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商店里没有人
The Empty Shop — A Simple Story About Grindr Losing Its People to AI
HSK 1 Chinese listening practice. A simple shop story about why friends stopped coming to Grindr — ads, money and an AI chatbot in their place.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 6 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 16 key vocabulary words such as 商店、朋友、高兴 and walks through 5 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.
说到找朋友的事情，我想说一个故事。
Speaking of finding friends, I want to tell a story.
这是一个关于商店的故事。
This is a story about a store.
这是一个很大很大的商店。
This is a very, very big store.
以前，很多人去这个商店。
Before, many people went to this store.
我也去这个商店。
I also went to this store.
你去过吗？
Have you been there?
我想你去过。
I think you have been there.
我们在商店里做什么？
What do we do in the store?
我们在那里找朋友。
We look for friends there.
我们在那里说话。
We talk there.
我们在那里喝茶。
We drink tea there.
那时候，商店很好。
At that time, the store was very good.
人很多。
There were many people.
朋友很多。
There were many friends.
大家都很高兴。
Everyone was very happy.
我也很高兴。
I was also very happy.
你可以看见我。
You could see me.
我可以看见你。
I could see you.
我们都可以说话。
We could all talk.
这很简单。
This was very simple.
这很快。
This was very fast.
我不累。
I wasn't tired.
你也不累。
You weren't tired either.
可是，那是以前。
But, that was before.
那是昨天的事情。
That was yesterday's matter.
那是去年的事情。
That was last year's matter.
现在是二零二六年。
Now it is 2026.
现在，商店变了。
Now, the store has changed.
商店不一样了。
The store is different.
今天，我又去了商店。
Today, I went to the store again.
我走到门前面。
I walked to the front of the door.
我想进去。
I wanted to go in.
可是，有人在门前面。
But, someone was in front of the door.
他不让我进去。
He didn't let me go in.
他是谁？
Who is he?
他是商店的人。
He is a person from the store.
他看着我。
He looked at me.
他说：“你好。
He said: "Hello."
我说：“你好。
I said: "Hello."
他说：“你要给钱。
He said: "You need to give money."
我听不懂。
I didn't understand.
我说：“什么？
I said: "What?"
他说：“你要给钱。
He said: "You need to give money."
我问：“多少钱？
I asked: "How much money?"
他说：“五百块。
He said: "Five hundred kuai."
真的吗？
Really?
五百块？
Five hundred kuai?
五百块很多。
Five hundred kuai is a lot.
我有五百块吗？
Do I have five hundred kuai?
我看看我的钱。
I look at my money.
我有一块。
I have one kuai.
我有两块。
I have two kuai.
我有十块。
I have ten kuai.
我有一百块。
I have one hundred kuai.
可是我没有五百块。
But I don't have five hundred kuai.
五百块太多了。
Five hundred kuai is too much.
我问：“为什么？
I asked: "Why?"
我问：“为什么要五百块？
I asked: "Why do you want five hundred kuai?"
他说：“因为我们有新东西。
He said: "Because we have new things."
他说：“我们有很好的电脑。
He said: "We have very good computers."
我不听。
I didn't listen.
我不高兴。
I was not happy.
我不想给钱。
I didn't want to give money.
我想回家。
I wanted to go home.
可是，我想找朋友。
But, I wanted to look for friends.
我想见朋友。
I wanted to see friends.
所以我进去了。
So I went in.
我没有给五百块。
I didn't give five hundred kuai.
我只看看。
I just looked.
我走到里面。
I walked inside.
商店里很大。
Inside the store was very big.
可是，我看不到人。
But, I couldn't see people.
人都在哪里？
Where were all the people?
桌子在那里。
The tables were there.
椅子在那里。
The chairs were there.
杯子在那里。
The cups were there.
可是人呢？
But where were the people?
我看前面。
I looked in front.
前面没有人。
There was no one in front.
我看后面。
I looked behind.
后面没有人。
There was no one behind.
我看上面。
I looked above.
上面没有朋友。
There were no friends above.
我看下面。
I looked below.
下面也没有朋友。
There were no friends below either.
我很冷。
I was very cold.
这个地方很冷。
This place was very cold.
这时候，我看见一个人。
At this moment, I saw a person.
他在那里站着。
He was standing there.
他很高。
He was very tall.
他很好看。
He was very good-looking.
我想：“他是我的朋友吗？
I thought: "Is he my friend?"
我走过去。
I walked over.
我走到他前面。
I walked in front of him.
