Hello everyone! Welcome to a new episode of 'Everyday Chinese'. I'm Li Ming.
Hello everyone! I'm Wang Yu. It's great to see you all again!
You look really happy today. Did something good happen?
Work just went really smoothly today, so I'm in a good mood.
How about you? How was your day?
I was super busy today, it felt like time flew by.
When I left home this morning, the sky wasn't even light yet, and when I got home from work tonight, it was already dark.
Yeah, that's what a lot of people's days are like.
This got me thinking, we say 'I'm so busy today' or 'I'm so tired today' every single day,
but what does our day actually look like?
Our listeners might be curious too.
Hmm, that's a great idea!
Let's talk about 'My Day' today!
We can share what an ordinary day is like for us.
Great, no problem. That way, everyone can also learn some Chinese words and sentences about daily life.
Alright, let's start with the morning. Wang Yu, what time do you usually wake up?
Hmm... that's a bit of a hard question to answer.
I wish I woke up at seven every day, but... haha, sometimes I sleep until seven-thirty, or even eight.
Oh? Sleeping until eight? Do you make it to work on time?
So I have to rush! After I get up, I have to quickly wash my face, brush my teeth, and find clothes to wear.
I often don't have time for breakfast.
Skipping breakfast isn't very good for your health.
I know, I know. So I buy something on my way to the office, like a steamed bun or a cup of soy milk.
How about you, Li Ming? You look like the type who wakes up really early.
Haha, you guessed right. I'm used to getting up early. I usually get up at six-thirty.
Six-thirty? That early! What do you do after getting up?
First I'll drink a glass of water, and then do some simple exercises at home for about twenty minutes.
After exercising, your body feels great and you'll have energy for the whole day.
Wow, that's so healthy! I'd love to learn from you, but I really can't get up in the morning.
So, do you make breakfast yourself?
Yes, my breakfast is very simple.
Usually an egg, a glass of milk, plus a slice of bread.
It's quick to prepare, done in five minutes.
That's nice. After breakfast, how do you get to the office?
I drive to work. My home is a bit far from the office, so it takes about forty minutes to drive. What about you?
I take the subway. There's a subway station right downstairs from my apartment, so it's very convenient.
But it's very crowded in the morning, the subway is packed.
Yes, Beijing's subway is crowded in both the morning and evening. The commute is tough.
Right, every morning feels like a 'battle'.
By the time I arrive at the office, I often feel a bit tired already.
Haha, understandable. Well, the longest part of our day is probably spent working at the office.
What do you usually do in the morning?
My job requires using a computer.
So when I get to the office, the first thing I do is turn on my computer and start working.
I have to read a lot of things and write a lot of things.
Sometimes, I also have meetings with colleagues.
My work is pretty similar. Most of the time is spent looking at a computer, replying to emails, and making phone calls.
Time goes by fast, and in the blink of an eye, it's noon.
Right! Speaking of noon, my most important question comes up: what's for lunch today?
Haha, that's the most important question of the day. How do you have lunch? Do you eat at the office?
Our company doesn't have a cafeteria.
So we usually order takeout together with colleagues.
Now ordering takeout on your phone is so convenient, you can eat whatever you want.
Yes, ordering takeout is very popular.
We can get Chinese food, Japanese food, and food from many other countries.
I like to eat rice with side dishes.
For example, tomato scrambled eggs, and a fish dish.
What about you, Li Ming? Do you order takeout too?
I order takeout sometimes.
But there are some small restaurants downstairs from our office that taste great and aren't expensive.
So I prefer to go to a restaurant with two or three colleagues.
Eating at a restaurant is nice too, you can leave the office to take a break.
How long do you usually take for lunch?
We usually go to eat at twelve, eat for an hour, and return to the office around one.
After eating, some people will rest for a bit, some will have a cup of coffee, and then prepare for the afternoon work.
Me too! I must have a cup of coffee in the afternoon. If I don't, I get sleepy.
Haha, a lot of people are like that. Afternoon working hours are similar to the morning, but it feels a bit more tiring.
Once it reaches five-thirty or six in the afternoon, we can finally leave work and go home!
Yes! Getting off work is the happiest time!
What do you usually do after work? Do you go straight home?
Well, most of the time I go straight home. Since I'm tired after working all day, I want to get home quickly and rest.
On the way home, I like to listen to music, or listen to our podcast 'Everyday Chinese'.
Haha, thanks for your support.
So how do you handle dinner?
If I get home early, my mom will have dinner ready and wait for me.
I love my mom's cooking. If I get home late, I'll just make some simple noodles for myself.
Having dinner with family feels so good.
Yeah. How about you? What do you do after work?
After work, if I'm not too tired, I sometimes go to the gym to work out for an hour.
Wow! You exercise in the morning, and you still exercise after work at night. You are amazing!
Haha, it's just a habit. Coming home after a workout feels very relaxing.
I usually make dinner myself. It's pretty simple, and I eat a bit less.
Okay. So what do you do during the time after dinner and before going to sleep?
This is probably the most relaxing time of my day.
Of course! I'll sit on the sofa, watch TV, or scroll through Douyin on my phone to see what my friends did today.
Sometimes I also chat with friends on WeChat.
Hmm, that sounds very relaxing. I don't really like looking at my phone at night because my eyes are tired from looking at a computer all day. I prefer reading books.
Reading books? That's a great habit. What kind of books do you read?
I read many kinds of books. Sometimes Chinese history, and sometimes novels.
Reading lets me learn a lot of new things, and it also calms my mind.
That's great. Actually, I've bought a lot of books too, but I rarely have time to read them. They're just sleeping in my room.
Haha, you can read a little bit every day, like ten pages.
Alright, last question: what time do you go to sleep every night?
I always tell myself to sleep early. But I often lose track of time while watching TV or playing on my phone.
Usually, I don't go to sleep until eleven-thirty, or sometimes even twelve.
Doesn't that make you really sleepy the next morning?
Yeah! That's why I can't wake up in the morning. You must sleep really early, right?
Yes, to have good energy the next day, I usually get ready for bed around ten-thirty.
I'll listen to music in bed for a bit, and then definitely fall asleep before eleven.
Okay, starting tomorrow, I'm going to sleep before eleven too!
Haha, I hope you can do it.
Well, that's about all the time we have.
Today we talked about our respective days, from waking up in the morning to sleeping at night.
Yeah, it sounds like our days are very different.
Li Ming, your life is very healthy and disciplined.
As for me, it's a bit messy, haha.
No, not at all, everyone has a different lifestyle.
The important thing is that we can find our own happiness in a busy day.
It could be a delicious lunch, some time chatting with a friend, or a good book.
You're right. Dear listeners, what is your day like?
What time do you wake up in the morning? What do you like to do at night?
Feel free to leave us a comment in our comment section and share your day with us in Chinese.
We really look forward to seeing your shares.
Well, that's all for this episode of 'Everyday Chinese'. Thank you all for listening.