A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
韩红说错一句话，很多人生气了
Han Hong Charity Controversy Follows Misstatement
About this story
The beloved singer-philanthropist Han Hong said one careless sentence and faced a backlash, then apologized in tears — a simple story about trust, charity, and whether one wrong sentence can erase years of good. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
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 12 key vocabulary words such as 电影、难过、对不起 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.
English transcript reference
Today we'll talk about a person.
Her name is Han Hong.
Han Hong is Chinese.
Many people know her.
And many people like her.
Everyone likes her, and trusts her too.
In everyone's heart, she is a good person.
A very, very good person.
Over the years, she has done many good deeds.
People liked her more and more, and trusted her more and more.
But these past few days, something happened.
Many who liked her are now a little upset.
They say she seems to have changed.
What is going on?
Let's take it slowly.
First, what does Han Hong do?
She is a singer, and she sings beautifully.
But people like her for an even bigger reason.
For many years, she has kept doing one good thing.
She uses her own money and time to help others.
Helping those who have no money and are sick.
She often travels to faraway places herself, helping people one by one.
So everyone trusts her.
People feel she is a truly good person.
So, what exactly happened recently?
A few days ago, she went to an event.
In front of many people, she said one sentence.
She wanted everyone to go see a new movie.
She said: Beijing has over twenty million people — could you all help us out?
This sentence sounds like nothing much.
But many people, hearing it, felt uneasy.
Why?
People felt she is rich herself, living in a big house.
Yet she was asking people with far less money to help her and her friends.
This made many people unhappy.
Slowly, the affair grew and grew.
Some said she had changed, no longer the good person she once was.
Others, who used to give her a little money each month to help people, now stopped.
When Han Hong learned of it, she was very upset.
She stepped forward and said sorry to everyone.
She said: that sentence of mine was too hasty, too wrong.
As she said it, she cried.
She also said she would be more careful from now on, and keep doing good, steadily.
At this point, I'd like to talk with you.
A person does good deeds for many years.
But one day, she says just one wrong sentence.
So, can this one sentence wipe out all the good that came before?
Finally, I want to ask you.
If it were you, how would you see her?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1 考纲词. 去看一部新的电影 = to go see a new movie.
HSK 3 考纲词. 韩红知道以后，非常难过 = Han Hong was very upset.
HSK 1 考纲词. 跟大家说对不起 = said sorry to everyone.
HSK 1. 大家都很喜欢她 = everyone likes her — repeated throughout the episode.
HSK 1. 现在有点不高兴了 = now a little unhappy. 不高兴 = displeased.
HSK 1. 来帮她和她的朋友 = to help her and her friends.
她叫韩红 = her name is Han Hong. The subject of the episode.
大家都很喜欢她，也很相信她 = everyone likes her and trusts her — the key theme.
她做了很多好事 = she has done many good deeds.
她是一个歌手，唱歌唱得非常好 = she is a singer who sings beautifully.
还有一个更大的原因 = there's an even bigger reason.
去帮助别人 = to help others. 帮 = help.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法越来越 + Adj (more and more)
Marks gradual increase.
大家越来越喜欢她，也越来越相信她。
好像 + ... (seems...)
Expresses an impression.
他们说，她好像变了。
这句话，听起来好像没什么。
用 A 和 B，去 + Verb (use A and B to...)
States the means used for an action.
她用自己的钱和时间，去帮助别人。
能不能 + Verb？(could you...?)
A softened request or question.
大家能不能帮帮我们？
却 + Verb (yet / but)
Marks a turn contrary to expectation.
她却让那些没有那么多钱的人，来帮她。
越 + Verb + 越 + Adj (the more..., the more...)
Two things intensify together.
事情越闹越大。
能不能就把 X 都盖过去？(can it wipe out all of X?)
A rhetorical question with 把 — used in the reflective close.
这一句话，能不能就把她前面所有的好，都盖过去呢？
Proper nouns
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