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四百年的谜：Medici 两兄弟，到底是怎么死的？
A 400-Year Mystery: How Did the Two Medici Brothers Really Die?
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.
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.
很多人都知道 Medici 这个家。
Many people know the Medici family.
这个家里，有两个兄弟。
In this family, there were two brothers.
很多年了，这两个兄弟，都死了。
Many years ago, these two brothers both died.
很多人说：有人给他们吃了不好的东西。
Many people said: someone gave them bad things to eat.
大家都很想知道：他们是怎么死的？
Everyone really wanted to know: how did they die?
现在，医生看了两个兄弟的骨头。
Now, doctors have looked at the two brothers' bones.
医生说：不是的。
The doctors say: that's not it.
是他们生了很大的病，病死的。
They got very sick, and died of the illness.
不是有人给他们不好的东西。
It wasn't that someone gave them bad things.
很多年了，现在，大家知道了。
After many years, now, everyone knows.
兄弟两个人，是生病死的。
The two brothers died of illness.
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
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。
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