A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
每天一定要走一万步吗？研究发现七千步也有好处
Must You Walk 10,000 Steps? Research Finds Benefits Around 7,000
About this story
A report on walking 10,000 steps, a Japanese pedometer ad, and 2025 research finding benefits around 7,000 steps. HSK 2 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 2 Chinese listening episode that runs about 3 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 走、多、少 and walks through 4 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
Many people walk every day, but they don't know how many steps is best.
In Japan, some people sell pedometers.
A pedometer can show you how many steps you have walked.
An advertisement is something that lets many people see what is being sold.
Many years ago, Japan had an advertisement for a pedometer, and this advertisement made the number 10,000 steps popular.
Later, many people thought 10,000 steps was a must, but actually this is not a conclusion from scientific research.
A pedometer can only count steps; it cannot tell us how many steps our body needs.
The Economist has an article asking: do we really need 10,000 steps?
The article says 10,000 steps is a number from advertising, not a conclusion from scientific research.
Lancet Public Health published a study in 2025, and this study looked at many studies.
In the research, people who walked 7,000 steps had a lower risk of early death, heart disease, and diabetes than people who walked 2,000 steps.
But this is a result from looking at many people, not from looking at one person.
However, this does not mean that everyone who walks 7,000 steps will not get sick.
The research only compares many people's step counts and physical conditions; it cannot guarantee individual results.
In the research, for the risk of some health problems, once people walked 5,000 to 7,000 steps, the change was not very large.
There are also some benefits that can still be seen changing above 7,000 steps.
Walking 4,000 steps a day gives a somewhat lower death risk than walking 2,000 steps.
They looked at many people: how many steps they walked and how their bodies were.
This kind of research cannot tell you that after you walk these step counts, your body will definitely be better.
We should not think that once we reach a number, our body will definitely be healthy.
A pedometer can count how many steps you have walked.
But step count is not the whole picture of your body.
10,000 steps is a number from advertising.
The researchers looked at many people's data.
Everyone's body is different; you cannot look only at step count.
After walking a certain number, it also cannot guarantee that your body will not have problems.
The Economist article says that advertising numbers and scientific research findings are different.
If you want to understand your own step count, you can use a pedometer.
Can you walk a bit more today?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. A basic verb meaning 'to walk' or 'to go'. In this script: 走路 (walk), 走了多少步 (how many steps walked).
HSK 1. Used in 多少 (how many) and 多走一段路 (walk a bit more).
HSK 1. Appears in 多少 (how many) and 低一些 (a bit lower).
HSK 1. Refers to the body or physical condition. In this script: 身体需要多少步 (how many steps the body needs), 身体情况 (physical condition).
HSK 1. Used in 可以看你走了多少步 (can see how many steps you walked) and 看很多人的结果 (look at results from many people).
HSK 1. Question word for quantity. In this script: 走多少步最好 (how many steps is best), 走了多少步 (how many steps walked).
HSK 2. Used in numbers like 七千步 (7,000 steps) and 两千步 (2,000 steps).
HSK 2. Used in 一万步 (10,000 steps), the central number in the script.
HSK 2. Expresses possibility or permission. In this script: 可以看你走了多少步 (can show you how many steps you walked).
HSK 4. A public notice promoting a product. In this script: 计步器的广告 (pedometer advertisement), 广告的数字 (advertising number).
Beyond HSK 4. A device that counts steps. 计 (count) + 步 (step) + 器 (device).
Beyond HSK 4. Refers to the possibility of danger or loss. In this script: 早死的风险 (risk of early death), 得心脏病的风险 (risk of heart disease).
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法但是……，其实……
Expresses a contrast followed by a correction or clarification. 'But..., actually...'
很多人每天走路，但是不知道走多少步最好。
后来很多人觉得一万步是必须的，其实这不是科学研究的结论。
让 + person/thing + verb phrase
Causative pattern meaning 'to make/let someone or something do something'.
广告，是让很多人看见卖的东西。
很多年以前，日本有一个计步器的广告，这个广告让一万步这个数字变得流行。
比 + noun + adjective phrase
Comparison pattern meaning 'A is more ... than B'.
研究里，走七千步的人，早死的风险、得心脏病和糖尿病的风险，比走两千步的人低。
每天走4000步，比走2000步，死亡风险低一些。
不是……，是……
Contrastive pattern meaning 'It is not..., it is...'.
文章说，一万步是广告的数字，不是科学研究的结论。
但这是看很多人的结果，不是看一个人的结果。
Proper nouns
专有名词Sources
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