Victoria notices the office is unusually quiet, and Mason explains: everyone caught the "Super Bowl Flu" — not a real sickness, but an excuse to skip work after the big game. This 21-line HSK 4 Mandarin dialogue explores an American Culture phenomenon where an estimated 26.2 million employees reportedly didn't show up. It's built for free Chinese listening practice with AI dialogues, with synchronized hanzi, pinyin, and English lines.
Victoria and Mason trade 21 lines of Mandarin across topics like absenteeism, football, and social media reaction. The dialogue opens with Victoria asking where everyone went and Mason introducing the term 流感 (liú gǎn), meaning "flu" or "influenza." Key vocabulary includes 超级碗, 借口, 策略性, 橄榄球, 海鹰队, 爱国者队, and 社交媒体. The conversation touches on teams, news reports, and the scale of people staying home.
Start by listening at full speed to get the gist. If lines blur together, slow playback to 0.5x or 0.75x and replay individual lines until each word registers. Then shadow the dialogue — read along aloud, matching the speaker's rhythm. Finally, switch to speaking mode: read each line aloud and get pronunciation feedback from Mei Lin. This listen, shadow, speak sequence builds both comprehension and production.
For more at this level, browse the HSK 4 lessons hub page. You can also try another HSK 4 listening dialogue titled "Galentine's Day 2026", or step up with another HSK 5 listening dialogue. Want a different subject? Create a custom Chinese dialogue on any topic and practice with exactly the vocabulary you need.
It's not a real illness. In this American Culture dialogue, Victoria and Mason discuss how an estimated 26.2 million employees called in sick the day after the Super Bowl — using the big game as an excuse to skip work. The term plays on 流感 (liú gǎn), meaning "flu" or "influenza."
You'll encounter words like 超级碗, 借口, 策略性, 橄榄球, 海鹰队, 爱国者队, and 社交媒体, plus 流感 (liú gǎn) for "flu." These terms tie into the American Culture theme of football fandom and its workplace aftermath.
Yes. Playback can be slowed to 0.5x or 0.75x, and you can replay individual lines. This helps you catch fast Mandarin speech before moving on to speaking mode, where you read lines aloud and get pronunciation feedback from Mei Lin.
Listening is free without an account. You can hear the full 21-line conversation between Victoria and Mason, follow along with synchronized hanzi, pinyin, and English, and slow down playback as needed.