Featured📅 9/13/2026👁️ 7 views

Learn Chinese with Love Stories: Dating in Taiwan

Interactive Transcript

hǎo
B
r
i
c
e
,
Hi Brice, hahaha.
lou
lou
a
Hello, hello!
gēn
shuō
Let me tell you,
xiàn
zài
de
shēng
huó
měi
xīng
liù
shàng
dōu
shì
now my Saturday mornings are all about you.
de
shēng
huó
dōu
shì
My whole life is you now.
zhēn
de
ma
Hahaha, really?
yīn
wèi
gēn
jiàn
miàn
qián
zài
jiǎn
men
de
shì
pín
Because before our meeting, I was editing our video,
gēn
shàng
hòu
hái
yào
jiǎn
men
and after our class, I have to edit ours
de
shì
pín
again.
Hahaha.
rán
hòu
And then
shàng
miàn
duì
de
shì
during the class, I'm also facing you.
I'm
hěn
róng
xìng
honored.
duì
Right.
duì
Right.
duì
yào
gēn
guān
zhòng
jiě
shì
xià
huàn
guò
fu
le
Yes, I need to explain to the audience that I did change my clothes!
duì
duì
duì
néng
shuō
xīng
hái
méi
huàn
fu
Yeah, exactly, they can't say I haven't changed my clothes for a week.
duì
a
Yeah.
hái
yǒu
xiàn
zài
huàn
fēng
le
And you've changed your style now.
zěn
me
kāi
shǐ
liú
zi
le
Why did you start growing a beard?
yào
dāng
shū
ma
Are you trying to look like a mature uncle?
shì
Hahaha, no.
zhè
yàng
huàn
shì
pín
fēng
miàn
This way, I can change the video thumbnails.
Hahaha.
huan
zi
de
rén
diǎn
měi
shí
de
B
i
r
c
e
People who like beards can click on Brice from different periods.
duì
yǒu
guāng
tóu
de
Yes, and there's also bald me.
zài
tái
wān
zuì
jìn
yǒu
shén
me
yǒu
de
shì
ma
So, has anything interesting happened to you in Taiwan lately?
a
Ah.
zěn
me
le
Hahaha, what's wrong?
zhè
me
hài
xiū
Hahaha, why so shy?
méi
yǒu
ā
ha
Hahaha, no, hahaha.
è
āi
Uh, oh dear.
shì
yǒu
guà
ma
Is there some gossip?
zhè
ge
jiù
shì
shuō
By that, you mean...
yǒu
fēi
cháng
yǒu
shì
qíng
yào
gào
shì
ma
you have something really big to tell me, right?
è
néng
Hahaha, uh, maybe.
xiǎng
shuō
shuō
bié
de
If you don't want to say it, we can talk about something else.
shuō
shuō
shuō
I can talk about it, I can, I can.
duì
a
yǒu
yǒu
péng
yǒu
ba
Yeah, so you have a girlfriend, right?
a
shàng
zhōu
men
jiàn
miàn
a
méi
shuō
Ah, last week when we met, you didn't say a single word about it.
guān
zhè
ge
péng
yǒu
About this girlfriend.
duì
méi
yǒu
shuō
Right, I didn't say anything.
suǒ
méi
yǒu
wèn
So, and you didn't ask either.
ò
tái
wān
de
shēng
huó
zěn
me
yàng
a
Like, 'How is life in Taiwan?'
duì
Hahaha, right.
méi
yǒu
wèn
de
huà
huì
shì
jié
shù
le
If you hadn't asked, I wouldn't have brought it up.
jīn
jīn
tiān
wèn
xià
So I'm asking today.
duì
a
suǒ
zěn
me
zhè
me
kuài
jiù
zhǎo
dào
péng
yǒu
le
Yeah, so how did you get a girlfriend so quickly?
yīng
gāi
shì
yuè
It was probably a month
huò
bàn
yuè
qián
rèn
shi
ge
shēng
or a month and a half ago when I met this girl.
rán
hòu
men
liáo
yi
liáo
Then we chatted a bit,
rán
hòu
and then,
duì
a
màn
màn
de
zhǎn
a
