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ChinesePod is the longest-running Mandarin Learning tool. With over 4,000 audio and video lessons at six different skill levels there is something to study for everyone. Read our blog for useful tips & tricks, as well as cultural insights that'll enrich your understanding of the Mandarin language.

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Tone Change Rules for Common Chinese Words

ChinesePod December 12, 2019

In my previous post I talked about my first Thanksgiving dinner in China. Not only did I talk about my dining experience, but I also referred to some Chinese words that I learned along the way, such as ham( 火腿 huǒtuǐ), turkey(火鸡 huǒ jī), pizza (比萨 bǐsà), et cetera. Within the parenthesis I provide to you the Chinese character of each word, and next to each character I provide to you the pinyin. The pinyin is the way in which foreigners learn to pronounce Chinese words, and without it, learning Chinese would be much more difficult.

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/

Do you notice the squiggly lines you see on top of each pinyin? They are the tone-markers to help you sound out the pinyin in the right tone! As Chinese learners, I think we can all agree that tones can be quite confusing and difficult to grasp. In addition to learning the tones, we also have to learn the tone rules. Tone rules are the rules that each tone follows when preceding or succeeding another tone.

In the beginning the tone rules might sound confusing, but with some practice you will be able to grasp it in no time. In the former paragraph I wrote the word ham (火腿 huǒtuǐ). It’s clear that the word ham has two third tones (huǒtuǐ), but when two third tones are placed together, the first word, or in this case (huǒ) will become a second tone or a rising tone and the second word (tuǐ) stays the same. Even though it will be written the same (火腿 huǒtuǐ), when saying (huǒ) you will have to say it in the second tone.

A similar pattern occurs a lot with the word bù. Even though bù is a fourth tone word, when preceding another fourth tone word, it becomes a second tone or a rising tone. A few examples are 不会（bù huì) which means unable to/will not/do not know to; 不用 (bùyòng) which means no need, and 不要（ bùyào) which means not to want to/no need to. The correct way to pronounce these words is by changing 不 (bù) into a rising tone or a second tone. At first it might seem a bit complicated, but with practice these tone changes becomes second nature.

Another word that changes its tone very often is the word 一 (yī). When 一 (yī) is followed by a fourth tone, it becomes a rising tone or second tone. Here are some examples how 一 (yī) changes its tones: 一个（yīgè）should be pronounced with 一 (yī) acting as a second tone or a rising tone. Next, we have 一样（yīyàng), the yī should be a rising tone.

At first the tone rules might seem confusing, but I promise you with enough practice, they will become second nature. It is very important to not feel overwhelmed by the tone rules, doing so will hinder your cognitive abilities. Approach the tone rules with an empty mind, in a playful manner, and you will notice that you will be able to understand them better and quicker. I hope this blog post helped some of you clarify some tone rules and give you more confidence when speaking Chinese. I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving, and happy holidays to come!!

ChinesePod November 28, 2019

Before traveling to China last year, I thought Thanksgiving was only known in America. To my surprise, my Chinese friends were eager to know what my Thanksgiving plans were as the holiday approached. They were curious to know if I was planning on traveling, eating turkey, getting together with my American friends and watching football, or getting dinner with them or simply just going to a bar. Their eyes glistened with curiosity as I explained to them the customs and traditions that revolve around Thanksgiving dinner.

In return, they taught me some Mandarin words. First and foremost, of course: Thanksgiving (感恩节 gǎnēnjié)! Then turkey (火鸡 huǒ jī) with gravy (肉汁ròuzhī), bread (面包 miànbāo), ham (火腿huǒtuǐ), corn (玉米 yùmǐ) and mashed potatoes(土豆泥 tǔdòuní). Not only did they teach me how to say the above-mentioned foods, but they also taught me how to say my favorite Thanksgiving desserts such as pumpkin pie(南瓜派 nánguā pài) and apple pie (苹果派 píngguǒpài).

