Fluentide · Chinese Listening — Beginner (HSK 2)

Beijing's famous "Goose Leg Auntie" Chen Xiufeng admits her viral roasted "goose legs" sold to Peking University and Tsinghua students were actually duck legs

The Auntie's 'Goose Legs' Were Actually Duck Legs — A Beginner Story in Simple Chinese

HSK 1 level · 5:05

• 阿姨 (āyí) — auntie (respectful term for a middle-aged woman)
• 鹅 (é) — goose
• 鸭 (yā) — duck
• 腿 (tuǐ) — leg
• 肉 (ròu) — meat
• 大学 (dàxué) — university
• 学生 (xuésheng) — student
• 卖 (mài) — to sell

• Subject + 是 / 不是 + Noun — Basic identity: 'X is/is not Y'.
• A 比 B + Adj (comparison) — 'A is more Adj than B'. HSK 2 comparison structure.
• Subject + 也 / 都 + Verb — 也 = also; 都 = all. Both come before the verb. Used for parallel statements.

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Apple unveils Siri AI at WWDC 2026 after two-year delay; not launching in China or EU at first

What Apple Promised Two Years Ago — Only Today Did It Finally Ship

HSK 1 level · 4:43

• 公司 (gōngsī) — company
• 苹果 (Píngguǒ) — Apple (the company); apple (the fruit)
• 手机 (shǒujī) — mobile phone
• 东西 (dōngxi) — thing (object)
• 说话 (shuōhuà) — to speak; to talk
• 问题 (wèntí) — question; problem
• 回答 (huídá) — to answer; reply
• 等 (děng) — to wait

• Subject + 是 / 不是 + Noun — Basic identity sentence: 'X is/is not Y'.
• Subject + 有 / 没有 + Object — 'X has / doesn't have Y'.
• 都 + Verb / Adj (all) — 都 = all. Comes before the verb. Used heavily here for parallel statements.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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Alexander Zverev wins first Grand Slam title at 2026 French Open after losing three previous finals

A German Man Who Won Only After Trying Four Times — A Beginner Story

HSK 1 level · 5:33

• 事 (shì) — matter; thing; event
• 网球 (wǎngqiú) — tennis
• 比赛 (bǐsài) — match; game; competition
• 赢 (yíng) — to win
• 但是 (dànshì) — but; however
• 差一点 (chà yīdiǎn) — almost; nearly
• 等 (děng) — to wait
• 高兴 (gāoxìng) — happy; glad

• Subject + 是 + Noun — Basic 'X is Y' identity sentence.
• Subject + 不 / 没有 + Verb — Negation. 不 for general/habitual, 没有 for 'didn't' (completed).
• Verb + 得 + Adjective (degree) — Describes HOW well an action is done. V + 得 + 很/不那么 + Adj.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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Stephen Curry signs 10-year $400M deal with Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning

Curry Now Wears Li-Ning Shoes — A Beginner Story in Simple Chinese

HSK 1 level · 5:42

• 事 (shì) — matter; thing; event
• 鞋 (xié) — shoes
• 公司 (gōngsī) — company
• 篮球 (lánqiú) — basketball
• 打球 (dǎ qiú) — to play ball
• 换 (huàn) — to change; to switch (one thing for another)
• 但是 (dànshì) — but; however
• 比如说 (bǐrú shuō) — for example

• Subject + 是 + Noun — The most basic identity sentence: 'X is Y'. Used many times here to introduce who Curry is.
• Subject + 有 + Object — 'X has Y'. Used to introduce possessions/existence at the most basic level.
• Subject + 不 / 没 + Verb — Negation. 不 for general/habitual, 没 for completed actions (introduced later).

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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Fenbi CEO Zhang Xiaolong RUC philosophy lecture profanity and apology

A Boss Cursed Students at Renmin University

HSK 1 level · 8:01

• 学校 (xuéxiào) — school
• 学生 (xuésheng) — student
• 工作 (gōngzuò) — work; job
• 想 (xiǎng) — to think; to want
• 听 (tīng) — to listen
• 钱 (qián) — money
• 粉笔 (fěnbǐ) — chalk; the name of the company
• 公务员 (gōngwùyuán) — civil servant; government employee

• Subject + 是 + Noun — Basic identity sentence — 是 links the subject to a noun.
• Subject + 不 + Verb / Adjective — Negate verbs and adjectives with 不 placed directly before them.
• Subject + 很 + Adjective — Use 很 before adjectives to form a basic descriptive sentence.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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5·22 Shanxi Liushenyu coal mine gas explosion — 82 killed

