Mandarin Weekly #143

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Expression for bad times Intermediate Story

When things aren’t so good, here’s a story with a useful expression to describe the times:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/2965-2017-10-13-02-12-35

Twitter: @imandarinpod

Funny phrases Intermediate Expressions

Ha, ha! Here are some humorous phrases you can use in Chinese:

https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2017/10/11/funny-chinese-phrases/

Twitter: @FluentU

Daily activities Beginner Vocabulary

Perhaps our daily activities — sleeping, eating, going to work or school, and speaking on the phone — are mundane, but they also come up in daily conversation:

https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/my-day-in-chinese/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Apps for speaking Beginner Pronunciation Reviews

There are lots of apps for learning Chinese. But how many of them will help you to speak more accurately? Here is a review of several such apps, which you can install and use on your phone:

https://www.tutormandarin.net/en/5-best-learn-to-speak-chinese-apps/

Twitter: @MyTutorMandarin

How’s the weather? Beginner Grammar Video

How is the weather? This video explores this question and its possible answers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkKZfKb_Bac

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Happy birthday! Beginner Grammar Video

Happy birthday to you, or to someone you know! This video tells you how you can wish others a happy birthday, and tells you about Chinese birthday culture:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE3whGV3OPU

Twitter: @ECLSchool

Song compilation Beginner Video

Over the last few months, Chinese Buddy has produced a number of music videos to teach simple Chinese words and phrases. Here is a compilation of their composer’s most favorite songs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6AUNVRpGzo

Twitter: @ChineseBuddy

Conversation starters Beginner Learning

So you’ve been learning Chinese, end up in a Chinese-speaking environment, and … what do you talk about? Here are some subjects you can try to use to open up a conversation:

https://www.digmandarin.com/topics-chinese-conversation.html

Twitter: @DigMandarin

NBA teams All Vocabulary

Do you follow NBA basketball? Here are all of the team names, as they’re known in Chinese:

https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/chinese-names-for-all-30-nba-teams/

Twitter: @ChineseLanguage

Getting fluent All Learning

How can you get fluent with Chinese? Here are some tips, whether you’re living in China or not:

https://medium.com/@wheatpond/its-probably-time-to-learn-chinese-63587376c2d2

Moonlight verse Advanced Story

Mid-Autumn Festival is over, but stories about the moon and its light continue to appear:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/13-2009-12-02-23-35-40/2962-2017-10-11-07-36-47

Twitter: @imandarinpod

Watching Chinese TV Intermediate Learning

A great way to improve your Chinese is by watching TV. Here are some shows you should check out:

https://blog.hutong-school.com/chinese-tv-shows/

Twitter: @hutongschool

Chinese funerals, in movies and real life All Culture

Funerals and death rituals aren’t a fun topic, but it is an important part of understanding Chinese culture. Here is a description of these rituals, along with reviews of several films that depict them:

https://www.tutormandarin.net/en/almost-heaven/

Twitter: @MyTutorMandarin

Agree or disagree Intermediate Expressions

Agree or disagree with someone, you should express your feelings on a subject. Here are some ways to say “I agree” and “I disagree” in Chinese with a bit of flair:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtXuLnmIN0Y

Twitter: @chineseclass101

Review: Chinese for Us Beginner Learning Reviews

A review of “Chinese For Us,” an online to help you learn Chinese:

https://www.alllanguageresources.com/chinese-for-us/

Ask a doctor Beginner Story

If you get hit by a car, maybe you should ask a doctor before proclaiming yourself well, as this story points out:

http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/2963-2017-10-11-08-00-07

Twitter: @imandarinpod

Classic poems Intermediate Culture

Chinese poetry has been around for many years, and can be challenging for beginners to learn — but also gives you insights and understanding into Chinese history, literature, and language. Here’s an introduction to some classic poetry:

http://www.fluentinmandarin.com/content/learn-chinese-through-famous-classical-poems/

Twitter: @Fluent_Mandarin

ChinesePod questions All Video

The hosts of ChinesePod’s videos get personal with two videos about their own lives and life in Taiwan; there might not be a lot of language learning here, but it’s great fun for all ChinesePod fans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAAbCJ-ipYk

Twitter: @ChinesePod

ChinesePod questions All Video

The hosts of ChinesePod’s videos get personal with two videos about their own lives and life in Taiwan; there might not be a lot of language learning here, but it’s great fun for all ChinesePod fans:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7U-gEvnWC5Q

Twitter: @ChinesePod

So many ifs! Intermediate Grammar

There are many ways to say “if” in Chinese; what is the difference between them?

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/27033/what-is-the-difference-among-many-if-words

Source of politeness Intermediate Vocabulary

The word 客气 (kè qì) means “polite.” How did the words for “guest” and “air” end up with this meaning?

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/26939/how-does-%e5%ae%a2-k%c3%a8-customer-guest-and-%e6%b0%94-q%c3%ac-gas-anger-combine-to-give-%e5%ae%a2%e6%b0%94

高兴 (gāo xìng) vs. 开心 (kāi xīn) Intermediate Vocabulary

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between these two words? Now you can know:

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/26933/gaoxing-%E9%AB%98%E5%85%B4-vs-kaixin-%E5%BC%80%E5%BF%83

Different types of black Intermediate Grammar

You can say “black” in two ways in Chinese; what is the difference between these words?

https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/26899/%E9%BB%91-and-%E4%B9%8C-talking-about-colours