6:37
女孩和男孩的夏天
Never-Ending Summer, Episodes 1-2 — The Girl, the Boy, and a Bag of Goldfish (Ultra-Simple Retelling)
HSK 1 Chinese listening practice. The C-drama Never-Ending Summer told in the simplest Chinese: a girl sells study books to help her sick grandma, and teaches English to a rich boy nobody loves.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 7 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 学习、钱、买 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.
今天说一个电视剧。
Today let's talk about a TV drama.
这个电视剧是一个故事。
This TV drama is a story.
故事里有一个学生。
In the story there is a student.
她叫周挽。
Her name is Zhou Wan.
周挽很爱学习。
Zhou Wan loves studying.
她上午学习。
She studies in the morning.
她下午也学习。
She studies in the afternoon too.
她学习很好。
She does very well in school.
她学习很好很好。
She does very, very well.
周挽家里没有钱。
Zhou Wan's family has no money.
她家很小。
Her home is small.
她没有爸爸。
She has no father.
她的妈妈走了。
Her mother left.
妈妈不要她了。
Her mother didn't want her anymore.
周挽和奶奶住。
Zhou Wan lives with her grandma.
奶奶很爱周挽。
Grandma loves Zhou Wan very much.
周挽也很爱奶奶。
Zhou Wan loves her grandma too.
奶奶做菜。
Grandma cooks.
周挽吃奶奶做的菜。
Zhou Wan eats the food grandma makes.
她很爱吃。
She loves eating it.
然后，奶奶生病了。
Then, grandma got sick.
奶奶很不好。
Grandma is not well.
奶奶要看医生。
Grandma needs to see a doctor.
看医生要钱。
Seeing a doctor costs money.
要很多很多钱。
It costs a lot, a lot of money.
周挽没有很多钱。
Zhou Wan doesn't have much money.
她想：我要有钱。
She thinks: I need money.
我要奶奶好。
I want grandma to get well.
周挽想了想。
Zhou Wan thought about it.
她会写书。
She knows how to write books.
她写学习的书。
She writes study books.
她写的书很好。
The books she writes are very good.
同学看她的书，学习就好。
Classmates who read her books do well in school.
她在学校里卖这些书。
She sells these books at school.
同学都买她的书。
Classmates all buy her books.
同学给她钱。
Classmates give her money.
她就有了一点钱。
So she has a little money.
周挽天天写书。
Zhou Wan writes books every day.
她很想睡觉。
She really wants to sleep.
可是她想奶奶。
But she thinks of grandma.
她就写。
So she keeps writing.
学校里还有一个男学生。
There is another student at the school.
他叫陆西骁。
His name is Lu Xixiao.
陆西骁家里很有钱。
Lu Xixiao's family is very rich.
他家很大。
His house is big.
可是他不爱学习。
But he doesn't like studying.
他不看书。
He doesn't read books.
他天天看电视。
He watches TV every day.
他的爸爸妈妈不看他。
His mom and dad don't look at him.
他们不问他。
They don't ask about him.
没有人爱他。
Nobody loves him.
有一天，学校开会。
One day, the school held a meeting.
学校里人很多。
There were many people at school.
陆西骁不想开会。
Lu Xixiao didn't want to go to the meeting.
他跑了。
He ran off.
他在学校里跑来跑去。
He ran all around the school.
他跑到了一个东西上。
He ran into something.
水一下子出来了！
Water burst out!
水很多很多。
So much water.
水很好看。
The water looked beautiful.
同学都看水。
The classmates all watched the water.
大家都笑了。
Everyone laughed.
老师看见了陆西骁。
The teacher saw Lu Xixiao.
老师很生气。
The teacher was very angry.
老师说：你不对！
The teacher said: You are wrong!
陆西骁不怕。
Lu Xixiao wasn't afraid.
他对大家说：对不起。
He said to everyone: I'm sorry.
他还是笑。
He was still smiling.
老师很生气很生气。
The teacher got very, very angry.
老师拿走了他的钥匙。
The teacher took away his keys.
那是他车的钥匙。
Those were his bike keys.
老师说：你去学习。
The teacher said: Go study.
你学习好了，我就给你钥匙。
Study well, and I'll give you the keys back.
陆西骁想要钥匙。
Lu Xixiao wanted the keys.
他就去学习了。
So he went to study.
可是他学不好。
But he couldn't study well.
他想：我要好的书。
He thought: I need good books.
谁有好的书呢？
Who has good books?
周挽有。
Zhou Wan does.
陆西骁知道周挽卖书。
Lu Xixiao knew Zhou Wan sold books.
学校说：学生不可以卖东西。
The school says: students may not sell things.
陆西骁对周挽说：你给我书。
Lu Xixiao said to Zhou Wan: Give me your books.
你不给，我就对老师说。
If you don't, I'll tell the teacher.
周挽不想老师知道。
Zhou Wan didn't want the teacher to know.
她就把书给了他。
So she gave him the books.
陆西骁看了这些书。
Lu Xixiao read these books.
他天天学习。
He studied every day.
他真的学好了。
He really did well.
老师很高兴。
The teacher was happy.
这是故事的第一天。
That is day one of the story.
下面说第二天的事。
Now for day two.
周挽还是没有钱。
Zhou Wan still has no money.
奶奶还是生病。
Grandma is still sick.
有一天，周挽看见了一个人。
One day, Zhou Wan saw someone.
是她的妈妈！
It was her mother!
