What do you want to do after retirement? And more importantly, why wait? What if you could start living your "retirement life" now, in small meaningful ways? This episode explores the concept of micro-retirement, a growing trend especially among younger generations. We’ll look at how it connects to remote work, financial planning, lifestyle design, and cultural attitudes toward work and rest. Let’s dive into what micro-retirement really means and why it might be a life strategy worth considering.

退休之後你想做什麼？你想不想現在就開始過「退休生活」？「微退休」也許是一個你可以思考的方式！來一起了解一下什麼是微退休吧！

• 🧳 Retirement & Career Choices

  • 退休 (tuì xiū) – retirement

  • 辭職 (cí zhí) – resignation / quitting a job

  • 微退休 (wēi tuì xiū) – micro-retirement

  
  

  🌍 Work & Lifestyle Shifts

  • 疫情 (yì qíng) – pandemic

  • 遠端工作 (yuǎn duān gōng zuò) – remote work

  • 全心全意 (quán xīn quán yì) – wholeheartedly / with full dedication

  
  

  💸 Well-being & Resources

  • 儲蓄 (chǔ xù) – savings

  • 生活品質 (shēng huó pǐn zhí) – quality of life

  • 心理健康 (xīn lǐ jiàn kāng) – mental health

  
  

  👩‍💻 Generational Trends

  • Z世代 (Z shì dài) – Gen Z
    (born mid-1990s to early 2010s)

  
  

  🧠 Cultural Perspectives & Values

  • 文化差異 (wén huà chā yì) – cultural differences

  • 承擔後果 (chéng dān hòu guǒ) – taking responsibility / bearing consequences

  • 社會風氣 (shè huì fēng qì) – social atmosphere / public attitudes

  • 循環 (xún huán) – cycle / recurring pattern

  • 罪惡感 (zuì è gǎn) – guilt

  • 觀念轉變 (guān niàn zhuǎn biàn) – shift in mindset

  • 正當理由 (zhèng dāng lǐ yóu) – legitimate reason / justification

  
  

  
  

  Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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Do you enjoy working with others and completing tasks as a team? Or do you prefer to work alone and get things done by yourself? In-class group work requires communication and task-sharing, and sometimes you might even run into irresponsible teammates. But it's also a great chance to practice important skills. Once you enter the workforce, the ability to communicate and delegate tasks might be just as important as your professional expertise!

你喜歡跟人合作，分組進行任務嗎？還是你更喜歡單打獨鬥，自己完成任務？課堂分組要跟人溝通、分配任務，有時候還會遇到不負責任的組員，可是同時也是很好的練習機會。進入職場以後，這些溝通、分配任務的能力可能跟你的專業能力一樣重要呢！

Keywords 關鍵字：

1. 氣氛活潑 (qìfēn huópō) – lively atmosphere

2. 溝通、抱怨 (gōutōng, bàoyuàn) – communication, complaints

3. 職場、現實 (zhíchǎng, xiànshí) – workplace, reality

   
   

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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Spring is here! What kind of flowers are blooming near your home? Do you enjoy flower viewing? When you see a beautiful sea of blossoms, does it make your heart “bloom with joy”? As the saying goes, “Pick the flowers while they bloom; don’t wait until there are only bare branches left.” Let’s seize the chance to enjoy this limited-time beauty gifted by nature together!

春天來了，你家附近有什麼花呢？你喜歡賞花嗎？看到美麗的花海，是否會讓你「心花朵朵開」？「花開堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝」，讓我們一起把握大自然給予的期間限定美景吧！

1. 花相關動作與形態

• 賞花shǎnghuā: flower viewing / enjoy the blossoms

• 開花kāihuā: bloom / blossom

• 花海huāhǎi: sea of flowers / floral sea

• 花苞huābāo: flower bud

2. 常見花卉名稱

• 櫻花yīnghuā: cherry blossoms

• 木棉花mùmiánhuā: kapok flowers / cotton tree flowers

• 杜鵑花dùjuānhuā: azaleas

3. 與花相關的感官與生物

• 視覺shìjué: visual perception / sight

• 花香huāxiāng: floral scent / fragrance of flowers

• 蜜蜂mìfēng: bees

4. 顏色詞

• 粉紅色fěnhóngsè: pink

• 桃花色táohóngsè: peach blossom pink

• 橘紅色júhóngsè: orange-red

• 深橘紅shēnjúsè: deep orange-red

5. 地點與活動

• 大安森林公園dà’ān sēnlín gōngyuán: Daan Forest Park

• 杜鵑花季dùjuānhuājì: Azalea Festival

6. 花與情緒的比喻

• 心花怒放xīnhuānùfàng: be wild with joy / overjoyed

• 心花朵朵開xīnhuā duǒduǒ kāi: (literal: “the heart blossoms”) be delighted / have a blooming heart

7. 過敏相關

• 花粉症huāfěnzhèng: hay fever / pollen allergy

• 花粉過敏huāfěn guòmǐn: allergic to pollen

8. 其他相關詞語

• 眉頭一皺méitóu yízhòu: furrow one’s brows

• 期間限定qíjiān xiàndìng: limited-time offer / seasonal special

• 颳風下雨guāfēng xiàyǔ: windy and rainy

9. 詩句

• 花開堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝:

huākāi kānzhé zhíxū zhé，mòdài wúhuā kōngzhézhī

“Pick the flowers while they bloom; don’t wait until there are only bare branches left.”

(Meaning: Seize opportunities while they last.)

