About Karl Ryan

Karl graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans but is originally from Seattle, WA. He is a new learner of Chinese, and enjoys comparing the similarities and differences with learning Japanese, a language he studied for six years. Karl is interested in literature, long-distance running, skiing, hiking, and cycling... and cheese. He loves cheese. In fact, his favorite ChinesePod lesson is "Smelly Cheese".

Posts by Karl Ryan:

Get Your Mandarin Studies Back on Track with these Three Tips

Get Your Mandarin Studies Back on Track with these Three Tips

I started learning Mandarin when I was 14, and I’m about to turn 22 years old. Based on the sheer number of years I’ve been studying Mandarin, you’d think I’d be at an advanced skill level.

In reality, I’d place my Chinese literacy and fluency at a lower intermediate skill level. My main problem? Sporadic gaps that I have taken over the course of my Chinese education. I never really kept up with learning the language during summer breaks in high school, and in college I took a few semesters off from my Chinese courses.

These breaks proved to be very costly. When I’d finally gotten back into the groove of taking classes again, I’d sometimes find myself drowning because my foundation with the basics is quite shaky.

This happens to all of us, though. We go through ups and downs, turbulent times versus peaceful times, and as a result, it can be easy to get derailed in learning a language. As someone who has faltered in the past, I wanted to share with you three tips I’ve learned for getting back into the swing of learning Chinese after you’ve taken a break.

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Beginner’s Guide to Talking About Directions in Mandarin

Beginner’s Guide to Talking About Directions in Mandarin

Avoid getting lost by learning directional vocabulary with ChinesePod’s Jillian Steward. In this video lesson, follow Jillian around NYC’s Chinatown as she goes over commonly used vocabulary that will allow you to ask for directions, as well as talk about common objects you will find on the street. Read more to view the video and read the review vocabulary and grammar points! Read More

Funny & Weird Stories from the Mid-Autumn Festival

Funny & Weird Stories from the Mid-Autumn Festival

For every festival in China, you are sure to find a bounty of folk tales claiming origin to the day. Mid-Autumn Festival, coming up this weekend, is no exception — it is considered the most important of Chinese Holidays, in addition to Chinese New Year and Spring Festival — so this day has funky folk tales staking their claim to why the moon is celebrated on this spirited day. Read more for the stories and traditions that stem from the stories to impress your Chinese friends during the festivities.

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Yikes! Four Spooky Chinese Ghost Stories to Read with the Lights On

Yikes! Four Spooky Chinese Ghost Stories to Read with the Lights On

As August draws to a close, Ghost Month also comes to an end. To celebrate this ~haunting~ month, we are going to showcase four fantastic ghost stories from the famed Pu Songling. Pu published a collection of ghost stories in the early 1700’s and today, these stories remain some of the most well-known supernatural tales in Chinese culture.

Read more to learn about how this anthology came about and our picks for the top four ghost stories!  Read More

Chinese Valentine’s Day: Not the V-Day You Know and Love (or Hate!)

Chinese Valentine’s Day: Not the V-Day You Know and Love (or Hate!)

When you think of Valentine’s Day, you probably think of roses, chocolate, heart decor everywhere.… or the alternative: a bitter hatred of the holiday and all the sappy reminders of love around you.

So you are probably wondering: what the heck is up with Chinese Valentine’s Day? Why does the picture above have a bird on it against a starry sky?  Well for starters: throw your understanding of Western Valentine’s Day out the window. Chinese Valentine’s Day doesn’t take in February. It take’s place on the seventh day of the seventh moon of the Lunar Year… or today, August 20th, 2015. The holiday is rich with mythology and tradition, with an origin tale dating back two thousand years ago to the Han Dynasty.

Read to learn why this holiday take place, how Chinese Valentine’s Day is celebrated, and key vocabulary for the day.

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