In this edition: living as a black American in China, how the Chinese see the US, Chinese reactions to Trump’s assassination attempt, Chinese businessman collides with Al Jazeera show, Nord Stream bombing and more.
What is it like to be a Black American in China? – Intermediate Chinese – In-Depth Interview
In this interview on Mandarin Corner, Eileen sits down with an American teacher living in China to explore his unique experiences as a Black American. They discuss his journey to China, his initial impressions, and the challenges he has faced, including racism and a legal battle with employers. The conversation delves into cultural differences in dating, the challenges of job hunting as a black person in China, and meeting his Chinese girlfriend’s family. He also shares insights on learning Chinese and offers advice for other Black Americans considering a move to China.
Though Ben’s stories are not new to me, they remain painful to hear and certainly don’t encourage working in China. However, I hold hope that as more people like Ben speak out, China will gradually become more open in the future.
Difficulty level: HSK 4-5
| 培养爱好 | péiyǎng àihào | develop a hobby |
| 谈乐器 | tán yuèqì | talk about musical instruments |
| 音乐理论 | yīnyuè lǐlùn | music theory |
| 爱上了学习语言 | ài shàngle xuéxí yǔyán | fell in love with learning languages |
| 凌晨工作 | língchén gōngzuò | working in the early morning |
| 坐牢 | zuòláo | go to prison |
| 灯光秀 | dēngguāng xiù | light show |
| 文化冲击 | wénhuà chōngjí | culture shock |
| 偷拍 | tōupāi | take a candid photo, secretly photograph |
| 星巴克 | Xīngbākè | Starbucks |
| 第六感 | dìliùgǎn | sixth sense |
| 被惩罚 | bèi chéngfá | be punished |
| 无知 | wúzhī | ignorance, ignorant |
| 黑人的刻板印象 | hēirén de kèbǎn yìnxiàng | stereotypes about Black people |
| 社交平台 | shèjiāo píngtái | social media platform |
| 跨国恋爱 | kuàguó liàn’ài | cross-border romance, international relationship |
| 恶评 | èpíng | negative comments |
| 回复评论 | huífù pínglùn | reply to comments |
| 种族歧视 | zhǒngzú qíshì | racial discrimination |
| 英语培训的机构 | Yīngyǔ péixùn de jīgòu | English training institution |
| 不愿意找黑人外教 | bù yuànyì zhǎo hēirén wàijiào | unwilling to hire Black foreign teachers |
| 委婉 | wěiwǎn | tactful, indirect |
| 杀猪盘 | shāzhūpán | romance scam (literally “pig-butchering scam”) |
| 保持沉默 | bǎochí chénmò | remain silent |
| 哄女朋友 | hǒng nǚpéngyou | to comfort/cheer up a girlfriend |
| 撒娇 | sājiāo | act cute, act spoiled (often refers to a playful or affectionate way of seeking attention or getting one’s way, typically used in the context of children or romantic relationships) |
This is How The Chinese See The US In 2024 | Street Interview
In this street interview by Asian Boss, people in Shanghai share their thoughts on the United States. The video covers a range of topics, including how Chinese media portrays the US, opinions on America’s current state, and whether it’s truly a country of free speech. The interviewees also discuss the type of content Douyin promotes and their hopes for the future of China-US relations.
Difficulty level: HSK 6 (some dialect / non-standard pronunciation)
| 你对美国的印象怎么样 | Nǐ duì měiguó de yìnxiàng zěnme yàng | What is your impression of the US |
| 科技发达 | kējì fādá | developed science and technology |
| 贸易战 | màoyì zhàn | trade war |
| 美国名人 | měiguó míngrén | American celebrities |
| 国内新闻 | guónèi xīnwén | Mainland Chinese news |
| 毒品的管制 | dúpǐn de guǎnzhì | drug control |
| 移民国家 | yímín guójiā | immigration country |
| 按我理解 | àn wǒ lǐjiě | from what I understand |
| 敏感的话题 | mǐngǎn de huàtí | sensitive topics |
| 言论自由 | yánlùn zìyóu | freedom of speech |
The Chinese React To Trump’s Assassination Attempt | Street Interview
In this Asian Boss street interview, Chinese people share their reactions to the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump. They express surprise that such a major public figure could be targeted so easily, seeing it as a sign of chaos in America. Many believe this wouldn’t happen in China due to strict weapon control and the limited public appearances of political leaders. Some even suggest the possibility that Trump staged the attempt himself. Despite the incident, the interviewees hope for improved relations between China and the U.S., regardless of who the next president is.
