The Latest Mandarin Chinese Language Lessons
Excellent Materials for You to Learn Chinese Mandarin Language
Latest Lessons
Going on a Diet Pre Intermediate
In the Tang Dynasty, to be fat was to be beautiful. Nowadays, as the Bling Dynasty sweeps the nation, oh how the tables have turned. China is a land of magical weight-loss remedies. Whether it's braving the acupuncture needles, downing little "herbal" pills, or, for the more traditional, training on the humble hula hoop, weight-loss methods abound. Listen to this podcast to learn how some Chinese friends plan to lose that "spare tire."
appearance, food, shopping
Returning an Item Elementary
You lay out a few thousand kuai on what you think is a great deal on a mobile phone. But as you dial your soon to be jealous friend's number and get a waft of the slightly pungent but unmistakable aroma of burning wires, you feel a vague uneasiness. Was it prudent to have trusted that man in the dark cloak that lured you into the back alley? In this podcast, we'll help you to learn how to return something for a refund, using Mandarin Chinese. (we're assuming, of course, that the dark cloak man gave you a receipt... right?)
shopping
猪肉涨价 Media
最近一段时间，最让中国老百姓担心的一件事就是猪肉涨价了，而且涨价的幅度十分惊人。在一些地区，猪肉的价格甚至翻了一倍。对于那些习惯吃并爱吃猪肉的人，这当然让他们很恐慌。如果以后连吃猪肉都成为一件奢侈的事时，那生活还有什么乐趣呢？ 来源链接：关心猪肉涨价别忘了关心农民利益 | 媒体MP3文件
government, food
Requesting a Napkin Newbie
If you've given up on using chopsticks and haven't studied our lesson on requesting a fork yet, you may just have to pretend that where you come from, eating with your hands is a sign of respect for the chef. No problem! In some places it probably is. But when you're done, don't forget this important Mandarin Chinese lesson on requesting a napkin. Of course, upon visualizing this debacle, really, learning the art of chopstick use might be a tad classier.
food, questions
连锁咖啡店 Advanced
不知从什么时候起中国人开始接受和养成了喝咖啡的习惯，而如今遍布在大街小巷上的咖啡店也说明了咖啡的魅力是无敌的。仔细看看这些咖啡店，我们可以发现，他们各有各的特色，有的轻松休闲，有的豪华气派，有的个性十足。在众多的咖啡店中，尤其值得一提的是，一些国际连锁咖啡店凭借品牌效应展开了大规模的扩张行动，大有“顾客走到哪里，咖啡店就开到哪里”的趋势。
food, town and city
Where Children Come From Elementary
As parents, there is always the unavoidable coming of age when we must explain to our children about "the birds and the bees". For those of us learning Mandarin Chinese, however, there is a simpler solution. In this podcast, learn an alternative and skillfully evasive (albeit not particularly politically correct) response to this age-old question, as answered by many Chinese parents to their beloved child's query of "Mommy, where did I come from?" (note to self: breaking the news should be done in as loving a tone as possible.)
children, family, questions
Booking a Plane Ticket Intermediate
Our businessman friend, Peter, has sobered up and accepted the exciting offer of touring the factory he is considering buying product from in China. But he's got to get there first. Since China is a little bit bigger than he had anticipated when he booked and then subsequently cancelled the 52 hour train ride to get there, listen in and learn along with him how to book a plane ticket in China using Mandarin Chinese. That's the easy part. The hard part will be when you start to get picky... extra pillows, window seat, caesar tall and neat, more peanuts... for that you're on your own!
show, business, location
Giving an Example Newbie
When learning a language there are a profusion of ways to acquire new language. One method many have found helpful has been dubbed "pictionary." However, when your partner in language, pen in hand, attempts to illustrate a concept to you by drawing a likeness that looks like a game of pick-up-sticks gone bad... it's time for this lesson. In this podcast, learn how to ask for someone to illustrate by example, rather than creative genius, using Mandarin Chinese.
language
#2 Movie Madness
In part 2 of an all-new experimental feature, Dave Lancashire brings listeners more movie-related media. That’s the good news. (The bad news is that it’s really, really challenging.) So once again, the question is… can you recognize the Hollywood movie based on the audio clip?? In this episode, Jenny, Amber, and John try again. This is part 2 of 2.
