Starting again: a career change

HSK 4 Unit 6: Working life · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 24 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can follow a story about someone who left a stable job to follow a passion, and tell the story of a big change in your own career.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

Meaning
What does 假期 mean?
1. to understand (someone)
2. holiday, vacation
3. love (romantic)
That is 理解 (lǐjiě).
That is 爱情 (àiqíng).
Show the answer
Answer: B, holiday, vacation.
假期 (jiàqī) means holiday, vacation.
Characters
Which word means “efficiency”?
1. 效率
2. 联系
3. 约会
联系 (liánxì) means to contact, contact.
约会 (yuēhuì) means date, to go on a date.
Show the answer
Answer: A, 效率.
“efficiency” is 效率 (xiàolǜ).
Listening
From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
目标 mùbiāo
1. goal, target
2. to look after
3. to contact, contact
That would be 照顾 (zhàogu).
That would be 联系 (liánxì).
Show the answer
Answer: A, goal, target.
You heard 目标 (mùbiāo): goal, target.

New words

勇气yǒngqìcourage
风险fēngxiǎnrisk
鼓励gǔlìto encourage
成就chéngjiùachievement, accomplishment

A turning point

Career-change stories weigh the risk (风险, fēngxiǎn) against the dream, and need courage (勇气, yǒngqì). Others may encourage you (鼓励, gǔlì) or try to stop you.

辞职需要很大的勇气。
Cízhí xūyào hěn dà de yǒngqì.
Quitting takes a lot of courage.
无论风险多大，我都要试试。
Wúlùn fēngxiǎn duō dà, wǒ dōu yào shìshi.
However big the risk, I want to try.
这是我最大的成就。
Zhè shì wǒ zuì dà de chéngjiù.
This is my greatest achievement.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

勇yǒng braveStroke order
险xiǎn dangerStroke order
鼓gǔ drumStroke order
励lì to encourageStroke order
就jiù in that case; thenStroke order

Li Ming's bakery

Li Ming tells his story at a small business event.

Listen first

Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.

Helpful words: 银行职员 yínháng zhíyuán bank clerk; 面包店 miànbāodiàn bakery; 一辈子 yíbèizi one's whole life

Listening
Listen first. What was Li Ming's job before?
1. a cook
2. a bank clerk
3. a teacher
Show the answer
Answer: B, a bank clerk.
我是一个银行职员.
Listening
Who encouraged him?
1. his wife
2. his parents
3. his boss
Show the answer
Answer: A, his wife.
我太太一直鼓励我.
Listening
Why did he succeed, in his own words?
1. good luck and a lot of money
2. courage and family support
3. a big loan from the bank
Show the answer
Answer: B, courage and family support.
我有勇气，也有家人的支持.

Show the text

五Wǔ年nián前qián，我wǒ是shì一yí个gè银行职员yínháng zhíyuán，工作gōngzuò很hěn稳定wěndìng，收入shōurù也yě不错búcuò。
Five years ago I was a bank clerk. My job was stable and the pay was good.
可是Kěshì我wǒ一直yìzhí对duì做zuò面包miànbāo很hěn感兴趣gǎnxìngqù，周末zhōumò常常chángcháng在zài家jiā做zuò。
But I'd always been interested in baking, and I often baked at home at weekends.
我Wǒ以为yǐwéi我wǒ会huì在zài银行yínháng工作gōngzuò一辈子yíbèizi，可是kěshì三十sānshí岁suì那nà年nián，我wǒ决定juédìng辞职cízhí。
I thought I'd work at the bank all my life, but the year I turned thirty I decided to quit.
很Hěn多duō人rén说shuō风险fēngxiǎn太tài大dà，可是kěshì我wǒ太太tàitai一直yìzhí鼓励gǔlì我wǒ。
Lots of people said the risk was too great, but my wife always encouraged me.
她Tā说shuō：“既然jìrán你nǐ这么zhème喜欢xǐhuan，就jiù去qù做zuò吧ba！”
She said: "Since you love it so much, go for it!"
开始Kāishǐ的de时候shíhou很hěn难nán，我wǒ才cái卖mài出去chūqu十shí几jǐ个gè面包miànbāo。
At first it was hard: I only sold a dozen or so loaves.
现在Xiànzài我wǒ的de面包店miànbāodiàn已经yǐjīng开kāi了le三sān年nián，每天měitiān都dōu有yǒu很hěn多duō客人kèrén。
Now my bakery has been open for three years, and there are lots of customers every day.
我Wǒ之所以zhīsuǒyǐ能néng成功chénggōng，是shì因为yīnwèi我wǒ有yǒu勇气yǒngqì，也yě有yǒu家jiā人rén的de支持zhīchí。这Zhè就jiù是shì我wǒ最zuì大dà的de成就chéngjiù。
The reason I succeeded is that I had courage and my family's support. That is my greatest achievement.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

