Chinese Short Dialogue | 听中文会话 | 中国語リスニング

Some companies pressure employees into resigning voluntarily through tactics such as transferring them to distant workplaces or subjecting them to poor working conditions, drawing attention to “soft layoffs” and labor rights.

公司用“软裁员”逼员工离职 - Companies Use “Soft Layoffs” to Push Employees to Resign [HSK 5]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

赵强: I just saw a news story. It was outrageous. An employee had worked there for five years, and the company said there were fewer projects, offered him 20,000 yuan, and asked him to resign voluntarily.
黄刚: He didn't agree, did he? If the company formally dismisses him, it may have to pay compensation according to the law, so some companies try to get employees to leave voluntarily.
赵强: Right. After he refused, the company assigned him to a shared office 50 kilometers from his home. The room was only four or five square meters, had no air conditioning, and he was required to clock in four times a day.
黄刚: They're obviously putting pressure on him on purpose. Instead of directly dismissing employees, they use job transfers or put them on standby to force them to leave on their own. People call this a “soft layoff.”
赵强: What's even more troublesome is that he went to the labor inspection authorities, but they said the company didn't owe him any wages, so this kind of dispute was difficult for them to handle directly. What else can an employee do in that situation?
黄刚: Generally, the employee can also apply for labor arbitration. But evidence is very important. Company notices, chat records, clock-in requirements, and photos of the working environment should all be kept.
赵强: It looks like you really shouldn't write a resignation letter just because you're angry. Our company has also been adjusting projects recently. I should remind my team to keep evidence first if they encounter any unreasonable arrangements.
黄刚: Right. Companies can adjust their operations when business is difficult, but employees also need to understand their rights. If you really encounter something like this, at least don't resign on your own without fully understanding what's happening.

On the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, children in southern China and other regions, as well as in Vietnam, traditionally go out carrying lanterns.

兔子灯和越南的星星灯 - Rabbit Lanterns and Vietnam's Star Lanterns [HSK 3]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

刘娜: Xiao Pan, class is over. Why haven't you left yet? What are you looking at?
小潘: Teacher Liu, look at those children downstairs. They're all carrying lanterns. They're so beautiful!
刘娜: It's the Mid-Autumn Festival today. In some parts of China, especially in the south, children go out at night carrying lanterns. That white one is a rabbit lantern. Children love them.
小潘: We do that in Hue too! In Vietnam, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival for children. We carry five-pointed star lanterns.
刘娜: Star lanterns? I've never seen one before. Did you carry one around when you were little too?
小潘: Yes. Every year I'd go out with my friends, walking and singing along the way. This is my first Mid-Autumn Festival away from home.
刘娜: You must be missing home, right? The college is holding a Mid-Autumn Festival event tonight. Everyone will make lanterns together. You should come too.
小潘: Really? Then can I make a star lantern?
刘娜: Of course. How about you teach everyone how to make one?
小潘: Sure! I'll call my mom right now and ask her how to make a star lantern.

The 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chinese people admire the moon and eat mooncakes, hoping for the whole family to be reunited.

爸爸不在家的中秋节 - A Mid-Autumn Festival Without Dad at Home [HSK 3]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

小宝: Look, big brother! The moon is so round. It looks like a big mooncake!
小刚: Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the moon is big and round. See those dark patches on it? Don't they look like a rabbit?
小宝: They do! Is the rabbit all alone on the moon?
小刚: The story says that Chang'e lives on the moon too. She can't go home, so she only has the little rabbit to keep her company.
小宝: She can't go home? Then she must really miss home.
小刚: Yeah. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for families to reunite. Everyone goes home, eats mooncakes together, and admires the moon.
小宝: Admiring the moon just means looking at the moon, right? But Dad didn't come back. Can't he come home either?
小刚: Dad works too far away from home. But he can see this same moon from where he is. Let's video-call him and look at it together.
小宝: Okay! I want to show Dad my mooncake. I saved half of it for him!

This year, for the first time, more people are buying mooncakes for themselves than as gifts, and expensive gift boxes are becoming increasingly difficult to sell.

