4:55
两个人，只有一个说了真话
Two People, Only One Told the Truth — A Beginner Story in Simple Chinese
HSK 1 Chinese listening practice. A sober, gentle telling of a UK case: a young student was hurt, but when police came they believed the attacker's lie first and didn't believe the victim — told slowly in beginner-level Chinese, about why we should believe the person telling the truth.
This is an HSK 1 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 12 key vocabulary words such as 难过、学生、英国 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.
今天我们说一个事。
Today we'll talk about a thing.
这个事，有一点难过。
This thing is a little bit sad.
我们慢慢说。
We'll go slowly.
今天的事，是一个人的事。
Today's thing is about a person.
我们说这个人。
Let's talk about this person.
他不大。
He's not big (not old).
他还在上学。
He's still in school.
他是一个学生。
He's a student.
他不在中国。
He's not in China.
他住在一个地方。
He lives in a place.
这个地方，叫英国。
This place is called the UK.
你听过英国吗？
Have you heard of the UK?
也许听过。
Maybe you have.
也许没听过。
Maybe you haven't.
都没关系。
It's okay.
这个学生，住在英国。
This student lives in the UK.
他有家，也有朋友。
He has a family, and friends too.
他是一个好学生。
He's a good student.
他想好好上学。
He wanted to study well.
他也想，做一个好人。
He also wanted to be a good person.
他还很小。
He was still young.
本来，他会好好的。
He should have been just fine.
本来，他有很多很好的以后。
He should have had many good days ahead.
但是，有一天，
But, one day,
出事了。
something happened.
那一天，他一个人。
That day, he was alone.
他的旁边，还有一个人。
Beside him, there was another person.
那个人，我们一会儿再说。
That person — we'll talk about in a moment.
那一天，
That day,
有人，做了一件很坏的事。
someone did a very bad thing.
有人，打了这个学生。
Someone hurt this student.
打得很重。
Hurt him badly.
这个学生，受了很重的伤。
This student was badly injured.
他很疼。
He was in a lot of pain.
他很需要人，来帮他。
He badly needed someone to help him.
谁能来帮他呢？
Who could come help him?
在英国，有一种人，
In the UK, there's a kind of person
是专门来帮人的。
whose job is to help people.
有事的时候，你可以找他们。
When something's wrong, you can find them.
他们会来。
They'll come.
我们叫他们，警察。
We call them the police.
那天晚上，警察来了。
That night, the police came.
警察来了，本来是好事。
The police coming should have been a good thing.
他们可以帮这个学生。
They could help this student.
但是，这里出了一个大问题。
But here, a big problem appeared.
什么问题呢？
What problem?
我们慢慢说。
We'll go slowly.
警察来的时候，
When the police came,
看到了两个人。
they saw two people.
一个是这个学生。
One was this student.
还有一个，是那个打人的人。
The other was the person who hurt him.
两个人，都在说话。
Both people were talking.
但是，他们说的，不一样。
But what they said was different.
那个打人的人，说了假话。
The person who hurt him told a lie.
他说："我才是好人。
He said: 'I'm the good one.
我才是那个，被打的人。
I'm the one who got hurt.'
他在说谎。
He was lying.
但是警察，听了他的话。
But the police listened to his words.
警察以为，他说的是真的。
The police thought he was telling the truth.
所以，警察没有先帮学生。
So the police didn't help the student first.
警察把这个学生，先抓了起来。
The police arrested this student first.
学生很疼，很难过。
The student was in pain, and very upset.
他对警察说：
He said to the police:
"我喘不上气了。
'I can't breathe.
我喘不上气了。
I can't breathe.'
意思是，他很难受，
It means: he was suffering badly,
他快不行了。
he was about to be gone.
但是，警察对他说：
But the police said to him:
"我觉得，你没有事。
'I think you're fine.'
警察不相信他。
The police didn't believe him.
过了一会儿，
After a while,
警察才知道，不对。
the police realized something was wrong.
他们放开了这个学生，
They released this student
想帮他。
and wanted to help him.
但是，已经晚了。
But it was already too late.
这个学生，走了。
This student was gone.
他再也回不来了。
He could never come back.
那个打人的人呢？
And the person who hurt him?
后来，大家都知道了真相。
Later, everyone learned the truth.
是他打的人。
He was the one who hurt the student.
是他说的谎。
He was the one who lied.
他是坏人。
He was the bad one.
最后，他被关了起来。
In the end, he was locked up.
要关很久很久。
Locked up for a very, very long time.
这件事，让很多人都很难过。
This thing made many people very sad.
也让很多人，开始想一个问题。
It also made many people start to think about a question.
那天晚上，
That night,
有两个人，在警察面前。
two people stood before the police.
一个说了真话。
One told the truth.
一个说了假话。
One told a lie.
但是，警察先信了那个，说假话的人。
But the police believed the one who lied first.
为什么会这样呢？
Why does this happen?
这个问题，不好回答。
This question is hard to answer.
有的时候，
Sometimes,
说真话的人，没有被人相信。
the person telling the truth isn't believed.
说假话的人，反而被人信了。
The person telling a lie gets believed instead.
这是一件，很让人难过的事。
This is a very sad thing.
最后，我想跟你说一句话。
Finally, I want to say one thing to you.
如果有一天，
If one day,
你身边的人，在说他需要帮助。
someone around you is saying they need help,
请你，先别急着不信他。
please, don't rush to not believe them.
也许，他说的，就是真的。
Maybe what they're saying is true.
我们都希望，
We all hope
说真话的人，能被听到。
the person telling the truth can be heard.
你也这样想，对吗？
You think so too, right?
HSK 1. The young man at the center of the story — 他是一个学生.
HSK 3. 他很需要人来帮他 = he badly needed someone to help him. The whole story turns on whether help comes.
HSK 3. The heart of the story: 警察不相信他 = the police didn't believe him.
Sets the sober tone: 这个事，有一点难过 = this thing is a little sad. Used throughout.
Where the story happens. 英 + 国 (country).
Glossed inline: 专门来帮人、来管这种事的人 = the people whose job is to help and handle such things.
受了很重的伤 = was badly injured. 受 (receive) + 伤 (wound).
那个打人的人，说了假话 = the attacker told a lie. 他在说谎 = he was lying.
说真话的人 = the one telling the truth; 大家都知道了真相 = everyone learned the truth.
警察以为，他说的是真的 = the police thought (wrongly) he was telling the truth. Marks a false belief.
说假话的人，反而被人信了 = the liar, on the contrary, got believed.
本来，他会好好的 = he should have been just fine. Marks how things should have gone.
* beyond level超纲词
本来 + Clause (should have been / originally)
Marks what was supposed to happen, often before a turn for the worse.
本来，他会好好的。
警察来了，本来是好事。
Subject + 以为 + Clause (mistakenly think)
以为 marks a belief that turns out to be wrong.
警察以为，他说的是真的。
没有 + Verb (didn't do)
Negates a completed action.
警察没有先帮学生。
说真话的人，没有被人相信。
被 + Verb (passive)
Marks the passive — the subject receives the action.
我才是那个，被打的人。
说假话的人，反而被人信了。
他被关了起来。
反而 + Clause (on the contrary)
Marks an outcome opposite to what's expected.
说假话的人，反而被人信了。
如果 + Clause, 请 + Clause (if X, please Y)
Conditional advice at the close.
如果有一天，你身边的人，在说他需要帮助。请你，先别急着不信他。
X 的时候 (when X)
Marks the time of an action.
有事的时候，你可以找他们。
警察来的时候，看到了两个人。