Chinese Bites — with Janine | HSK3️⃣

A quiet day, a small surprise, and a feeling that’s much better than expected —today’s episode shows how three very common Chinese expressions are used in daily conversations:没怎么 (didn’t really)怎么回事 (what’s going on?)……得多 (much …er)Hello，大家好，我是Janine。Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.昨天我一整天都在家。Zuótiān wǒ yì zhěng tiān dōu zài jiā.Yesterday I stayed at home all day.我本来打算好好休息，Wǒ běnlái dǎsuàn hǎohāo xiūxi,I originally planned to rest properly,但是其实也没怎么休息。dànshì qíshí yě méi zěnme xiūxi.but actually, I didn’t really rest much.下午的时候，我突然觉得有点儿累，Xiàwǔ de shíhou, wǒ tūrán juéde yǒudiǎnr lèi,In the afternoon, I suddenly felt a bit tired,我心里想：Wǒ xīnli xiǎng:and thought to myself:“怎么回事？我不是一整天都在家吗？”“Zěnme huíshì? Wǒ bú shì yì zhěng tiān dōu zài jiā ma?”“What’s going on? Didn’t I stay home all day?”后来我发现，Hòulái wǒ fāxiàn,Later I realized,我一直在看手机、回消息、想工作的事情。Wǒ yìzhí zài kàn shǒujī, huí xiāoxi, xiǎng gōngzuò de shìqing.I was constantly on my phone, replying to messages, thinking about work.难怪我比平时累得多。Nánguài wǒ bǐ píngshí lèi de duō.No wonder I was much more tired than usual.于是我把手机放到一边，Yúshì wǒ bǎ shǒujī fàng dào yìbiān,So I put my phone aside,什么也不想，shénme yě bù xiǎng,thought about nothing,感觉整个人轻松得多了。gǎnjué zhěng gè rén qīngsōng de duō le.and felt much more relaxed.

A small change of plans, a quick observation, and a casual conclusion —today’s episode shows how three very common Chinese expressions appear naturally in everyday conversation:反正 (anyway)看样子 (it seems / looks like)……之一 (one of …)Hello，大家好，我是Janine。Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.昨天我本来打算下班以后去健身房。Zuótiān wǒ běnlái dǎsuàn xiàbān yǐhòu qù jiànshēnfáng.Yesterday I originally planned to go to the gym after work.可是下班的时候，我觉得有点儿累。Kěshì xiàbān de shíhou, wǒ juéde yǒudiǎnr lèi.But when I got off work, I felt a bit tired.我看了看时间，看样子今天也不太早了。Wǒ kàn le kàn shíjiān, kàn yàngzi jīntiān yě bú tài zǎo le.I checked the time — it seemed it was already quite late.我想了想，心里说：Wǒ xiǎng le xiǎng, xīnli shuō:I thought to myself:“反正明天也能去，今天就在家休息吧。”“Fǎnzhèng míngtiān yě néng qù, jīntiān jiù zài jiā xiūxi ba.”“Anyway, I can go tomorrow. I’ll just rest at home today.”于是我回到家，点了一份外卖，Yúshì wǒ huí dào jiā, diǎn le yí fèn wàimài,So I went home and ordered takeout,选了我最喜欢的菜，之一。xuǎn le wǒ zuì xǐhuan de cài, zhī yī.and chose one of my favorite dishes.那一刻我觉得，Nà yí kè wǒ juéde,At that moment, I felt that这样的小决定，就是生活里最舒服的选择之一。zhèyàng de xiǎo juédìng,jiù shì shēnghuó lǐ zuì shūfu de xuǎnzé zhī yī.small decisions like this are one of the most comfortable choices in life.

A casual phone call turns into a funny conversation about plans, “what if” questions, and decisions we’d rather make later. In today’s episode, you’ll hear three super natural expressions:干嘛 (what for / why – casual tone)万一 (what if)再说吧 (let’s talk about it later)Hello，大家好，我是Janine。Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.昨天晚上我准备关电脑的时候，Zuótiān wǎnshàng wǒ zhǔnbèi guān diànnǎo de shíhou,Last night, when I was about to turn off my computer,我朋友突然给我打电话。wǒ péngyou tūrán gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.my friend suddenly called me.他一接通就问我：Tā yí jiētōng jiù wèn wǒ:As soon as I picked up, he asked:“你明天干嘛？”“Nǐ míngtiān gànmá?”“What are you doing tomorrow?” (casual tone: what for / why)我说：“还没想好。”Wǒ shuō: “Hái méi xiǎng hǎo.”I said, “I haven’t decided yet.”他马上说：Tā mǎshàng shuō:He immediately said:“万一明天下雨，你就别出门了，跟我视频聊天吧！”“Wànyī míngtiān xià yǔ, nǐ jiù bié chūmén le, gēn wǒ shìpín liáotiān ba!”“What if it rains tomorrow? Don’t go out, just video chat with me!”我笑着回答：Wǒ xiàozhe huídá:I laughed and said:“现在说太早了，再说吧。”“Xiànzài shuō tài zǎo le, zàishuō ba.”“It’s too early to say. Let’s talk about it later.”他一听，叹了口气说：Tā yí tīng, tàn le kǒuqì shuō:He heard that and sighed:“好吧，我等你消息。”“Hǎo ba, wǒ děng nǐ xiāoxi.”“Alright, I’ll wait for your message.”

In today’s episode, a simple evening plan turns into a funny discovery — and three super useful expressions appear naturally in the conversation:不见得 (not necessarily)不如 (why not / might as well)难怪 (no wonder)A short, easy-to-follow story plus clear examples to help you understand and start using these phrases right away.Hello，大家好，我是Janine。Hello, dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Janine.Hello everyone, I’m Janine.昨天我朋友告诉我，他想晚上去跑步。Zuótiān wǒ péngyou gàosu wǒ, tā xiǎng wǎnshàng qù pǎobù.Yesterday my friend told me he wanted to go for a run at night.我看了看窗外，天黑得很快，我就说：Wǒ kàn le kàn chuāngwài, tiān hēi de hěn kuài, wǒ jiù shuō:I looked outside — it was getting dark quickly, so I said:“这么黑，去跑步不见得安全。”“Zhème hēi, qù pǎobù bújiànde ānquán.”“It’s so dark — going for a run is not necessarily safe.”朋友想了想，然后说：Péngyou xiǎng le xiǎng, ránhòu shuō:My friend thought for a moment and said:“那不如我们去便利店买点儿东西吧？”“Nà bùrú wǒmen qù biànlìdiàn mǎi diǎnr dōngxi ba?”“Then why don’t we go to the convenience store instead?”我点点头，觉得这个主意不错。Wǒ diǎndiǎn tóu, juéde zhège zhǔyì búcuò.I nodded — it sounded like a good idea.结果到便利店时，他一看到柜台上的蛋糕，眼睛突然亮了。Jiéguǒ dào biànlìdiàn shí, tā yí kàndào guìtái shàng de dàngāo, yǎnjīng tūrán liàng le.When we arrived, he saw the cakes on the counter, and his eyes lit up.我笑着说：Wǒ xiàozhe shuō:I laughed and said:“难怪你说不想跑步！”“Nánguài nǐ shuō bù xiǎng pǎobù!”“No wonder you didn’t want to run!”原来他真正想的是吃蛋糕。Yuánlái tā zhēnzhèng xiǎng de shì chī dàngāo.Turns out what he really wanted… was cake.

A friend makes a ridiculous plan to wake up at 6 a.m., a quick “don’t even think about it,”and a clear explanation of “this is why” — today’s episode is full of real, everyday reactions in Chinese.昨天我朋友突然给我发消息，说：Zuótiān wǒ péngyou tūrán gěi wǒ fā xiāoxi, shuō:Yesterday my friend suddenly sent me a message and said:“我想明天六点起床去跑步。”“Wǒ xiǎng míngtiān liù diǎn qǐchuáng qù pǎobù.”“I want to wake up at 6 a.m. tomorrow to run.”我一看手机，心里想：Wǒ yí kàn shǒujī, xīnlǐ xiǎng:I looked at my phone and thought:“你每天九点才起床，想都别想六点能起来。”“Nǐ měitiān jiǔ diǎn cái qǐchuáng,xiǎng dōu bié xiǎng liù diǎn néng qǐlái.”“You wake up at 9 every day —don’t even think about getting up at 6.”结果第二天，他真的没起来。Jiéguǒ dì èr tiān, tā zhēn de méi qǐlái.And as expected, he didn’t wake up.他跟我说：“我六点的闹钟响了，Tā gēn wǒ shuō: “Wǒ liù diǎn de nàozhōng xiǎng le,He told me, “My 6 a.m. alarm rang,但我一点儿都不想动，太困了！”dàn wǒ yìdiǎnr dōu bù xiǎng dòng, tài kùn le!”but I didn’t want to move at all — I was too sleepy!”然后他又说：Ránhòu tā yòu shuō:Then he added:“不过我昨天说的话也太离谱了吧？”“Búguò wǒ zuótiān shuō de huà yě tài lípǔ le ba?”“But honestly, what I said yesterday was way too ridiculous, right?”我笑着回答：Wǒ xiàozhe huídá:I laughed and said:“对，这就是为什么我一开始就觉得你起不来的。”“Duì, zhè jiù shì wèi shénme wǒ yì kāishǐ jiù juéde nǐ qǐ bù lái de.”“Yes — that’s why I knew from the beginning you wouldn’t get up.”这就是为什么 — This is why想都别想 — Don’t even think about it离谱 — Ridiculous / Absurd