Fluentide

A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels

Seres's New Patent: A Toilet Inside the Car — episode cover art
5:31

Seres's New Patent: A Toilet Inside the Car

About this story

A Chinese car company called Seres made a car with a toilet inside. People say this is very strange. 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 我们、他们、什么 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.

Read at your level

原文

Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.

我们来说一个很好
坐车去地方
时候时间
一个小时
小时
小时
坐了时间以后
想做什么
你想厕所
厕所
但是你在
没有厕所
怎么
你要开车
"一下
"我要厕所
然后停车
下车
厕所
时候地方没有厕所
找不到
难受
这个问题很多都有
很久
厕所
但是找不到厕所
中国一个公司
公司就是很多一起工作地方
这个公司
它的名字
就是不用
这个公司想了一个办法
一个特别办法
他们"我们一个厕所
厕所
没有听错
一个厕所
里面
椅子下面
一句
厕所出来
什么
说话
就像说话一样
"我要厕所
然后椅子下面
一个东西出来
出来就是里面慢慢出来
一个抽屉一样
这个东西就是厕所
可以厕所
用完以后
自己回去
回到椅子下面
看不见
但是里面东西
厕所以后东西
哪里
一个盒子
东西盒子
一个东西
还有一个东西不好味道送到外面
不好就是味道不好
没有那个味道
所以一个管子味道出去
这样不会
但是那个盒子
最后还是自己出来
自己倒掉
自己
这个部分不太好
这个厕所真的
现在不是
现在只是一个想法
这个公司这个想法下来
告诉政府
政府"这个想法你的
"别人可以你的想法
这个"专利"
专利就是一个想法只有可以
但是专利不是他们
很多公司很多想法
专利
但是最后没有出来
这个厕所可能不会出来
我们不知道
但是这个想法本身有意思
很好
你想一想
坐在
旁边你的朋友
然后"我要厕所
一个厕所你的椅子下面出来
你的朋友旁边
这个画面太好笑了
中国公司很多
他们想了很多很多办法
变得更好
可以里面睡觉
可以里面做饭
很大电视
现在还有厕所
中国越来越不像
越来越一个房子
一个房子
里面什么都有
也许一天
不用房子
一辆车
吃饭
睡觉
厕所
电视
一个笑话
但是看看中国
也许不全笑话
English transcript reference

Speaking of cars, let me tell you something very funny.

Have you ever ridden in a car?

Riding a car to a far away place.

Sometimes you have to ride for a very long time.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

After riding for a very long time.

What do you want to do?

You want to use the toilet.

Yes.

Use the toilet.

But you're in a car.

There's no toilet in the car.

What do you do?

You have to tell the driver.

"Stop for a moment."

"I need to use the toilet."

Then they stop the car.

You get out.

Go find a toilet.

Sometimes in far away places there are no toilets.

You can't find one.

It's very uncomfortable.

Many people have this problem.

Riding in a car for a long time.

Wanting to use the toilet.

But can't find a toilet.

In China there's a company that makes cars.

A company is a place where many people work together.

This company is called Seres.

Seres is its name.

It makes electric cars.

Electric cars are cars that don't use oil.

They use electricity.

This company thought of a solution.

A very special solution.

They said: "Let's put a toilet in the car."

Yes.

Put a toilet in the car.

You heard right.

A toilet.

Inside the car.

Under the chair you sit on.

You say one sentence.

And the toilet comes out.

What do you say?

You talk to the car.

Just like you talk to a person.

You say: "I need to use the toilet."

Then under the chair.

Something slides out.

Slides out means slowly comes out from inside.

Like pulling open a drawer.

This thing is the toilet.

You can use the toilet in the car now.

After you're done?

It goes back by itself.

Back under the chair.

Can't see it anymore.

But what about the stuff inside?

The stuff from after you used the toilet.

Where does it go?

There's a small box.

The stuff is in the box.

There's something hot.

It makes the water dry.

There's also something that sends bad smells outside the car.

Bad smell means the smell is not good.

Stinky.

Nobody wants to smell that.

So there's a pipe that sends the smell out.

This way the car won't be stinky.

But that box.

In the end you still have to take it out yourself.

Empty it yourself.

Wash it yourself.

Hmm.

This part is not great.

Is this toilet real?

Not yet.

Right now it's just an idea.

This company wrote the idea down.

Told the government.

The government said: "OK, this idea is yours."

"Other people can't use your idea."

This is called a "patent."

A patent means an idea only you can use.

But having a patent doesn't mean they will make it.

Many companies have many ideas.

Have patents.

But in the end never make them.

This car toilet might never be made either.

We don't know.

But the idea itself is very interesting.

And very funny.

Think about it.

You're sitting in a car.

Your friend is sitting next to you.

Then you say: "I need to use the toilet."

A toilet slides out from under your chair.

Your friend is right there.

Watching you.

This image is too funny.

In China there are many companies that make cars.

They think of many many solutions.

To make cars better.

Some cars let you sleep inside.

Some cars let you cook inside.

Some cars have very big TVs.

Now some cars even have toilets.

Chinese cars are less and less like cars.

More and more like a small house.

A small house that can move.

With everything inside.

Maybe one day.

You don't need to buy a house.

You just buy a car and that's enough.

Eat in the car.

Sleep in the car.

Use the toilet in the car.

Watch TV in the car.

This is a joke.

But look at Chinese cars.

Maybe it's not entirely a joke.

Listen again

Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.

What vocabulary does this episode teach?

词汇
wǒmenwe; us

HSK 1. we; us.

tāmenthey; them

HSK 1. they; them.

shénmewhat

HSK 1. what.

shíhoutime / moment

HSK 1. time / moment.

xiànzàinow

HSK 1. now.

péngyoufriend

HSK 1. friend.

mǎtǒngtoilet

The fixture you sit on in the bathroom.

zhuānlìpatent

Legal protection for an invention or idea.

shēngkòngvoice-controlled

Operated by speaking commands.

dǎoguǐguide rail

A track that lets something slide in and out.

páiqìexhaust; ventilation

Pushing air or smells out of a space.

zhēngfāto evaporate

When liquid turns into gas and disappears.

* beyond level超纲词

What grammar patterns appear in this episode?

语法
就是...

It means... Used for defining terms.

公司就是很多人一起工作的地方。

电的车就是不用油的车。

像...一样

Like; similar to...

像你拉一个抽屉一样。

越来越...

More and more...

中国的车越来越不像车了。

Proper Nouns

专有名词
赛力斯SàilìsīSeres (Chinese EV brand)重庆ChóngqìngChongqing (Chinese city)华为HuáwéiHuawei比亚迪BǐyàdíBYD (Chinese EV company)鸿蒙HóngméngHarmonyOS (Huawei operating system)

Sources

来源

Free account

Keep learning from this story

Create a free account to keep saved words and your preferred level together.

  • Keep words with their story context
  • Remember your preferred level
  • Build your vocabulary over time

Continue with Fluentide