A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
四百年的谜：Medici 两兄弟，到底是怎么死的？
Ancient DNA Rewrites Medici Poisoning Legend
About this story
A simple beginner Chinese listening story: for years people thought two Medici brothers were poisoned, but doctors examined their bones and found they died of an illness, not poison. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 1 minute. 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 10 key vocabulary words such as 家、东西、想 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.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Many people know the Medici family.
In this family, there were two brothers.
Many years ago, these two brothers both died.
Many people said: someone gave them bad things to eat.
Everyone really wanted to know: how did they die?
Now, doctors have looked at the two brothers' bones.
The doctors say: that's not it.
They got very sick, and died of the illness.
It wasn't that someone gave them bad things.
After many years, now, everyone knows.
The two brothers died of illness.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇Medici 这个家 = the Medici family.
吃了不好的东西 = ate bad things.
很想知道 = really wanted to know.
大家知道了 = everyone knows now.
医生看了骨头 = the doctors looked at the bones.
看了两个兄弟的骨头 = looked at the two brothers' bones.
是生病死的 = died of illness.
有两个兄弟 = there were two brothers.
都死了 = both died.
看了骨头 = looked at the bones.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法是怎么……的？
是怎么 + verb + 的？= "how did (it) happen?".
他们是怎么死的？
不是……
不是 = "it is not (the case that) …".
不是有人给他们不好的东西。
……死的
V + 死的 explains the cause of death: 生病死的 = "died of illness".
兄弟两个人，是生病死的。
Proper nouns
专有名词Free account
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