Twelve hours apart
Preview version — Chinese review in progress.
十二个小时的距离
Shí'èr gè xiǎoshí de jùlí
Twelve hours apart
Audio preview uses your device’s Chinese voice. It is not a recording.
Story
，。
Yuán Yuán hé Shěn Jiā cóng xiǎoxué qǐ jiùshì zuì hǎo de péngyou, jīhū měitiān dōu zài yìqǐ.
Yuan Yuan and Shen Jia had been best friends since primary school and spent nearly every day together.
Words in this sentence
- 袁媛 Yuán Yuán
- Yuan Yuan (name)
- 和 hé
- and Dictionary
- 沈佳 Shěn Jiā
- Shen Jia (name)
- 从 cóng
- from Dictionary
- 小学 xiǎoxué
- primary school Dictionary
- 起 qǐ
- up (after a verb: 拿起 pick up) Dictionary
- 就是 jiùshì
- is exactly, is right Dictionary
- 最 zuì
- most Dictionary
- 好 hǎo
- good; OK Dictionary
- 的 de
- (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
- 朋友 péngyou
- friend Dictionary
- 几乎 jīhū
- almost Dictionary
- 每天 měitiān
- every day Dictionary
- 都 dōu
- all, both Dictionary
- 在 zài
- at, in; to be at Dictionary
- 一起 yìqǐ
- together Dictionary
，，。
dàxué bìyè nà nián, Shěn Jiā qù le Jiānádà dú yánjiūshēng, liǎng gè rén zhījiān chà le shí'èr gè xiǎoshí.
The year they graduated, Shen Jia went to Canada for a master's degree, twelve hours apart.
Words in this sentence
- 大学 dàxué
- university Dictionary
- 毕业 bìyè
- to graduate Dictionary
- 那 nà
- that Dictionary
- 年 nián
- year Dictionary
- 沈佳 Shěn Jiā
- Shen Jia (name)
- 去 qù
- to go Dictionary
- 了 le
- (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
- 加拿大 Jiānádà
- Canada Dictionary
- 读 dú
- to study (for a degree); to read Dictionary
- 研究生 yánjiūshēng
- postgraduate, master's degree Dictionary
- 两 liǎng
- two Dictionary
- 个 gè
- (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
- 人 rén
- person, people Dictionary
- 之间 zhījiān
- between Dictionary
- 差 chà
- to differ by Dictionary
- 了 le
- (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
- 十二 shí'èr
- twelve Dictionary
- 个 gè
- (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
- 小时 xiǎoshí
- hour Dictionary
，，。
yì kāishǐ, tāmen měi gè zhōumò dōu shìpín liáotiān, yì liáo jiùshì liǎng gè xiǎoshí.
At first they video-chatted every weekend, and once they started they talked for two hours.
Words in this sentence
- 一 yì
- one, a Dictionary
- 开始 kāishǐ
- to start Dictionary
- 她们 tāmen
- they, them (women) Dictionary
- 每 měi
- every, each Dictionary
- 个 gè
- (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
- 周末 zhōumò
- weekend Dictionary
- 都 dōu
- all, both Dictionary
- 视频 shìpín
- video Dictionary
- 聊天 liáotiān
- to chat Dictionary
- 一 yì
- one, a Dictionary
- 聊 liáo
- to chat Dictionary
- 就是 jiùshì
- is exactly, is right Dictionary
- 两 liǎng
- two Dictionary
- 个 gè
- (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
- 小时 xiǎoshí
- hour Dictionary
，，。
hòulái dàjiā dōu yuèláiyuè máng, diànhuà yě yuèláiyuè shǎo, yǒushíhou yí gè yuè dōu shuō bú shàng yí jù huà.
Later they both got busier, the calls grew fewer, and sometimes a month went by without a word.
Words in this sentence
- 后来 hòulái
- later, afterwards Dictionary
- 大家 dàjiā
- everyone Dictionary
- 都 dōu
- all, both Dictionary
- 越来越 yuèláiyuè
- more and more Dictionary
- 忙 máng
- busy Dictionary
- 电话 diànhuà
- phone call, telephone Dictionary
- 也 yě
- also, too Dictionary
- 越来越 yuèláiyuè
- more and more Dictionary
- 少 shǎo
- few, little Dictionary
- 有时候 yǒushíhou
- sometimes Dictionary
- 一 yí
- one, a Dictionary
- 个 gè
- (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
- 月 yuè
- month Dictionary
- 都 dōu
- all, both Dictionary
- 说 shuō
- to say, to speak Dictionary
- 不 bú
- not Dictionary
- 上 shàng
- on, above Dictionary
- 一 yí
- one, a Dictionary
- 句 jù
- (measure word for sentences) Dictionary
- 话 huà
- words, what is said Dictionary
：？
Yuán Yuán yǒudiǎnr dānxīn: wǒmen shì bu shì mànmàn biànchéng mòshēngrén le?
