Mandarin From the Ground Up

Show notes:Here is a link to my conversation with Mischa Wilmers on his I'm Learning Mandarin podcast. Taipei Shorts, an annual theater event that showcases multilingual theater written, directed, and performed by local artists in Taipei. Lesson Outline:[00:21] Intro / updates / announcements [03:53] Magic Phrase: 櫃台負責配合客人[05:56] A ramble on tones, context, and imitation[11:52] Dialogue[14:43] TranslationMagic Phrase (4-2)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 4-2 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 櫃台負責配合客人Guìtái fùzé pèihé kèrén櫃台 / guìtái / reception, front desk負責 / fùzé / to be responsible for, to take responsibility for配合 / pèihé / to cooperate with客人 / kèrén / customers, guestsTranscript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)L：嘿，教授，你叫我過來？P：小李，你進來。我要談談你的論文。L：我的論文內容，你看完了嗎？P：我看完了，你的論文主題很… 特別：「地球鳳梨種植的範圍跟價格」…L：我知道，我知道，你好奇我的調查是怎麼進行的。P：其實… 這麼說不如說…L：我去年去印尼做調查，我發現印尼竟然沒有任何鳳梨！P：不過，真正的問題更大…L：我知道了！是數學的問題，例如鳳梨在不同季節的價格不正常。P：不是這個…L：這些數學問題確實很複雜，而且你知道我不太擅長數學。P：所以我…L：但我認為這是一個過程。我一定會克服！我會練習數學…P：好了！夠了！問題不是數學，問題是… 鳳梨。L：問題是鳳梨？P：對，鳳梨這個話題，不適合作為論文題目！L：不適合？P：對！所以，很抱歉，我只能拒絕你目前的論文。L：不會吧！P：很遺憾。L：不如…. 我就換個主題重寫！P：你有時間嗎？怕時間不足，你的論文快到期了。L：我可以的！我證明給你看！P：好，那你要換什麼主題？L：我來寫… 酪梨！「酪梨的價格地圖」… 你覺得怎麼樣？Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  àL：嘿，教授，你叫我過來？Hēi, jiàoshòu, nǐ jiào wǒ guòlái?Hey, professor, you called me over?P：小李，你進來。我要談談你的論文。Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ jìnlái. Wǒ yào tán tán nǐ dì lùnwén.Xiao Li, come in. I want to discuss your thesis.L：我的論文內容，你看完了嗎？Wǒ dì lùnwén nèiróng, nǐ kàn wán le ma?The contents of my thesis, you finished reading it?P：我看完了。你的論文主題很… 特別：「地球鳳梨種植的範圍跟價格」Wǒ kàn wán le, nǐ dì lùnwén zhǔtí hěn… tèbié: 「Dìqiú fènglí zhòngzhí de fànwéi gēn jiàgé」I finished reading it. The topic of your thesis is very… special: 「Earth’s pineapple growing regions: range, and prices」L：我知道，我知道。你好奇我的調查是怎麼進行的。Wǒ zhīdào, wǒ zhīdào. nǐ hàoqí wǒ de diàochá shì zěnme jìnxíng de.I know, I know. You’re curious how I undertook my survey.P：其實… 這麼說，不如說…Qíshí… zhème shuō bù rú shuōActually, it would be better to say…L：我去年去印尼做調查，我發現印尼竟然沒有任何鳳梨！Wǒ qùnián qù yìnní zuò diàochá, wǒ fāxiàn yìnní jìngrán méiyǒu rènhé fènglí!Last year I went to Indonesia to do a survey, I realized Indonesia doesn’t have any pineapples at all!P：不過，真正的問題更大…Bùguò, zhēnzhèng de wèntí gèng dà...But, the real problem is bigger…L：我知道了！是數學的問題，例如鳳梨在不同季節的價格不正常。