Podcast Episodes

203 - The three factors that determine how much Chinese you learn

Season 1 Episode 203

When learning Chinese, your progress depends on three factors: the content you study, the methods you use, and the time you dedicate. To achieve your goals quickly and efficiently, strive to optimise…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

202 - Habit hacking for language learners

Season 1 Episode 202

Habits are routines that become smooth and effortless with repetition. By developing the right habits for learning Chinese, you can learn more with less effort!

#learnchinese #habit #routine #studyma…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

201 - Should you learn the pronunciation of radicals?

Season 1 Episode 201

Learning the building blocks of Chinese characters is a great idea, but what should learn about each character component? And more specifically, should you learn the pronunciation of radicals?

#learn…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

200 - Student Q&A, June 2024: How much time on flashcards, Remembering the Hanzi, and resources for learning characters

Season 1 Episode 200

How much time should you spend on flashcards? Is Remembering the Hanzi good for learning Chinese characters? And what resources should you use if you want to understand the writing system better?

#le…

Published on 1 year, 4 months ago

199 - Chinese character learning for all students

Season 1 Episode 199

Learning to write Chinese characters by hand takes a lot of time, but in today's digital society, is handwriting even necessary? Let's explore the role of handwriting when learning Chinese as a secon…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

198 - Learning to hear the sounds and tones in Mandarin

Season 1 Episode 194

As infants, we perceive the world without filters. Learning our first language, we form categories of sounds, aiding understanding but losing the ability to hear sounds we don’t need. As adults learn…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

197 - 24 great resources for improving your Mandarin pronunciation

Season 1 Episode 197

Using the right resources is important when learning anything, but it's essential when learning Mandarin pronunciation. Here are 24 great resources, most of them completely free!

#learnchinese #pronu…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

196 - Student Q&A, May 2024: Understanding strangers, listening with transcripts, and which podcasts to avoid

Season 1 Episode 196

Why is your teacher is so much easier to understand than anybody else? Should you read transcripts or subtitles before, during or after listening? And why do I refuse to recommend certain podcasts?

#…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

195 - Why is listening in Chinese so hard? Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 6

Season 1 Episode 195

Many people assume that the hardest part of learning Chinese must be the characters or the tones, but it turns out that most learners struggle more with listening comprehension. Why is that, and what…

Published on 1 year, 5 months ago

194 - Chengyu, a magic key to Chinese language and culture, or a waste of time?

Season 1 Episode 194

Chengyu are idioms linked to ancient literature. Are they the key to Chinese language and culture or a waste of time?

#learnchinese #chengyu #idiom #vocabulary

Link to article:⁠⁠⁠ Chengyu, a magic ke…

Published on 1 year, 6 months ago