Tag: Mandarin

5 things to remove from your life to learn mandarin more effectively

5 simple things to remove from our lives to focus on Mandarin

As if learning Mandarin isn’t difficult enough, many distractions creep into our lives and keep us from advancing towards our goals. Here are five things to downscale in order to become a more effective learner.

Learning Mandarin: how to continue after you leave China?

I studied Chinese in China for six months. Returning home, I felt that I had made progress, but the time wasn’t adequate to become fluent. How to continue improving your Chinese after you leave?

Real immersion: Learning Chinese at Keats in Kunming

Interview: I talked to the co-founder of Keats Chinese language School Zier Liu (刘子尔) and asked her why students keep returning every year and how Keats adepts to the present Covid-situation.

What are the pros and cons of learning Chinese?

Are you considering to learn Chinese? What speaks in favor, what speaks against learning one of the most difficult languages in the world? This is what the Mandarin learning community has to say about it.

Pleco flashcards: yes or no?

The Pleco Chinese dictionary is a crucial app for Chinese learners. What about the Pleco flashcards add-on though, is it worth spending 10 bucks? How essential is the ‘dictionary-flashcards combination’ to get to the next level(s)?

10 tips for learning Chinese in China

What better place to learn Chinese than China: here are 10 things you can do to make the most of your learning experience in China.

Reading Chinese novels: To Live《活着》

“The little chickens will grow to be ducks, the ducks will become geese, and the geese will become oxen, and tomorrow will be better”.

Two free online tools to hack Chinese texts

Reading difficult Chinese texts? These two free tools assist you reading and extracting value from any Chinese text you want to study in-depth.

“Should you still learn Chinese?”

Should you still learn Chinese? My own answer hasn’t really changed, how about yours?

Improving your Chinese writing skills on Journaly

Want to improve your Chinese writing skills and get instant feedback from native speakers? Then you might want to try the new foreign language learning platform Journaly.

10 Chinese audiobooks for advanced Mandarin learners

Where do you find Chinese audiobooks that are interesting, high quality and not hidden behind a paywall?

HSK 6 Graded Chinese Reader - The Art of War

HSK 6 Chinese graded reader review: The Art of War

Who doesn’t want to read The Art of War in Chinese? Another review!

5 things we tell ourselves that keep us from studying Chinese

A wise man once said that it’s good fun for humans to buy a hammer and knock down the walls of your comfort zone.

11 things I wish I knew before starting to learn Mandarin

Learning Mandarin can be a loooong-term endeavor. Looking back on at least 8 years of learning Mandarin, there are a lot of things I wish I could have worked out earlier.

HSK Chinese Graded Reader - The New Housekeeper - Front

HSK 6 Chinese Graded reader review: The New Housekeeper

I purchased a copy of Edmund Chua’s and Ranny Ran’s Graded Chinese Reader for HSK 6 called “The New Housekeeper”. I’d only recommend it to a specific group.

Slow listening: boost your vocabulary with Mandarin Corner

You’re at intermediate level and want to improve your listening skills?

Chineasy vs Uncle Hanzi: two radical approaches to Chinese characters

What helps you to memorize Chinese characters?

Learning Chinese becoming less popular?

Is it just me? Or is studying Mandarin just not as popular as it was before?

5 apps that help you to understand and write Chinese characters

Learning Chinese characters with high-quality apps that actually help? They are rare, but do exist.

Learning to write Chinese characters: 7 bad practices you should avoid

Learning to write Chinese characters: my personal list of disastrous advice and practices that are a complete waste of time and oxygen.

How long does it take to get HSK 6?

Five test candidates and the time they needed to prepare for HSK 6.

Getting fluent in Mandarin: Underestimating the four tones

Why the mā-má-mǎ-mà-way people typically think of the four tones is wrong.

Understanding China and Mandarin with 7 Chinese film classics

These mostly older Mainland Chinese movies I’ve come to like and recommend to anyone interested in China.

Reading above your level: Game of Thrones in Chinese

I finally felt ready for reading a serious work of fiction in Chinese. Not an abridged version, not a children’s edition, but the real thing.

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.

人生第一次 – The Firsts in Life

“人生第一次” or “The Firsts in Life” is a very popular documentary series in China. Here’s why I think it’s a good resource for learning Mandarin – even though it has one problem.

China podcasts

19 China podcasts to better understand 中国

Tired of listening to endless corona-updates and Covid-discussions? Here’s some China-focused listening material for you sorted by topic.