Resisting Relocation Upper Intermediate
It's been a bad day: a misfiled report at work, a burgeoning head cold, and a drawn out fight with the missus that ended only when the phone line went dead (thank heavens.) You arrive home, eager to forget your troubles with a luke-warm bottle of beer. And that's when you discover that your home no longer exists per se, although they might keep the outer wall as a support strut for the new Olympic-themed Shenzhen-Guilin railway overpass. Turns out you're being relocated. Too bad you didn't listen to this podcast in Mandarin Chinese months ago, so you could have made more sense of that relocation notice.
accommodation, government, town and city
I can't buy my size Elementary
Not that anyone's intimating that you've got big feet, a wide girth, or an ample posterior -- but those who have been in China for a while know that the Chinese tend to be a little more "petite" than their western counterparts. In this lesson, learn how to ask for your size in Mandarin Chinese... and to understand the (often) disappointing answer. But don't be dismayed -- there's just that much more of you to love.
clothes, shopping
Lili and Zhang Liang 15: Uncomfortable Encounter in a Bar Intermediate
It's an awkward part of life, and those in melodramatic serialized fiction are certainly not exempt from the agonizing drama of running into an old ex. It's Zhang Liang's bad luck today when the poor sod runs into Lili and Liu Xiang in a bar. Listen in as things turn ugly and personal for our two lovelorn friends, and learn a little Chinese "lover trash talk" (that we hope you'll never have to use, of course) along the way.
etiquette, relationships
What stop is this? Newbie
Though you may find having your face pressed up against someone else's cheek a little unpleasant, think of the intimacy it affords. Once you have listened to this podcast, you will handily be able use your Mandarin Chinese on a crowded subway or bus to enquire of your newly proximate acquaintance what stop you are at. Extracting yourself from the cozy throngs-- now, that is not a Chinese lesson, that is an art.
location, transportation, town and city
Playing the Stock Market Upper Intermediate
It has been said that gambling in China is a bit of a, shall we say, national pastime. Is the stock market is a form of gambling? The Chinese stock markets are now soaring to unprecedented and precarious heights. You do the math... and listen to this Mandarin Chinese lesson on playing the stock market in China. (insider tip: sell. sell. sell.)
business, money
Directory Assistance Elementary
You may be feeling stranded, lost, confused... but you are never alone. That's right--a friendly robotic lady voice and soothing Kenny G ballad are just a phone call away. Listen to this podcast, and learn the Mandarin Chinese language you'll need to make that inevitably necessary call to Directory Assistance (dial 114) to get a phone number or address (or, heck, just to chat.) You'll never be lonely again!
town and city, directions, location
My New MP3 Player Intermediate
So you've decided to get with the cool kids and buy an MP3 player so you can rock the ChinesePod, shake your body. But how are you going to brag about it if you don't know all this techno-lingo? Don't fear--just put those earbuds in your ear, press play, and listen to this podcast with a Mandarin Chinese lesson about MP3 players. With ChinesePod playing in your ears, you'll never be uncool again!
music, shopping
What's that smell? Newbie
Some things are not discussed in polite society. In today's groundbreaking lesson in Mandarin Chinese, we run through how to shatter that taboo and accuse your friends, neighbors and language partners of... well, having an overabundance of spirits. Note: vocabulary also useful when touring certain alternative-energy plants.
people, questions
Wrong Change Newbie
You're dancing around gesticulating. They're dancing around gesticulating. Children are clapping and someone might even be singing, shaking an abacus in time to the music. Except that you're not teaching them a "foreign friend" dance, you're trying to get the correct change so you'll have the bus fare home. This podcast in Mandarin Chinese will help you stave off that three hour walk home, although you'll have to learn the art of the abacus on your own.
money