yeah, things developed slowly.
tōng
guò
shén
me
dào
rèn
shi
a
So, how did you meet her?
shì
xiǎo
ruǎn
hái
shì
Was it through an app or...
bié
rén
de
shēng
pài
duì
Someone's birthday party.
men
gòng
tóng
de
péng
yǒu
de
shēng
pài
duì
a
A mutual friend's birthday party?
è
zhī
rèn
shi
Uh, I only knew one person there.
suǒ
So,
qǐng
guò
he invited me to go
ge
péng
yǒu
shēng
de
pài
duì
to that friend's birthday party.
ǹg
shuō
Um, so you...
rèn
shi
zhè
ge
rén
knew this person, but you...
rèn
shi
didn't know her?
zhī
duì
rèn
shi
I only knew him.
ge
pái
duì
hòu
After that party,
men
méi
yǒu
méi
yǒu
liáo
tiān
we didn't continue chatting.
shì
shuō
zhè
ge
gǎn
xìng
de
hái
shì
ma
You mean this girl you were interested in?
jiù
shì
a
duì
ge
péng
yǒu
Yeah, exactly, the one who is now my girlfriend.
a
duì
duì
a
hěn
hǎo
a
Ah, yes, yes, that's great!
děng
shuō
jiàn
miàn
jiù
shì
duì
shì
So does that mean at the first meeting, you just looked at each other...
ǹg
méi
shén
me
gǎn
jué
Yeah, we didn't really feel anything.
ǹg
Yeah.
duì
méi
shén
me
gǎn
jué
Right, no real feeling.
méi
yǒu
No,
jiàn
zhōng
qíng
lái
diàn
de
gǎn
jué
no spark like love at first sight.
méi
yǒu
méi
yǒu
a
No, not at all.
rán
hòu
But then,
de
we...
liáo
talked,
a
a
a
ah, ah.
O
K
yīn
wèi
men
yǒu
jiàn
shì
shēng
le
OK, because something happened between us,
rán
hòu
men
zhí
liáo
and then we kept chatting,
rán
hòu
xiàn
le
men
de
yóu
and we found our humor...
yōu
gǎn
chà
duō
our sense of humor is quite similar.
ǹg
rán
hòu
ǹg
chà
duō
rán
hòu
men
zhēn
de
yàng
ba
Yeah, and then, yeah, we are really alike.
men
yǒu
hěn
duō
gòng
tóng
de
xìng
ài
hào
We have many mutual interests and hobbies.
gòng
tóng
huà
a
Lots of common topics.
gòng
tóng
huà
hěn
duō
We have lots of common topics as well.
duì
duì
duì
ǹg
duì
duì
duì
gòng
tóng
huà
hěn
duō
Yes, yes, yes, lots of common topics.
ǹg
rán
hòu
ǹg
jiù
Um, and then,
gēn
liáo
de
shí
hòu
gǎn
jué
mán
shū
talking to her felt really comfortable.
ǹg
duì
màn
màn
Yeah, right, slowly,
de
we started
de
gǎn
jué
le
having feelings.
a
huan
de
gǎn
jué
Ah, the feeling of liking her.
a
a
Yeah, yeah.
suǒ
shì
So, you weren't...
děng
děng
děng
xià
jué
de
Wait, wait a minute, I think...
yīn
wèi
zhī
dào
huì
kāi
tái
wān
Because I knew she would leave Taiwan,
jiù
shì
7
yuè
huì
kāi
tái
like, she is leaving Taiwan in July.
shì
tái
wān
rén
ma
Is she not Taiwanese?
a
shì
tái
wān
shì
Ah, she's not Taiwanese. She's...
Hahaha.
zhēn
de
hěn
zhēn
Very real.
shì
yào
zhǎo
tái
wān
de
péng
yǒu
Weren't you looking for a Taiwanese girlfriend?
zěn
me
How did... hahaha!
shì
zài
měi
guó
zhǎng
de
běn
rén
She is a Japanese girl who grew up in the US.
a
a
suǒ
de
shì
yīng
hái
shì
Ah, so is her native language English or Japanese?
hái
shì
dōu
shuāng
Or is she bilingual?
a
suǒ
shuō
hàn
Ah, so she doesn't speak Chinese?
