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

Teacher 刘 and new student 小潘 meet for the first time, introducing themselves and getting to know each other briefly.

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《English Translation》

刘娜: Hello, I am Teacher Liu. What is your name?
小潘: Hello, Teacher Liu! My name is 潘俊英, but you can call me 小潘.
刘娜: Okay, 小潘. Where are you from?
小潘: I am Vietnamese, from Huế.
刘娜: How old are you this year?
小潘: I am twenty years old.
刘娜: Are you an international student?
小潘: Yes, I am studying history in Beijing.
刘娜: Do you like Chinese history?
小潘: I love it! I especially like the Tang Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms.
刘娜: Great! Welcome to China!
小潘: Thank you, Teacher!

小刚 and 小宝 discuss the incident of sleeping while using intelligent driving on the highway.

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《English Translation》

小宝: Brother, what is 'intelligent driving'? Can the car drive itself?
小刚: Well, it's a function that can help the driver drive, but it doesn't drive completely by itself. The driver still has to watch the road and can't fall asleep.
小宝: But I saw on the news that someone fell asleep while driving and went really far!
小刚: Yeah, someone on the highway slept for an hour and drove over a hundred kilometers using intelligent driving. It was so dangerous!
小宝: Won't the car crash? That's amazing!
小刚: It's not that it won't crash; it was just lucky. The police said you can't completely rely on the machine. You can't trust your life to a machine.
小宝: So when I grow up and drive, I can't be lazy and sleep, right?
小刚: Of course not! Safety first. No matter how smart the car is, it still needs someone to drive attentively.

A couple discusses the value of liberal arts in the AI era.

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《English Translation》

陈花: Honey, did you see Professor 刘永谋's interview? He said that liberal arts that don't adapt to the times should cut enrollment. I think that's too extreme.
黄刚: I actually think he makes a good point. With AI developing so rapidly, traditional liberal arts do face challenges and need to adjust.
陈花: But I teach English. If it's also considered 'useless,' what will teachers like me do?
黄刚: It's not that liberal arts are useless; they just need to be reformed to be 'useful in a big way.' For example, your English class could focus on new needs in the AI era, like cross-cultural communication or integrating language with technology.
陈花: Now that you put it that way, I kind of agree. I've noticed that students now care more about 'practical' knowledge, not just memorizing content.
黄刚: Exactly. 刘永谋 mentioned that future disciplines shouldn't be so clearly divided but should be organized around real-world problems to better adapt to change.
陈花: But traditionally, our country has placed so much importance on liberal arts. As soon as you mention cutting enrollment, people criticize it as if you're destroying cultural roots.
黄刚: Of course, culture is important, but times are changing. Like he said, you can't just rely on 'reading a few more books than others' as a competitive edge anymore.
陈花: Hearing your analysis, I actually feel that reforming liberal arts is an opportunity, not a threat. If we adapt, there might even be room to expand enrollment.
黄刚: Exactly. We educators need to catch up with the times and not be left behind by technology. A reformed liberal arts program can truly serve a greater purpose.

小刚 explains the controversy caused by 赵露思's contradictory statements, helping 小宝 understand the responsibilities of public figures.

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《English Translation》

小宝: Brother, what happened to 赵露思 on TV? Everyone seems very angry.
小刚: She said on a show that being a celebrity is tough, but netizens found out she lives in a big house and buys a lot of expensive things.
小宝: But if work is tough, can't she also live in a nice house?
小刚: Yes, but while she's saying it's tough, she's living a very good life. People feel she's not being sincere and is deceiving them.
小宝: Oh... So it's because she's saying one thing but doing another, and that's why people are upset.
小刚: Exactly. Celebrities are role models watched by many, so they need to be careful with their words and actions. Being genuine and good is what makes people like them.

Teacher Liu introduces David to different types of Chinese tea and how to drink it, and they go to a teahouse together to experience it.

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《English Translation》

刘娜: David, have you ever had Chinese tea?
大卫: Yes, I’ve had green tea. It's very refreshing.
刘娜: There are many kinds of tea in China. Today, we'll go to a teahouse to try oolong tea.
大卫: Oolong tea? What does it taste like?
刘娜: Oolong tea is between green and black tea. It has a rich flavor with floral or fruity notes.
大卫: Sounds great! Is there a special way to drink tea?
刘娜: Yes, tea etiquette is quite refined. For example, you first smell the aroma, then sip the tea slowly.
大卫: Let’s go try it at the teahouse now!
刘娜: Sure! I’ll take you to a very famous teahouse!

A master and apprentice discuss the corporate crisis and strategic shift behind Samsung leader 李在镕's visit to China.

