In this edition: Applying for a job in the Chinese army, the challenges of traveling in Africa, hiring Chinese street workers, surfing in Portugal, gap year in Norway and a survival guide for tiny apartments.
Applying for a job in the Chinese army
OK, this video definitely has a clickbait title, but it gives an interesting insight into the life of recent graduates in China, especially the foreign ones. It’s not only hard to find a job in the Chinese army, but also to find suitable career opportunities in China in general, unless you want to teach English. That cliché seems still to apply. All the more interesting to see what you can run into if you actively start looking for work as a foreign ex-student. The people don’t seem to expect that he wants to stay in China (你准备在国内待多久?). In any case, he gets some useful advice for his CV (简历). The subtitles aren’t quite perfect, by the way.
Difficulty level: HSK 5
| 我本科学的是飞行器专业的 | wǒ běnkē xué de shì fēixíngqì zhuānyè de | I majored in aeronautics during my undergraduate studies |
| 先把您的资料带回公司 | xiān bǎ nín de zīliào dài huí gōngsī | I’ll first take your materials back to the company |
| 您登记一下吧 | nín dēngjì yīxià ba | Please register |
| 您也是七月份毕业是吗 | nín yě shì qī yuèfèn bìyè shì ma | You’re also graduating in July, right? |
| 简历门诊 | jiǎnlì ménzhěn | résumé clinic (review or editing service) |
| 你想找一份哪个方面的工作? | nǐ xiǎng zhǎo yī fèn nǎge fāngmiàn de gōngzuò? | What kind of job are you looking for? |
| 让你国内的同学帮你调整一下你的简历 | ràng nǐ guónèi de tóngxué bāng nǐ tiáozhěng yīxià nǐ de jiǎnlì | Have your Chinese classmates help you adjust your résumé |
| 你准备在国内待多久? | nǐ zhǔnbèi zài guónèi dāi duōjiǔ | How long are you planning to stay in China? |
| 一家上海公司录用了他 | yī jiā Shànghǎi gōngsī lùyòng le tā | A Shanghai company hired him |
| 老外可以申请吗？ | lǎowài kěyǐ shēnqǐng ma? | Can foreigners apply? |
Chinese travelers stuck in African hotel without electricity
African summer is coming! Drought (大旱) in southern Africa. Electricity is limited to two hours a day. The heat is becoming unbearable for these two travelers. In this video, they explain why they cannot bear it any longer and have to leave Africa.
What I find interesting is how these two Chinese travelers who don’t really seem to be able to connect with the locals behave in Africa and what they are looking for to make the whole experience worthwhile and meaningful. At least we get plenty of vocabulary to complain about traveling conditions.
Difficulty level: HSK 4
| 感觉要热疯了 | gǎnjué yào rè fēng le | It feels like I’m going to overheat |
| 这里实在待不下去了 | zhèlǐ shízài dāi bù xiàqù le | I really can’t stay here any longer |
| 继续环球旅游 | jìxù huánqiú lǚyóu | Continue traveling around the world |
| 跟蚊子作斗争 | gēn wénzi zuò dòuzhēng | Fighting against mosquitoes |
| 非洲南部大旱 | Fēizhōu nánbù dà hàn | Severe drought in southern Africa |
| 身上都是黏糊糊的 | shēnshang dōu shì niánhūhū de | My body is all sticky |
| 把手机充满电 | bǎ shǒujī chōngmǎn diàn | Charge my phone fully |
| 这个酒店每天就发两个小时的电 | zhège jiǔdiàn měitiān jiù fā liǎng gè xiǎoshí de diàn | This hotel only provides two hours of electricity a day |
Shanghai street worker: couldn’t find a job for two months, so Afu hired her for one day
If you’ve been to China and went a little bit more ‘local’, you’ve probably seen groups of workers (临时工) hanging around at busy street corners looking for work. Usually they carry handwritten signs (手写标牌) indicating what kind of labor you can hire them for. German YouTuber Afu hit the streets of Shanghai to hire a ‘freelancer’ to cook for him and help him (or her in this case) make some easy money (赚快钱). The woman who was willing to take the job comes from Anhui Provence and has been waiting for two months without work. She’s suspicious (可疑) at first, but doesn’t regret it in the end, on the contrary. I guess she speaks Anhui dialect and uses a different word for anise (八角) that the local shopkeeper doesn’t understand. I admire how Afu faces his own challenges. This is the kind of attitude you need to learn Chinese (with the locals).