During this conversation, I emphasized the importance of gratuity, and how Thanksgiving was an opportunity to have precious moments away from all the fuzz and buzz of a busy life. Americans use this holiday to reflect on how grateful we are and to take time to be with our families. Since my Chinese friends seemed so curious and eager to know more about Thanksgiving, I decided to have a Thanksgiving dinner with them. What I had in mind was, of course, something like this:

But in reality, we had this instead:

Source: Wikipedia Commons

It was a pleasant and entertaining dinner. All types of pizzas were being passed around the table, such as pineapple pizza (菠萝比萨 bōluó bǐsà), cheese pizza (芝士披萨 zhīshì pīsà), pepperoni pizza (意大利辣香肠比萨 yìdàlì là xiāngcháng bǐsà) et cetera. My friends tried hard to cut the pizza with their chopsticks (yes chopsticks are at times provided in some western joints!), just for the sake of laughter. I asked my friends, “Why the Chinese don’t eat much turkey at all?” No one seemed to have an answer to it, so we looked it up in Baidu (the Chinese version of Google) and that is when I realized that turkeys are native to North America. And since Americans don’t export their cuisine as the French and Spanish do, there has not been much exposure to turkey in Chinese cooking. Nevertheless, we laughed until our stomachs couldn’t take it anymore. The best part of it all is that we only spoke in Mandarin! It was a truly unforgettable Thanksgiving and one that will forever be ingrained in my heart, or as the chengyu says (刻骨铭心 kègǔmíngxīn).

Spending an American holiday with someone from another culture is truly special. I encourage every American who finds themself in a foreign country to have some foreign friends over for Thanksgiving dinner. Not only does it enrich your holiday experience, but you will also be able to learn things outside of a language.

I want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving (感恩节快乐 gǎnēnjiékuàilè)!

ChinesePod’s Founding Story

ChinesePod October 10, 2019

In celebration of our 15th anniversary, we want to take a moment and look back on our origins and accomplishments. Because ChinesePod launched in 2005, many of you may not know our story. Let’s look back at how the longest-running Chinese learning platform came to be.

ChinesePod’s origin is closely tied to the evolution of the internet. In the year 2004, this new kind of internet was developing. While the world wide web has been around for several years, the earliest iteration was a one-way road with static sites—not very exciting. This changed with a newer iteration of the web, which was more interactive and dynamic. New functions allowed people to collaborate and share information with each other. This was done via blogging, social media platforms, web-based communities and podcasts.

Ken Carrol (below), an entrepreneur and educator living in Shanghai, saw that our evolving internet channels would pair well with education. Ken commented in an interview at the time saying:

“[With these new channels] there’s a billion people connected now—

so what are we going to do with this?

People’s first instinct is to communicate.”

This led to ChinesePod’s launch. The earliest podcasts were casual, engaging conversations between Ken and native Chinese speaker Jenny Zhu. They worked from a no-frills studio in Shanghai, and churned out fun content that was quickly downloaded by over a million language learners. In the first days of ChinesePod’s launch, many users asked for phrases they could use to flirt in Chinese. Ken and Jenny obliged, and proved to users that they were listening to what the community wanted. Language learners were also drawn to ChinesePod’s innovative free-form learning method, which the platform uses to this day. It’s different from the classical approach to learning a language, which has typically been tied to textbooks. ChinesePod’s free-form learning method offers of flexibility and choice, thus empowering students choose lessons that appealed to their interests or answered a particular need, or suggest new topics.

ChinesePod has continued to evolve over the past 15 years, both by responding to user’s requests, as well as adding new features. Many series prepare learners for the pragmatic parts of living in the PRC—from doing business, to making friends, to showing off KTV skills, while several series delve deep into China’s rich culture. “Dear Amber” talks about living among the Chinese on a daily level and “Poems with Pete” introduces ancient Chinese poetry and reviews what was happening in the country at the time the piece was written.

In 2015, ChinesePod expanded our lesson format to video tutorials for visual learners and cell phone apps for the user on the go. In terms of functionality on the website, our expanded intelligent search feature allows students to use the site as a dictionary, and then refers them to lessons that teach the term or phrase they want to learn. The website is now a comprehensive, fully-integrated learning platform.

ChinesePod’s greatest asset—our amazing teachers

ChinesePod has had many amazing instructors throughout the years; our teachers are fun and engaging, and super skilled in explaining the nuances of Mandarin.