妈妈回来了。
Her mother came back.
可是妈妈不看周挽。
But her mother didn't look at Zhou Wan.
妈妈在和陆西骁说话。
Her mother was talking with Lu Xixiao.
妈妈对陆西骁很好很好。
Her mother was very, very nice to Lu Xixiao.
妈妈在做什么呢？
What was her mother doing?
周挽想了想。
Zhou Wan thought about it.
她知道了。
Then she knew.
陆西骁家里有钱。
Lu Xixiao's family has money.
妈妈想要他家的钱。
Her mother wants his family's money.
周挽很不高兴。
Zhou Wan was very upset.
妈妈不要她。
Her mother doesn't want her.
妈妈要钱。
Her mother wants money.
周挽想：好。
Zhou Wan thought: Fine.
你要钱，我也要钱。
You want money — I want money too.
我要给奶奶看医生。
I need to take grandma to the doctor.
她又想了想。
She thought again.
陆西骁想去外国读书。
Lu Xixiao wants to study in a foreign country.
外国人说英语。
People in foreign countries speak English.
他要会英语。
He needs to know English.
可是他的英语不好。
But his English is bad.
周挽的英语很好。
Zhou Wan's English is very good.
周挽去和陆西骁说话。
Zhou Wan went to talk to Lu Xixiao.
她说：我教你英语。
She said: I'll teach you English.
你给我钱。
You give me money.
陆西骁说：我不要。
Lu Xixiao said: No.
周挽没有走。
Zhou Wan didn't leave.
她说：我们玩一个游戏。
She said: Let's play a game.
你输了，你就学。
If you lose, you study.
他们就玩了游戏。
So they played a game.
陆西骁输了。
Lu Xixiao lost.
他说：好，你教我。
He said: Fine, you teach me.
他们天天学英语。
They study English every day.
他们在学校后面学。
They study behind the school.
那里没有人。
Nobody goes there.
天气很热。
The weather is very hot.
周挽教他。
Zhou Wan teaches him.
她教得很好。
She teaches very well.
他不会，她就再说一次。
When he doesn't get it, she says it again.
她看他写字。
She watches him write.
陆西骁想：她对我真好。
Lu Xixiao thinks: she is so good to me.
没有人对他好过。
Nobody had ever been good to him.
他心里很高兴。
He feels happy inside.
他现在爱学习了。
Now he loves studying.
有一天，他们看见有人卖金鱼。
One day, they saw someone selling goldfish.
金鱼是很小的鱼。
Goldfish are tiny fish.
金鱼很好看。
Goldfish are beautiful.
金鱼在一个袋子里。
The goldfish were in a bag.
袋子里有水。
There was water in the bag.
陆西骁很喜欢金鱼。
Lu Xixiao loves goldfish.
他天天看金鱼。
He looked at the goldfish every day.
可是他没有买过。
But he had never bought one.
这一天，周挽买了金鱼。
This day, Zhou Wan bought the goldfish.
她把金鱼给了陆西骁。
She gave the goldfish to Lu Xixiao.
袋子有一个小口。
The bag had a small hole.
水一点一点出来。
Water dripped out little by little.
两个人都不说话。
Neither of them spoke.
他们看金鱼。
They watched the goldfish.
天很热。
The day was hot.
这个夏天很长。
This summer is long.
女孩要钱。
The girl needs money.
男孩要爱。
The boy needs love.
他们的故事现在开始。
Their story starts now.
你想看这个电视剧吗？
Do you want to watch this drama?
Core HSK 1 verb — 她很爱学习 = she loves studying.
看医生要钱 = seeing a doctor costs money. The engine of this whole story.
同学都买她的书 = classmates all buy her books. Rising tone mǎi = buy; falling mài = sell.
周挽看见了一个人 = Zhou Wan saw someone. 看 = look; 看见 = the looking succeeded.
他心里很高兴 = he felt happy inside. Negative: 不高兴 = upset.
陆西骁很喜欢金鱼 = Lu Xixiao really likes goldfish.
The teacher takes his bike keys — the reason he starts studying. Second syllable is toneless.
奶奶生病了 = grandma got sick. 生 (develop) + 病 (illness).
她在学校里卖书 = she sells books at school. The mirror of 买 (buy).
我教你英语 = I'll teach you English. The deal at the heart of the story.
外国人说英语 = people abroad speak English. Same pattern as 汉语 (Chinese).
我们玩一个游戏 = let's play a game. He loses the game, so he must study.
陆西骁输了 = Lu Xixiao lost. Opposite of 赢 (win).
金 (gold) + 鱼 (fish). The story's most famous image: goldfish in a leaking bag.
金鱼在一个袋子里 = the goldfish are in a bag. 袋子有一个小口 = the bag has a small hole.
电视 (TV) + 剧 (drama). This episode retells a real Chinese TV drama.
* beyond level超纲词
很 + adjective
Adjectives in simple sentences take 很 before them.
她学习很好。
金鱼很好看。
天气很热。
要 + verb / 要 + noun
要 means 'to want / to need' — with verbs or nouns.
看医生要钱。
我要有钱。
陆西骁想要钥匙。
Subject + 给 + person + thing
给 = to give (someone something).
同学给她钱。
她把金鱼给了陆西骁。
verb + 了 (completed action)
了 after a verb marks the action as done.
奶奶生病了。
陆西骁输了。
妈妈回来了。
可是 (but)
Joins two sentences with a contrast.
可是他不爱学习。
可是他没有买过。