
两年前大家最喜欢他,今天他要走了
Two Years Ago Everyone Loved Him; Today He Is Leaving — A Beginner Story in Simple Chinese
HSK 1 Chinese listening practice. The story of Britain's prime minister Starmer — a leader everyone chose two years ago who is now stepping down — told slowly in beginner Chinese: rising prices, lost hope, officials quitting one by one, and what makes a good leader.
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 13 key vocabulary words such as 国家、官、管 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,我们说一个人。
Today, we'll talk about a person.
这个人,
This person
住在很远的,
lives in a faraway
一个国家。
country.
这个国家,
This country
不是中国。
is not China.
在很远很远的,
It's very, very far away,
西边。
to the west.
这个人,
This person —
是做什么的呢?
what does he do?
他是这个国家,
He is, of this country,
最大的官。
the highest official.
什么是最大的官?
What is the highest official?
就是说,
It means
这个国家的事,
the country's affairs,
很多都是他,
many of them, he
说了算。
has the final say on.
他要管,
He has to manage
很多很多人。
very, very many people.
他要管,
He has to manage
一个很大的国家。
a very big country.
这样的人,
A person like this
很重要。
is very important.
两年以前,
Two years ago,
大家都很喜欢他。
everyone liked him very much.
很多很多人,
Very, very many people
都选了他。
chose him.
那个时候,
At that time,
他很高兴。
he was very happy.
大家,
Everyone
也对他很有希望。
also had high hopes for him.
但是,
But
两年以后的今天,
today, two years later,
事情,
things
全变了。
have completely changed.
现在,
Now,
很多人,
many people
不喜欢他了。
no longer like him.
为什么呢?
Why?
我们慢慢说。
Let's take it slowly.
这两年,
These two years,
这个国家的人,
the people of this country
过得不太好。
have not had it easy.
东西,
Things
越来越贵。
are more and more expensive.
钱,
Money
越来越不够用。
is less and less enough.
买吃的,
Buying food
要花很多钱。
costs a lot of money.
用电,用水,
Using electricity, using water,
也都贵了。
have gotten expensive too.
大家心里,
In everyone's hearts,
都不高兴。
no one is happy.
他们想:
They think:
你是最大的官,
you are the highest official,
你应该管好这些事。
you should handle these things well.
但是,
But
日子还是很难。
life is still hard.
慢慢地,
Slowly,
越来越多的人,
more and more people
对他没有了希望。
lost hope in him.
不只是老百姓。
It wasn't only ordinary people.
和他一起工作的人,
The people who worked with him
也开始,
also began,
一个一个地,
one by one,
走了。
to leave.
今天,
Today,
这个人,不干了。
this one quits.
明天,
Tomorrow,
那个人,也不干了。
that one quits too.
有管病人的,
Some managed the sick,
也有管军队的。
some managed the army.
他们就像在说:
It was as if they were saying:
我们,
we
不想再跟着你了。
don't want to follow you anymore.
走的人,
The people leaving
越来越多。
grew more and more.
帮他的人,
The people helping him
越来越少。
grew fewer and fewer.
到最后,
In the end,
他自己也知道:
he himself knew:
他,
he
做不下去了。
could not go on.
所以,
So,
就在这个星期,
just this week,
他站出来,
he stepped forward,
对大家说:
and said to everyone:
我,
I
要走了。
am leaving.
这个人,
This person —
是哪个国家的呢?
which country is he from?
是英国。
Britain.
他的名字,
His name
叫斯塔默。
is Starmer.
他这个最大的官,
His title, the highest official,
还有一个名字,
has another name:
叫首相。
prime minister.
现在,
Now,
他不想再做首相了。
he no longer wants to be prime minister.
英国,
Britain
要再找一个新的人,
must find a new person
来做首相。
to be prime minister.
你看,
You see,
两年前,
two years ago,
他还是大家,
he was still everyone's
最喜欢的人。
most-liked person.
两年后,
Two years later,
他就要走了。
he is about to leave.
做大官,
Being a high official
看起来很厉害。
looks very impressive.
其实,
But in fact,
也很不容易。
it's also very hard.
最后,
Finally,
我想问你:
I want to ask you:
在你看来,
in your view,
一个好的领导,
for a good leader,
最重要的,
the most important thing
是什么?
is what?
HSK 2 考纲词. 对他很有希望 = had high hopes for him; 没有了希望 = lost hope.
HSK 1 考纲词. 东西,越来越贵 = things are more and more expensive.
他是这个国家,最大的官 = he is the highest official of this country.
Glossed inline: 最大的官 = the highest official — the leader of the country.
他要管,很多很多人 = he has to manage very many people.
HSK 3. 这样的人,很重要 = a person like this is very important.
很多很多人,都选了他 = very many people chose (elected) him.
日子还是很难 = life is still hard.
Glossed simply as 不干了 / 走了 = to quit, to leave. The officials around him quit one by one.
也有管军队的 = some managed the army.
是哪个国家的呢?是英国 = which country? Britain.
Glossed inline: 最大的官,还有一个名字,叫首相 = the highest official is also called the prime minister.
一个好的领导,最重要的是什么 = for a good leader, what matters most?
* beyond level超纲词
是 ... 的呢?(framing question)
Sets up a topic the host then answers.
这个人,是做什么的呢?
是哪个国家的呢?
越来越 + Adj (more and more)
Marks gradual change.
东西,越来越贵。
走的人,越来越多。
应该 + Verb (should)
Expresses what ought to be done.
你应该管好这些事。
Verb + 不下去了 (can no longer keep doing)
A potential complement: unable to continue.
他,做不下去了。
一个一个地 + Verb (one by one)
Describes an action repeated in sequence.
也开始,一个一个地,走了。
不只是 X (not only X)
Adds that there is more beyond X.
不只是老百姓。
看起来 ... ,其实 ... (looks ..., but in fact ...)
Contrasts appearance with reality.
做大官,看起来很厉害。其实,也很不容易。