Podcast Episodes

Simplified vs Traditional, Sleep, and Starting Over in China | Mailbag #429

Episode 429

Mailbag time. Phoebe’s moving to China in a week, Jasmine’s torn between Simplified and Traditional, Mark nails his first all-Mandarin order, Anna shares tonal research, and Katie reminds us to slow …

Published on 7 hours ago

Mandarin Listening Practice (Taiwanese Accent): Camping, Power & Travel | Bilingual Chinese–English Ep. 428

Episode 428

Practice Mandarin listening with a native Taiwanese Mandarin speaker and English support. We cover cold-weather camping at 3°C, off-grid power, food, health, and planning a sensible motorbike tour th…

Published on 2 days, 7 hours ago

Bus Stop Mandarin, Sky Lantern Wishes, and Ordering in Kunming | Mandarin Listening Podcast

Episode 427

Today’s Listener Mailbag is stacked: Mandarin at the bus stop, writing a sky-lantern wish in Pingxi, ordering dinner in Kunming with zero English, the strange peace of visa lines with a podcast in yo…

Published on 2 weeks ago

Hump Day, VR Boxing, and Gua Sha Pain (Ep. 426) | Mandarin Listening Podcast

Episode 426

Hump day chat with bilingual Mandarin + English listening practice baked in. We tackle a parenting standoff over toys at school, how “Thrill of the Fight” in VR turned into a 12-round sweat fest, whe…

Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago

Can You Learn Chinese in Your Sleep? | Mandarin Listening Podcast

Episode 425

Ever tried to learn Mandarin while you sleep?

One listener did — and his girlfriend woke up to him whispering “māma” all night.

In this episode, we read your wildest Mandarin stories:

🧠 Sleep-learning …

Published on 3 weeks ago

Totoro, Steak & Escape Rooms｜Chinese–English Bilingual Podcast Listening Practice

Episode 424

This one’s part London adventure, part Mandarin listening practice.

Tom celebrated his birthday and 10-year anniversary with Ula — a surprise visit from Auntie Kara, a Studio Ghibli stage show (“My Ne…

Published on 4 weeks, 1 day ago

Listener Mailbag: First Mandarin Win to Night Market Fails

Episode 423

Listener Mailbag is back. This week your stories cover first Mandarin wins, night market fails, and everything in between. We read your emails about dreaming in tones, KTV redemption songs, taxi mist…

Published on 1 month ago

Learn Mandarin Through Wild Camping

Episode 422

Learn Mandarin through real conversations. Episode 422 covers wild camping, from rain and wind in the UK to snakes and bears in Taiwan. Pick up camping words in Chinese, hear how to talk about fishin…

Published on 1 month ago

Listener Mailbag: Stuck After HSK3 - Now What?

Episode 421

Your emails, your questions, your Mandarin struggles.

In this first Listener Mailbag, we tackle:

• Tone panic ordering 牛肉麵

• How to pronounce 出去 without tripping

• ü vs u, and why “iu” sounds like “y…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

The Truth About Learning Mandarin: Your Top Questions Answered

Episode 420

Is Mandarin really that hard to learn? How long does it take? Should you learn simplified or traditional characters? In this episode, we answer the most-searched questions about learning Mandarin and…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago