Finding Harmony: Balancing Dreams and Family Ties

Fluent Fiction - Mandarin Chinese: Finding Harmony: Balancing Dreams and Family Ties
Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:
fluentfiction.com/zh/episode/2025-08-03-22-34-02-zh

Story Transcript:

Zh: 炎炎夏日，知了在树上叫个不停。
En: On a scorching summer day, the zhiliao wouldn't stop buzzing in the trees.

Zh: 小区里，孩子们在外面玩耍，家人们在门廊上闲聊。
En: In the neighborhood, children played outside while families chatted on their porches.

Zh: 小区的每个角落都充满了夏天的味道。
En: Every corner of the community was filled with the essence of summer.

Zh: 莲是个13岁的姑娘，梦想成为一名艺术家。
En: Lian was a 13-year-old girl who dreamed of becoming an artist.

Zh: 她的家里到处都是她的画作，餐桌上摆满了各种画具。
En: Her home was filled with her paintings, and the dining table was covered with various art supplies.

Zh: 今年暑假，她有个重要的计划：参加一个本地的艺术比赛。
En: This summer, she had an important plan: to participate in a local art competition.

Zh: 可是，她的15岁堂兄明有不同的想法。
En: However, her 15-year-old cousin Ming had different ideas.

Zh: 明特别爱运动，一到夏天就想让莲和他一起到外面玩。
En: Ming loved sports, and as soon as summer arrived, he wanted Lian to join him in outdoor activities.

Zh: 每当莲专心画画，他就来敲敲门：“莲，快出来打篮球吧！”
En: Whenever Lian was focused on her painting, Ming would come knocking: “Lian, come out and play basketball!”

Zh: 莲感到为难，她想画画，又不想辜负明。
En: Lian felt torn; she wanted to paint but didn’t want to let Ming down.

Zh: 他们的奶奶震是一位70岁的老人，经常给他们讲过去的故事。
En: Their grandmother Zhen, a 70-year-old woman, frequently shared stories from the past and always listened to Lian's concerns with patience.

Zh: 一天早上，莲决定：“我可以早上画画，下午和明出去玩。”
En: One morning, Lian decided: “I can paint in the morning and play with Ming in the afternoon.”

Zh: 她这么计划着，认为这样可以两全其美。
En: She planned it this way, thinking it could be the best of both worlds.

Zh: 然而，一次小争吵却打破了这种平衡。
En: However, a minor argument disrupted this balance.

Zh: 有一天，莲因为画的进度不快而紧张。
En: One day, Lian became anxious due to her slow progress with a painting.

Zh: 明又来邀请她：“快啊，今天我们去游泳吧！”
En: Ming came to invite her again: “Come on, let's go swimming today!”

Zh: “我不去！”莲一声回绝，“我得画完这幅画。”
En: “I’m not going!” Lian replied curtly, “I have to finish this painting.”

Zh: “你整天都在画画，难道不觉得无聊吗？”明反驳。
En: “You paint all day; don’t you find it boring?” Ming retorted.

Zh: “但这是我最想做的事！”莲不满地说道。
En: “But it’s what I love doing the most!” Lian responded discontentedly.

Zh: 兄妹俩争执起来，莲甚至开始怀疑自己是否真该参加比赛。
En: The siblings argued, and Lian even began to doubt whether she should participate in the competition.

Zh: 晚上，奶奶震看出了莲的不安。
En: That evening, grandmother Zhen noticed Lian's unease.

Zh: 她轻轻拍了拍莲的肩膀，开始讲一个关于坚持的故事。
En: She gently patted Lian's shoulder and began to tell a story about perseverance.

Zh: 奶奶讲的是她年轻时种稻子的故事，“尽管遇到了大雨、虫灾，但坚持下去，总有收获。”
En: Zhen recounted her youth when she grew rice: “Despite heavy rains and pests, by persisting, there was always a harvest.”

Zh: “你一定要坚持自己的梦想，同时也别忘了家庭的温暖。”震的故事让莲深受感动。
En: “You must persist in your dreams, but also remember the warmth of family.” Zhen's story deeply moved Lian.

Zh: 第二天，明走到莲跟前：“对不起，昨天是我太急躁了。
En: The next day, Ming approached Lian: “I’m sorry, I was too impatient yesterday.

Zh: 我帮你画些背景吧，这样我们可以早点出去玩。”
En: I’ll help you paint some of the background so we can finish earlier and go out to play.”

Zh: 莲笑了，她知道明是真心支持她。
En: Lian smiled, knowing that Ming genuinely supported her.

Zh: 于是，他们一起努力完成了画作。
En: Together, they worked hard to complete the painting.

Zh: 这个夏天，莲学会了在追求梦想和家庭生活之间找到平衡。
En: This summer, Lian learned to find a balance between pursuing her dreams and family life.

Zh: 比赛那天，她信心满满，因为她知道有家人最真诚的支持。
En: On the day of the competition, she was full of confidence because she knew she had her family's sincere support.

Zh: 虽然输赢未定，但她已经是胜者，因为她学会了自信，还收获了更多亲情。
En: Regardless of the outcome, she was already a winner because she learned self-confidence and gained more familial affection.

Zh: 夏天的风继续吹过小区，孩子们的笑声伴着蝉鸣，一切都显得那么和谐美好。
En: The summer wind continued to blow through the neighborhood, the children's laughter mingled with the chan singing, making everything seem so harmonious and beautiful.


Vocabulary Words:

• scorching: 炎炎
• buzzing: 叫个不停
• porches: 门廊上
• essence: 味道
• artist: 艺术家
• competition: 比赛
• sports: 运动
• focus: 专心
• torn: 为难
• perseverance: 坚持
• harvest: 收获
• argument: 争吵
• anxious: 紧张
• curtly: 回绝
• disconten