shuō
ma
She doesn't speak it?
è
de
zhōng
wén
Uh, her Chinese...
ǹg
méi
yǒu
me
hǎo
isn't that good.
ǹg
néng
de
zhōng
wén
hǎo
diǎn
Maybe my Chinese is a bit better than hers.
suǒ
men
yòng
yīng
jiāo
liú
a
So you communicate in English?
duì
men
yòng
yīng
Yes, we use English.
a
Ah.
zhù
zài
tái
wān
Hahaha, but you live in Taiwan,
yào
zhǎo
tái
wān
péng
yǒu
a
jué
de
and were looking for a Taiwanese girlfriend.
zhī
dào
zhè
zhī
dào
I know, I know.
dàn
shì
bu
shì
kòng
zhì
de
But that's not something you can control.
a
duì
duì
duì
a
suǒ
duì
ya
Ah, right, right, so yeah.
jīng
zhī
dào
le
huì
huì
kāi
kāi
tái
wān
I already knew she would leave Taiwan.
shén
me
shí
hòu
kāi
ya
When is she leaving?
jiǔ
yuè
a
September.
jiǔ
yuè
shén
me
jiǔ
yuè
September? What do you mean September?
hái
yǒu
4
yuè
a
There's still four months left!
děng
shuō
dào
shǔ
shí
le
So it's basically a countdown.
dào
shǔ
shí
hái
yǒu
4
yuè
A countdown, with only four months left.
suǒ
guǒ
zhī
dào
yǒu
zhè
ge
jié
zhǐ
So, if you knew there was this deadline,
wèi
shén
me
hái
jué
dìng
yào
gēn
zuò
nán
péng
yǒu
ne
why did you still decide to become boyfriend and girlfriend with her?
guǒ
zhǐ
shì
yǒu
duì
yǒu
gǎn
jué
de
huà
If it was just me having feelings for her,
jué
de
méi
guān
then I think it would be fine,
kòng
zhì
I could control myself.
rán
hòu
yīn
wèi
yào
kāi
suǒ
méi
guān
And since she has to leave, it's fine.
dàn
shì
gēn
shuō
But she told me
men
yǒu
jiào
bié
de
gǎn
jué
ba
that we have a special connection,
ài
mèi
de
gǎn
jué
duì
yǒu
xìng
suǒ
a romantic spark, and she was interested in me, so...
gēn
shuō
āi
méi
guān
men
shì
yi
shì
she told me, 'It's okay, we can give it a try.'
ǹg
suǒ
jué
de
yǒu
diǎn
wēi
xiǎn
Yeah, so I feel it's a bit dangerous.
yīn
wèi
yuǎn
Because I'm afraid of long distance.
tài
yuǎn
le
ba
zhè
ge
huí
měi
guó
zhī
hòu
duì
ba
It's too long distance, since she's going back to the US, right?
yīn
wèi
shì
9
yuè
huì
tài
guó
a
Actually, in September, she's going to Thailand.
suǒ
dàn
shì
duì
yǒu
But I'm afraid I might...
duì
gǎn
qíng
hěn
shēn
tài
shēn
a
get too deeply, deeply attached to her.
tài
shēn
rán
hòu
huì
jué
dìng
kāi
tái
wān
huí
Too deep, and then I might decide to leave Taiwan and go back.
suǒ
néng
zhù
gòu
sān
nián
jiù
bān
huí
So you might not even stay for three years before moving back.
zhè
shì
pāi
de
That's what I'm afraid of.
a
duì
Ah, yes.
zěn
me
le
Hahaha, what's with you?
duì
men
kàn
yi
kàn
Yeah, we'll see.
men
huì
kàn
We'll see how it goes.
kàn
xià
zhè
ge
Let's see how this...
bié
de
duì
other thing goes, right.
jiù
shì
hǎo
róng
guò
lái
le
You've finally made it over here,
zěn
me
gǎn
jué
yào
yào
huí
le
and now it feels like you're going back! Hahaha.
dàn
shì
zhēn
de
xiǎng
yào
huí
guó
But I really don't want to go back to France.
suǒ
So,
hěn
jiū
jié
a
it's very conflicting.