Wǒ zhīdàole! Shì shùxué de wèntí, lìrú fènglí zài bùtóng jìjié de jiàgé bù zhèngcháng.I know! It’s the math problems. For example, pineapples in different seasons have abnormal prices.P：不是這個…Bùshì zhège…It’s not this…L：這些數學問題確實很複雜，而且你知道我不太擅長數學。Zhèxiē shùxué wèntí quèshí hěn fùzá, érqiě nǐ zhīdào wǒ bù tài shàncháng shùxuéThese math problems are indeed very complicated, and you know I’m not too good at math.P：所以我…Suǒyǐ wǒ…So I…L：但我認為這是一個過程。我一定會克服！我會練習數學…Dàn wǒ rènwéi zhè shì yīgè guòchéng. Wǒ yīdìng huì kèfú! Wǒ huì liànxí shùxué…But I believe this is a process. I will definitely overcome it! I will practice math…P：好了！夠了！問題不是數學，問題是… 鳳梨。Hǎole! Gòule! Wèntí bùshì shùxué, wèntí shì… fènglí.Ok! Enough! The problem isn’t math, the problem is… pineapples.L：問題是鳳梨？Wèntí shì fènglí? The problem is pineapples?P：對，鳳梨這個話題，不適合作為論文題目！Duì, fènglí zhège huàtí, bùshìhé zuòwéi lùnwén tímù!Yes, pineapples, this topic, it’s not suitable to be taken as a thesis topic!L：不適合？Bùshìhé?Not suitable?P：對！所以，很抱歉，我只能拒絕你目前的論文。Duì! Suǒyǐ, hěn bàoqiàn, wǒ zhǐ néng jùjué nǐ mùqián dì lùnwén.That’s right! So, I’m sorry, I can only reject your current thesis.L：不會吧！Bù huì ba! No way!P：很遺憾。Hěn yíhàn. It’s a pity.L：不如…. 我就換個主題重寫！Bùrú…. Wǒ jiù huàn gè zhǔtí chóng xiě! How about… I just change my topic and rewrite it!P：你有時間嗎？怕時間不足，你的論文快到期了。Nǐ yǒu shíjiān ma? Pà shíjiān bùzú, nǐ dì lùnwén kuài dào qí le.Do you have time? I’m afraid there’s not enough time. Your thesis is almost due.L：我可以的！我證明給你看！Wǒ kěyǐ de! Wǒ zhèngmíng gěi nǐ kàn!I can do it! I’ll prove it to you!P：好，那你要換什麼主題？Hǎo, nà nǐ yào huàn shénme zhǔtí?Okay, so what thesis topic will you change to?L：我來寫… 酪梨！「酪梨的價格地圖」…Wǒ lái xiě… lùo lí! 「Lùo lí de jiàgé dìtú」I will write about… avocados! 「Avocados, a map of prices.」Thanks for listening. And thank you so much to the monthly supporters of this podcast! ★ Support this podcast ★

After listening to Season 3, Lesson 07, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking six minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the material. Repetition makes progress.How to practiceThis episode's daily practice session doesn't include spoken instructions, but the process is the same as previous episodes of this season:In the first part, you'll hear a short snippet of the dialogue, followed by a pause of 2-4 seconds. During the pause, try to echo aloud exactly what you heard. In the second part, the dialogue plays again without pauses. Try to shadow the dialogue by repeating it aloud simultaneously with the recording.Note that in both parts, speaking aloud is important, as this practice helps you gain confidence making the sounds of