January 12, 2025

Capturing Magic: A Shanghai Night of Connection and Reflection

13 minutes

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Capturing Magic: A Shanghai Night of Connection and Reflection
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-01-12-08-38-19-zh

Story Transcript:

Zh: 夜晚的外滩，总是那么迷人。
En: The Waitan at night is always so enchanting.

Zh: 冷风轻轻地吹，上海的高楼大厦在夜空中闪烁着五彩的灯光，就像一幅美丽的画。
En: A cold breeze blows gently, and the skyscrapers of Shanghai shimmer with colorful lights against the night sky, like a beautiful painting.

Zh: 凌和伟站在外滩的人群中，望着对岸的浦东天际线。
En: Ling and Wei stand amidst the crowd at Waitan, gazing at the Pudong skyline across the river.

Zh: 他们刚刚结束了一天的忙碌，在春节前的这段时间，工作总是特别紧张。
En: They have just finished a busy day, and in the period before the Spring Festival, work is always particularly hectic.

Zh: 凌是个年轻的建筑师，刚搬来上海工作不久。
En: Ling is a young architect who recently moved to Shanghai for work.

Zh: 对她来说，这座城市既充满机遇，又让人有些不知所措。
En: To her, this city is full of opportunities but also somewhat overwhelming.

Zh: 伟是一名摄影师，也是凌的老朋友。
En: Wei is a photographer and an old friend of Ling.

Zh: 他在这里已经生活了一年，对城市的节奏早已习惯。
En: He has been living here for a year and is accustomed to the city's rhythm.

Zh: “我要拍一张完美的照片，参加公司的摄影比赛。”凌说，她的声音因为兴奋和一点点寒冷而微微发抖。
En: "I want to take a perfect photo to enter the company's photography contest," Ling said, her voice trembling slightly with excitement and a little cold.

Zh: 伟笑着答应帮助她，但外滩的人实在太多了，每个好位置都被占满。
En: Wei smiled and agreed to help her, but the crowds at Waitan left every good spot occupied.

Zh: “我们上次去的那个屋顶餐厅怎么样？”伟提议。
En: "How about the rooftop restaurant we went to last time?" Wei suggested.

Zh: 他知道凌不太想多花钱，但或许那里能让她拍到满意的照片。
En: He knew Ling wasn't too keen on spending extra money, but perhaps she could get a satisfying photo there.

Zh: 紧接着他们沿着熙攘的街道，来到那家餐厅。
En: They soon made their way through the bustling streets to that restaurant.

Zh: 登上屋顶，寒风更为刺骨，但视野开阔。
En: As they climbed to the rooftop, the cold wind was even more biting, but the view was expansive.

Zh: 眼前的景象让凌深深吸一口气，浦江两岸闪耀的灯光，几乎让她忘记了这里的拥挤与喧闹。
En: The sight before them made Ling take a deep breath; the dazzling lights on both sides of the Huangpu River nearly made her forget the crowd and noise.

Zh: 就在他们准备拍照的时候，夜空中突然绽放出绚丽的烟花，五光十色，绚烂无比。
En: Just as they were about to take pictures, the night sky suddenly burst with vibrant fireworks, colorful and brilliant.

Zh: 凌举起了相机，目标是那美丽的瞬间。
En: Ling raised her camera, aiming for that beautiful moment.

Zh: 可是，她的手却悬在半空中，迟疑了。
En: However, her hand hovered in the air, hesitating.

Zh: “是不是要常常通过相机来观看？”凌轻声问自己。
En: "Do I always have to watch through the camera?" Ling quietly asked herself.

Zh: 伟没有说话，只是静静地陪在她身边，看着夜空中纷飞的烟花。
En: Wei didn't speak, just stood quietly beside her, watching the fireworks scatter in the night sky.

Zh: 他们都知道，这一刻是珍贵的，有时仅仅去感受就已足够。
En: They both knew this moment was precious, and sometimes just feeling it was enough.

Zh: 凌放下相机，转过身来。
En: Ling lowered her camera and turned around.

Zh: 她微笑地看着伟，说：“没关系，我们可以改天再来。
En: She smiled at Wei and said, "It's okay; we can come again another day.

Zh: 今天就享受这份宁静吧。”
En: Let's just enjoy this tranquility today."

Zh: 最终，凌明白了，与其追求完美的瞬间，不如珍惜当下的陪伴。
En: In the end, Ling understood that instead of chasing the perfect moment, it's better to cherish the companionship of the present.

Zh: 两个老朋友在这个冬夜的屋顶上，迎接着新一年的到来，感受着彼此的温暖。
En: The two old friends on the rooftop this winter night welcomed the new year, feeling the warmth of each other's presence.

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