3:05
两个中国同学，一起拿到了数学界最大的奖
Two Chinese Classmates Win Math's Biggest Prize Together
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 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 8 key vocabulary words such as 同学、高兴、学校 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.
两个中国人，是同学。
Two Chinese people are classmates.
今天，他们很高兴。
Today, they are very happy.
世界上，很多人都知道他们了。
All over the world, many people now know them.
他们都很会数学。
They are both very good at math.
数学，是什么东西？
Math — what is it?
你看：一、二、三、四、五。
Look: one, two, three, four, five.
一和一，是二。
One and one is two.
二和二，是四。
Two and two is four.
想一想这个，做一做这个，这，叫数学。
Thinking about this, doing this — this is called math.
数学，有的很难。
Some math is very hard.
很小很小的时候，这两个人，就很会数学。
When they were very, very young, these two were already good at math.
很多小孩在玩，他们不玩。
Many kids were playing; they didn't play.
他们想数学，今天想，明天也想。
They thought about math — today, and tomorrow too.
后来，他们两个，去了一个学校。
Later, the two of them went to a school.
这个学校，在北京。
This school is in Beijing.
在北京的这个学校，他们是同学。
At this school in Beijing, they were classmates.
两个同学，一起学习，一起想数学。
The two classmates studied together and thought about math together.
他们一起学习，学了很多很多年。
They studied together for many, many years.
数学里，有很难很难的东西。
In math, there are very, very hard things.
有的东西，很多人想了一百年，都不会。
Some things, many people thought about for a hundred years and still couldn't do.
这两个中国人，想会了。
These two Chinese people figured them out.
一个人，是女的。
One of them is a woman.
她想会了一个很难很难的东西。
She figured out something very, very hard.
这个东西，很多人想了一百年，都不会。
This thing, many people thought about for a hundred years and couldn't do.
她，想会了。
She figured it out.
还有一个人，也想会了一个很难的东西。
The other one also figured out something very hard.
两个同学，都想会了。
Both classmates figured it out.
今天，世界上很多人，都知道他们两个。
Today, many people around the world know the two of them.
很多人说：这两个中国人，很会数学。
Many people say: these two Chinese are really good at math.
为什么很多人都知道他们？
Why do so many people know them?
你听。
Listen.
世界上，有一个东西。
In the world, there is a thing.
这个东西，很大，很好。
This thing is very big, very good.
你数学很好很好，你有这个东西。
If you are really good at math, you get this thing.
很多人数学也好，没有这两个人好。
Many people are good at math too, but not as good as these two.
所以，这个东西，是他们两个的。
So this thing is theirs.
这个东西，很多年，有一回。
This thing comes only once in many years.
很少很少的人，有这个东西。
Very, very few people have this thing.
今天，这两个中国人，有了。
Today, these two Chinese people have it.
很多很多年，中国人都没有这个东西。
For many, many years, no Chinese person had this thing.
今天，他们两个，有了。
Today, the two of them have it.
他们很高兴。
They are very happy.
中国很多人，也很高兴。
Many people in China are happy too.
一个女的，也这么会数学，很多人很高兴。
A woman being this good at math — many people are happy.
你想一想：
Think about it:
很难很难的东西，你想不想学会它？
Something very, very hard — do you want to learn to do it?
A classmate — someone who studies with you at the same school.
Happy, glad. 他们很高兴 = they are very happy.
A school, where you go to study.
To know (a fact). 很多人都知道他们 = many people know them.
Here: to be good at. 很会数学 = very good at math.
To think (about). 他们想数学 = they think about math.
Math — thinking with numbers like 1, 2, 3. Beyond HSK 1; taught in the episode.
Female. 一个女的 = a woman. Beyond HSK 1 on its own.
* beyond level超纲词
A，是什么？
A simple way to ask 'What is A?' — name the thing, then ask 是什么.
数学，是什么东西？
想一想 / 做一做 (V一V)
Repeating a verb with 一 softens it and means 'do it a little / give it a try'.
想一想这个，做一做这个。
有的……
'Some (of them)…', pointing at part of a group as opposed to the rest.
数学，有的很难。
有的东西，很多人想了一百年，都不会。
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.