Difficulty level: HSK 5 (some dialect / non-standard pronunciation)
| 大新闻 | dà xīnwén | Big news |
| 前总统 | qián zǒngtǒng | Former president |
| 震惊 | zhènjīng | shocked |
| 暗杀 | ànshā | Assassination |
| 报道新闻 | bàodào xīnwén | Reporting the news |
| 大家都在讲这个事情 | dàjiā dōu zài jiǎng zhège shìqíng | Everyone is talking about this |
| 美国太过于自由了 | měiguó tài guòyú zìyóule | America is too free |
| 真的很幸运 | zhēn de hěn xìngyùn | Really lucky |
| 杀手 | shāshǒu | Killer |
| 大众民众集会 | dàzhòng mínzhòng jíhuì | Massive public rally |
Chinese businessman Gao Zhikai collides with Hassan Show
In this video, Chinese journalist 王志安 (Wángzhì’ān) discusses a recent interview between Gao Zhikai and Al Jazeera. Gao is a Chinese lawyer, businessman, and academic, who once worked as Deng Xiaoping’s translator. He avoided talking about sensitive topics like Xi Jinping’s leadership and recent “disappearances,” sparking public debate. Wang explores why Gao agreed to the interview, how he handled the questions, where he struggled to defend his views, and why Chinese Communist Party officials are increasingly avoiding interviews with Western media.
Difficulty level: HSK 6 (show fragments are in English)
| 节目的背景 | jiémù de bèijǐng | background of the program |
| 主持人 | zhǔchí rén | host, presenter |
| 联合国 | liánhéguó | United Nations |
| 口语翻译 | kǒuyǔ fānyì | oral interpretation, spoken translation |
| 陆陆续续 | lùlùxùxù | one after another, in succession |
| 提出理论 | tíchū lǐlùn | propose a theory |
| 代表中国政府的观点 | dàibiǎo Zhōngguó zhèngfǔ de guāndiǎn | represent the views of the Chinese government |
| 语速 | yǔsù | speed of speech |
| 戏剧化的冲突 | xìjùhuà de chōngtū | dramatic conflict |
| 秀的节目 | xiù de jiémù | show program |
| 挖坑 | wākēng | to dig a pit (figuratively: to set a trap) |
| 接受邀请采访 | jiēshòu yāoqǐng cǎifǎng | to accept an interview invitation |
| 维吾尔族人 | Wéiwú’ěr zúrén | Uyghur people |
| 违反人权 | wéifǎn rénquán | to violate human rights |
| 言论自由 | yánlùn zìyóu | freedom of speech |
| 段落 | duànluò | paragraph |
| 没有落下风 | méiyǒu luòxiàfēng | did not fall behind, held one’s own |
| 法制问题 | fǎzhì wèntí | legal issues |
Nord Stream was bombed by Ukraine? How will Germany react?
Laolei shares his take on who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines that were going to provide natural gas from Russia to Germany, after new information was reported by The Wall Street Journal. According to this latest version, a small Ukrainian team carried out the sabotage, with initial approval from Zelenskyy. However, Zelenskyy tried to stop the plan after the CIA learned about it and asked him not to proceed.
Difficulty level: HSK 5
| 北溪 | Běixī | Nord Stream (referring to the Nord Stream gas pipelines) |
| 他们得知这个策划的存在 | tāmen dézhī zhège cèhuà de cúnzài | They learned of the existence of this plan |
| 炸北溪 | zhà Běixī | bomb the Nord Stream (pipeline) |
| 无法确认这个事情是真还是假的 | wúfǎ quèrèn zhège shìqíng shì zhēn de háishì jiǎ de | |
| 德国会有什么反应 | Déguó huì yǒu shé me fǎnyìng | What reaction will Germany have? |
| 逮捕证 | dàibǔzhèng | arrest warrant |
| 逃避到乌克兰 | táobì dào Wūkèlán | escape to Ukraine |
| 从头到尾 | cóngtóu dàowěi | from beginning to end |
| 允许自己依赖俄罗斯天然气 | yǔnxǔ zìjǐ yīlài Éluósī tiānránqì | allow themselves to rely on Russian natural gas |
| 从道德来说 | cóng dàodé lái shuō | morally speaking |
| 天真，幼稚 | tiānzhēn, yòuzhì | naive, childish |
Day in my life as a Mandarin teacher 对外汉语老师的一天
Have you ever wondered what the life of freelance Chinese teacher looks like? In this vlog, 自由职业者Karen shows us how she prepares online lessons and writes scripts for new video content.
| 自由职业者 | zìyóu zhíyè zhě | freelancer |
| 我打算来写一下语法视频的文稿 | wǒ dǎsuàn lái xiě yīxià yǔfǎ shìpín de wéngǎo | I plan to write the script for a grammar video |
| 我现在要开始今天的第二节课了 | wǒ xiànzài yào kāishǐ jīntiān de dì èr jié kè le | I’m about to start the second class of the day |
| 今天的安排主要是复习一下第四课的前三个课文 | jīntiān de ānpái zhǔyào shì fùxí yīxià dì sì kè de qián sān gè kèwén | today’s plan is mainly to review the first three texts of Lesson 4 |
| 今天的工作我基本上都弄完了 | jīntiān de gōngzuò wǒ jīběn shàng dōu nòng wán le | I’ve basically finished all of today’s work |
| 发给我们每个月的会员 | fā gěi wǒmen měi gè yuè de huìyuán | send to our monthly members |
That’s it for this summer edition. Hope you enjoyed it. I’ll be back with more Chinese vocabulary notes soon!
Graded Chinese readers
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