The Latest Mandarin Chinese Language Lessons
Excellent Materials for You to Learn Chinese Mandarin Language
Latest Lessons
看 You Dig It? Qing Wen
After some 260 Qing Wen lessons (!), we're revisiting the character that started it all: 看 (kàn). This useful character is undoubtedly familiar to many of our users, newbie or otherwise, but today's Qing Wen moves beyond its banal definitions of "looking" and "watching." Tune in to learn all about some of this character's more advanced definitions and usages!
to look
Say It Again, Please Newbie
We can tell you from experience: the Chinese really have no clue about how crazy their mother tongue sounds to the rest of us. So while we're certainly not shocked that you might need things repeated again and again, the Chinese themselves are going to need that reminder. Repeatedly. Learn how to ask your kind, patient hosts to "say it again" in this lesson.
pinyin, pronunciation, classroom, studying
I Haven't Seen You in Ages! Intermediate
When two old classmates meet by chance after being out of contact for years, they're likely to notice a few changes. Tattoos, beer guts, peg legs... these little details are likely to be noticed under the keen eyes of your former friend. Sometimes such a meeting is even occasion for something beyond just the banal small talk you'd expect. Listen in to this Chinese lesson to find out what happens.
jobs, daily life, chatting, greetings
A Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Upper Intermediate
This is a tale of a young man with a penchant for women who flip out on him and make his life miserable, even long after they've "ended" it. Yes, the crazy ex-girlfriend trope is alive and well in Chinese culture as well. It's not going to be pleasant, but sooner or later you're going to have to face it.
girlfriend, women, relationships
The London Olympics Elementary
The 2012 Olympics are in London! If you're from London, going to London, or even fond of occasionally mentioning London, you'd better be able to say it in Chinese! (Oh, and while we're at it, let's make sure you can say "London" in Chinese as well...)
Olympics, city, sports, London, travel
A Private Money Changer Intermediate
So we don't mean to say the you're a "sucker" for going to "banks" and accepting their unfavorable "exchange rates" and "exchange limits." All we're trying to say is that there are other, perhaps less painful, paths to obtaining the foreign currency you desire. What's that? Is it legal? OK, let's just stay away from ridiculous black-and-white labels for a moment, and discuss money changing options with an open mind...
money, China, bank
The Chinese Athletic System Beijing Standard Time
It's August of 2012 and once again the world has been swept up in Olympic fervor. After a week of competition, China is once again at the top of the gold medal count, accompanied (at least for now) by the USA. BST has decided to take a brief look into this athletics system that has churned out numerous medal winners over the years. Thanks to the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, our library has a number of related lessons, but do be sure to check out our lessons on Olympic swimming and Olympic medals!
Olympics, sports, athletics
Petty Chicken Idioms Qing Wen
We're back with another animal-related idioms edition of Qing Wen! This time we'll be touching on a half-dozen idioms related to none other than the humble chicken! OK, we admit these might not be as glamorous and magnificent as our previous collection of idioms related to tigers, but hey, they're equally practical (plus, we're pretty sure chickens are substantially more nutritious than tigers). Check it out now!
idioms, animals, culture
A Creepy Guy Upper Intermediate
Any good bar has its share of dolled-up girls and shady but ever-so-eligible bachelors. Maybe he hadn't had enough to drink, maybe he has a staring problem, or maybe he just really hadn't gotten the hang of "blue steel," but in this lesson we join one of those creepy guys in a bar and find out how he fares against a lovely young lady with an attitude.
relationships, actions
WeChat Pre Intermediate
"Writing" in China has come a long way from its oracle bone past all the way to its QQ IMing and smartphone texting present. But now there's a new form called "WeChat" which mixes texting and free internet messages with voice messaging and GPS. WeChat is already pretty big in China, so if you're totally unaware, it's time to tackle this lesson...
technology, communication, cell phones
Do You Have Any Questions? Newbie
Do you have any questions? Of course you do! Because you're a good student, and good students always have questions. But just in case your question is, "how do you say 'do you have any questions,'" we've prepared this Chinese lesson just for you.
classroom, school, studying, students
Noisy Eater Intermediate
You may have heard that China has different standards regarding dining etiquette, and what is considered impolite to do at the table in your country may not be so in China. But what if a guy in a noodle shop is totally getting his slurp on, loudly sucking down a bowl of noodles? Might that be enough to unsettle those members of the Chinese population with more delicate sensibilities? Find out in this lesson.
eating, habit, culture, daily life
Chinese Wordplay Beijing Standard Time
Quips and wordplay in any language are always welcome and entertaining, not to mention highly impressive if you happen to be using your nonnative language! In today's BST, ChinesePod star Connie joins us to break down a relatively complex form of Chinese wordplay: 歇后语 (xiēhòuyǔ). Falling somewhere between an idiom and a riddle, these interesting patterns are a surefire way to impress your friends and sound even more like a native speaker! We will give fair warning that this BST is targeted at those learners who have already attained a reasonably high level of Chinese ability, but these were too interesting not to touch on! Tune in now!
wordplay, language
Rules and Regulations Qing Wen
We're cleaning up our acts at Qing Wen today and bringing our users a number of useful words to discuss rules, regulations, and stipulations of all kinds! Even if this description sounds a little bit on the stuffy side, rest assured that we'll do our best to spice up these (ultimately very useful) phrases and terms. Tune in to find out more!
rules, policy
Your Mandarin Is Really Good! Newbie
No matter where you are in China, Chinese people will be lavishing praise on you the moment you're able to utter even a simple "hello" or "thank you" in barely distinguishable Chinese. It's important to know how to deflect this politely (your Chinese companion will often expect you to!). Listen to today's newbie lesson to learn how!
language, time, daily life
Sobriety Check Intermediate
With the number of vehicles on the roads in China increasing, drinking and driving has become a bigger problem in recent years. Sobriety checkpoints are even becoming a common sight in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. In this lesson, we'll see how these things develop in Chinese.
transportation, law, traffic, drinking
Can You Lend Me Money? Elementary
What are friends for? Lending money, right? In this lesson, learn how to extract as much money as possible from your good, generous friend. (You'll pay him back, of course.)
money, lending, borrowing, numbers
Table Manners in the West Upper Intermediate
It's well-known that table manners can vary a bit from culture to culture, and that Chinese table manners can sometimes be interpreted as "interesting" abroad. But a new generation of well-educated Chinese travelers are ready to shed that old image. In this lesson, listen in on a discussion on this very topic.
dining, manners, culture
Which Character Is That? Newbie
When you hear a Chinese person's name, you can be reasonably sure that each syllable is a character and that the first character is the surname. But with thousands of Chinese characters, you often won't know which character it is unless you ask. Learn how to ask in this lesson.
name, Chinese character, culture