很多人说风险太大，可是我太太一直鼓励我。
Hěn duō rén shuō fēngxiǎn tài dà, kěshì wǒ tàitai yìzhí gǔlì wǒ.
Lots of people said the risk was too great, but my wife always encouraged me.
她说：“既然你这么喜欢，就去做吧！”
Tā shuō: “Jìrán nǐ zhème xǐhuan, jiù qù zuò ba!”
She said: "Since you love it so much, go for it!"
开始的时候很难，我才卖出去十几个面包。
Kāishǐ de shíhou hěn nán, wǒ cái mài chūqu shí jǐ gè miànbāo.
At first it was hard: I only sold a dozen or so loaves.

Practice

Meaning
What does 勇气 mean?
1. (adds feeling to the end of a sentence)
2. to quarrel, to argue
3. courage
That is 啊 (a).
That is 吵架 (chǎojià).
Show the answer
Answer: C, courage.
勇气 (yǒngqì) means courage.
Characters
Which word means “risk”?
1. 假期
2. 风险
3. 成就
假期 (jiàqī) means holiday, vacation.
成就 (chéngjiù) means achievement, accomplishment.
Show the answer
Answer: B, 风险.
“risk” is 风险 (fēngxiǎn).
Pinyin
How do you read 鼓励 (to encourage)?
1. gǔlī
2. gùlì
3. gǔlì
Show the answer
Answer: C, gǔlì.
鼓励 is read gǔlì. Check the tone mark on every syllable.
Listening
Listen. What does the word mean?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
成就 chéngjiù
1. achievement, accomplishment
2. to make an effort, hard-working
3. to be late
That would be 努力 (nǔlì).
That would be 迟到 (chídào).
Show the answer
Answer: A, achievement, accomplishment.
You heard 成就 (chéngjiù): achievement, accomplishment.
Your turn
Recall: type the Chinese for “courage” (characters or pinyin).
Show the answer
Answer: 勇气
“courage” is 勇气 (yǒngqì).
Listening
Listen. Which sentence did you hear?
Cannot listen? Read it instead
她说：“既然你这么喜欢，就去做吧！” Tā shuō: “Jìrán nǐ zhème xǐhuan, jiù qù zuò ba!”
1. She said: "Since you love it so much, go for it!"
2. But I'd always been interested in baking, and I often baked at home at weekends.
3. Now my bakery has been open for three years, and there are lots of customers every day.
Show the answer
Answer: A, She said: "Since you love it so much, go for it!".
You heard 她说：“既然你这么喜欢，就去做吧！” (Tā shuō: “Jìrán nǐ zhème xǐhuan, jiù qù zuò ba!”): She said: "Since you love it so much, go for it!"
Reading
Read: 她以前是医生，后来对画画越来越感兴趣。虽然大家都觉得风险很大，但是她还是辞职当了画家。 What did she do?
1. went back to being a doctor
2. stopped painting because of the risk
3. left medicine to become a painter
Show the answer
Answer: C, left medicine to become a painter.
辞职当了画家.
Grammar
Which sentence is right?
1. 无论风险多大，我都要试试。
2. 无论风险多大，我就要试试。
3. 无论风险多大，我要都试试。
Show the answer
Answer: A, 无论风险多大，我都要试试。.
无论风险多大，我都要试试。: 无论…都: however … still.
In context
Your friend is afraid to start a business. What do you say?
1. 别怕，我风险你！
2. 别怕，我鼓励你！
3. 别怕，我成就你！
Show the answer
Answer: B, 别怕，我鼓励你！.
别怕，我鼓励你！: 鼓励: to encourage.
Your turn
Type the Chinese for it takes courage (needs courage)
Show the answer
Answer: 需要勇气
需要勇气: takes courage.

Your career story

Tell the story of a big change in your work or studies, out loud, in eight sentences. Record it and listen back.

What you did before and what you thought would happen, with 以为.
Why you changed, with 之所以…是因为.
The risk and who encouraged you.
What you are proud of now.

Sentence frames

我以为＿＿，可是＿＿。
Wǒ yǐwéi ＿＿, kěshì ＿＿.
I thought ..., but ...
我之所以＿＿，是因为＿＿。
Wǒ zhīsuǒyǐ ＿＿, shì yīnwèi ＿＿.
The reason I ... is that ...

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

I can follow a career-change story with the HSK 4 grammar.
I can talk about courage, risk and achievement.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next: HSK 4 Unit 7: Society and technology, where you talk about the internet, shopping and the environment.

1 Warm-up: do you remember?

2 New words

3 A turning point

4 Characters

5 Li Ming's bakery