Our earliest users will remember the original cast of ChinesePod lessons—John Pasden (right) and “J-dog” Jenny Zhu (left). John took us through a full seven years as academic director and podcast host. And Jenny, due to her work producing and co-hosting over 3,000 ChinesePod lessons, has been hailed as one of the most prolific Chinese teachers in the world! Amber Scorah, a pioneer on ChinesePod to explore a new lesson style, brought Chinese cultures and living-in-China close to the ears (and hearts) of tens of thousands of Mandarin learners throughout the world.

Over the past 15 years, we’ve been pleased to work with other amazing hosts like Fiona Tian, Constance Fang, Grace Wong, Jenny Wong, Alice Shih, Sissi Wang, Sophie Lee, Joe Raazt, Lyn Wang, Joy Lin, Joshua Fan, Jessica Ianniciello, and Elijah Wilcott.

As we look to the next 15 years, we’re excited about continuing to serve Chinese language learners. We have always pursued the same goal: to be the best online resource for studying Chinese. With over four thousand lessons, accessible any time, for all levels of proficiency there’s something for every student. Whether it’s wanting to get in touch with a diverse and storied culture, or getting prepared to live in China—ChinesePod is there for you.

Teachers Appreciation Day Around the World

ChinesePod May 8, 2019

Teachers Appreciation Day is celebrated throughout the world. While this day is celebrated on different dates for different countries, the objective is the same for all nations and that is to honor and recognize the hard work that teachers provide for the sake of their students’ future.

Because teachers serve as the second parent of students in school, it is only fitting that parents and students around the globe honor teachers and show them their love, gratitude, and appreciation for the hard work that they do. Whether it is being observed in one day or week-long, here are interesting ways on how people around the world celebrate Teachers Appreciation Day.

Source: http://www.nea.org/

United States

In the US, parents and students celebrate National Teacher Day by letting their past and present teachers know how much they are appreciated through simple, but heartfelt gifts. Popular gift ideas for teachers in the US for include personalized cards, gift cards, flowers and chocolates, homemade lunch, a nice pen, or a coupon to the local spa.

Source: http://en.people.cn/

China

Chinese students celebrate Teachers Appreciation Day in many parts of China through various events and activities dedicated to their teachers. For example, in Yanying Primary School in Zibo City, east China’s Shandong Province, a grand ceremony was held where primary students bowed to their teachers to show their gratitude and respect for them. In return, the teachers brushed a red dot on each student’s forehead which symbolizes good luck and a bright future for the students.

We are giving away $1000 for National Teachers Week! Nominate your favorite Chinese teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week here!

Source: https://blogs.wsj.com/

India

In India, their celebration of National Teacher Day starts with a countdown as the students gear up with vigor and vibrancy. Indian students organize special cultural programs that involve skits and dances, all aiming to make their teachers feel happy and special on that particular day. Some schools and colleges hold games and activities for their teachers that both students and teachers can participate in. Moreover, some institutions give away awards to teachers to show appreciation and honor.

Mexico

To celebrate National Teachers Day in Mexico, most schools suspend their classes to organize cultural events and activities that promote the value and dignity of the teachers’ role in society.

We are giving away $1000 for National Teachers Week! Nominate your favorite Chinese teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week here!

Source: http://www.tzuchi.org.sg/

Singapore

In Singapore, Teachers Appreciation Day is highly recognized because of students’ high regard and value towards educators who continuously provide guidance and motivation to them. Students from Raffles School of Business, for instance, organized an evening event for teachers packed with activities and games such as a talent show, crafting session, and an awarding ceremony.

The National Teachers Day in Singapore is an official school holiday, and celebrations are often done the day before.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/

Philippines

The Philippines is a country that celebrates this occasion the longest, because their Teachers Appreciation celebration lasts for a whole month. During the occasion, students present flowers and cards to their teachers. They also organize programs where they perform songs, dances, skits, or poetry reading for their teachers in front of their schoolmates.

Other Ways of Celebrating Teachers Appreciation Day

In other countries, teachers are recognized through many other means, such as sending them electronic cards (e-cards), paying them a visit in their home, giving them certificates of appreciation, as well as launching concerts for them. In this modern age, as technology has become a huge part of people’s lives. Teachers Appreciation Day is also brought to social media. Hashtags such as #ThankATeacher and #WorldTeacherDay are used on social media to send a message to beloved teachers all over the world.

