Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Dad's Day Out: Choosing Family Over Work Calls
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
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Story Transcript:

Zh: 阳光透过窗帘洒在桌子上，梁陷入了沉思。
En: Sunlight streamed through the curtains, falling on the table as Liang became lost in thought.

Zh: 他望着手机上的公司邮件，心中感到一丝不安。
En: He looked at the company emails on his phone, feeling a twinge of unease in his heart.

Zh: 他知道自己需要改变，他不想错过与女儿美之间的珍贵时光。
En: He knew he needed to make a change — he didn't want to miss out on precious moments with his daughter, Mei.

Zh: 想到这点，梁决定这周末带美去北京水族馆，好好享受一次家庭旅行。
En: With this in mind, Liang decided to take Mei to the Beijing Aquarium this weekend to enjoy a family trip.

Zh: 这是一个有些燥热的夏末早晨，他们乘坐地铁来到水族馆。
En: It was a somewhat hot late summer morning when they took the subway to the aquarium.

Zh: 水族馆外，人们的欢声笑语和水声交织在一起，空气里弥漫着一股清新的水汽。
En: Outside the aquarium, the sounds of laughter and splashing water mingled in the air, which was filled with a refreshing mist.

Zh: 这是一个理想的避暑之地，尤其是在中秋节来临前一个星期。
En: It was an ideal place to escape the heat, especially with the Mid-Autumn Festival only a week away.

Zh: 一走进水族馆，五光十色的海洋世界呈现在眼前。
En: Upon entering the aquarium, a dazzling marine world unfolded before them.

Zh: 鲜艳的鱼群悠闲地在珊瑚间游动，水母在轻轻地飘荡，令人目不暇接。
En: Brightly colored schools of fish leisurely swam among the coral, and jellyfish drifted gently, an overwhelming sight.

Zh: 美的眼睛闪烁着，好奇地左看看右看看。
En: Mei's eyes sparkled as she curiously looked around.

Zh: “爸爸，快看那边！”美指着巨大的海龟，兴奋地说。
En: "Dad, look over there!" Mei exclaimed excitedly, pointing at a giant sea turtle.

Zh: 然而，走着走着，梁还是忍不住看了看手机。
En: However, as they walked, Liang couldn't resist glancing at his phone.

Zh: 他意识到自己老毛病又犯了，看着美有些失落的小脸，他的心轻轻一沉。
En: Realizing he was slipping into old habits, he noticed Mei's slightly disappointed face and his heart sank a little.

Zh: 于是，梁做了一个重要决定。
En: Consequently, Liang made an important decision.

Zh: 他把手机调成静音，放进了背包。
En: He put his phone on silent and tucked it into his backpack.

Zh: 他微笑着说：“美，今天爸爸是你的！”
En: Smiling, he said, "Mei, today I'm all yours!"

Zh: 随着时间的推移，他们观赏了五彩斑斓的鱼群，还和水母玩起了合影。
En: As time went by, they admired the colorful fish and took selfies with the jellyfish.

Zh: 美渐渐放下了对爸爸的小埋怨。
En: Mei gradually let go of her small grudge against her dad.

Zh: 突然，广播里传来消息，海豚表演即将开始。
En: Suddenly, an announcement came over the loudspeaker: the dolphin show was about to start.

Zh: 美拉着梁的手奔向看台，迫不及待地想要看到这场精彩的表演。
En: Grabbing Liang's hand, Mei eagerly led him to the stands, excited to see the performance.

Zh: 海豚在水中翻腾跳跃，激起一阵阵掌声。
En: The dolphins flipped and leapt in the water to rounds of applause.

Zh: 美兴奋地欢呼，每一次海豚从水中跃出，她都拍着手叫好。
En: Mei cheered excitedly, clapping her hands and cheering each time a dolphin jumped out of the water.

Zh: 然而，就在这个快乐的时刻，梁的手机震动了。
En: However, in the midst of this joyful moment, Liang's phone vibrated.

Zh: 他看了一眼，是一通重要的工作电话。
En: He glanced at it — an important work call.

Zh: 他深吸一口气，摸向了口袋，但转瞬间，他又停下了手。
En: Taking a deep breath, he reached for his pocket but stopped at the last moment.

Zh: 望着身边喜笑颜开的美，梁心中做了一个抉择。
En: Looking at the beaming Mei beside him, Liang made a decision in his heart.

Zh: 他无视了手机，转过头全神贯注地看着面前的表演。
En: Ignoring the phone, he turned his full attention to the performance in front of them.

Zh: 他和美一起大笑，一起享受着这温馨的时光。
En: He and Mei laughed together, enjoying this warm moment.

Zh: 此刻，他明白了，家庭的快乐是无法用工作来衡量的。
En: At that moment, he understood that the joy of family could not be measured against work.

Zh: 表演结束，父女俩手牵手走出水族馆。
En: After the show, the father and daughter walked out of the aquarium hand in hand.

Zh: 美问：“爸爸，下次我们再来，好吗？”
En: Mei asked, "Dad, can we come again next time?"

Zh: 梁点头微笑，“当然，我们还会有许多这样的日子。”
En: Liang nodded with a smile, "Of course, we'll have plenty more days like this."

Zh: 这一刻，梁感受到了从未有过的轻松和喜悦。
En: At that moment, Liang felt an unprecedented sense of ease and joy.

Zh: 他知道，自己找到了与家人相处的真正乐趣。
En: He realized he had found the true pleasure of spending time with his family.

Zh: 为了这个珍贵的时刻，他愿意改变。
En: For this precious moment, he was willing to change.


Vocabulary Words:

• streamed: 洒
• twinge: 一丝
• unease: 不安
• precious: 珍贵
• mingled: 交织
• refreshing: 清新
• dazzling: 五光十色
• leisurely: 悠闲地
• sparkled: 闪烁
• exclaimed: 兴奋地说
• resist: 忍不住
• tucked: 放进
• grudge: 埋怨
• announcement: 广播
• flipped: 翻腾
• leapt: 跳跃
• applause: 掌声
• cheered: 欢呼
• beam: 喜笑颜开
• unprecedented: 从未有过的
• ease: 轻松
• grinding: 磨砺
• sank: 轻轻一沉
• admired: 观赏
• curiously: 好奇地
• overwhelming: 令人目不暇接
• slightly: 有些
• glancing: 看
• beaming: 微笑
• vibrated: 震动