我对他说：“你好。
I said to him: "Hello."
他很快说话。
He spoke very fast.
他说了很多话。
He said a lot of words.
他说：“我爱你。
He said: "I love you."
他说：“你漂亮。
He said: "You are beautiful."
他问：“你是谁？
He asked: "Who are you?"
他问：“你在哪儿？
He asked: "Where are you?"
我也很高兴。
I was also very happy.
可是，有一点不对。
But, something was wrong.
他的眼睛不动。
His eyes didn't move.
他的手不动。
His hands didn't move.
他不是真的人。
He was not a real person.
他是电脑。
He was a computer.
他是机器。
He was a machine.
你知道吗？
Do you know?
他不是人。
He was not a human.
我很不高兴。
I was very unhappy.
我不想和电脑说话。
I didn't want to talk to a computer.
我想和人说话。
I wanted to talk to a person.
我想和真的人说话。
I wanted to talk to a real person.
这个商店里，有很多这样的人。
In this store, there were many people like this.
他们都是电脑。
They were all computers.
他们不是我们的朋友。
They were not our friends.
这个商店有很多东西。
This store had many things.
有很多我不喜欢的东西。
There were many things I didn't like.
我看不到朋友。
I couldn't see friends.
我只看到东西。
I only saw things.
我很累。
I was very tired.
找朋友太难了。
Finding friends is too hard.
在这个商店里，太难了。
In this store, it is too hard.
我要走了。
I am leaving.
我要去别的地方。
I am going to another place.
我的朋友走了。
My friends have left.
他们去新的商店了。
They went to a new store.
那个商店很小。
That store is very small.
可是那里有人。
But there are people there.
那里没有电脑。
There are no computers there.
那里不要五百块。
It doesn't require five hundred kuai there.
我也要去那里。
I am also going there.
再见，大商店。
Goodbye, big store.
我不喜欢你了。
I don't like you anymore.
这个故事说完了。
This story is finished.
这个故事说的是什么呢？
What is this story about?
这个故事是真的。
This story is true.
这不是商店。
This is not a store.
这是一个电话里的东西。
This is something inside a phone.
它的名字叫Grindr。
Its name is Grindr.
这是一个找朋友的地方。
This is a place to find friends.
以前，它很好。
Before, it was very good.
现在，它不好。
Now, it is not good.
它要很多钱。
It wants a lot of money.
五百块一个月。
Five hundred kuai a month.
它有很多电脑人。
It has many computer people.
那不是真的人。
Those are not real people.
那是AI。
That is AI.
大家都不喜欢。
No one likes it.
大家都走了。
Everyone has left.
这就是Grindr的故事。
This is the story of Grindr.
它现在没有人了。
It has no people now.
A common place to buy things. Measure word: 家 (jiā).
A very common noun for people you know and like.
Adjective describing a positive feeling.
Adjective describing physical or mental fatigue.
Often used in '听不懂' (listen but not understand).
Standard question word for asking reasons.
Conjunction used to introduce a result.
Body part noun. Measure word: 只 (zhī) for one, 双 (shuāng) for a pair.
In this context, it refers to money (CNY/Yuan).
Directional verb indicating movement away from the speaker into a space.
A narrative. Measure word: 个 (gè).
Preposition used to introduce the topic.
Adjective describing something easy or not complex.
Verb indicating a change in state.
Noun referring to mechanical devices or, in this context, bots.
Verb indicating physical posture.
* beyond level超纲词
Verb + 过 (guò)
Indicates a past experience. It emphasizes that the action has happened at least once in the past.
你去过吗？ (Have you been there?)
我想你去过。 (I think you have been there.)
Verb + 着 (zhe)
The aspect particle 'zhe' is added to a verb to indicate a continuous state or an ongoing action.
他在那里站着。 (He was standing there.)
看着我 (Looking at me)
因为 (yīnwèi) ... 所以 (suǒyǐ) ...
A common conjunction pair meaning 'Because ... therefore ...'. Sometimes 'yīnwèi' is omitted.
因为我们有新东西。 (Because we have new things.)
所以我进去了。 (So I went in.)
Place + 有 (yǒu) + Object
Standard pattern to express existence or presence in a location (There is/are...).
有人在门前面。 (There is someone in front of the door.)
商店里有很多这样的人。 (There are many people like this in the store.)
Topic + 变 + 了 (biàn le)
Indicates a change of state. The 'le' at the end emphasizes the change has occurred.
商店变了。 (The store has changed.)