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HSK 2 Chinese Culture Lesson

Relay Stations and Couriers

驿站和快递

Yì zhàn hé kuàidì

9:32 min video · 23 sentences · 5 key words

Transcript with pinyin and English

Hide the English to test yourself.
  1. 你知道吗？中国每天有很多快递。Nǐ zhīdào ma? Zhōngguó měi tiān yǒu hěn duō kuàidì.Did you know? China has a lot of express parcels every day.
  2. 因为中国人口多，所以快递也很多。Yīnwèi zhōngguó rénkǒu duō, suǒyǐ kuàidì yě hěn duō.Because China has a large population, there are also many parcels.
  3. 半夜，快递站里还有人在工作。Bànyè, kuàidì zhàn lǐ hái yǒurén zài gōngzuò.In the middle of the night, people are still working at the parcel station.
  4. 他们想让你早一点儿收到东西。Tāmen xiǎng ràng nǐ zǎo yìdiǎnr shōudào dōngxi.They want you to get your things a little sooner.
  5. 小林来到邮局，她正在排队。Xiǎo Lín láidào yóujú, tā zhèngzài páiduì.Xiao Lin comes to the post office and is standing in line.
  6. 小林为妈妈准备了一个包裹。Xiǎo Lín wèi māma zhǔnbèi le yí gè bāoguǒ.Xiao Lin has prepared a parcel for her mother.
  7. 张小姐说：“请先写名字和电话。”Zhāng xiǎojie shuō: “Qǐng xiān xiě míngzi hé diànhuà.”Miss Zhang says, "Please write the name and phone number first."
  8. 因为妈妈家很远，所以要三天才到。Yīnwèi māma jiā hěn yuǎn, suǒyǐ yào sān tiāncái dào.Because Mom's home is far, it will take three days to arrive.
  9. 在中国，邮局可以送信，也可以送包。Zài zhōngguó, yóujú kěyǐ sòng xìn, yě kěyǐ sòng bāo.In China, the post office can deliver letters and also parcels.
  10. 现在人们常用手机，以前人们写家书。Xiànzài rénmen chángyòng shǒujī, yǐqián rénmen xiě jiā shū.Now people often use phones; in the past people wrote family letters.
  11. 家书就是写给家人的信。Jiā shū jiùshì xiě gěi jiārén de xìn.A 家书 is simply a letter written to your family.
  12. 小林说：“我也想写一封家书。”Xiǎo Lín shuō: “Wǒ yě xiǎng xiě yì fēng jiā shū.”Xiao Lin says, "I want to write a family letter too."
  13. 她写：“妈妈，我开学了，作业很多。”Tā xiě: “Māma, wǒ kāixué le, zuòyè hěn duō.”She writes, "Mom, school has started and there is a lot of homework."
  14. 古代的人用马送信。Gǔdài de rén yòng mǎ sòng xìn.People in ancient times used horses to deliver letters.
  15. 路上有很多驿站。Lùshang yǒu hěn duō yì zhàn.There were many relay stations along the roads.
  16. 驿站是人和马休息的地方。Yì zhàn shì rén hé mǎ xiūxi de dìfang.A 驿站 is a place where people and horses rested.
  17. 因为路很长，所以马要换。Yīnwèi lù hěn cháng, suǒyǐ mǎ yào huàn.Because the road is long, the horses had to be changed.
  18. 古代的交通比现在慢得多。Gǔdài de jiāotōng bǐ xiànzài màn de duō.Traffic and travel in ancient times were much slower than now.
  19. 办好了，小林从出口走出邮局。Bàn hǎo le, Xiǎo Lín cóng chūkǒu zǒu chū yóujú.All done, Xiao Lin walks out of the post office through the exit.
  20. 现在你可以用手机看快递到哪儿了。Xiànzài nǐ kěyǐ yòng shǒujī kàn kuàidì dào nǎr le.For example, you can use your phone to see where a parcel is.
  21. 这说明现在的交通很方便。Zhè shuōmíng xiànzài de jiāotōng hěn fāngbiàn.This shows that travel and transport are very convenient now.
  22. 你见到过驿站吗？Nǐ jiàndào guo yì zhàn ma?Have you ever seen a relay station?
  23. 你们国家的邮局是什么样？Nǐmen guójiā de yóujú shì shénmeyàng?What are post offices like in your country?

About this lesson

A student sends a parcel home and learns how Chinese mail went from horses and relay stations to today's busy couriers.

How to practise

  1. Read what you will learn on the first card, then follow the lesson section by section with pinyin and English.
  2. Repeat every sentence out loud in the 跟读 · Your turn pause: you learn the facts and the words together.
  3. At the end, check the recap and answer the question in the YouTube comments.

驿站和快递 Yì zhàn hé kuàidì

Relay Stations and Couriers

In this lesson

  • How people sent mail in ancient China
  • Words for post office, parcel and family letter
  • How to use 因为……所以……

Key takeaways

  • Ancient China used horses and relay stations to carry letters.
  • A 家书 is a letter written to family.
  • China's large population means a huge number of parcels.
  • 因为 gives a reason and 所以 gives the result.

Your turn: How do people send parcels or letters in your country, and who do you write to most?

Key words 生词

ChinesePinyinEnglishLevel
驿站yìzhànancient relay station
快递kuàidìexpress parcel, courierHSK 4
邮局yóujúpost officeHSK 4
家书jiāshūletter to family
交通jiāotōngtraffic, transportHSK 2

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