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《English Translation》

王明月: Master, did you see the news about 李在镕 visiting China? He not only went to Xiaomi's factory but also toured BYD's headquarters. He seemed quite 'humble'.
陈智高: Of course I saw it. This wasn’t just a simple business trip — it was a visit driven by a sense of crisis. Look how modest his smile was at the Xiaomi factory, in stark contrast to when 雷军 once had to apologize at Samsung.
王明月: Indeed, netizens are saying 'what goes around comes around'. But isn’t Samsung’s revenue and profit growing in 2024? Why would he still say the company is at a ‘life-or-death’ juncture?
陈智高: That's exactly the point. Things look fine on the surface, but there are hidden undercurrents. The semiconductor sector is under attack from all sides, and their TV, smartphone, and digital cockpit businesses are declining. In tech competition, falling behind even a little can get you eliminated.
王明月: I see. And I noticed he's also stepping up strategic training for the management team, seemingly trying to save the company through internal reform. But can this family-run business model really adapt to today's global competition?
陈智高: That’s the very debate in Korean society. Many believe Samsung should bring in professional managers and move away from the traditional ‘prince succession’. But deep-rooted family control and vested interests are not easily shaken.
王明月: At the end of the day, Samsung understands a hard truth: it can't afford to lose the Chinese market. With domestic technologies rising, Xiaomi and BYD no longer look up to others — they’ve become partners Samsung must win over.
陈智高: Exactly. From 'a guilty apology' to 'a smiling visit', times have changed. If 李在镕 really wants to be 'reborn through crisis', he must not only lower his posture but also break old mindsets to find new opportunities.
王明月: I get it now — this is not just a corporate transformation, but also a battle of culture and era. If Samsung doesn't break the old to build the new, even the greatest empire can collapse.

Chinese investors are flocking to buy temples in Japan, but the risks are significant.

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《English Translation》

陈花: Huang Gang, did you see that news? Some Chinese people spent millions to buy a temple in Japan and ended up regretting it.
黄刚: Yes, I saw it. They originally thought they could use the religious corporation status to avoid taxes and get permanent residency, but it turns out it's not that simple.
陈花: I thought buying a temple could be turned into a guesthouse, offering a 'temple stay' experience, but it seems I was overthinking it.
黄刚: Exactly. Japan’s Religious Corporations Act is very strict. You can't just change things as you like. And while temple income is tax-exempt, that's only for religious activities, not for commercial ventures like guesthouses or parking lots.
陈花: I heard some people were lured by the pitch that 'buy a temple and get a visa,' but after spending millions, they still couldn't get a visa.
黄刚: Moreover, Japanese society values community identity. A foreigner suddenly becoming a temple abbot — many locals won't accept that. A temple isn't just a building; it has cultural and historical significance.
陈花: So, it's one of those 'looks great on the surface' deals but is actually a trap. Investing in domestic cultural tourism projects might be a better idea. At least we understand the cultural context better.
黄刚: Exactly. You can't just chase the hype. Buying a temple is buying a responsibility, not a shortcut.

Liu Na and Yuko talk about Tai Chi and square dancing in the park. Yuko is very interested in this aspect of Chinese culture and wants to try learning it.

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《English Translation》

优子: Teacher Liu, what are those people doing in the park?
刘娜: They're practicing Tai Chi, and the others over there are doing square dancing.
优子: What is Tai Chi?
刘娜: Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese martial art that helps improve health and fitness.
优子: And what about square dancing?
刘娜: Square dancing is a group dance where many people dance together. It’s good exercise and very fun.
优子: Sounds like fun! I want to learn too. Which one do you think suits me?
刘娜: If you like a slow pace, you can try Tai Chi. If you like music and dancing, go for square dancing!
优子: They both sound interesting! I’ll try next time!

Behind AI lies the differing values and development paths of China and the US.

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《English Translation》

王明月: Master, Professor Zhu Songchun pointed out that the biggest obstacle to China's AI development is not a technical bottleneck but our blind following of the Silicon Valley narrative. It sounds sharp, but it also seems quite true.
陈智高: Indeed. Over the past decade, the Silicon Valley model that equates AI with 'big data, big computing power, and big models' has almost become the global default path. Whatever OpenAI and DeepMind talk about, we follow. But this path is not just a technological route; it is also a way to export discourse power.
王明月: I noticed that Professor Zhu mentioned a statistic: The market value of America's top three tech companies has already surpassed the entire Chinese stock market. Behind this capital narrative, there is actually a hidden form of technological hegemony.
陈智高: Exactly. And the first step of technological hegemony is discourse hegemony. They set standards, define the future, and even decide 'what intelligence really is.' Look, they claim that general AI must be built by stacking millions of GPUs — that's 'scale worship.' But do we really have to follow that path?
王明月: Ironically, many of our domestic policies and investments are actually centered around these 'Silicon Valley logics.' Even concerns about AI safety are following Hinton’s lead, as if whatever the US worries about, we should worry about too.
陈智高: This is just like the 'globalization narrative' back then. The US said 'the world is flat,' so the world handed over manufacturing to China. When they found it no longer advantageous, they immediately flipped the table, pushing for 'de-risking' and 'technological decoupling.' Discourse power is always a strategic resource.
王明月: That's why Professor Zhu emphasizes the need to construct our own AI narrative. He advocates for developing a technological path based on China's actual circumstances, avoiding being led by others' standards.
陈智高: Exactly. He is not against big models but against the illusion that 'there is only one path.' China needs to tell its own story — both the 'mind' in philosophy and the 'logic' in technology. This is not just a technological choice; it's a civilizational choice.

小刚 tells 小宝 about a news story involving fake beef jerky, and 小宝 is shocked.

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《English Translation》

小宝: Big brother, I love eating beef jerky the most!
小刚: 小宝, did you know? Some beef jerky doesn’t have any beef in it at all!
小宝: Huh? Then what’s in it?
小刚: It’s made from pork, duck, or chicken. They lie and call it beef jerky, but it’s fake.
小宝: Lying is bad! Will they get caught?
小刚: Yes. Six people have already been sentenced and have to pay a lot of money.
小宝: From now on, before I eat beef jerky, I’ll ask Mom and Dad if it’s real.
小刚: Good idea. Make sure to read the packaging carefully and buy well-known brands. That’s safer.