it'.
我到底是在做产品，还是只是在拼命追一个永远追不上的进度。
只 + Verb (only)
Marks an exclusive, often critical, focus.
只看领导脸色。
只是认认真真写了一封信。
Subject + 才 + Verb + Number (only; merely)
Emphasizes a smaller-than-expected amount.
只做了一年多，就又走了。
今年才三十四岁。