The Latest Mandarin Chinese Language Lessons
Excellent Materials for You to Learn Chinese Mandarin Language
Latest Lessons
一见钟情 Advanced
世界上两个完全陌生的人为什么会走到一起？难道这真的是命运的安排吗？如果是你，你会期待这样的邂逅吗？你会紧紧抓住初次见面的美好感觉吗？如果给你一次机会，你会选择一个第一次见面就让你的心砰砰直跳的人，还是选择一个你非常熟悉的人？
feelings, relationships
The Old Man Who Moved a Mountain Elementary
This podcast covers a famous Chinese story about an old man who moves a mountain. Like most famous Chinese stories, it is more open to interpretation than you might expect. So... while we're not exactly sure what the mountain represents, or where it ends up (NIMBY, thank you), this is a handy story to know. Sit back by the fire, dowload this podcast, and learn it in Mandarin Chinese.
family, children
Transferring a Call Intermediate
Some people worry about the internationalization of call centers. Not us though. What could be more pleasant than getting transferred to a customer service center in Shenzhen? Life is filled with unexpected opportunities for language practice. Listen in to this podcast, and soon you'll be asking for the transfer... in Mandarin Chinese.
business, communications, home and office
#4 Movie Madness
The first rule of Movie Madness is that you always follow a "chick-flick" with a "guy film." And this week’s installment isn’t as easy as last week's either. Elementary students might get the gist of what’s going on, but we're guessing you’ll need to be a healthy Intermediate before most of the dialogue falls into place. This is a great movie by Dave's favorite American director: part four in Mystery Movie Madness. As before, your challenge is to recognize the Hollywood film based on a short audio clip. We try harder (hypothetically) not to give away the answer this time....
Introducing the Fix News and Features
News and Features is a regular audio news item that brings you information on how to get the most out of ChinesePod. Each week we'll have the people of ChinesePod in the studio, explaining usage, features, tips, and whatever seems relevant. Obviously, you're welcome to offer suggestions.
Sweet Watermelon Newbie
You know it's summertime when those trucks roll into the city, feeding streetside stalls thronging with business as the evening ambles home. Ask anyone who lives here: watermelon is a small joy of life in China. But no one will force it on you. And to get it, you've got to know how to ask for it in Mandarin Chinese. Which is where this podcast comes in. Enjoy!
food
Chinese Money Denominations Pre Intermediate
Don't make the short-sighted mistake of dismissing the many miniscule denominations of Chinese currency jingling around at the bottom of your pocket just because they are worth, say, one one-thousandth or so of a US cent. In no time, you'll be fighting tooth and nail over that self same mao, jiao or fen, finding yourself at a total impasse with that shopkeeper you think is stealing your shirt. In this podcast, learn about Chinese money denominations in Mandarin Chinese.
money, numbers
Global Warming Upper Intermediate
Some contacts of ours (ex-girlfriends and cops) are writing with reports of unseasonably hot weather in Beijing. We like getting these emails, partly because it's nice to keep in touch with old flames, and partly out of schadenfreude. But warmer weather isn't just a Beijing phenomenon, and there's a lot of talk about global warming in urban Chinese society these days. Here's a podcast about how to join a discussion about it in Mandarin Chinese.
media, weather
Reduplication of Verbs Qing Wen
'Reduplication of verbs' we hear you say? Well maybe not in those words. Don't think we can make something with a name like this fun? Listen in to hear Aggie, Ken and Amber make an interesting point of Chinese grammar come alive.
Ice Cream Newbie
The kids are eating it. The old people are eating it. The babies are smooshing it into their faces and hair. The lady that sells stinky tofu sells it. The meat market man even sells it. We can't make it through the hot summer without it. Summer in China is an ice cream eating bonanza. In this podcast, learn how to get yours, using Mandarin Chinese. P.S. for those of a more reckless palate, green bean flavor comes highly recommended.
food, numbers
Olympic Swimming Elementary
Some love to watch Olympic swimming--the poignant fortitude of the human spirit, the split-second heart-breaking culmination to a lifetime of training, the record-crushing photo finishes, the heart-wrenching agony of defeat. Others, however, appreciate something different. The robust, wet, speedo-clad chisled physiques. . . a testimony to the exquisiteness of human anatomy in it's highest form. . . (sigh). Whatever your thing, listen in to this podcast, and learn about Olympic swimming in Mandarin Chinese.
olympics, sports
Lili and Zhang Liang 16: It's Over Intermediate
No self-respecting soap opera would be complete without a teary farewell. It's been a long and winding road, but the inevitable time has come for our two lovers to part company. So go and get that box of kleenex and that pink teddy bear that keeps you company through the difficult times, and listen in to this podcast, as Zhang Liang and Lili reminisce over the good times and bad, and we all learn how to move on, in Mandarin Chinese.
feelings, relationships
Going to the Museum Newbie
Remember the days of field trips? Now, field trips in podcast-land aren't to the zoo; nor are they to the waterslides park (though that can be arranged!) Instead, we want you to do something educational and character-building... like going to the museum! Since we can't physically take you to the museum for a field trip (was that a sigh of relief?), jump into this podcast and come along on a virtual trip to a Mandarin Chinese lesson on going to the museum.
history
Using 看 (kàn) and 看起来 (kàn qilai) Qing Wen
In this, the first of our Qing Wen series, Connie and Amber jump off the lesson comments pages and into your headphones to answer a Chinese language question from a real live ChinesePod learner. She asked: what is the difference between 看(kàn) and 看起来 (kàn qǐlai), anyways? Listen in and you'll be telling all your friends how beautiful they look in no time!
The Scene of the Accident Upper Intermediate
It is a dark and stormy night. You see a woman kneeling on asphalt, her tears staining a rusted hulk of twisted metal. A man stands to one side, head averted, face flushed. Sirens wail in the distance. This is a scene of desolation and despair. They are two people, alone in a hostile world. Desperately, terribly alone. Surrounded only by night, the rain, a circle of fifty bystanders and two street vendors hustling nut cakes and sugared-water. ChinesePod brings you to the Scene of the Accident, in Mandarin Chinese.
town and city, transportation
#3 Movie Madness
After our poorly received but critically-hailed “silent film week”, we’re back in the saddle with a new mystery for language-loving movie-goers. And the good news is that this installment is pretty easy. But is it easy enough to be called Newbie-level? You tell us: here’s part three in our (now) ongoing feature: Mystery Movie Madness. Once again, the question is… can you recognize the Hollywood movie based on this audio clip?? Bonus points if you figure out the answer before John “master of cinema” Pasden hits the jackpot.
Two Little Tigers Song Newbie
"TIGER, tiger, burning bright, in the forests of the night, what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?" In the distant post-apocalyptic future, cultural disputes will be resolved through Thunderdome/Survivor showdowns. And when that happens William Blake is in big trouble. Because no matter how good his scansion, roughly a fifth of the world's population knows the little tiger ditty in our podcast by heart. Why it sounds like Frère Jacques is beyond us, but here it is: ChinesePod presents the tiger song, in Mandarin Chinese.
animals, music