远程办公 Remote Work — HSK 5 Reading

疫情yìqíng以后yǐhòu，我们wǒmen公司gōngsī允许yǔnxǔ员工yuángōng每周měizhōu在zài家jiā办公bàngōng三sān天tiān。

After the epidemic, our company allowed employees to work from home three days a week.

一开始yìkāishǐ，我wǒ以为yǐwéi这zhè是shì世界shìjiè上shang最zuì幸福xìngfú的de事shì：不用búyòng挤jǐ地铁dìtiě，不用búyòng穿chuān正式zhèngshì的de衣服yīfu，甚至shènzhì可以kěyǐ一边yìbiān开会kāihuì一边yìbiān摸mō猫māo。

At first, I thought it was the happiest thing in the world: no squeezing onto the subway, no formal clothes, and I could even pet the cat during meetings.

可是kěshì三sān个gè月yuè以后yǐhòu，我wǒ发现fāxiàn事情shìqing没有méiyǒu那么nàme简单jiǎndān。

But three months later, I discovered things were not that simple.

在zài家里jiāli，工作gōngzuò和hé生活shēnghuó的de界限jièxiàn越来越yuèláiyuè模糊móhu。

At home, the boundary between work and life became more and more blurry.

晚上wǎnshang十shí点diǎn，同事tóngshì还hái在zài群qún里li发fā消息xiāoxi，你nǐ回huí不bù回huí？

At ten in the evening, colleagues are still sending messages in the group chat — do you reply or not?

我wǒ也yě开始kāishǐ想念xiǎngniàn办公室bàngōngshì里li那些nàxiē无聊wúliáo的de小事xiǎoshì：中午zhōngwǔ和hé同事tóngshì一起yìqǐ吃饭chīfàn，下午xiàwǔ有人yǒurén请qǐng大家dàjiā喝hē咖啡kāfēi。

I also began to miss the boring little things at the office: lunch with colleagues at noon, someone treating everyone to coffee in the afternoon.

原来yuánlái我wǒ怀念huáiniàn的de不是búshì办公室bàngōngshì，而是érshì人rén和hé人rén之间zhījiān的de温度wēndù。

It turns out what I missed was not the office, but the warmth between people.

现在xiànzài我wǒ每周měizhōu去qù公司gōngsī两liǎng天tiān，在zài家jiā工作gōngzuò三sān天tiān，慢慢mànmàn找到zhǎodào了le平衡pínghéng。

Now I go to the company two days a week and work from home three days, and I have slowly found a balance.

远程yuǎnchéng办公bàngōng没有méiyǒu那么nàme好hǎo，也yě没有méiyǒu那么nàme坏huài，它tā只是zhǐshì一yì种zhǒng新xīn的de生活shēnghuó方式fāngshì，需要xūyào我们wǒmen自己zìjǐ学会xuéhuì管理guǎnlǐ。

Remote work is not that good, nor that bad — it is simply a new way of living that we have to learn to manage ourselves.

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

Key words 生词

疫情yìqíngepidemic

远程yuǎnchéngremote

界限jièxiànboundary

模糊móhublurry; vague

怀念huáiniànto cherish the memory of

平衡pínghéngbalance

Grammar note 语法点

原来 (it turns out)

原来 introduces a sudden realization of something that was true all along: 原来我怀念的不是办公室，而是人和人之间的温度。

原来他早就知道这件事了。— It turns out he had known about this all along.

不是…而是… (not A, but rather B)

Corrects a wrong assumption by replacing A with B: 我怀念的不是办公室，而是人和人之间的温度。

他不是不想去，而是没有时间。— It's not that he doesn't want to go; he simply has no time.

Check yourself 小测验

1. How many days per week does the company allow employees to work from home?

2. What did the writer realize they actually missed about the office?

3. What problem did the writer notice after three months at home?

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