Difficulty level: HSK 4
| 临时工等着有人来招聘他们 | línshí gōng děng zhe yǒurén lái zhāopìn tāmen | temporary workers are waiting for someone to hire them |
| 我上次做的测试是说我是一个E人 | wǒ shàngcì zuò de cèshì shì shuō wǒ shì yī gè E rén | the last test I took said I’m an extrovert (E-person) |
| 给我烧一顿她家乡的菜 | gěi wǒ shāo yī dùn tā jiāxiāng (de) cài | cook a meal from her hometown for me |
| 我准备了一些德国的特产 | wǒ zhǔnbèi le yīxiē Déguó de tèchǎn | I prepared some specialties from Germany |
| 一出门就出汗了 | yī chūmén jiù chū hàn le | I started sweating as soon as I stepped outside |
| 我怎么称呼你？ | wǒ zěnme chēnghu nǐ? | How should I address you? |
| 我不挑食 | wǒ bù tiāoshí | I’m not a picky eater |
| 没有固定的工作 | méiyǒu gùdìng de gōngzuò | to not have a stable job |
Portugal surfing challenge
The famous Shanghainese YouTuber Julie is on a Portuguese beach this time, because she has a dream: she wants to learn to surf. And in Europe, Portugal is the surfer’s paradise par excellence. She takes it absolutely seriously. The pressure is so much that she bursts into tears when she has a setback. And all on camera! We have to take it with a grain of salt. The funny thing is that every time I watch Julie’s videos, I realize how tiring it must be to subject yourself to a new challenge for your followers every time and to film the entire process. Yes, it is admirable how she excels herself, but it also feels somewhat forced and artificial. My favorite sentence from her this time: 我要调整一下我的心态! (I need to adjust my mindset).
Difficulty level: HSK 5
| 挑战冲浪 | tiǎozhàn chōnglàng | surfing challenge |
| 防晒 | fángshài | sunscreen; sun protection |
| 还是有点忐忑 | háishi yǒu diǎn tǎntè | still a little nervous |
| 你为什么对自己要求那么高 | nǐ wèishéme duì zìjǐ yāoqiú nàme gāo | why do you have such high standards for yourself? |
| 你为什么这么苛求自己呢 | nǐ wèishéme zhème kēqiú zìjǐ ne | why are you so hard on yourself? |
| 我现在慢慢地改进 | wǒ xiànzài mànmàn de gǎijìn | I’m slowly improving now |
| 开始慢慢地舒缓下来了 | kāishǐ mànmàn de shūhuǎn xiàlái le | I’m starting to slowly relax |
| 我要调整一下我的心态 | wǒ yào tiáozhěng yīxià wǒ de xīntài | I need to adjust my mindset |
| 我一次站起来就算成功了 | wǒ yī cì zhàn qǐlái jiù suàn chénggōng le | If I stand up once, it will count as success |
| 接受挑战 | jiēshòu tiǎozhàn | accept the challenge |
Story time: 我受够了！ I’ve had enough!
This is a short story by the popular Chinese teaching channel 每日中文课Free To Learn Chinese about having a hard time finding your standing in your first job. The story feels a bit clichéd, but I can imagine that as a newbie on the Chinese job market you are plagued by feelings of uncertainty, while the demands are high. After all, there are enough others ready to take your place. The only thing left is to find ways to improve and feel more at home. 我受够了 is a very useful sentence which can be used in many settings to express you’ve had enough.
If you like this kind of short stories and the personal growth topic I recommend checking out the channel and there’s plenty of other interesting stuff.
