流行音乐 Pop Music — HSK 4 Reading

打开dǎkāi手机shǒujī里li的de音乐yīnyuè软件ruǎnjiàn，到处dàochù都dōu是shì好听hǎotīng的de流行liúxíng歌曲gēqǔ。

Open the music app on your phone, and everywhere you look there are pleasant pop songs.

以前yǐqián，大家dàjiā要yào买mǎi歌gē才cái能néng听tīng，现在xiànzài只要zhǐyào上网shàngwǎng就jiù能néng听到tīngdào几乎jīhū所有suǒyǒu的de歌gē。

Before, people had to buy songs to listen to them; now, as long as you go online, you can hear almost every song there is.

流行liúxíng音乐yīnyuè的de歌词gēcí大多dàduō讲jiǎng爱情àiqíng、生活shēnghuó或者huòzhě年轻人niánqīngrén的de烦恼fánnǎo，让ràng人rén觉得juéde歌gē里li唱chàng的de就是jiù shì自己zìjǐ的de故事gùshi。

Pop song lyrics mostly talk about love, life, or the worries of young people, making people feel that what's sung in the song is their own story.

有的yǒude歌手gēshǒu唱歌chànggē好听hǎotīng，也yě很hěn会huì写xiě歌词gēcí，很快hěn kuài就jiù红hóng了le。

Some singers sing beautifully and are also good at writing lyrics, so they quickly become famous.

但是dànshì也yě有人yǒurén担心dānxīn，现在xiànzài很多hěn duō歌gē太tài短duǎn，节奏jiézòu太tài快kuài，好像hǎoxiàng只是zhǐshì为了wèile让ràng人rén在zài网上wǎngshàng多duō听tīng几jǐ遍biàn。

But some people also worry that many songs today are too short and too fast-paced, as if they exist only to get people to replay them online more times.

我wǒ自己zìjǐ最zuì喜欢xǐhuan那种nàzhǒng歌词gēcí简单jiǎndān、可是kěshì听tīng了le很多hěn duō年nián还是háishi很hěn喜欢xǐhuan的de老歌lǎogē。

I myself like old songs best — the kind with simple lyrics that you still enjoy even after listening to them for many years.

流行liúxíng音乐yīnyuè一直yìzhí在zài变biàn，但是dànshì人们rénmen想xiǎng通过tōngguò歌曲gēqǔ表达biǎodá感情gǎnqíng的de心xīn，一直yìzhí没有méiyǒu变biàn。

Pop music keeps changing, but people's desire to express their feelings through songs has never changed.

🔊 Audio uses your device's Chinese voice for now — teacher recordings are coming. Tap any word to see its meaning.

Key words 生词

流行liúxíngpopular; trendy

歌词gēcílyrics

爱情àiqíngromantic love

烦恼fánnǎoworry; trouble

节奏jiézòurhythm

表达biǎodáto express

Grammar note 语法点

只要……就…… — As long as... then...

States a sufficient condition: once it's met, the result naturally follows.

只要上网就能听到几乎所有的歌。— As long as you go online, you can hear almost every song.

好像…… — It seems like...

Expresses that something appears or seems to be the case, without stating it as fact.

好像只是为了让人在网上多听几遍。— It seems as if it's only to get people to replay it online more times.

一直…… — Continuously / always

Describes a state or action that continues without change over time.

人们想通过歌曲表达感情的心，一直没有变。— People's desire to express their feelings through songs has never changed.

Check yourself 小测验

1. How did people listen to music before, compared to now?

2. What do pop song lyrics mostly talk about?

3. What worries some people about pop music today?

After this reading

Reading is the easy part. Speaking is where you get stuck.

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.

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流行音乐Liúxíng yīnyuèPop Music

Key words 生词

Grammar note 语法点

Check yourself 小测验

Reading is the easy part. Speaking is where you get stuck.

More HSK 4 reading practice