Following the actions and trials and tribulations of celebrities and film stars is very popular in China, especially in recent years when social media can report such matters instantly. Some people believe it’s all just wasteful gossip but others take it quite seriously. Be sure you can understand what’s going on in the event you hear people talking about some celebrity gossip!
In this Podcast, you will learn:
(i) How to talk about events relating to celebrities on social media
(ii) To make a comment or two about current hot topics
Dialogue:
Two friends are talking about some latest gossip:
（在咖啡厅）
(zài kā fēi tīng)
(at the café)
A:哎，我这几天一直都在关注王宝强的离婚大战。
Āi, wǒ zhè jǐ tiān yī zhí dōu zài guān zhù Wáng Bǎo qiáng de lí hūn dà zhàn.
Hey, I have been following Wang Baoqiang’s divorce battle these last few days.
B:你可真够八卦的！
Nǐ kě zhēn gòu bā guà de!
You are so nosy!
A:哎呀，娱乐圈儿的事儿不就是给咱老百姓娱乐的么！真不知道到底是他老婆出轨了，还是他出轨了。
Āi ya, yú lè quān er de shì er bù jiù shì gěi zán lǎo bǎi xìng yú lè de me! Zhēn bù zhī dào dào dǐ shì tā lǎo pó chū guǐ le, hái shì tā chū guǐ le!
The entertainment news is just for entertaining us ordinary people. After all, I’m really not sure if it was his wife who cheated or him.
B:有可能俩人都出轨了！明星的事儿，谁知道真的假的！
Yǒu kě néng liǎ rén dōu chū guǐ le! Míng xīng de shì er, shuí zhī dao zhēn de jiǎ de!
It’s possible that they both cheated. Who knows if the celebrity gossip is real or not?
Chinese words and phrases mentioned in this Podcast:
关注：follow (e.g. follow some news or follow someone on social media)
离婚：divorce
大战：big battle
真够：so
八卦：gossip/nosy
娱乐圈：the entertainment circle
咱：we
老百姓：civilian/ordinary people
娱乐：entertain
出轨：cheat
明星：celebrity/star
Cultural/Grammar note:
‘王宝强’ is regularly in the news recently, because he is divorcing his wife. It’s the number one topic on lots of social media in China, and even some western news stations have reported on this matter. ‘王宝强’ grew up in a poor family, but he is very hardworking. He has portrayed many roles that are innocent, kind-hearted, but hardworking. Not long ago, he posted a message on Weibo saying that he would divorce his wife who had been cheating with his agent—but his wife claimed that he was the one who cheated first. The topic got heated very quickly with lots of people online taking different sides.
Mandarin Chinese learning resources we recommend:
Keats Chinese School, which was founded in 2004, is one of the top Mandarin Chinese language schools in China, offering both one-on-one immersion Mandarin courses and small group Chinese classes. Located in Kunming, Keats develops personalised exercises and materials for students to meet their learning goals and requirements and can arrange a student visa for its 16 week course.