Difficulty level: HSK 5
| 我受够了 | wǒ shòu gòu le | I’ve had enough |
| 我就从来没开心过 | wǒ jiù cónglái méi kāixīn guò | I’ve never been happy since |
| 我们部门的经理年龄不大 | wǒmen bùmén de jīnglǐ niánlíng bù dà | our department manager is not very old |
| 在职场的老练和自信 | zài zhíchǎng de lǎoliàn hé zìxìn | he experience and confidence in the workplace |
| 我对这个经理是既爱又恨 | wǒ duì zhège jīnglǐ shì jì ài yòu hèn | I have a love-hate relationship with this manager |
| 我讨厌她的独断专行 | wǒ tǎoyàn tā de dúduàn zhuānxíng | I hate her autocratic style |
| 对我的严格要求 | duì wǒ de yángé yāoqiú | her strict demands on me |
| 总是唯唯诺诺的 | zǒngshì wéiwéinuònuò de | always submissive and timid |
| 进入职场后 | jìnrù zhíchǎng hòu | after entering the workplace |
| 无条件保护我 | wútiáojiàn bǎohù wǒ | unconditionally protect me |
| 慢慢成长 | mànmàn chéngzhǎng | to grow slowly |
| 边犯错一边长大 | yībiān fàncuò yībiān zhǎngdà | growing up while making mistakes |
My experience of attending free school in Norway｜Life Update
Have you ever considered spending a year in Norway attending a free school? I didn’t even know it was possible, but luckily Cece takes us on her Norwegian adventure. I have to say that the wild nature and simplicity of life appeals to me, although I have no plans to learn Norwegian seriously at the moment. You definitely don’t have to go to New Zealand for a gap year.
Difficulty level: HSK 5
| 度假屋 | dùjià wū | vacation home |
| 山怪 | shānguài | mountain troll |
| 融入这个国家 | róngrù zhège guójiā | to integrate into this country |
| 转换职业 | zhuǎnhuàn zhíyè | change career, switch profession |
| 探索兴趣 | tànsuǒ xìngqù | to explore interests |
| 发一个自述简历 | fā yī gè zìshù jiǎnlì | send a personal resume |
| 不需要任何证明 | bù xūyào rènhé zhèngmíng | no proof required |
| 挪威本来饮食比较简单 | Nuówēi běnlái yǐnshí bǐjiào jiǎndān | Norwegian cuisine is originally quite simple |
| 我觉得这种慢生活很踏实 | wǒ juéde zhè zhǒng màn shēnghuó hěn tàshi | I find this kind of slow-paced life very reassuring |
Life in China【中文vlog】打扫房间，在家做饭，去公园午休，在咖啡馆办公
How do you survive in a mini-apartment with a kitchen, toilet and shower in a Chinese metropolis? And especially how do you organize the limited space and keep things clean? Shenglan shows that it is possible. Although I have lived in mini-apartments long enough myself, it still seems a bit confining to me. In the video, Shenglan shows how she regularly escapes from her room and hangs up her hammock in the park to relax.
Difficulty level: HSK 4
| 我如何在这么小的一个房间里面生活 | wǒ rúhé zài zhème xiǎo de yī gè fángjiān lǐmiàn shēnghuó | how do I live in such a small room? |
| 算下来可能大概15平米20平米左右 | suàn xiàlái kěnéng dàgài 15 píngmǐ 20 píngmǐ zuǒyòu | it’s about 15 to 20 square meters |
| 显示器占的空间太大了 | xiǎnshìqì zhàn de kōngjiān tài dà le | the monitor takes up too much space |
| 用一个支架把显示器架起来 | yòng yī gè zhījià bǎ xiǎnshìqì jià qǐlái | use a stand to mount the monitor |
| 个人的物品特别多 | gèrén de wùpǐn tèbié duō | I have a lot of personal belongings |
| 在这种情况下 | zài zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng xià | in this kind of situation |
| 如果不及时地清理 | rúguǒ bù jíshí de qīnglǐ | if you don’t clean up in time |
| 每天做一些清洁和整理 | měitiān zuò yīxiē qīngjié hé zhěnglǐ | do some cleaning and tidying every day |
| 最好每天能抽出大概五分钟的时间 | zuìhǎo měitiān néng chōuchū dàgài wǔ fēnzhōng de shíjiān | it’s best to take about five minutes every day |
That’s it for this autumn edition. Hope you enjoyed it. I’ll be back with more Chinese vocabulary notes soon!
Graded Chinese readers
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