dàn
shì
men
jīng
shuō
le
But you've already agreed,
men
xiàn
zài
de
guān
jiù
shì
zhèng
shì
de
nán
péng
yǒu
that your relationship now is officially boyfriend and girlfriend,
duì
bu
duì
right?
suǒ
gēn
shuō
men
shì
yi
shì
ba
So she told me we can give it a try,
suǒ
gēn
shuō
hǎo
děng
xià
huì
xiǎng
yi
xiǎng
so I told her, 'Okay, give me a moment to think about it.'
duì
duì
duì
jīng
zhī
dào
le
Yes, yes, I already knew.
jiào
xiǎng
yào
gēn
zài
ba
She preferred to be with me,
jiù
shì
cháng
jiǔ
de
like, long-term.
cháng
jiǔ
de
zài
To be together long-term.
nán
nán
péng
yǒu
de
ge
guān
In a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
yīn
wèi
men
tǎo
lùn
le
Because we also discussed
men
zuò
péng
yǒu
huò
zhě
wán
quán
wán
quán
tíng
zhǐ
whether we should just be friends or stop completely
ǹg
liǎng
tiān
for a couple of days.
suǒ
men
kǎo
xiē
yàng
de
xuǎn
So we considered a few different options,
rán
hòu
jiào
huan
ge
nán
péng
yǒu
de
guān
and she preferred the boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
duì
duì
duì
suǒ
xiǎng
yi
xiǎng
Right, right, so I thought about it.
rán
hòu
yǒu
And then I...
gēn
xiē
péng
yǒu
liáo
tiān
men
shuō
āi
I also talked to some friends, and they said,
shuǐ
yi
shuǐ
shì
ba
'You can just give it a try,' right?
duì
a
jué
de
jiù
shì
zhī
qián
jué
de
ge
a
a
Yeah, I mean, before I thought, like...
zhè
me
cháng
shí
jiān
lái
hái
méi
yǒu
péng
yǒu
you've been here for so long without a girlfriend,
dàn
shì
yǒu
péng
yǒu
jiù
zhè
me
kuài
de
zhǎn
but once you got one, things developed so quickly.
jiù
gǎn
jué
duì
a
It feels like, yeah,
yīn
wèi
zhī
qián
xiǎng
yào
yǒu
péng
yǒu
āi
because before, I didn't want to have a girlfriend.
duì
duì
ǹg
a
Right, right, mhm.
yǒu
xiē
pào
yǒu
I had some friends with benefits,
rán
hòu
jué
de
hěn
yóu
hěn
hěn
hǎo
wán
a
and I felt it was very free and fun.
wèi
shén
me
zhè
ge
rén
jiù
gǎi
biàn
le
de
xiǎng
Then why did this person change your mind?
jiù
shì
jué
de
zhè
ge
rén
jiù
zuò
pào
yǒu
It's just that I felt I couldn't treat this person as a friend with benefits.
yào
rèn
zhēn
duì
dài
de
I had to take her seriously.
wèi
shén
me
Why?
rén
gěi
zhè
yàng
de
gǎn
jué
What gave you that feeling about her?
gēn
liáo
tiān
de
shí
hòu
When I talk to her,
gǎn
jué
zhēn
de
shì
hěn
hǎo
de
rén
she feels like a truly wonderful person,
rán
hòu
gǎn
jué
hěn
shū
āi
and it feels so comfortable,
hěn
rán
so natural.
jiù
shì
xīn
yǒu
xiǎng
dào
shén
me
jiù
shuō
shén
me
It's like you can say whatever is on your mind,
duì
yào
without needing to
jué
de
a
zhè
ge
néng
shuō
chū
lái
hǎo
think, 'Ah, maybe it's not good to say this.'
ǹg
duì
duì
duì
duì
Mhm, right, right, right.
a
hěn
chī
jīng
Ah, I'm very surprised.
yīn
wèi
zhí
wéi
shì
jiào
zhù
zhòng
wài
zài
de
Because I always thought you cared more about looks,
jiù
shì
měi