八百八的月饼礼盒值不值 - Is an 880-Yuan Mooncake Gift Box Worth It? [HSK 5]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

陈花: We're going to my parents' place for the Mid-Autumn Festival. I found a mooncake gift box I like. It's 880 yuan. The box is really beautiful, and it would look impressive as a gift.
黄刚: 880 yuan? That box your cousin gave us last year wasn't cheap either. Didn't we end up with more than half of it left and throw it away after it expired?
陈花: But it's a holiday gift for my parents. We can't buy something too ordinary, can we?
黄刚: I just saw the news today. Now more people buy mooncakes for themselves than as gifts, and gift boxes costing over 500 yuan are becoming less and less common.
陈花: Looks like people really aren't willing to spend that much extra just for a pretty box anymore.
黄刚: Doesn't Mom love fresh meat mooncakes the most? Let's buy a box for a little over 100 yuan and bring a few freshly baked ones too.
陈花: That does make more sense. Dad doesn't like sweets anyway, so if we buy him mooncakes, they'll just sit there.
黄刚: Then we can use the money we save to buy Dad some good tea that he likes.
陈花: Okay, I won't buy that box then. Let's go get fresh meat mooncakes first thing tomorrow morning. If we go late, there'll be a long line, and I really don't want to wait for an hour.

While discussing the digitization of historical documents, Xiaopan proposes a new idea and receives Huang Gang's approval.

会议上的一个想法 - An Idea During the Meeting [HSK 3]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
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Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

黄刚: Xiaopan, we're having a small meeting. The question now is: how can we make tourists interested in these old maps and documents too? Do you have any ideas?
小潘: May I say something? I'm not completely sure, but I have a small idea.
黄刚: Of course. Go ahead, and don't be nervous.
小潘: I think we could present the maps together with related stories. For example, we could explain that this city used to have exchanges with Vietnam. That would help visitors feel more connected.
黄刚: Hmm, that's a good angle. Anything else?
小潘: I'd also suggest using simpler explanations and avoiding language that is too difficult. We could also turn the material into short content that people can read on their phones.
黄刚: Very good. That's quite close to the direction we're taking now.
小潘: I also noticed something. The name of this city appears in some old Vietnamese documents too. I think we could introduce those together.
黄刚: That's very interesting! Then we'd have historical records from both sides. We can use this idea.
小潘: Thank you. I'll look through more materials and make the content clearer.

At a concert at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium, a male audience member proposed to his girlfriend. She excitedly stood up, blocking the view of people behind her and sparking heated discussion online.

演唱会求婚，后排喊“坐下” - Proposal at a Concert, People in the Back Shout “Sit Down” [HSK 3]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

优子: Teacher Liu, did you see the trending topic? A guy proposed to his girlfriend at a concert at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest. It was so romantic!
刘娜: I saw it. But when his girlfriend stood up, the people behind them all shouted, “Sit down!” In the end, security came over too.
优子: Huh? Why? Isn’t that just like something out of a TV drama? I heard they even handed out wedding candies to the people sitting nearby.
刘娜: Handing out wedding candies was a kind gesture. But everyone paid for tickets to listen to the concert. If the people in front stand up, the people behind can’t see anything.
优子: That’s true... They were sitting near the front, where the tickets were the most expensive. But the people behind paid for their tickets too.
刘娜: Right. And many concerts have rules saying you can’t keep standing because it affects the people in the rows behind. If they had waited until after the concert to propose, no one would have been upset.
优子: That would have been better. Romance is great, but you still shouldn’t interfere with other people enjoying the concert.

David notices that '东西' is made up of 'east' and 'west' and wonders why the word has its current meaning.

东西是什么东西 - What Does '东西' Mean? [HSK 3]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

大卫: Teacher, I have a question. Why is '东西' made up of 'east' and 'west'?
刘娜: Oh? Why do you ask?
大卫: '东' means east and '西' means west, but '东西' can mean apples, books, phones...
刘娜: Good question! One explanation says that long ago, some cities had markets on both the east and west sides.
大卫: So people went to the markets in the east and west to buy things?
刘娜: Right. Some people say that later, the things people bought came to be called '东西'.
大卫: Oh, I see!
刘娜: But that's only one explanation. It may not actually be true.
大卫: Then can I say '买南北'?
刘娜: Of course not. You can only say '买东西'.
大卫: How does Chinese have so many interesting words!
刘娜: Yes. Keep learning slowly, and you'll discover many more.

