A Chinese podcast · Same story, 3 levels
约翰在北京的一天
John Legend Explores Beijing Streets
About this story
A simple story about John Legend's day in Beijing — visiting restaurants, meeting fans, and enjoying cheap, pretty food. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 8 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 14 key vocabulary words such as 饭馆、高兴、漂亮 and walks through 5 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 3 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
Speaking of a story about an American big star on the streets of Beijing.
There is a person.
His name is John.
He is American.
He is a man.
He has a wife.
He has a son.
He has a daughter.
He has a big family.
He loves his family very much.
What is John's job?
He is a person who sings.
He is a singer.
He sings very well.
Many people like him.
Many people listen to his songs.
He is a big star.
Where is he now?
He is in China.
He is in Beijing.
Beijing is in China.
Beijing is a big city.
There are many people here.
There are many cars here.
The weather is very good today.
It is not raining.
The sky is very blue.
It is neither cold nor hot.
John is very happy.
He wants to go out.
Where is he going?
He is not going to big stores.
He is not going to big restaurants.
He is going to the street.
He wants to see Beijing.
He wants to see the people here.
He puts on clothes.
He walked out.
He walks on the street.
The street is very beautiful.
The road is very wide.
The road is very long.
There are trees by the roadside.
The trees are green.
The trees are very beautiful.
John walks slowly.
He looks ahead.
There are people ahead.
There are cars ahead.
He looks behind.
There are also people behind.
Everyone is walking.
Some are going to work.
Some are going to school.
Some are going to buy things.
John looks at these people.
He thinks it is very interesting.
He looks at the houses by the roadside.
The houses are very old.
The houses are very beautiful.
This is old Beijing.
He likes it here.
He took out his mobile phone.
He wants to take photos.
He took photos of the houses.
He took photos of the trees.
He took photos of the road.
The photos look very good.
He still wants to walk.
He saw a shop.
A small shop.
There is water in the shop.
There is fruit in the shop.
There are apples.
The apples are red.
John saw a cat.
A small cat.
The small cat is sleeping.
The small cat is very cute.
He also took a photo of the cat.
He saw a dog again.
A small dog.
The small dog is running.
The small dog is very happy.
John is also very happy.
At this time.
John got hungry.
It is noon now.
He wants to eat something.
He is going to eat lunch.
He sees a restaurant.
This is a small restaurant.
There are people in the restaurant.
People are eating things.
John went inside.
He found a table.
He sat down.
The table is very clean.
The chair is also very comfortable.
The waiter came.
The waiter said hello.
John said hello.
John can speak a little Chinese.
He speaks it poorly.
But it doesn't matter.
The waiter understands.
John looks at the menu.
There are dishes on the menu.
There is rice on the menu.
What does he want to eat?
He wants to eat dumplings.
Dumplings are a Chinese dish.
Everyone loves to eat dumplings.
John said I want dumplings.
The waiter said okay.
John said I also want tea.
The waiter said okay.
John is waiting.
He looks at the people in the restaurant.
Everyone is eating.
Everyone is talking.
Everyone is very happy.
After a while.
The dumplings came.
The dumplings are very hot.
The dumplings smell very good.
The tea also came.
John eats dumplings.
He ate one.
Very delicious.
He ate another one.
Really delicious.
He likes it very much.
He drank a sip of tea.
The tea is also very good to drink.
He ate a lot.
He is full.
He is very happy.
He gives money.
How much money?
Not expensive.
Very cheap.
He gave one hundred kuai.
The waiter gives change.
He said thank you.
The waiter said goodbye.
John walked out of the restaurant.
He is on the street again.
At this time.
Someone saw him.
That is a young person.
That is his fan.
That person looks at John.
John also looks at him.
That person recognizes John.
That person is very surprised.
That person says:
Are you John?
Are you that singer?
John smiled.
John said yes.
I am John.
That person is too happy.
That person says:
I like your songs.
Your songs are so good to listen to.
I love you.
John said thank you.
That person takes a mobile phone.
He says can we take a photo?
I want to take a photo with you.
John says no problem.
We can take a photo.
John is a good person.
He is very good to people.
They stand together.
John smiled.
That person also smiled.
They took a photo.
The photo is very beautiful.
That person is very happy.
He said thank you.
John said you're welcome.
That person left.
A few more people came.
They also recognize John.
They also want to take photos.
John says yes to all.
He takes photos with everyone.
He takes photos on the street.
Everyone is very happy.
The people here are very friendly.
John feels very warm.
His day in Beijing.
This is a very happy day.
He saw many things.
He ate many things.
He met many friends.
He thinks Beijing is very good.
He feels this place is like home.
It is getting dark.
John is going back.
He takes a taxi.
He went back.
He looks at photos in the car.
There are smiling faces in the photos.
There are stories in the photos.
What is this story about?
It speaks of John Legend.
His English name is John Legend.
He is a very famous singer.
He recently went to Beijing.
He went to the old streets of Beijing.
He ate a lot of delicious food.
He took photos with everyone.
Everyone says he is very "down to earth".
The meaning is he is very approachable.
He is not like a big star.
He is like our friend.
Everyone likes him very much.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇A common place to eat meals. Often used for smaller or casual dining establishments.
Adjective describing a feeling of joy or gladness.
Used to describe people, scenery, or objects.
Used to express an opinion or a physical sensation.
Opposite of 'expensive' (guì).
The person who serves you in a restaurant or shop.
To know a person or be familiar with something.
A professional who sings. 'Gē' means song, 'shǒu' implies a hand or a skilled person.
Verb-object compound. 'Pāi' is to clap/shoot, 'zhào' refers to the photograph.
List of dishes available in a restaurant.
'Mí' refers to an enthusiast or fan.
Feeling of shock or amazement.
Can describe temperature or a feeling of emotional warmth/kindness.
Idiom literally meaning 'connected to the earth's energy'. Describes someone famous who is approachable and not stuck-up.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法This pattern expresses existence, indicating that something is located in a specific place (There is/are...).
商店里有水 (There is water in the shop)
路边有树 (There are trees by the roadside)
前面有人 (There are people ahead)
Used to indicate an action taking place at a specific location.
他在街上走 (He walks on the street)
他在车上看照片 (He looks at photos in the car)
小猫在睡觉 (The small cat is sleeping - note: here 'zai' marks progressive aspect, but functions similarly in structure)
Used to describe the degree or manner of an action. It follows the verb to tell how well or in what way the action is done.
他唱歌很好听 (He sings very well/pleasantly)
他说得不好 (He speaks it poorly)
服务员听得懂 (The waiter can understand - potential complement)
Means 'some... some...'. Used to list different activities or states within a group.
有的去工作 (Some go to work)
有的去学校 (Some go to school)
有的去买东西 (Some go to buy things)
Used to emphasize a characteristic, category, or detail about the subject.
树是绿色的 (The trees are green)
苹果是红的 (The apples are red)
Proper nouns
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