A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
一百块钱，买到一幅毕加索的画
$100 Bought a Real Picasso Painting
About this story
A man named Ari Hodara paid 100 dollars in Paris. He won a famous Picasso painting. He was very lucky. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 6 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 运气、我们、他们 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
Speaking of good luck, let me tell you a super lucky story.
There was a person.
He lives in France.
France is in Europe.
He is fifty-eight years old.
His name is Ari.
He likes looking at paintings.
He likes art.
But he is not a painter.
He is an engineer.
One day he was eating at a restaurant.
While eating he saw a piece of news.
The news said there was a raffle.
What is a raffle?
A raffle is when you buy a ticket.
Then if your ticket is selected.
You win.
You can win something.
What thing?
A painting.
A very famous painting.
Painted by a very famous artist.
This artist is called Picasso.
Who is Picasso?
Picasso is one of the most famous painters in the world.
He has already passed away.
But his paintings are still here.
His paintings are extremely valuable.
Some are worth millions.
Some are worth tens of millions.
Even hundreds of millions.
This painting is called "Head of a Woman."
Picasso painted it in 1941.
It's a painting of a woman's face.
How much is this painting worth?
One million dollars.
One million.
But how much is the raffle ticket?
One hundred dollars.
Not one million.
One hundred dollars.
One hundred euros.
About one hundred and seventeen dollars.
You spend one hundred dollars.
And you might win a million-dollar painting.
What is this raffle for?
It's to help sick people.
There is a disease called Alzheimer's.
Alzheimer's is when people get old.
They forget many things.
Forget who you are.
Forget your family.
This disease is very scary.
The money from this raffle goes to research this disease.
To help sick people.
There were 120,000 tickets total.
120,000.
They all sold out.
120,000 people wanted to win that painting.
The raffle was held at a very famous place.
Called Christie's.
Christie's is the world's most famous auction house.
A place that sells expensive things.
Then they started drawing.
Picking one from 120,000 tickets.
Who was selected?
Ari was selected.
He won.
He spent one hundred dollars.
And won a Picasso worth one million dollars.
Was he happy?
Of course he was happy.
He said he couldn't believe it.
He said it was because he happened to see the news at the restaurant.
That he decided to buy a ticket.
He is not a collector.
He is not a rich person.
He is just an ordinary person who likes paintings.
Now he has a Picasso.
A real Picasso.
Not fake.
Not a copy.
Painted by Picasso's own hands.
Painted in 1941.
A painting from over eighty years ago.
Now in his home.
What does this story tell us?
Luck is sometimes very strange.
You don't know when it will come.
Maybe you're eating.
Maybe you're looking at your phone.
Then you see something.
You spend one hundred dollars.
Then your life changes.
Not everyone has this kind of luck.
But this story makes people happy.
Because good things sometimes happen.
When you least expect them.
By the way I want to say some more things.
Who is the woman in this painting?
She is a woman.
Her name is Dora Maar.
She was Picasso's close friend.
Picasso painted her many many times.
This painting was made in 1941.
That year there was a war.
France was occupied by another country.
But Picasso didn't leave.
He stayed in Paris.
Painting during the war.
Over eighty years later.
This painting came to Ari's home.
One hundred dollars.
A real painting.
A very very old painting.
This story has another good part.
The raffle money doesn't go to a company.
It goes to doctors.
It goes to scientists.
They use this money to research a disease.
Alzheimer's.
When old people forget everything.
Fourteen million dollars.
All used to research this disease.
So everyone who bought a ticket did a good thing.
Even if you didn't win the painting.
Your money helped others.
This is a good story.
Good from beginning to end.
Nothing bad about it.
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇Good fortune that happens by chance.
HSK 1. we; us.
HSK 1. they; them.
HSK 1. what.
HSK 1. time / moment.
HSK 1. now.
An event where tickets are drawn randomly to determine a winner.
One of the most famous painters in history. Spanish, 1881-1973.
A genuine artwork painted by the artist themselves.
A company that sells valuable items through bidding.
Giving money or help to those in need.
A brain disease that causes memory loss.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法Proper Nouns
专有名词Sources
来源Free account
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