10. 經濟相關

• 產值chǎnzhí: output value / production value / economic value

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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Every year around the third month of the lunar calendar, people in Taiwan take part in the lively and meaningful event called the “Mazu Pilgrimage.” During this event, thousands of followers walk alongside Mazu’s palanquin, joining a long journey to offer incense and pray for blessings. Some people even walk hundreds of kilometers! It’s not just about religion — along the way, you can really see and feel Taiwan’s local culture, friendly people, and beautiful scenery. So, let’s take a closer look at this special tradition and find out what makes it so unique!

在每年農曆三月左右進行的「媽祖遶境」活動中，信徒會跟隨媽祖的腳步虔誠進香，繞境祈福，徒步行走數百公里。跟隨媽祖遶境，你將能從不同的角度看到台灣的文化、風土、民情，跟我們一起來了解這個活動吧！

keywords:

盤點 (pándiǎn) – Inventory, review

媽祖遶(繞)境 (Māzǔ rào/ràojìng) – Mazu Pilgrimage

進香 (jìnxiāng) – Pilgrimage to offer incense

三月瘋媽祖 (Sānyuè fēng Māzǔ) – March Madness for Mazu

女神 (nǚshén) – Goddess

海上的守護神 (hǎishàng de shǒuhùshén) – Guardian of the sea

繞來繞去 (ràolái ràoqù) – Wandering around, circling

宮廟 (gōngmiào) – Temples

出嫁 (chūjià) – Marrying off (symbolic for Mazu’s journey)

回娘家 (huí niángjiā) – Returning to her maternal home (symbolic return journey)

大甲媽 (Dàjiǎ Mā) – Dajia Mazu

白沙屯媽 (Báishātún Mā) – Baishatun Mazu

嘉年華 (jiāniánhuá) – Carnival

馬拉松 (mǎlāsōng) – Marathon

拜拜 (bàibài) – Worship

虔誠 (qiánchéng) – Devotion

神聖 (shénshèng) – Sacred

信仰 (xìnyǎng) – Faith, belief

小偷 (xiǎotōu) – Thief

錢財 (qiáncái) – Wealth, money

中暑 (zhòngshǔ) – Heatstroke

蚊子 (wénzi) – Mosquito

鞭炮 (biānpào) – Firecrackers

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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Whether it’s through language, clothing, or music, a person’s "sense of era" and "cultural bubble" often shine through. Even within the same language, people from different generations tend to use words and expressions differently. If you truly want to understand someone, you must first understand the language and expressions they are accustomed to.

Do you want to learn phrases commonly used in business settings or slang popular among younger generations? How should one go about learning and using them effectively?

不論是語言、衣著、音樂都常常可以看出一個人的「年代感」和「同溫層」。即使是同一個語言，不同年代的人經常會有不太一樣的用法，如果想真正了解一個人，就必須了解他習慣的用法。你想學習商務場合的用語，還是年輕世代的流行語？應該如何去學習和使用呢？

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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Do you prefer a packed, fast-paced itinerary, or a slower, more mindful "slow travel" experience? If you're tired of planning detailed schedules or no longer want to rush through attractions without truly experiencing them, maybe it's time to plan a slow travel journey!

你喜歡行程豐富的充實旅行，還是放慢速度關注感受的「軟旅行」？如果厭煩了規劃行程，或者不想總是走馬看花地拜訪景點，也許你現在該規劃的是一場軟旅行喔！

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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How many "online friends" do you have? Have you ever met your online friends in person? Do they look or act like you imagined? Joanne and April are online friends who have been recording together all this time but have never met in real life! What does it feel like to be so familiar yet so unfamiliar after so many years? Come listen to how we view "online friends"!

你有多少「網友」？你跟網友見過面嗎？你的網友跟你想像中的樣子一樣嗎？Joanne跟April是網友，而且是錄音錄到現在都沒見過面的網友！這麼多年又熟悉又陌生是什麼樣的感覺？來聽聽看我們怎麼看「網友」吧！

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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In this episode, April and three American students discuss what it is like to be a senior in college. Topics include how the students feel about graduating, their plans after graduation, and struggles they have as fourth year students.

在這一集中，April 和三位美國學生一起聊聊大學四年級學生對畢業的感覺。除了討論對畢業後的感覺以外，還說到了畢業後的計畫，以及所面臨的壓力。快來聽聽他們對畢業的看法，也歡迎大家和我們分享自己的經驗！

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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In this episode, April and Julia dive into the special celebration of Thanksgiving! We discuss classic Thanksgiving foods like turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce, as well as fun traditions such as Black Friday and family dinners. Additionally, we explore the history of Thanksgiving, touching on its controversies, and compare it with Christmas. To wrap things up, April poses an interesting question: Does your country have a holiday similar to Thanksgiving? Tune in now and join us as we explore the spirit of Thanksgiving!

在這一集中，April 和佳悅一起聊聊「感恩節」這個特別的節日！我們分享了感恩節經典食物，例如火雞、土豆、地瓜、蔓越莓醬，還有一些有趣的傳統，比如黑色星期五和家人聚餐。除此之外，我們也回顧了感恩節的歷史，討論了其中的爭議點，並比較了感恩節與聖誕節。最後，April 還問了一個很有趣的問題：在你的國家，有沒有像感恩節這樣的節日呢？趕快點擊播放，和我們一起進入感恩節的世界吧！

Recommend Level: CEFR A2 (and above)

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Is writing Chinese characters difficult for you? In fact, for people in Taiwan, writing characters isn’t that easy either. Native speakers spend a lot of time practicing the skill of writing characters and trying to memorize them. Nowadays, even though people type more than they write characters by hand, it can still be a calming and therapeutic activity

你喜歡寫字嗎？對你來說寫中文字是不是一件很困難的事？其實對台灣人來說，寫字也一點都不簡單。但有時候寫字也可能是一件療癒的事情呢！來聽聽看我們對寫字的看法吧！

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