like, beautiful girls,
hěn
very...
huan
passionate...
a
Ah.
dàn
shì
But...
ǹg
huì
Well,
ǹg
shì
ǹg
hǎo
hǎo
yǒu
ba
they can be good friends, right?
duì
duì
duì
a
Right, right.
dàn
shì
péng
yǒu
yàng
péng
yǒu
But a girlfriend is different.
zuì
hǎo
gèng
hǎo
xìng
gǎn
duì
bu
duì
But it's even better if she's also sexy, right?
dāng
rán
dāng
rán
a
Of course, of course!
suǒ
jué
de
de
péng
yǒu
hěn
piào
liang
dàn
shì
So, I think my girlfriend is very beautiful, but...
de
rén
ne
hěn
hǎo
jué
de
shì
she's also a great person, and I think she's a good fit for me.
dàn
shì
hěn
nián
qīng
But you are very young,
rán
hòu
yòu
zài
tái
wān
and you are in Taiwan,
men
me
yuǎn
and the distance between you will be so far.
suǒ
yīn
wèi
jīng
So, since you already
biàn
chéng
turned her into
ge
your
péng
yǒu
le
girlfriend,
yuē
pào
hooking up...
yuē
pào
hooking up,
shì
duì
a
suǒ
zhēn
de
hěn
nán
no, yeah, that makes it really hard.
Hahaha.
dàn
shì
xiàn
zài
zài
tái
wān
ne
But she's still in Taiwan now, right?
duì
duì
duì
ò
shuō
9
yuè
zhī
hòu
Right, right, I mean after September.
9
yuè
zhī
hòu
de
huà
After September,
jué
de
9
yuè
ge
shí
hòu
well, I think in September,
men
yào
zài
liáo
yi
liáo
we'll need to have another chat.
yīn
wèi
tài
huan
ge
Because I really don't like long distance.
jué
de
tǐng
hǎo
de
I think it's great.
zhī
chí
a
I support you.
qián
miàn
duì
guò
de
I once faced a situation
ge
just like
qíng
kuàng
yours.
xià
Yeah.
ò
Oh?
o
n
e
b
qiān
zhèng
With an OPT visa,
jiù
shì
zhǐ
yào
shì
xué
meaning as long as you graduate from college,
men
ràng
zài
měi
guó
gōng
zuò
nián
a
O
K
they let you work in the US for a year, right?
děng
yǒu
ge
jié
zhǐ
a
So I had that deadline too.
rán
hòu
bān
dào
zhè
ge
huá
shèng
dùn
D
C
Then I moved to Washington, D.C.
hái
yǒu
6
yuè
yào
kāi
měi
guó
de
shí
hòu
When I had six months left before leaving the US,
tán
le
fēi
cháng
ràng
xīn
dòng
de
I met someone who really made my heart flutter.
rán
hòu
And then,
men
shì
we also...
ge
liáo
de
fēi
cháng
de
hǎo
we had a really great connection when we talked.
jiù
Just...
gǎn
jué
hěn
zǒu
xīn
it felt really deep.
men
liáo
We talked about
hěn
really
shēn
profound things,
me
dōu
hǎo
everything was great.
jiù
shì
zhēn
de
Hahaha, it's true.
āi
zhè
ge
rén
gēn
yàng
de
gǎn
jué
Oh, I had the exact same feeling as you about this person.
xiǎng
gēn
jiù
shì
zuò
nán
péng
yǒu
I wanted to be boyfriend and girlfriend with him.
suǒ
dāng
shí
jiù
shì
So at that time, I was like,
I could just...
gào
hái
yǒu
6
yuè
jiù
yào
kāi
le
not tell him that I had only six months left.
a
ò
Ah, oh.
dàn
shì
yīn
wèi
duì
de
gǎn
jué
me
qiáng
liè
But because my feelings for him were so strong,
jué
de
xiǎng
zuò
pào
yǒu
I felt like I didn't want to just be friends with benefits.
xiǎng
gēng
zhèng
shì
diǎn
I wanted to be more official.
suǒ
jiù
