6 Simple Tricks for Deciphering the Chinese Menu

Eng Chan September 20, 2016

Want to order from the Chinese menu and not the watered down English version they present to non-Chinese speakers? Perhaps some readers know how to ask for what they want in Mandarin but what if you are hankering for a new sensory experience and would like to try the specials or dish of the day? Reading the culinary characters on a Chinese menu is not so cut and dry. Learn 6 simple tricks for deciphering the Chinese menu in our Blog post today.

吃饭了吗? – Chīfàn le ma? – Have you eaten yet?

This standard Mandarin greeting illustrates the importance of food in Chinese culture at the extent to which food and the language are intertwined.

Fittingly, it is not surprising that often the first real-life test of a Mandarin learner’s language ability takes place in the Chinese restaurant. However, one quickly realizes that a single Chinese menu simply does not exist.

Mid-Autumn Festival – 中秋节: Everything from Mooncakes to Myths

Lianca Van der Merwe September 15, 2016

Mid-Autumn Festival 2016 is happening today, Sept 15. It is the 15th day of the 8th month in the lunar calendar. This festival , celebrating the harvest, is one of China’s 3 most important festivals along with ‘Dragon Boat’ festival and ‘Chinese New Years’. Regardless of whether you have a penchant for Chinese culture or not, the festival should be familiar to you, or at least you should have come in contact with the popular food item ‘Mooncakes’ (Not? Have you been living off the grid all these years?).

ChinesePod is celebrating along with the rest of the Mandarin speaking world, and we have some festive content waiting for you! Here is our content selection for Mid-Autumn Festival 2016.

Mandarin self-study: Practice with these 2 Apps

Lianca Van der Merwe September 5, 2016

This is a guest post from friend of the site, Peter Askelof of Du Chinese. Visit their site to learn all about their fantastic new Chinese Language App.

Is it possible to practice Mandarin by yourself, without taking classes or living in China? It could very well be, at least if you are to believe the advocates of input based language learning. Input based language learning consists of listening and reading, with study activities such as watching TV, reading books, listening to podcasts and studying texts. Many experienced language learners swear by an input focused learning style where the bulk of your time is spent on listening and reading material.

Through input based activities you are fed a stream of correct language which helps you develop a natural intuition for the language’s grammar and a large passive vocabulary. A possible drawback to focusing mainly on input is that it might take a bit longer before you feel comfortable speaking yourself, but if you keep practicing input based activities you will soon reap the rewards of a rich vocabulary and a much better intuition for the language. To make the learning the most effective, the language you input should be just slightly above your comprehension level, so that you can understand most of the material but it still contains some new words and grammar. You should get as much input as possible, so it helps if you also find the material interesting. So where can you find fun, interesting listening and reading material suited for your skill level? Here we recommend two apps that aim to provide you with entertaining content suited to your language level: ChinesePod for listening, and Du Chinese for reading.

The Secret to Catching a Cab in Shanghai

Eng Chan July 25, 2016

Cars buzz by. Crowds of people push through. Buses cut off pedestrians as they try to cross the street. Hello Shanghai! You have just arrived in China’s largest and wealthiest city. This eastern port city is beautiful, bustling and crowded with a population of over 20 million people. It feels like you’ve entered another world where anything can happen and everything is possible… with one exception: hailing a cab. Read More

7 Apps That Can Score You a Date in China

Karl Ryan July 5, 2016

Dating apps are a huge part of modern dating culture. You have Tinder, Happn, Bumble… the list goes on and on. But if you’re going to China, chances are you’re not going to be finding any dates using the apps you’re used to. Sure, you could go out and meet people to take on a date (read our guide on how to score a date).

However, your best bet is going to be using what the locals use, not just for app availability reasons in that region, but also to increase the number of people you can interact with. Let’s take a look at some of China’s popular dating apps. Read More