Mandarin, increasing your speaking fluency over time. It also gives you invaluable feedback, as you hear the sounds coming out of your mouth, and can compare them to the sounds you just heard. If only done once or twice, this might not seem to have much effect; repeated on a daily basis, however, this is a powerful mechanism for bootstrapping your pronunciation and speaking ability.Magic Phrase (4-1)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 4-1 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 帥哥上班，外公退休Shuàigē shàngbān, wàigōng tuìxiū帥哥 / shuàigē / handsome man上班 / shàngbān / to go to work外公 / wàigōng / maternal grandfather退休 / tuìxiū / retired, to retireTranscript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)M：阿芬！你來了！F：嘿！不好意思遲到了。我剛剛才下班。M：沒事！趕快進來坐！F：謝謝。M：你看起來好喘！F：唉，爬樓梯真的好喘！M：對，我們沒有電梯。只好讓你運動一下。F：我好久沒運動。M：沒關係，現在可以放鬆。小李，這是我的朋友，慧芬，她是律師。L：你好。F：嗨。M：來，慧芬，要不要吃麵包？小李做的！F：好厲害！M：你可以放心，他的麵包很健康！F：好好吃！你開麵包店嗎？L：沒有，其實，就是，呃… 我是一個… 呃… 作家。M：小李很害羞，可是他是一個很認真的作家。F：你寫小說嗎？L：沒有。但那是我的目標。M：來，我們先坐。正好要開始唱歌！F：我最愛唱歌！M：小李，你還沒點歌，對吧。L：我不用了。F：你真的很害羞。M：小李，拜託，唱一首給大家聽。然後我就放過你。L：可是，在很多陌生人的面前…M：什麼陌生人？我們都是朋友，你放心！L：還是我先去吃蛋糕…M：你不要逃避了啦！不唱歌，你要吃辣椒！L：什麼？M：我家的規定。L：OK，OK，好啦。我唱。F：你要唱什麼？我幫你點。L：呃… 夢中人？好嗎？F：王菲的還是蔡琴的？L：哦… 蔡琴的。M：老靈魂。L：哈哈，對啊。F：好，點好了。L：這麼快！好，請大家要有耐心…M：不要害羞！L：不能錄音哦。M：沒有人會錄音！Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  àM：阿芬！你來了！Ā fēn! Nǐ láile!A-Fen, you’re here!F：嘿！不好意思遲到了。我剛剛才下班。Hēi! Bù hǎoyìsi chídàole. Wǒ gānggāng cái xiàbān. Hey! Sorry, I’m late. I just got off work.M：沒事！趕快進來坐！Méishì! Gǎnkuài jìnlái zuò!No worries! Hurry up and come in!F：謝謝。Xièxie.Thank you.M：你看起來很喘。Nǐ kàn qǐlái hǎo chuǎn!You look really out of breath.F：唉，爬樓梯好喘！Yeah, climbing the stairs is really tiring (makes one out of breath)!Āi, pá lóutī zhēn de hěn chuǎn!M：對，我們沒有電梯。只好讓你運動一下。 Duì, wǒmen méiyǒu diàntī. Zhǐhǎo ràng nǐ yùndòng yīxià.Yeah, we don’t have an elevator. No other choice but to make you exercise a bit.F：我好久沒運動。Wǒ hǎojiǔ méi yùndòng.I haven’t exercised in a long time.M：沒關係，這裡可以放鬆。小李，這是我的朋友，慧芬，她是律師。Méiguānxì, xiànzài kěyǐ fàngsōng. Xiǎo lǐ, zhè shì wǒ de péngyǒu, huì fēn, tā shì lǜshī.It’s ok, you can relax here. Xiao Li, this is my friend, Hui Fen. She’s a lawyer.L：你好。Nǐ hǎo.Hi.F：嗨。Hāi.Hi.M：來，慧芬，要不要吃**麵包？**小李做的！Lái, huì fēn, yào bùyào chī miànbāo? Xiǎo lǐ zuò de!Here, Hui-Fen, do you want to eat some bread? Xiao Li made it!F：好厲害！Hǎo lìhài!That’s amazing!M：你可以放心，他的麵包很健康！Nǐ kěyǐ fàngxīn, tā de miànbāo hěn jiànkāng!You don’t have to worry, his bread is really healthy.F：好好吃！你開麵包店嗎？Hǎohǎo chī! Nǐ kāi miànbāo diàn ma?It's so good! Do you have a bakery?L：沒有，其實，就是，呃… 我是一個… 呃… 作家。