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He Came Home, but He Still Wasn't Free — episode cover art
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He Came Home, but He Still Wasn't Free

About this story

A Beginner Chinese audio drama about Qingyi's return home, an arranged marriage, and the mysterious woman who looks exactly like Susu. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.

This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 5 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 8 key vocabulary words such as 回家、结婚、喜欢 and walks through 2 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.

旁白pángbái· Narrator

监狱三年今天回家

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

回来

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

回来家里结婚

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

今天回家今天结婚

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

你们结婚都好

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我不认识

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

你们可以慢慢认识

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我在监狱三年你们没有来看现在结婚

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

你是这个儿子你要家里

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我知道但是不想结婚

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

先去看看你们认识再说结婚

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我去但是我要自己选择

旁白pángbái· Narrator

回家但是不能选择自己不要结婚

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

你是

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

你是

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

我不会结婚

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我也不想结婚

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

家里

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

也可以

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

他们听我

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

他们也不听我

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

一样

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我们都不能选择哪里一样

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

我不喜欢

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我也不喜欢我们结婚

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

我不会一起去

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我们家里

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

我们一样

旁白pángbái· Narrator

个人想说但是他们没有一起他们一样

宾客声bīnkè shēng· The guests

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

不要快把电影关了

旁白pángbái· Narrator

电影一个在一起大家看见记者照片

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

不要快把电影关了

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

怎么

旁白pángbái· Narrator

很不高兴他们结婚

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

现在自由

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

不是做的

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

大家不看他们都在

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我知道

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

可以不能

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

但是现在不想

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

你有选择没有

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

现在不用结婚可以

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

不走

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

不想结婚现在可以走了

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

你们我来我能你们我能不走不是自由

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

想要什么

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我要自己选择

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

你想怎么

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我知道秘密也有照片

程谨之Chéng Jǐnzhī· Cheng Jinzhi

你要什么

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我要结婚但是你们现在听我

旁白pángbái· Narrator

大家都不说话现在

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

高兴

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

他们听我

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

他们但是听我
不想家里现在也要你的

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

想要自由

敏贤Mǐnxián· Minxian

有了一点自由我的自由

旁白pángbái· Narrator

没有但是也不能自己选择
电影一个女人后来那个东西没有那里一朵花

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

旁白pángbái· Narrator

是清爱的三年已经死了

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

喜欢

旁白pángbái· Narrator

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

我要知道她是

旁白pángbái· Narrator

第二在一起哥哥也要结婚他在一个女人

清渝Qīngyú· Qingyu

她来

旁白pángbái· Narrator

走进看见不能说话她的一样

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

牧兰Mùlán· Mulan

你好

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

你是

牧兰Mùlán· Mulan

我要哥哥结婚

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

电影不见东西拿走

牧兰Mùlán· Mulan

你的礼物

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

认识

牧兰Mùlán· Mulan

今天这个我们还有很多时间

清峄Qīngyì· Qingyi

到底是

牧兰Mùlán· Mulan

旁白pángbái· Narrator

已经死了
但是一样知道电影秘密
是不是
第一没有
English transcript reference

Qingyi lived in prison for three years. Today, he came home.

I'm home.

You're back? Good. The family wants you to marry Minxian.

I came home today, and I have to get married today?

Yes. Your marriage will be good for both families.

I don't know her.

You can get to know each other slowly.

I lived in prison for three years. You never came to see me. Now you want me to get married?

You are a son of this family. You have to listen to the family.

I understand. But I don't want to get married.

Go and meet her first. Once you know each other, we can talk about marriage again.

Fine, I'll meet her. But I want to choose for myself.

Qingyi came home. But he could not choose whether he wanted to marry.

Are you Qingyi?

Yes. Are you Minxian?

Yes. I will not marry you.

Good. I don't want to marry you either.

Then go and tell your family.

You can tell them too.

They won't listen to me.

They won't listen to me either.

You and I are not the same.

Neither of us can choose. How are we different?

I don't like you.

I don't like you either. The two families are the ones making us marry.

I won't go and tell them with you.

Fine. Then we'll both tell our families no.

We are not the same.

They both wanted to say no. But they did not say it together. They said, "You and I are not the same."

Look! It's Minxian!

Don't look! Turn off the film!

In the film, Minxian was with someone. Everyone saw it, and a reporter took photographs.

Don't take pictures! Turn off the film!

What is happening?

Minxian's family was very unhappy. They said, "There will be no marriage."

Now you're free.

I didn't do this.

No one is looking at you. They are all looking at me.

I know.

You can leave. I can't.

But I don't want to leave now.

You have a choice. I don't.

Qingyi, you don't have to marry now. You can leave.

No. I'm not leaving.

You don't want to marry. Now you can leave.

When you tell me to come, can I refuse? When you tell me to leave, can I refuse? That isn't freedom.

What do you want?

I want to choose for myself.

What do you want to do?

I know Minxian's family's secret. I also have photographs.

What are you going to do?

I will marry her. But now you have to listen to me.

No one spoke. Now both families were listening to Qingyi.

Are you happy now?

They listened to me.

They listened to you. But did you listen to me?

You don't want to listen to your family. Now you want me to listen to you.

I want freedom.

You got a little freedom. What about mine?

Qingyi said nothing. The two families listened to him. But Minxian still could not choose for herself.

A woman had been inside the cinema. Later, something was missing, and a flower was left there.

Susu.

Susu was the woman Qingyi loved. Qingyi thought she had died three years ago.

This was her favorite flower.

Qingyi looked at the flower. Could Susu still be alive?

Find her. I want to know who she is.

The next day, Qingyi and Minxian stood together. Qingyi's older brother was also getting married. He was waiting for a woman.

Qingyi, she's here.

Mulan walked in. Qingyi saw her and could not speak. Her face looked just like Susu's.

Susu?

Hello. My name is Mulan.

You are Susu.

No. My name is Mulan. I am going to marry your older brother.

Did you take the missing item from the cinema?

Yes. This is my gift to you.

Do you know Susu?

We won't talk about that today. We still have plenty of time.

Who are you really?

I told you. My name is Mulan.

Qingyi thought Susu was dead.

But Mulan had the same face as Susu, and she also knew the cinema's secret.

Was she Susu?

Episode one did not say.

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Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
huí jiāgo home

to return home

jié hūnget married

to marry

xǐ huanlike

to like someone or something

zhī daoknow

to know a fact

jiān yùprison

a place where prisoners are held

mì mìsecret

something kept hidden

zì yóufreedom

the ability to choose for yourself

xuǎn zéchoose

to decide between possibilities

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法

不想 + verb

Use 不想 before a verb to say someone does not want to do it.

我不想结婚。

但是,我现在不想走。

和……一样

Use 和……一样 to say two people or things are alike.

她和素素一样。

Proper Nouns

专有名词
慕容清峄Mùróng QīngyìMurong Qingyi霍敏贤Huò MǐnxiánHuo Minxian任素素Rèn SùsùRen Susu方牧兰Fāng MùlánFang Mulan程谨之Chéng JǐnzhīCheng Jinzhi慕容清渝Mùróng QīngyúMurong Qingyu

Sources

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