Yuan Yuan began to worry: are we slowly turning into strangers?
Words in this sentence
- 袁媛 Yuán Yuán
- Yuan Yuan (name)
- 有点儿 yǒudiǎnr
- a bit, somewhat Dictionary
- 担心 dānxīn
- to worry Dictionary
- 我们 wǒmen
- we, us Dictionary
- 是不是 shì bu shì
- is it that Dictionary
- 慢慢 mànmàn
- slowly Dictionary
- 变成 biànchéng
- to turn into, to become Dictionary
- 陌生人 mòshēngrén
- stranger Dictionary
- 了 le
- (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
，，，。
tā shēngrì nà tiān, kuàidì sònglái yí gè dà bāoguǒ, lǐmiàn shì yì běn xiàngcè, cóng tāmen shí suì dào èrshí suì de zhàopiàn dōu zài lǐmiàn.
On her birthday a big parcel arrived: an album with their photos from age ten to twenty.
Words in this sentence
- 她 tā
- she, her Dictionary
- 生日 shēngrì
- birthday Dictionary
- 那 nà
- that Dictionary
- 天 tiān
- day Dictionary
- 快递 kuàidì
- delivery, courier Dictionary
- 送来 sònglái
- to deliver
- 一 yí
- one, a Dictionary
- 个 gè
- (measure word for people and things) Dictionary
- 大 dà
- big, loud Dictionary
- 包裹 bāoguǒ
- parcel Dictionary
- 里面 lǐmiàn
- inside Dictionary
- 是 shì
- to be Dictionary
- 一 yì
- one, a Dictionary
- 本 běn
- (measure word for books) Dictionary
- 相册 xiàngcè
- photo album Dictionary
- 从 cóng
- from Dictionary
- 她们 tāmen
- they, them (women) Dictionary
- 十 shí
- ten
- 岁 suì
- years old Dictionary
- 到 dào
- to arrive Dictionary
- 二十 èrshí
- twenty Dictionary
- 岁 suì
- years old Dictionary
- 的 de
- (possessive or describing particle) Dictionary
- 照片 zhàopiàn
- photo Dictionary
- 都 dōu
- all, both Dictionary
- 在 zài
- at, in; to be at Dictionary
- 里面 lǐmiàn
- inside Dictionary
：“，。”
zuìhòu yí yè xiě zhe:“ jùlí néng gǎibiàn shíjiān, dàn gǎibiàn bú le péngyou.”
On the last page was written: "Distance can change our hours, but not our friendship."
Words in this sentence
- 最后 zuìhòu
- in the end, finally Dictionary
- 一 yí
- one, a Dictionary
- 页 yè
- page Dictionary
- 写 xiě
- to write Dictionary
- 着 zhe
- (-ing: an ongoing state) Dictionary
- 距离 jùlí
- distance Dictionary
- 能 néng
- can, be able to Dictionary
- 改变 gǎibiàn
- to change Dictionary
- 时间 shíjiān
- time Dictionary
- 但 dàn
- but Dictionary
- 改变 gǎibiàn
- to change Dictionary
- 不 bú
- not Dictionary
- 了 le
- (marks a completed action or a change) Dictionary
- 朋友 péngyou
- friend Dictionary
Grammar focus
- 一……就是…… "once … it lasts (a long time)"
- 是不是 "is it that …?"
Vocabulary
- 几乎jīhūalmost Dictionary
- 研究生yánjiūshēngpostgraduate, master's degree Dictionary
- 陌生人mòshēngrénstranger Dictionary
- 包裹bāoguǒparcel Dictionary
- 相册xiàngcèphoto album Dictionary
- 距离jùlídistance Dictionary
- 改变gǎibiànto change Dictionary
Questions
Writing task
给一个很久没联系的朋友写几句话。
Gěi yí gè hěn jiǔ méi liánxì de péngyou xiě jǐ jù huà.
Write a few lines to a friend you haven't been in touch with for a long time.
Tips
- 好久不见 is the usual way to greet someone after a long time.
Try it yourself first, then show the model answer
好久不见！最近怎么样？我常常想起我们一起上学的日子，有时间视频聊一聊吧！
Hǎo jiǔ bú jiàn! Zuìjìn zěnmeyàng? Wǒ chángcháng xiǎngqǐ wǒmen yìqǐ shàngxué de rìzi, yǒu shíjiān shìpín liáo yì liáo ba!
Long time no see! How are you? I often think about our school days. Let's video-chat when you have time!