Xiao Hong's Uncle — A Family Story Behind the Shanxi Coal Mine Disaster

HSK 1 level · 5:37

• 工作 (gōngzuò) — to work; work, job
• 家 (jiā) — home, family
• 看 (kàn) — to look, to watch, to see
• 想 (xiǎng) — to think; to want
• 现在 (xiànzài) — now
• 听 (tīng) — to listen, to hear
• 矿 (kuàng) — mine (in the mining sense)
• 煤 (méi) — coal

• Subject + 是 + Noun — Basic identity sentence in Chinese — 是 links the subject to a noun.
• Subject + 在 + Place — Use 在 to mark a location. Means 'at / in / on'.
• Subject + 不 / 没 + Verb — Negate verbs with 不 for general negation, or 没 to mark that something didn't happen.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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Shaolin Temple abbot Shi Yongxin sentenced to 24 years for corruption

Shaolin Temple's Great Abbot Is in Big Trouble

HSK 1 level · 5:49

• 钱 (qián) — money
• 买 (mǎi) — to buy
• 想 (xiǎng) — to think; to want
• 高兴 (gāoxìng) — happy
• 看 (kàn) — to look, to watch
• 电视 (diànshì) — television
• 和尚 (héshang) — Buddhist monk
• 新闻 (xīnwén) — news

• Subject + 是 + Noun — The basic identity sentence in Chinese — 是 links the subject to a noun (or noun phrase).
• Subject + 不 + Verb / Adjective — Negate verbs and adjectives by placing 不 directly before them.
• Subject + 也 + Verb — 也 means 'also'. It always goes between the subject and the verb, never at the start of the sentence.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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Chinamaxxing — Western Gen Z is becoming Chinese

Chinamaxxing — A Young American Learns to Drink Hot Water and Wear Slippers

HSK 1 level · 5:38

• 喝 (hē) — to drink
• 朋友 (péngyou) — friend
• 喜欢 (xǐhuan) — to like
• 杯子 (bēizi) — cup
• 高兴 (gāoxìng) — happy
• 学习 (xuéxí) — to study, to learn
• 拖鞋 (tuōxié) — slippers
• 运动 (yùndòng) — exercise, sports

• Subject + 是 + Noun — The most basic identity sentence in Chinese. 是 functions like 'is/am/are' and links subject to a noun.
• Subject + 不 + Verb / Adjective — Negate verbs and adjectives by placing 不 directly before them.
• Subject + 也 + Verb — 也 means 'also'. Always goes between subject and verb, never at the start of the sentence the way English 'also' does.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

• Read the full interactive transcript — tap any word for instant pinyin + definition
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• Save vocabulary to your personal word bank

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tesla-fsd-china-2026

A Car That Can Drive Itself Has Come to China

HSK 1 level · 3:20

• 今天 (jīntiān) — today
• 想 (xiǎng) — to think / to want
• 看 (kàn) — to watch / to look
• 听 (tīng) — to listen / to have heard
• 知道 (zhīdào) — to know
• 高兴 (gāoxìng) — happy / glad
• 车 (chē) — car
• 自己 (zìjǐ) — oneself / by itself

• X 和 Y 不一样 — 和 + Y + 不一样 sets up a comparison. The episode uses it to mark Tesla's cars as different from other cars.
• X，可以自己 V — 可以自己 + verb describes something doing an action on its own. The episode's central premise: the car can drive itself.
• 就算 A，也 B — 就算 sets up a hypothetical concession; 也 carries the result that holds anyway. The episode's safety warning.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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x-babel-tower-2026

Now You Can Read What Foreigners Are Saying

HSK 1 level · 3:10

• 今天 (jīntiān) — today
• 想 (xiǎng) — to think / to want
• 看 (kàn) — to look / to read
• 听 (tīng) — to listen / to hear
• 高兴 (gāoxìng) — happy / glad
• 知道 (zhīdào) — to know
• 语言 (yǔyán) — language
• 翻译 (fānyì) — to translate / translation

• 不一样的 X，V 不一样的 Y — A simple parallel pattern that sets up contrast across groups — the episode uses it to introduce the basic fact that different countries speak different languages.
• 比如 + example — 比如 introduces a concrete example after a general statement. The episode uses it to make the abstract idea (translation) tangible.
• 是不是 + adj? — 是不是 + adj turns a statement into a tag question — invites the listener to agree.

Get more from this episode at fluentide.com:

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• Toggle pinyin on/off above the Chinese text
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• Save vocabulary to your personal word bank

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