At ChinesePod we thank and salute all teachers worldwide for their unending love and care for their students, even if it means sacrificing their own health and happiness. You are making a difference in the future for all of us. We think you are so important we want to give you an extra $1000! See our TEACHER APPRECIATION CONTEST to all teachers there: THANK YOU!!!

Be sure to check out our Teacher’s Appreciation Week contest!

Nominate your favorite Chinese teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week. If the teacher you nominated is chosen they will win a $1000 cash award towards Teaching Materials and a 1-year Premium Subscription to ChinesePod! If your nomination wins, you will also receive a 1-year Premium Subscription! This contest ends on May 12th and the winner will be announced early June. Nominate today here!

If you liked this blog post be sure to check out “What Exactly is Pinyin” and “5 Apps to Help You Better Integrate in China”

What’s Your Plan for Earth Day?

ChinesePod April 21, 2019

Happy Earth Day!

At ChinesePod we are doing our share to Save the Planet by offering online lessons – no books, no paper, no waste! What are you doing for #EarthDay2019? It will be the 49th Annual Earth Day since the event was founded in 1970 and the theme this year is #ProtectOurSpecies. Nature’s gifts to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and many more that remain to be discovered. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably upset the balance of nature and, as a result, the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago. But unlike in the case of the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world today is the result of human activity. You can make a difference by adopting a plant-based diet and encouraging no more pesticide and herbicide use.

If changing your diet isn’t your thing, that’s okay there’s plenty more you can do. Below are some events happening around the world during #EarthWeek.

You, Me and the Environment: Earth Day 2019

Source: http://greeninitiatives.cn/

The URBN Hotel Shanghai. FEIY and Green Initiatives are joining forces for Earth Day 2019 celebration! To celebrate not just a day, but you. Your ideas, your stories, your experiences that have the potential to inspire others and make a difference in the lives of those around you.

All year long their organizations raise awareness and promote actions to facilitate positive change in our relationship with the earth. Both for individuals and with businesses, they look at the problems around us, and try to figure out solutions.

So this Earth Day they want to pause to spread the magic of the earth and the beauty of nature through beautiful stories.

The event starts on Monday at 7:00pm. Be sure to RSVP.

Indigenous Resistance and the Crisis of Mother Earth: Paths to Climate Justice

Source: https://events.newschool.edu/

The BIG, Green Apple

If you’re in or around NYC, go to one (or all) of these conferences at the New School’s series of Earth Week programming. Starting Monday at 6:15pm and continuing on Tuesday, they’ll be talking about Indigenous Resistance and the Crisis of Mother Earth: Paths to Climate Justice. Day three will be on Inclusion, Equity & The Environment: An EPSM Alumni Panel. It’s going to be informative, life-changing and it’s going to be free!

Source: http://yoe2019lcr.org.uk/

Solving big problems in 4 days

If you’re in the UK, be sure to checkout the Liverpool Region City Nature Challenge, a challenge that tackles issues surrounding how in nature, nothing exists alone. Community leaders had this to say “2019 will be a year of green action across Liverpool City Region where people from all backgrounds will have the opportunity to be involved in projects that improve the natural world. Our aim is to leave a better environment for the next generation to inherit and make our area one of the best places in the country to live, work and flourish.” It’s free! Just make sure you register on the website. If you aren’t in the UK, you may still have an opportunity to participate in the City Nature Challenge. Represent your city simply by signing up!

If you still haven’t seen anything to sign up to do on April 22, maybe you should just start your own event. No, really; it’s not too late to organize a tree-planting committee in your neighborhood or a trash-collecting team on a nearby shoreline. The Earth Day Network created this online toolkit to make it pretty easy to plan something.

Join us in saving the planet by learning Chinese online. And be sure to review these lessons:

“Looking After the Environment”

“Tumble Dry or Air Dry”

“How to Protect the Environment”

If you liked this blog post be sure to check out “Why Being Bilingual is Benefical ”

and “5 Apps to Help You Better Integrate in China”

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