A Lesson in Workplace Etiquette: Wang Wei’s Professional Awakening

Fluent Fiction – Mandarin Chinese
www.FluentFiction.org/Mandarin Chinese
Story Transcript:
Zh: 有一天,北京的天空刚刚被黎明染成一片金黄色的时候,普通人可能还在熟睡。但相反的,一个人名叫王伟的年轻人早早地就醒来了。空气中还弥漫着微微的凉意,王伟换上他的工作服——深色的连身制服,决定赶早去办公室,开始一天的工作。
En: One day, just as the sky in Beijing was tinged with a golden hue by dawn, ordinary people were likely still fast asleep. But on the contrary, a young man named Wang Wei had already woken up early. With a slight coolness in the air, Wang Wei changed into his work uniform—a dark jumpsuit—and decided to head to the office early to start his day’s work.

Zh: 王伟是在北京一家大公司工作的新员工。他最近刚刚被调职到了一个新的部门,因而要和一个经验丰富的老员工一起共事。这位老员工叫刘老师,是个让人尊敬而且学识渊博的人,他在公司已经服役了二十多年。
En: Wang Wei was a new employee working in a large company in Beijing. He had recently been transferred to a new department and was working alongside an experienced senior colleague. This colleague, named Teacher Liu, was a respected and knowledgeable person who had been serving in the company for over twenty years.

Zh: 一天下午,王伟正在与刘老师讨论一项复杂的工作任务。正当他们争论得正激烈的时候,王伟突然失言说出了一个俚语,“别瞎扯淡了,直接说怎么办。”他没意识到这在工作场所是多么不得体的言论。
En: One afternoon, Wang Wei was discussing a complex work task with Teacher Liu. Just as their argument was heating up, Wang Wei inadvertently blurted out a colloquial phrase, “Stop messing around, just tell me what to do.” He did not realize how inappropriate this kind of language was in the workplace.

Zh: 那一瞬间,刘老师的脸色立刻变得阴沉起来。其别的同事也抬起了头,用惊奇的眼神看着王伟。一时间,整个办公室的气氛变得很尴尬。
En: In that moment, Teacher Liu’s expression immediately darkened. Other colleagues also looked up, staring at Wang Wei with surprise. The atmosphere in the office became awkward in an instant.

Zh: 王伟意识到他做错了什么,心脏瞬间狂跳起来。他看向刘老师,意识到他可能因此而伤害到了这位资深的同事。
En: Wang Wei realized he had made a mistake and his heart raced. He looked at Teacher Liu, realizing he might have hurt this senior colleague.

Zh: 王伟立刻站起来,对着刘老师深深地鞠了一躬,说: “刘老师,我刚才失言了,我没有意识到自己的用词不妥,我向您道歉。请您愿意原谅我的愚蠢行为。” 刘老师看着王伟, 面无表情。
En: Wang Wei immediately stood up, bowed deeply to Teacher Liu, and said, “Teacher Liu, I misspoke just now. I did not realize my language was inappropriate. I apologize to you. Please forgive my foolish behavior.” Teacher Liu looked at Wang Wei with no expression.

Zh: 尴尬的环境持续了几秒钟,刘老师最后缓缓地开口说:”王伟,我希望你知道,你的言行代表的不仅仅是你自己,也代表着我们这个团队,所以请以后注意你的言语。” 王伟缓缓地点头,清楚地记下了这个教训。
En: The awkward silence lasted for a few seconds, and Teacher Liu finally spoke slowly, “Wang Wei, I hope you understand that your words and actions represent not only yourself but also our team, so please be mindful of your language in the future.” Wang Wei nodded slowly, clearly taking this lesson to heart.

Zh: 从那以后,王伟更加小心谨慎地开口,他明白在工作上充分尊重他人的重要性。虽然他年轻,但他开始懂得了用尊重他人来赢得尊重的道理。故事以他在这次冲突中的成长和崭新的开始作为一个更加成熟的职场人来结束。
En: From that day on, Wang Wei spoke more carefully and cautiously, understanding the importance of showing respect to others in the workplace. Though he was young, he began to grasp the principle of earning respect by respecting others. The story concludes with his growth and a fresh start in this conflict, emerging as a more mature professional.

Vocabulary Words:
天空 : sky
染成 : tinged
金黄色 : golden hue
黎明 : dawn
普通人 : ordinary people
年轻人 : young man
微微的凉意 : slight coolness
工作服 : work uniform
连身制服 : jumpsuit
办公室 : office
新员工 : new employee
大公司 : large company
被调职 : transferred
经验丰富的 : experienced
老员工 : senior colleague
尊敬 : respected
学识渊博 : knowledgeable
俚语 : colloquial phrase
不得体 : inappropriate
脸色 : expression
心脏狂跳 : heart raced
错误 : mistake
鞠躬 : bow
失言 : misspoke
用词 : language
愚蠢行为 : foolish behavior
尴尬 : awkward
沉默 : silence
代表 : represent
注意 : mindful