gào
So I told him.
shuō
kàn
hái
yǒu
6
yuè
jiù
zǒu
le
a
I said, 'Look, I only have six months left before I leave.'
xiǎng
gào
I want to tell you,
hěn
chéng
kěn
de
gào
to be completely honest with you.
dāng
shí
men
jīng
liǎng
jiù
shì
huà
At that time, the two of us had planned
jiù
shì
to...
kāi
chē
dài
ge
hǎi
biān
He was going to drive me to the beach,
jiào
ge
shén
me
V
i
r
g
i
n
i
a
b
e
a
c
h
miàn
called Virginia Beach over there.
men
yào
guò
hěn
kuài
de
zhōu
a
We were going to have a very nice weekend.
rán
hòu
jué
de
hái
yǒu
bàn
nián
de
shí
jiān
And I thought, we still have half a year,
shén
me
dōu
néng
shēng
anything could happen.
néng
zhǎo
dào
xīn
de
gōng
zuò
Maybe I would find a new job,
liú
zài
měi
guó
and be able to stay in the US.
dàn
shì
shōu
dào
ge
xìn
de
But the moment he received that message,
jiù
shuō
zhè
ge
zhè
me
zhòng
yào
de
xìn
he said, 'Such important information like this,'
men
jiàn
miàn
de
shí
hòu
jiù
gào
a
you should have told me the first time we met!
shì
duì
gǎn
qíng
hěn
rèn
zhēn
de
rén
a
I'm someone who takes relationships very seriously!
xiàn
zài
gào
zhè
ge
shì
shén
me
What do you mean by telling me this now?
rán
hòu
ò
jiù
shì
And then, like,
men
jiù
shì
liǎng
tiān
zhī
hòu
jiù
yào
xíng
le
we were supposed to go on our trip two days later.
suǒ
yǒu
dōng
西
dōu
dìng
hǎo
le
Everything was already booked.
rán
hòu
jiù
shì
xiāo
le
suǒ
yǒu
de
dōng
西
And then he just canceled everything,
rán
hòu
jiù
tíng
zhǐ
gēn
jiàn
miàn
a
a
and stopped seeing me completely. Ah, wow.
dàn
shì
shì
xiǎng
gēn
gèng
shēn
de
ge
jiē
chù
a
But I wanted to connect with him on a deeper level,
jiù
hěn
hěn
zhí
jiē
de
jiù
jiù
zhè
ge
and he just directly...
qiē
duàn
le
lián
a
cut off contact.
guài
That's so weird.
tóu
ma
3
0
duō
le
Well, he was in his 30s,
suǒ
zhēn
de
shì
xiǎng
zhǎo
zhǒng
cháng
de
bàn
a
so he was really looking for a long-term partner.
dàn
shì
jué
de
yǒu
zhè
yàng
de
néng
But he felt that since I had the possibility
kāi
de
néng
xìng
of leaving,
xiǎng
yào
tóu
he didn't want to invest.
dàn
shì
shuō
de
ge
gōng
zuò
But I said my job...
hěn
néng
jiù
shì
huì
liú
zài
zhè
de
could very well let me stay here.
dàn
shì
yào
tīng
zhè
ge
a
But he didn't want to hear it,
jiù
hěn
jiān
jué
de
jiù
fēn
kāi
le
and broke it off very decisively.
ǹg
ge
wèn
shì
bu
shì
jué
de
piàn
ma
Mm, was the issue that he felt you lied to him?
è
méi
yǒu
piàn
Uh, I didn't lie to him.
jué
de
shì
zài
zhǎo
hěn
hěn
zhèng
shì
de
bàn
I think he was looking for a very serious partner,
jiù
shì
yào
bèi
zi
zài
de
zhǒng
a
the kind to spend his whole life with.
dàn
zhè
ge
dòng
But that also touched me.
dāng
rán
zài
rèn
shi
de
jiē
duàn
a
Of course, I was still in the phase of getting to know him,
dàn
shì
jiù
shì
jué
de
dào
le
ge
nián
but he just felt that at his age,
xiǎng
làng
fèi
rèn
de