Méiyǒu, qíshí, jiùshì, è… wǒ shì yīgè… è… zuòjiā.No, actually, I mean, uh, I’m a, uh… writer.M：小李很害羞，可是他是一個很認真的作家。Xiǎo lǐ hěn hàixiū, kěshì tā shì yīgè hěn rènzhēn de zuòjiā.Xiao Li is really shy, but he’s a very serious writer.F：你寫小說嗎？Nǐ xiě xiǎoshuō ma?Do you write novels?L：沒有，但那是我的目標。Méiyǒu. Dàn nà shì wǒ de mùbiāo.No, but that’s my goal.M：來，我們先坐。正好要開始唱歌！Lái, wǒmen xiān zuò. Zhènghǎo yào kāishǐ chànggē!Come one, let's sit down first. We’re just about to start singing!F：我最愛唱歌！Wǒ zuì'ài chànggē!I love singing!M：小李，你還沒點歌，對吧。Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ hái méi diǎn gē, duì ba.Xiao Li, you haven’t ordered yet.L：我不用了。Wǒ bùyòngle.I’m alright. (No need.)F：你真的很害羞。Nǐ zhēn de hěn hàixiū.You're really shy.M：小李，拜託，唱一首給大家聽。然後我就放過你。Xiǎo lǐ, bàituō, chàng yī shǒu gěi dàjiā tīng. Ránhòu wǒ jiù fàngguò nǐ.Xiao Li, please, sing one song for everyone, then I’ll let you off the hook.L：可是，在很多陌生人的面前…Kěshì, zài hěnduō mòshēng rén de miànqián…But, in front of strangers…M：什麼陌生人？我們都是朋友，你放心！Shénme mòshēng rén? Wǒmen dōu shì péngyǒu, nǐ fàngxīn!What strangers? We’re all friends! Don’t worry!L：還是我先去吃蛋糕…Háishì wǒ xiān qù chī dàngāo…Or maybe I’ll go have some cake first…M：你不要逃避啦！不唱歌，你要吃辣椒！Nǐ bùyào táobìle la! Bù chànggē, nǐ yào chī làjiāo!Don’t run away! If you don’t sing, you have to eat chili peppers.L：什麼？Shénme?What?M：我家的規定。Wǒjiā de guīdìng.House rules.L：OK，OK，好啦。我唱。OK,OK, hǎo la. Wǒ chàng.Ok, ok, fine. I’ll sing.F：你要唱什麼？我幫你點。Nǐ yào chàng shénme? Wǒ bāng nǐ diǎn.What do you want to sing? I’ll help you order.L：呃… 夢中人？好嗎？È… mèngzhōngrén? Hǎo ma?Uh… dream lover? Ok?F：王菲的還是蔡琴的？Wángfēi de háishì càiqín de?Wang Fei’s or Cai Qin’s? (Referring to two songs with the same title)L：哦… 蔡琴的。Ó… càiqín de.Oh, Cai Qin’s...

Lesson Outline:[00:21] Review of tone pairs from lessons one through six. [02:30] Magic Phrase: 帥哥上班，外公退休[08:20] Dialogue[11:40] Translation[23:07] Dialogue, one more time at normal speedMagic Phrase (4-1)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 4-1 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 帥哥上班，外公退休Shuàigē shàngbān, wàigōng tuìxiū帥哥 / shuàigē / handsome man上班 / shàngbān / to go to work外公 / wàigōng / maternal grandfather退休 / tuìxiū / retired, to retireTranscript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)M：阿芬！你來了！F：嘿！不好意思遲到了。我剛剛才下班。M：沒事！趕快進來坐！F：謝謝。M：你看起來好喘！F：唉，爬樓梯真的好喘！M：對，我們沒有電梯。只好讓你運動一下。F：我好久沒運動。M：沒關係，現在可以放鬆。小李，這是我的朋友，慧芬，她是律師。L：你好。F：嗨。M：來，慧芬，要不要吃麵包？小李做的！F：好厲害！M：你可以放心，他的麵包很健康！F：好好吃！你開麵包店嗎？L：沒有，其實，就是，呃… 我是一個… 呃… 作家。M：小李很害羞，可是他是一個很認真的作家。