
很远的地方,着火了
A Faraway Place Caught Fire — A Beginner Story in Simple Chinese
HSK 1 Chinese listening practice. The story of a war reaching a big city: drones from one country flew to another country's capital and set a huge oil factory on fire — why oil matters in war, who got hurt, and how it disrupted ordinary people's day — told slowly in beginner Chinese.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 4 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 打仗、国家、俄罗斯 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,我们说一件大事。
Today we'll talk about a big event.
这件事,在很远的地方。
This thing happened in a faraway place.
不在中国。
Not in China.
在很远很远的地方。
In a place very, very far away.
那里,有两个国家。
There, there are two countries.
这两个国家,在打仗。
These two countries are at war.
什么是打仗?
What is being 'at war'?
打仗,就是两个国家,在打。
Being at war is when two countries fight.
你打我,我打你。
You hit me, I hit you.
打仗,很不好。
War is a very bad thing.
打仗的时候,
When there's war,
很多人,会死。
many people die.
很多人,
And many people
也没有了家。
lose their homes.
这两个国家,
These two countries
打了一年。
have fought for one year.
打了两年。
Fought for two years.
打了很多很多年。
Fought for many, many years.
打到今天,
They've fought until today,
还在打。
and they're still fighting.
打来打去,
Back and forth they fight,
两边的人,
and the people on both sides
都很不好。
are all in a bad way.
今天的这件事,
Today's event
就在这个星期。
happened this very week.
我们先说,
Let's first talk about
两个国家里的,
one of the two countries.
一个。
Just one.
这个国家,很大。
This country is very big.
它的名字,
Its name
叫俄罗斯。
is Russia.
俄罗斯,有一个大城市。
Russia has a big city.
这个城市,叫莫斯科。
This city is called Moscow.
莫斯科,很重要。
Moscow is very important.
它是俄罗斯,最大的城市。
It's Russia's biggest city.
就在这个星期,
Just this week,
莫斯科的天上,
in the sky over Moscow,
来了很多小飞机。
many little planes arrived.
这种小飞机,
These little planes
上面没有人。
have no one on board.
我们叫它,无人机。
We call them drones.
这些无人机,
These drones
是另一个国家,放过来的。
were sent over by another country.
那个国家,叫乌克兰。
That country is called Ukraine.
乌克兰,就是和俄罗斯,
Ukraine is the other country
打仗的,另一个国家。
that's at war with Russia.
这些无人机,
These drones
飞到了莫斯科。
flew to Moscow.
它们要去的地方,
The place they were headed for
是一个很大的工厂。
was a very big factory.
这个工厂,是做油的。
This factory makes oil.
车要走,要用油。
Cars need oil to run.
飞机要飞,也要用油。
Planes need oil to fly.
打仗,更要用很多油。
War needs even more oil.
所以,这个工厂,很重要。
So this factory is very important.
无人机,
The drones
飞到工厂的上面,
flew above the factory,
然后就炸了。
and then exploded.
工厂,着火了。
The factory caught fire.
火,很大很大。
The fire was huge.
黑色的烟,
Black smoke
飞到了天上。
rose into the sky.
莫斯科的很多人,
Many people in Moscow,
一抬头,
looking up,
就看到了。
could see it.
其实,
Actually,
这个工厂,
this factory,
这个星期,
earlier this week,
已经着过一次火了。
had already caught fire once.
今天,是第二次。
Today is the second time.
两次,
Both times,
都是无人机。
it was drones.
这一次,
This time,
来的无人机,特别多。
an especially large number of drones came.
有一百多个。
More than a hundred.
是这几年里,
It was, in these past few years,
最多的一次。
the largest such attack.
着火的,不只是工厂。
It wasn't only the factory that caught fire.
有的地方,
In some places,
房子也坏了。
houses were damaged too.
有十几个人,
More than ten people
受了伤。
were injured.
里面,
Among them,
还有两个孩子。
there were even two children.
城市里的飞机场,
The city's airports
也关了。
were also closed.
飞机,
The planes
都飞不了。
could not take off.
很多人,
Many people
走不了,
couldn't leave,
也回不了家。
and couldn't get home.
他们只能,
All they could do
在飞机场里,
was wait at the airport,
慢慢地等。
slowly.
还有的地方,
And in some places,
没有油了。
there was no more fuel.
人们想买油,
People wanting to buy fuel
车站前,
at the stations
排起了长长的队。
formed long, long lines.
有的人,
Some people
排了很久,
waited a long time
还是没买到。
and still couldn't buy any.
你看,
You see,
打仗,
war
本来在很远的地方。
was supposed to be in a faraway place.
现在,
Now,
它来到了大城市,
it has come into a big city,
来到了普通人的,
come into ordinary people's
每一天。
every single day.
最后,我想问你。
Finally, I want to ask you.
如果有一天,
If one day,
这样的事,
something like this
发生在你住的城市,
happened in the city where you live,
你会是什么感觉?
how would you feel?
HSK 2. 小飞机 = little plane; built up to introduce 无人机 (drone).
Glossed inline: 打仗,就是两个国家,在打 = war is when two countries fight.
那里,有两个国家 = there are two countries there. The whole story is about two countries.
Proper noun. 它的名字,叫俄罗斯 = its name is Russia.
俄罗斯,最大的城市 = Russia's biggest city. The city that was attacked.
HSK 3. 俄罗斯,有一个大城市 = Russia has a big city.
Glossed inline: 上面没有人,我们叫它,无人机 = it has no one on board, we call it a drone. 无人 = without people.
另一个国家,叫乌克兰 = the other country, called Ukraine — the side that sent the drones.
一个很大的工厂…是做油的 = a big factory that makes oil — the refinery, the target.
车要走,要用油 = cars need oil to run. Why the factory matters.
工厂,着火了 = the factory caught fire. 火,很大很大 = the fire was huge.
有十几个人,受了伤 = more than ten people were injured.
* beyond level超纲词
要 + Verb (need to / must)
Expresses need or necessity.
车要走,要用油。
飞机要飞,也要用油。
Verb + 不了 (unable to)
Potential complement: cannot do the action.
飞机,都飞不了。
走不了,也回不了家。
然后就 + Verb (and then...)
Sequences events: then, right away.
飞到工厂的上面,然后就炸了。
A 是 B 最 + Adj 的 (A is the most Adj B)
Superlative.
它是俄罗斯,最大的城市。
是这几年里,最多的一次。
不只是 X (not only X)
Adds that there is more beyond X.
着火的,不只是工厂。
本来 ... 现在 ... (originally ... now ...)
Contrasts a past state with a changed present.
打仗,本来在很远的地方。现在,它来到了大城市。
如果 ... ,你会 ... ? (if ... , would you ...?)
Hypothetical question, used in the reflective close.
如果有一天,这样的事,发生在你住的城市,你会是什么感觉?