New here? This is lesson 237 of a free 240-lesson Simplified Chinese course.
The Tainan story, told properly in Simplified Chinese
Yi-Jun still tells the Tainan weekend bigger each time. At Banyan Breakfast she starts again, and you know the true version.
Learn six lines for retelling a story with a twist and a punchline. Start with how the day was going, then the turn, then what still makes you laugh.
Save the ending for last. Maya's version is the one that actually happened.
By the end of this lesson
Retell a story with a clear setup, an unexpected turn, and a punchline.
- 那天本来一切都很顺利That day everything was going fine.
- 结果我们搭错了车But we took the wrong train.
- 当时真的很想笑I really wanted to laugh then.
- 现在想起来还是觉得好笑Thinking back, it's still funny.
- 你猜怎么着？Guess what?
- 最好笑的是结尾The funniest part is the ending.
Scene — the Tainan story again
Auntie Lin wipes the counter and asks for the Tainan weekend again. Yi-Jun is already smiling, ready to make the wrong train even wilder.
Maya sits opposite her. A-Li is at the back table with two stools and soy milk he still has not finished. The fortune slip stays in the till; nobody reads it today.
Learn — retell it with a punchline
These six lines walk through a story in order: the calm start, the unexpected turn, the laugh, and the punchline.
Listen first, then say each line. Keep the twist until after the setup.
那天本来一切都很顺利
That day everything was going fine.
When to use it: Start a story with how the day looked before the twist.
本来 looks back at how things stood before something else happened.
Say it: The first syllable of 一切 rises before the fourth-tone syllable.
结果我们搭错了车
But we took the wrong train.
When to use it: Use this after a calm setup to name the unexpected turn.
结果 marks the turn you did not expect after that earlier setup.
当时真的很想笑
I really wanted to laugh then.
When to use it: Say how you felt at that moment in the story.
当时 points to that past moment, not to how you feel now.
现在想起来还是觉得好笑
Thinking back, it's still funny.
When to use it: After the event, say it still makes you laugh.
想起来 means the memory comes back to you as you speak.
你猜怎么着？
Guess what?
When to use it: Pause before a surprising detail so the listener leans in.
Say it: The last syllable of 怎么着 is first tone, not a light tone.
最好笑的是结尾
The funniest part is the ending.
When to use it: Save this line for the punchline of your story.
的 turns 最好笑 into the funniest part; 是 then identifies it as 结尾.
Story — Maya's version
Yi-Jun starts the Tainan story her way. Maya waits, then tells the version that actually happened.
Listen for the setup, the wrong train, and the punchline at the end.
Auntie Lin台南那趟，再说一次给我听。That Tainan trip: tell it to me one more time.
Yi-Jun事情是这样的。Here's what happened.- Yi-Jun我们差一点就回不来了啦。We almost couldn't get back.
Maya不是这样的啦。That's not how it was.- Maya takes the story back and tells it in order.
- Maya那天本来一切都很顺利。That day everything was going fine.
- Yi-Jun后来呢？And then?
- Maya结果我们搭错了车。But we took the wrong train.
- Auntie Lin那时候你们怎么样？How were you then?
- Maya当时真的很想笑。I really wanted to laugh then.
- Yi-Jun我记得更夸张啊。I remember it being even wilder.
- Maya现在想起来还是觉得好笑。Thinking back, it's still funny.
- Auntie Lin还有更好笑的吗？Is there something even funnier?
- Maya你猜怎么着？Guess what?
- Auntie Lin怎么了？What happened?
- Maya最好笑的是结尾。The funniest part is the ending.
- Maya结果我们还是吃到担仔面了。In the end we still got to eat danzai noodles.
- Yi-Jun好啦，你讲的才对。All right, your version is the right one.
- Auntie Lin所以重点是面，不是坐错车。So the point is the noodles, not the wrong train.
- Maya对啊，故事不用越说越大。Right, the story doesn't need to grow each time.
A-Li豆浆还是没喝完。The soy milk still isn't finished.
Practice — keep the order
Work through ten short tasks. You will hear a line, fill a gap, build a sentence, and pick the next beat of the story.
After each answer, check the explanation and say the right line aloud.
0 of 10 done
What does it mean?
What does it mean?
那天本来一切都很顺利
What do you say?
What do you say?
You have just said the day was going fine. Name the unexpected turn.
Fill the gap
Fill the gap
I really wanted to laugh then.
____真的很想笑
Build the line
Build the line
Thinking back, it's still funny.
Tap the words in order.
What did you hear?
What did you hear?
Swap the word
Swap the word
You reach the story's final part, where they finally eat 担仔面. Name that part.
最好笑的是____
Pick the reply
Yi-Jun says:
Pick the reply
我们差一点就回不来了啦。
We almost couldn't get back.
And you reply with:
What do you say?
What do you say?
You are about to tell the Tainan story from the start. Use the short lead-in, before any details.
What do you say?
What do you say?
Maya has finished the setup: that day everything was going fine. Ask what happened next.
Match the pairs
Simplified Chinese
那天本来一切都很顺利Drop the English here结果我们搭错了车Drop the English here你猜怎么着？Drop the English here最好笑的是结尾Drop the English hereEnglish
Say it — tell it properly
You are Maya. Tell the Tainan story in the right order, and stop Yi-Jun when her version grows too big.
Listen to each cue, then speak. You can replay her line before you answer.
- Yi-Jun starts a bigger Tainan story at Banyan Breakfast.
- Yi-Jun我们那天差一点就回不来了。That day we almost couldn't get back.
- Maya (you)Start the true story: the day was going fine.
Start the true story: the day was going fine.
那天本来一切都很顺利
That day everything was going fine.
0 of 7 said
Recap — what you can say now
| Simplified Chinese | English | Play |
|---|---|---|
| 那天本来一切都很顺利 | That day everything was going fine. | |
| 结果我们搭错了车 | But we took the wrong train. | |
| 当时真的很想笑 | I really wanted to laugh then. | |
| 现在想起来还是觉得好笑 | Thinking back, it's still funny. | |
| 你猜怎么着？ | Guess what? | |
| 最好笑的是结尾 | The funniest part is the ending. |
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Keep practicing with Yak Cards
Today's story lines are in Yak Cards with more ways to retell a trip.
Review a few story cards so the setup and punchline stay in order.
Open Yak Cards