F：你寫小說嗎？L：沒有。但那是我的目標。M：來，我們先坐。正好要開始唱歌！F：我最愛唱歌！M：小李，你還沒點歌，對吧。L：我不用了。F：你真的很害羞。M：小李，拜託，唱一首給大家聽。然後我就放過你。L：可是，在很多陌生人的面前…M：什麼陌生人？我們都是朋友，你放心！L：還是我先去吃蛋糕…M：你不要逃避了啦！不唱歌，你要吃辣椒！L：什麼？M：我家的規定。L：OK，OK，好啦。我唱。F：你要唱什麼？我幫你點。L：呃… 夢中人？好嗎？F：王菲的還是蔡琴的？L：哦… 蔡琴的。M：老靈魂。L：哈哈，對啊。F：好，點好了。L：這麼快！好，請大家要有耐心…M：不要害羞！L：不能錄音哦。M：沒有人會錄音！Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  àM：阿芬！你來了！Ā fēn! Nǐ láile!A-Fen, you’re here!F：嘿！不好意思遲到了。我剛剛才下班。Hēi! Bù hǎoyìsi chídàole. Wǒ gānggāng cái xiàbān. Hey! Sorry, I’m late. I just got off work.M：沒事！趕快進來坐！Méishì! Gǎnkuài jìnlái zuò!No worries! Hurry up and come in!F：謝謝。Xièxie.Thank you.M：你看起來很喘。Nǐ kàn qǐlái hǎo chuǎn!You look really out of breath.F：唉，爬樓梯好喘！Yeah, climbing the stairs is really tiring (makes one out of breath)!Āi, pá lóutī zhēn de hěn chuǎn!M：對，我們沒有電梯。只好讓你運動一下。 Duì, wǒmen méiyǒu diàntī. Zhǐhǎo ràng nǐ yùndòng yīxià.Yeah, we don’t have an elevator. No other choice but to make you exercise a bit.F：我好久沒運動。Wǒ hǎojiǔ méi yùndòng.I haven’t exercised in a long time.M：沒關係，這裡可以放鬆。小李，這是我的朋友，慧芬，她是律師。Méiguānxì, xiànzài kěyǐ fàngsōng. Xiǎo lǐ, zhè shì wǒ de péngyǒu, huì fēn, tā shì lǜshī.It’s ok, you can relax here. Xiao Li, this is my friend, Hui Fen. She’s a lawyer.L：你好。Nǐ hǎo.Hi.F：嗨。Hāi.Hi.M：來，慧芬，要不要吃**麵包？**小李做的！Lái, huì fēn, yào bùyào chī miànbāo? Xiǎo lǐ zuò de!Here, Hui-Fen, do you want to eat some bread? Xiao Li made it!F：好厲害！Hǎo lìhài!That’s amazing!M：你可以放心，他的麵包很健康！Nǐ kěyǐ fàngxīn, tā de miànbāo hěn jiànkāng!You don’t have to worry, his bread is really healthy.F：好好吃！你開麵包店嗎？Hǎohǎo chī! Nǐ kāi miànbāo diàn ma?It's so good! Do you have a bakery?L：沒有，其實，就是，呃… 我是一個… 呃… 作家。Méiyǒu, qíshí, jiùshì, è… wǒ shì yīgè… è… zuòjiā.No, actually, I mean, uh, I’m a, uh… writer.M：小李很害羞，可是他是一個很認真的作家。Xiǎo lǐ hěn hàixiū, kěshì tā shì yīgè hěn rènzhēn de zuòjiā.Xiao Li is really shy, but he’s a very serious writer.F：你寫小說嗎？Nǐ xiě xiǎoshuō ma?Do you write novels?L：沒有，但那是我的目標。Méiyǒu. Dàn nà shì wǒ de mùbiāo.No, but that’s my goal.M：來，我們先坐。正好要開始唱歌！Lái, wǒmen xiān zuò. Zhènghǎo yào kāishǐ chànggē!Come one, let's sit down first. We’re just about to start singing!F：我最愛唱歌！Wǒ zuì'ài chànggē!I love singing!M：小李，你還沒點歌，對吧。Xiǎo lǐ, nǐ hái méi diǎn gē, duì ba.Xiao Li, you haven’t ordered yet.L：我不用了。Wǒ bùyòngle.I’m alright. (No need.)F：你真的很害羞。Nǐ zhēn de hěn hàixiū.You're really shy.M：小李，拜託，唱一首給大家聽。然後我就放過你。Xiǎo lǐ, bàituō, chàng yī shǒu gěi dàjiā tīng. Ránhòu wǒ jiù fàngguò nǐ.Xiao Li, please, sing one song for everyone, then I’ll let you off the hook.L：可是，在很多陌生人的面前…Kěshì, zài hěnduō mòshēng rén de miànqián…But, in front of strangers…M：什麼陌生人？