Junxi shares popular cosmetic beauty trends in Korea and the influence of social media.

医美与气质：外在和内在怎么选？ - Cosmetic Procedures and Inner Charm: How Do You Choose Between Outer and Inner Beauty? [HSK 4]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

刘娜: Junxi, what beauty trends have you been paying attention to lately?
俊熙: In Korea, cosmetic beauty treatments are very popular. People pursue a natural and clean look.
刘娜: For example, what kinds of procedures do people usually get?
俊熙: Many people do skincare treatments, slight adjustments, and the kind that 'looks like nothing was done.'
刘娜: I understand. Looking better on the outside really can make people more confident.
俊熙: Exactly, and social media has a huge influence. Everyone wants to look better on camera.
刘娜: But I also want to share a saying with you: 'A person filled with poetry and books naturally carries elegance.'
俊熙: What does that saying mean?
刘娜: It means that when someone reads a lot and has a rich inner world, they naturally develop grace and charm.
俊熙: I get it now! I think both sides matter: skincare, exercise, and also reading more to build a steadier inner temperament.

A study tracking more than 20,000 middle school students found that directly copying answers from AI improved homework scores but led to a significant decline in exam performance.

用AI写作业：作业全对，考试变差 - Using AI for Homework: Perfect Assignments, Worse Exam Scores [HSK 5]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

陈花: My students are driving me crazy. Almost all the homework they turned in this semester was correct, but their average score on the monthly exam actually dropped a lot.
刘娜: Could they be using AI to do it? I just read a report about professors at the University of Hong Kong who tracked more than 20,000 middle school students and found exactly this kind of situation.
陈花: Really? What exactly did the study say?
刘娜: Students who asked AI to give them answers directly saw their homework scores rise by 18%, but within six months, their monthly exam scores fell by an average of 20%, and two years later, their high school entrance exam scores were down by as much as 24%.
陈花: That's serious! I thought they'd finally gotten the hang of things. But almost everyone uses AI now, so we can't completely ban it, can we?
刘娜: The study said that if students only asked AI to explain how to solve a problem and still spent time working through it carefully themselves, there was basically no impact. The problem was directly copying and pasting answers. And the better a student's grades were, the greater the impact.
陈花: No wonder those top students in our class have been losing points on the big problems lately! Their parents probably don't even know they're using AI.
刘娜: That's very possible. The report said half of parents didn't even know which AI their children were using. We definitely can't rely on the kids' self-discipline alone.
陈花: Looks like I'll have to hold a class meeting tomorrow and have a serious talk with the parents too. Simply banning AI won't work. We need to help the kids understand for themselves how much they lose by copying answers.

Xiaomei and Teacher Li talk about the sports she has done and how it feels to get tired after exercising.

跑步和打球 - Running and Playing Ball [HSK 2]Download the app here:

• Chinese Short Dialogue | App Store
• Chinese Short Dialogue | Google Play

Available in 8 languages on the app:

Chinese Listening | 중국어 리스닝 | 中国語リスニング | Аудирование по китайскому языку | Nghe tiếng Trung | Mendengarkan bahasa Mandarin | Escucha en chino | การฟังภาษาจีน | Chinesisches Hören | Écoute du chinois | Ascolto cinese | Audição em chinês | चीनी सुनना | الاستماع إلى اللغة الصينية

《English Translation》

李芳: Xiaomei, what exercise did you do today?
小美: I went running, and I played ball too!
李芳: That's great. Did you run fast?
小美: I ran fast at first, but then I got tired.
李芳: When you feel tired, you should slow down or take a short break.
小美: I also ran back and forth while playing ball and sweated a lot.
李芳: That shows you exercised very seriously.
小美: Even though I was tired, I thought it was really fun.
李芳: Knowing how to exercise and how to rest will help your body stay healthier.