The Latest Mandarin Chinese Language Lessons
Excellent Materials for You to Learn Chinese Mandarin Language
Latest Lessons
A Wasteful Husband Intermediate
Maybe you've heard that things are cheap in China. Well, yes and no. But leaving lights on and water running isn't smart in any country. In this Chinese lesson, learn how to get to the bottom of a roommate's wasteful behavior and give him an earful for it.
daily life, electricity
孙悟空三打白骨精（第三集） Advanced
哈哈，大家都能猜到那个妙龄村姑是谁变的吧？可是，唐僧师徒能猜到吗？当危险步步逼近他们的时候，他们会有什么反应呢？孙悟空会及时赶回来吗？正义与邪恶的较量终于展开啦！嘿，猴哥，猴哥，先别忙着摘桃子了，赶快回去救救你的师父和师弟们吧！
story, culture, literature, Buddhism
Baijiu or Beer Elementary
The mere mention of baijiu, the "white alcohol," strikes fear into the hearts of those foreigners who have tasted the fearsome liquid. Fortunately, it's usually not the only option. Knowing how to say "I prefer beer" may save you not only the gustatory punishment of the moment, but also the wicked hangover of the next morning.
drinking, culture, dining
iPhone vs Android Upper Intermediate
Google's Android system for smartphones is quite popular in China, but the more expensive alternative, the iPhone, is also doing very well in the market. In this Chinese lesson, learn some of the key terms for buying and maintaining one's modern smartphone in the Middle Kingdom.
technology
Weekend Activities Newbie
Don't be surprised when your Chinese friends start asking you what you do on the weekends. (Foreigners are known to have riotously good times on the weekends, as faithfully reported by Hollywood.) In this lesson, learn how to make a connection and ask a friend in Mandarin Chinese what they are up to this weekend (AKA fishing for an invite).
daily life, entertainment, hobbies
Gao Kao Beijing Standard Time
What has the power to both bring a ray of hope and strike a note of fear in the hearts of millions of 18 year olds every year? In China, the answer is most certainly the 高考 (gāokǎo) -- or National Higher Education Exam, as it's formally known. In this show, Jason, David, and Jiaojie talk about the gao kao and how it's viewed by students, parents, and teachers. We also talk a bit about how different kinds of students can get extra points on the gao kao, or even skip the gao kao altogether and enter university directly. Tune in to learn about this unique part of education in China and, as always, leave us your comments. For more topics related to Chinese testing, see the links to ChinesePod's elementary lesson on a child preparing for their test and advanced lesson on the Chinese examination-based system in a more historical context!
students, exam, study
Sleeping in Qing Wen
There's more than one way to express the idea of "sleeping in" in both English and Chinese, and some of these expressions can get a bit muddled in the translation. With this lesson, you can finally have your "awakening" for these crucial sleep-related terms.
daily life, time
Ballet Elementary
So you're at a club, getting into the beat, and you kinda feel like dancing. You can dance, right? What style of dance? Wait, what? Ballet? Ummm, that's cool, but maybe not best suited for these endless Lady Gaga remixes. (Prepare for these good times with this Chinese lesson!)
dance, entertainment, music
Detective Li 2： The Mysterious Text Message Upper Intermediate
In part 2 of this detective story, Detective Li and his assistant Xiao You obtain a coded message from an infamous drug dealer. As usual, Li's problem-solving skills are up to the task. Can you keep up? 上集答案：凶手就是那位撒谎的助手，他将冰刀藏在热水瓶中带进了浴室，并在作案后将冰刀丢进浴池的热水中将凶器融化掉。因为冰刀是低温的，所以也造成了伤口周围呈紫红色。
crime, detective story, police, drugs
Take Some Medicine Pre Intermediate
Now, we all know when we get the flu, there’s nothing we like more than to do a little whining about it. In this podcast you will learn how to tell someone who cares about your sore throat and headache, using Mandarin Chinese. And when you do, there will be no shortage of friends sure to want to bring you some nice Chinese medicine. Open up!
health, medicine, sick
What Are Your Hobbies? Newbie
As you start busting out your Chinese and making Chinese friends, one of the topics that's going to come up is hobbies. (Spoiler alert: you're going to hear a lot of "listening to music" and "watching movies.") If one of your hobbies is playing basketball, this lesson is perfect. If you just like watching basketball, this lesson is still perfect. If you like hitting people, it's also pretty good.
sports, hobbies
Chinese Mythological Creatures Beijing Standard Time
What do you think of when we bring up the topic of mythological creatures? Unicorns, cyclops, pegasus? While we're sure you're all very familiar with these Western creatures, how much do you know about mythological beasts common in China? Not to worry, because in today's BST, Jason and David talk all about creatures popular in Chinese mythology. They exist everywhere: in books, stories, legends, and Chinese scenic spots. What stories have you heard? Log on and share them with us and, of course, enjoy the show.
myth, dragon, animals, symbol
Of Mysteries and Exploding Melons News and Features
Jason and John are back in the studio for another week full of fantastic lessons. There's a bit of mystery this week, both in the form of an actual mystery, and in a media lesson that might make you curious about what sort of mysterious things are in the melons you eat. Tune in and find out what's on our plate of Chinese lessons this week.
news, features, lessons
Unfairness, Misblaming, and Feeling Wronged Qing Wen
Every person has some concept of "fairness" or "justice" in his mind. When these unspoken principles are violated, drama can erupt. In today's Chinese lesson, the Qing Wen crew discusses the differences and relationships between the words 公平 (gōngpíng), 委屈 (wěiqu), and 冤枉 (yuānwang).
feelings
孙悟空三打白骨精（第二集） Advanced
在上一集中，我们认识了柔弱的唐僧，聪明的孙悟空，贪吃的猪八戒，和老实的沙和尚。怎么妖精还没出来呢？别急别急，白骨精一会儿就到！在这一集中，她会以什么样的形象出现呢？她跟唐僧师徒之间会发生怎样的故事呢？赶紧听一下吧！
story, culture, literature, Buddhism
The Stepmother Role Upper Intermediate
In this lesson, a concerned mother learns that her daughter is dating a man with a child from a previous marriage. Do you think she's going to happily accept the idea of her daughter becoming a young stepmother? (Hint: no, she's not. Not at all.)
family, marriage, children, relationships
Introducing Kids to Each Other Elementary
Ah, kids. They love to play, but they also love to steal from each other and smack each other around for no reason. (Come to think of it, they're not that different from adults.) In this Chinese lesson, learn how to introduce children to each other so that they start off on the right foot.
children, parents, introductions
Studying Chinese Newbie
So you're studying Chinese? Is it hard? As a student of Chinese, you better be prepared to answer these questions. And don't worry... Chinese people won't mind if you tell them you're finding it a tad bit difficult. They've wrestled with it their whole lives too.
studying, language
The Little Tadpoles in Search of Their Mother Intermediate
It's a story that all Chinese children know: the story of the little tadpoles looking for their mother. Follow along on this epic journey and pick up a nice stack of measure words while you're at it. (For extra credit, you'll also be asked to make "the frog noise" the Chinese way.)
animals, measure words, body parts, story