我們都是朋友，你放心！Shénme mòshēng rén? Wǒmen dōu shì péngyǒu, nǐ fàngxīn!What strangers? We’re all friends! Don’t worry!L：還是我先去吃蛋糕…Háishì wǒ xiān qù chī dàngāo…Or maybe I’ll go have some cake first…M：你不要逃避啦！不唱歌，你要吃辣椒！Nǐ bùyào táobìle la! Bù chànggē, nǐ yào chī làjiāo!Don’t run away! If you don’t sing, you have to eat chili peppers.L：什麼？Shénme?What?M：我家的規定。Wǒjiā de guīdìng.House rules.L：OK，OK，好啦。我唱。OK,OK, hǎo la. Wǒ chàng.Ok, ok, fine. I’ll sing.F：你要唱什麼？我幫你點。Nǐ yào chàng shénme? Wǒ bāng nǐ diǎn.What do you want to sing? I’ll help you order.L：呃… 夢中人？好嗎？È… mèngzhōngrén? Hǎo ma?Uh… dream lover? Ok?F：王菲的還是蔡琴的？Wángfēi de háishì càiqín de?Wang Fei’s or Cai Qin’s? (Referring to two songs with the same title)L：哦… 蔡琴的。Ó… càiqín de.Oh, Cai Qin’s.M：老靈魂。Lǎo línghún.Old soul.L：哈哈，對啊。Hāhā, duì a.Haha, yeah.F：好，點好了。Hǎo, diǎn hǎole.Ok, it’s already ordered.L：這麼快！好，請大家要有耐心…Zhème kuài! Hǎo, qǐng dàjiā yào yǒu nàixīn…So fast! Ok, everyone, be patient with me…M：不要害羞！M: Bùyào hàixiū!Don’t be shy!L：不能錄音哦。Bùnéng lùyīn ó.No recording.M：沒有人要錄音！Nobody’s going to record!Méiyǒu rén huì lùyīn! Notes:The song in this episode is 夢中人 by 蔡琴. Thanks to Vicky Sun for being the voice of 慧芬 Hùi fēn. 

SLOW SPEED VERSIONAfter listening to Season 3, Lesson 06, start reinforcing what you've learned by taking ten minutes a day to practice listening and imitating the material. Repetition makes progress.How to practiceThis episode's daily practice session doesn't include spoken instructions, but the process is the same as previous episodes of this season:In the first part, you'll hear a short snippet of the dialogue, followed by a pause of 2-4 seconds. During the pause, try to echo aloud exactly what you heard. In the second part, the dialogue plays again without pauses. Try to shadow the dialogue by repeating it aloud simultaneously with the recording.Note that in both parts, speaking aloud is important, as this practice helps you gain confidence making the sounds of Mandarin, increasing your speaking fluency over time. It also gives you invaluable feedback, as you hear the sounds coming out of your mouth, and can compare them to the sounds you just heard. If only done once or twice, this might not seem to have much effect; repeated on a daily basis, however, this is a powerful mechanism for bootstrapping your pronunciation and speaking ability.Magic Phrase (4-3)This phrase is composed entirely of words that use the 4-3 tone pair. We use it to practice identifying and then pronouncing the tones, hearing how they interact with each other in context. 