shí
jiān
he didn't want to waste any time.
xiǎng
zhǎo
jiù
shì
què
dìng
de
He wanted to find something that was certain,
yào
jiù
shì
yǒu
rèn
què
dìng
de
yīn
zài
biān
without any uncertain factors involved.
duì
dàn
shì
jué
de
huì
yǒu
hěn
duō
bàn
Right, but I think there would have been many ways.
jiù
shì
shí
zài
zhǎo
dào
xīn
de
gōng
zuò
Even if I couldn't find a new job,
jié
hūn
shén
me
de
we could have gotten married or something.
xiǎng
bàn
liú
xià
lái
liǎng
rén
ma
We could have found a way to stay together and make it work.
dàn
shì
jiù
yǒu
miàn
duì
zhè
ge
què
dìng
xìng
But when he faced this uncertainty,
què
dìng
wèi
lái
de
què
dìng
the uncertainty, the future uncertainty,
he...
jué
de
hái
hěn
huǐ
felt it was too risky.
diǎn
A bit.
Well,
jué
de
shuō
zuò
de
duì
zuò
de
duì
then I think you did the right thing, you did the right thing.
a
duì
duì
duì
a
Ah, yes, yes, yes.
ǹg
yīn
wèi
jué
de
xiǎng
rèn
zhēn
diǎn
Yeah, because I felt I also wanted to be serious and responsible,
suǒ
jiù
shuō
le
a
so that's why I told him.
wán
quán
tóng
I completely agree.
suǒ
jiào
liǎo
jiě
a
de
xiǎng
a
So I kind of understand your way of thinking.
duì
dàn
shì
de
xíng
wéi
Right, but his behavior...
xíng
wéi
yǒu
diǎn
guài
jué
de
me
zhí
jiē
his behavior was a bit strange, I think, being so direct.
duì
kāi
de
yǒu
Yes, to leave... I remember one time,
shì
de
a
rán
hòu
jiù
fēi
cháng
rán
yes, and it was so sudden.
běn
lái
bié
tián
rán
hòu
xià
jiù
gěi
duàn
le
It was originally so sweet, and then it was cut off just like that.
ā
ha
Ah, hahaha.
suǒ
dāng
shí
xiǎng
a
So at that time, I thought,
guǒ
shuō
de
huà
néng
hái
if I hadn't said anything, maybe I could still
gēn
6
yuè
zài
have been with him for those six months.
méi
guān
shì
ge
yǒu
yuè
zéi
That's okay, but that wouldn't have been the same,
yīn
wèi
shì
pǎo
yǒu
since you said it wasn't just a hookup.
gēn
gāng
gāng
shuō
shì
pǎo
yǒu
You just said it wasn't a hookup.
duì
yǒu
yǒu
gǎn
jué
You had feelings for him.
duì
suǒ
ràng
yào
Right, so you needed to...
shì
ài
cháng
shì
You wanted to give it a try.
jué
de
duì
I think so, yes.
suǒ
wèi
It doesn't matter.
rán
ràng
xiǎng
lái
zhè
ge
shì
a
Hahaha, you suddenly made me remember this story.
suǒ
fǎn
fǎn
zhèng
zhī
dào
So, anyway, I don't know.
néng
néng
men
huì
9
yuè
de
shí
hòu
huì
fēn
shǒu
Maybe, maybe we'll break up in September.
zhī
dào
I don't know.
dàn
shì
men
jué
de
men
liǎng
But I think the two of you...
néng
Maybe you,
huí
guó
suǒ
yǒu
zhè
xiē
with you going back to France and all,
dōu
zhī
dào
you just don't know.
zhè
ge
dōng
西
dōu
zhī
dào
zhè
jiàn
shì
You just don't know about these things.
jiù
xiǎng
shòu
zhè
yuè
ba
Then just enjoy these five months.
yuè
Four months, hahaha.
ǹg
ǹg
ǹg
duì
Yeah, yeah, right.
hǎo
hòu
zài
cǎi
fǎng访
a
Okay, I'll interview you more about it later!

