Category: Study

China’s 2020 HSK reform: How different will the new HSK be?

The HSK exam will be reformed. What we know so far…

How much Mandarin can you listen to in one month?

For one month I digitally teamed up with like-minded spirits for a Mandarin learning challenge. This is what I learned.

How hard is HSK 6?

How painstakingly difficult is the HSK 6 exam? And what do native speakers say about it?

What does your HSK level really tell about your Mandarin skills?

The HSK merry-go-round or why you shouldn’t be focused on HSK results only.

Can you learn Chinese from a textbook?

Can you become fluent by studying the whole textbook series of Integrated Chinese from beginner to advanced level? And what about learning WITHOUT a textbook?

Ideology in Chinese textbooks

Chinese learning materials have improved a lot over the last 50 years, however more often than not…

My best tips to beat any level HSK test

These are my best tips for the HSK exam, based on my experience writing the HSK4 and HSK5 exams in China and Europe.

Should I read Chinese texts above my level?

How much of a struggle should reading really be? Check out these tips and start accelerating today.

Recommended: You Can Learn Chinese Podcast

I’m talking about the You Can Learn Chinese Podcast. It’s an expert panel for everything related to learning Mandarin.

Studying Mandarin: politics and motivation

Is China’s restored self-confidence and CCP led nationalism demotivating people to learn Chinese?

Learning Chinese with flashcards: Anki vs Pleco

You are serious about learning Chinese and use spaced repetition to support your vocabulary learning? What’s the best flashcard app out there?

PRC turns 70 speech: Xi Jinping’s top 10 most used words

What happens if you run Xi Jinping’s 2019 PRC anniversary speech through a Chinese text analyzer?

Why I don’t believe in Chinese character tests

I found out that I know between 1600 and 3434 Chinese characters. But it could be more, of course. Or less…

buddhist statue

Pleco’s graded reader: Journey to the West

Pleco’s abridged version of “Journey to the West” offers a well-priced and swift way to immortality which can be bought in your local app store.

“Dutch Mandarin” Robert van Gulik

“He was always immersing himself in the traditional culture of the country in which he was staying”.

Chinese reading skills: does offline reading beat online reading?

Online reading is becoming increasingly important for language learning. Do we still need books to learn Chinese?