下午下雨，地鐵漏水Xiàwǔ xiàyǔ, dìtiě lòushuǐ下午 / xiàwǔ / afternoon下雨 / xiàyǔ / to rain地鐵 / dìtiě / subway, subway system漏水 / lòushuǐ / to leak waterTranscript of the dialogue (Chinese characters only)小李：好，我們開始。可以錄影嗎？麗麗：可以。小李：謝謝。阿明，你準備好了嗎？阿明：可以了！小李：好。可以先講一下你的背景嗎？你小時候喜歡做什麼？麗麗：我從小就很愛看電影。我的夢想是寫電影的劇本。小李：很酷的夢想！麗麗：對啊。但我媽媽禁止我念電影系，她說太冒險。小李：所以你念了什麼系？麗麗：我念電腦科學。畢業後我在大公司上班。我們買賣進口的電腦系統。小李：聽起來很有趣！麗麗：很無聊！我賺了很多錢，但每天都覺得很痛苦。不知道到底活著是為了什麼。而且身體還出了一些狀況。因為沒有胃口，所以變得很瘦。小李：好可憐！麗麗：當時我很後悔放棄自己的夢想，但我也沒有勇氣改變。小李：那然後呢？麗麗：後來我發現了，害怕失敗只是一個藉口。或許寫劇本只是一個幻想啊，但至少要試試看才知道。小李：沒錯！麗麗：我現在的看法是，不管怎麼樣，自己的人生要自己負責。小李：有道理。麗麗：所以我離職了。小李：哇！那你媽媽有支持你了嗎？麗麗：沒有。她很憤怒，她說我會後悔，還說最好不要再看到我了。小李：你一定很難過。麗麗：讓媽媽生氣是不可避免的啊！重點是，我現在的工作是寫劇本。我成功了！小李：恭喜！那你媽媽呢？麗麗：她早就忘記了。康太太：哈囉，你們在說我的壞話嗎？小李：呃，沒有，我們在，呃，採訪…阿明：麗麗在跟我們說她現在的工作。康太太：哦！對，我女兒很厲害！她寫電影的劇本！很厲害吧！小李：真的。真的很厲害。Transcript of the dialogue (w/ pinyin and translation)Use this as a visual listening guide, or if you want to check your tone comprehension. Tones are indicated by marks above the letters in the pinyin transliteration, as follows: (1)  ā  (2)  á  (3)  ǎ  (4)  à小李：好，我們開始。可以錄影嗎？Ok, let’s start. Can we take a video?Hǎo, wǒmen kāishǐ. Kěyǐ lùyǐng ma?麗麗：可以。Sure.Kěyǐ.小李：謝謝。阿明，你準備好了嗎？Thanks. A-Ming, are you ready?Xièxie. Ā míng, nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎole ma?阿明：可以了！Ready!Kěyǐle!小李：好。可以先講一下你的背景嗎？你小時候喜歡做什麼？Ok. Can you first talk a little about your background? What did you like to do when you were a kid?Hǎo. Kěyǐ xiān jiǎng yīxià nǐ de bèijǐng ma? Nǐ xiǎoshíhòu xǐhuān zuò shénme?麗麗：我從小就很愛看電影。我的夢想是寫電影的劇本。I’ve loved watching movies since I was small. My dream was to write screenplays.Wǒ cóngxiǎo jiù hěn ài kàn diànyǐng. Wǒ de mèngxiǎng shì xiě diànyǐng de jùběn.小李：很酷的夢想！That’s a really cool dream!Hěn kù de mèngxiǎng!麗麗：對啊。但我媽媽禁止我念電影系，她說太冒險。Yeah. But my mom forbade me from studying film. She said it was too risky.Duì a. Dàn wǒ māmā jìnzhǐ wǒ niàn diànyǐng xì, tā shuō tài màoxiǎn.小李：所以你念了什麼系？So what did you major in?Suǒyǐ nǐ niànle shénme xì?麗麗：我念電腦科學。畢業後我在大公司上班。我們買賣進口的電腦系統。I majored in computer science. After graduating, I worked at a big company. We were buying and selling imported computer systems.Wǒ niàn diànnǎo kēxué. Bìyè hòu wǒ zài dà gōngsī shàngbān. Wǒmen mǎimài jìnkǒu de diànnǎo xìtǒng.小李：聽起來很有趣！That sounds really interesting!Tīng qǐlái hěn yǒuqù!麗麗：很無聊！我賺了很多錢，但每天都覺得很痛苦。不知道到底活著是為了什麼。而且身體還出了一些狀況。因為沒有胃口，所以變得很瘦。