Key HSK Vocabulary

Word Pinyin Meaning HSK Action
故事 gù shi story, tale HSK 2
荣幸 róng xìng be honoured, honourable HSK 7
切断 qiē duàn cut off HSK 7
倒数 dào shǔ count backwards HSK 7
甜蜜 tián mì sweet, happy HSK 7
伴侣 bàn lǔ: mate, partner HSK 7
计时 jì shí reckon by time HSK 7
诚恳 chéng kěn sincere, earnest HSK 7
来电 lái diàn incoming telegram , your message HSK 7
害羞 hài xiū be bashful, be shy HSK 7
哎呀 āi yā expressing suprise or amazement, expressing complaint or impatience HSK 7
时期 shí qī a particular period HSK 6
有事 yǒu shì be occupied, be busy HSK 6
打动 dǎ dòng move, touch HSK 6
日语 Rì yǔ japanese HSK 6
愉快 yú kuài happy, joyful HSK 6
就是说 jiù shì shuō namely, that is to say HSK 6
好不容易 hǎo bù róng yì very difficult, with great difficulty HSK 6
因素 yīn sù factor, element HSK 6
截止日 jié zhǐ rì stop, cut out HSK 6

Grammar Notes

📌 等于说 (děngyúshuō)
Literally meaning 'equivalent to saying,' this phrase is used in spoken Chinese to mean 'that means,' 'essentially,' or 'in other words' when summarizing or drawing a conclusion from what someone just said.

你不去参加他的派对,等于说你还在生气。

Nǐ bù qù cānjiā tā de pàiduì, děngyúshuō nǐ hái zài shēngqì.

You're not going to his party, which essentially means you're still angry.

📌 好不容易 (hǎobùróngyì)
An idiomatic expression meaning 'with great difficulty' or 'finally managed to.' It emphasizes that a lot of effort was spent to achieve a result. Note that both '好不容易' and '好容易' mean the same thing (hard to achieve).

我好不容易才找到他的微信联系方式。

Wǒ hǎobùróngyì cái zhǎodào tā de wēixìn liánxì fāngshì.

I managed to find his WeChat contact info only after a lot of trouble.

📌 倒数计时 (dàoshǔ jìshí)
This term means 'to count down' or 'countdown.' It is widely used in daily life for deadlines, events, holidays, or any situation where time is running out.

放假倒数计时还有三天,真让人兴奋!

Fàngjià dàoshǔ jìshí hái yǒu sān tiān, zhēn ràng rén xīngfèn!

There are only three days left in the countdown to vacation, it's so exciting!

Navigating the ups and downs of romance is tricky enough, but trying to flirt, tease, or resolve a silly misunderstanding in a second language? That’s a whole different level of relationship milestone. If you've ever frozen up trying to express your feelings in Mandarin, you’ll find instant comfort—and plenty of laughs—in the latest video from the Learn Chinese Podcast, titled "我们的海外爱情故事" (Our Overseas Love Story).

This engaging Chinese skit bypasses dry textbook grammar to throw you straight into the heartwarming, everyday reality of real-life conversational Chinese. Packed with authentic dialogue, modern slang, and natural expressions, it's the perfect, stress-free way to upgrade your listening skills and learn how native speakers actually talk about love, life, and everything in between.

Video Overview

In this engaging conversation, Brice shares a major life update with his Chinese teacher: he has a new girlfriend! Although he is living in Taiwan, his new partner is a Japanese-American who is scheduled to leave the country in a few months. They chat about how they met, their shared humor, and the bittersweet challenges of starting a relationship with a known 'expiration date.'

✨ Dialogue Highlights

我们俩可以说是“鸡同鸭讲”。
Wǒmen liǎ kěyǐ shuō shì “jī tóng yā jiǎng”.
The two of us could be said to be "like a chicken talking to a duck."

This Cantonese-origin idiom is widely used in Mandarin to humorously describe a severe language barrier or communication breakdown where neither party understands the other. It is a highly relatable and lighthearted way to describe the awkward yet charming initial stages of a cross-cultural relationship.

八字还没一撇呢!
Bāzì hái méi yī piě ne!
There is not even the first stroke of the character 'eight' yet!

This is the perfect, humorous colloquialism to deflect premature questions about marriage or relationship milestones from nosey friends or relatives. It means things are in such the early stages that nothing is certain yet, comparing the situation to writing the Chinese character "八" (eight), which consists of two strokes—and not even the first left-falling stroke (撇) has been written.