It was so boring! I made a lot of money, but every day was suffering. I didn’t know what I was even living for. And my body even started having problems. Because I didn’t have any appetite, I became really thin.Hěn wúliáo! Wǒ zhuànle hěnduō qián, dàn měitiān dū juédé hěn tòngkǔ. Bù zhīdào dàodǐ huózhe shì wèile shénme. Érqiě shēntǐ hái chūle yīxiē zhuàngkuàng. Yīnwèi méiyǒu wèikǒu, suǒyǐ biàn dé hěn shòu.小李：好可憐！That’s so sad! (lit. poor, pathetic, pitiful)Hǎo kělián!麗麗：當時我很後悔放棄自己的夢想，但我也沒有勇氣改變。At the time I really regretted giving up on my own dreams, but I didn’t have the courage to change.Dāngshí wǒ hěn hòuhuǐ fàngqì zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng, dàn wǒ yě méiyǒu yǒngqì gǎibiàn.小李：那然後呢？And then?Nà ránhòu ne?麗麗：後來我發現了，害怕失敗只是一個藉口。或許寫劇本只是一個幻想啊，但至少要試試看才知道。Later I realized, fear of failure was just an excuse. Maybe writing scripts was only a fantasy, but you have to at least try it to know for sure.Hòulái wǒ fāxiànle, hàipà shībài zhǐshì yīgè jíkǒu. Huòxǔ xiě jùběn zhǐshì yīgè huànxiǎng a, dàn zhìshǎo yào shìshìkàn cái zhīdào.小李：沒錯！That’s right!Méicuò!麗麗：我現在的看法是，不管怎麼樣，自己的人生要自己負責。Now my view is, no matter what, you have to take responsibility for your own life.Wǒ xiànzài de kànfǎ shì, bùguǎn zěnme yàng, zìjǐ de rénshēng yào zìjǐ fùzé.小李：有道理。That makes sense.Yǒu dàolǐ.麗麗：所以我離職了。So I quit my job.Suǒyǐ wǒ lízhíle.小李：哇！那你媽媽有支持你了嗎？Wow! Did your mom support you?Wa! Nà nǐ māmā yǒu zhīchí nǐle ma?麗麗：沒有。她很憤怒，她說我會後悔，還說最好不要再看到我了。No. She was furious, she said I would regret it. She even said it would be better if she never saw me again.Méiyǒu. Tā hěn fènnù, tā shuō wǒ huì hòuhuǐ, hái shuō zuìhǎo bùyào zài kàn dào wǒle. 小李：你一定很難過。You must have been really upset.Nǐ yīdìng hěn nánguò.麗麗：讓媽媽生氣是不可避免的啊！重點是，我現在的工作是寫劇本。我成功了！Making mom angry was unavoidable! The main point is, now my job is writing screenplays. I succeeded!Ràng māmā shēngqì shì bùkě bìmiǎn de a! Zhòngdiǎn shì, wǒ xiànzài de gōngzuò shì xiě jùběn. Wǒ chénggōngle!小李：恭喜！那你媽媽呢？Congratulations! And… what about your mother?Gōngxǐ! Nà nǐ māmā ne?麗麗：她早就忘記了。She forgot a long time ago.Tā zǎo jiù wàngjìle.康太太：哈囉，你們在說我的壞話嗎？Hello, are you saying something bad about me?Hā luō, nǐmen zài shuō wǒ de huàihuà ma?小李：呃，沒有，我們在，呃，採訪…Uh, no, we’re uh… interviewing…E, méiyǒu, wǒmen zài, e, cǎifǎng…阿明：麗麗在跟我們說她現在的工作。Lili is telling us about her current work!Lìlì zài gēn wǒmen shuō tā xiànzài de gōngzuò.康太太：哦！對，我女兒很厲害！她寫電影的劇本！很厲害吧！Oh! Yeah, my daughter is amazing! She writes screenplays. Awesome, right?O! Duì, wǒ nǚ'ér hěn lìhài! Tā xiě diànyǐng de jùběn! Hěn lìhài ba!小李：真的。真的很厲害。Truly. Truly awesome.Zhēn de. Zhēn de hěn lìhài.Thanks for listening! And thank you so much to the monthly supporters of this podcast! ★ Support this...