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Warm up with hot pot! All Food
Hot pot is a classic winter dish in China. But to say that it’s “a dish” doesn’t do it justice. Here’s an introduction to hot pot, in some of its (almost infinite) varieties:
https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/warm-up-with-chinese-hot-pot/
Twitter: @ChineseLanguage
Pronouncing 一 Beginner Pronunciation
One of the simplest characters, 一, means “one.” But its pronunciation (i.e., its tone) changes:
http://www.mandarinblueprint.com/blog/2017/6/15/how-to-properly-pronounce-in-different-contexts
Twitter: @MandarinBP
Reading strategy Intermediate Characters
How do you improve your reading fluency in Chinese? Sure, you can practice lots of characters, but perhaps there’s a specific way to think about it. Here is some advice from a non-native Chinese speaker who has improved her reading, and wants to share her techniques:
http://panda-toes.com/
How to study All Learning Video
How should you learn Chinese, and then improve on what you’ve learned? Here is an interview with someone whose Chinese is now fluent, but who knows what he did in order to get to this level:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzgxlCy5ys8
Twitter: @ChinesePod
Body gunk Intermediate Vocabulary Video
How do you describe all of your body’s … gunk? You know, like ear wax? This video is here to prepare you for conversations with your doctor or children:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMXMYSHHv_g
Twitter: @ECLSchool
Those noisy neighbors Beginner Story
The neighbors are making quite a lot of noise! Learn why, and how to talk about it, in this story:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/14-2009-12-02-23-37-05/3020-2017-12-16-06-32-43
Twitter: @imandarinpod
Chinese Christmas greetings All Culture
Most Chinese aren’t Christian, but they increasingly celebrate Christmas — or if nothing else, shop, exchange gifts, and enjoy the seasonal decorations. Here are some greetings and customs to know and use for Chinese-style Christmas:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2017/12/13/chinese-christmas-greetings/
Twitter: @FluentU
A tale about winter Intermediate Story
What happens when you mix a farmer, a snake, and thick ice? A short story:
http://www.imandarinpod.com/hoola/index.php/podcasts/15-2009-12-02-23-37-29/3017-2017-12-13-06-07-33
Twitter: @imandarinpod
Where to listen All Learning
Podcasts are wonderful, and they’re especially wonderful if you’re learning Chinese: You can listen to stories, news, and all sorts of other content. But what should you listen to if you’re learning Chinese? Here are some suggestions:
https://blog.hutong-school.com/podcasts-supercharge-chinese-listening/
Twitter: @hutongschool
Learning through .. Beating? All Characters
The origins of the character 教 (jiāo) might be more violent than you expected:
https://chinachannel.org/2017/12/12/sticks-no-carrots/
Twitter: @larbchina
How old are you? Beginner Video
How old are you? Now you can ask others that question, with this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l65ZPilqrQA
Twitter: @ChineseBuddy
Saying “yes” Intermediate Vocabulary
Chinese might not have words for “yes” and “no,” but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to say “yes” altogether. Here are some ways to agree or indicate assent:
https://www.writtenchinese.com/try-different-ways-say-yes-in-chinese/
Twitter: @WrittenChinese
Resources to try All Learning
Learning Chinese? There’s no shortage of resources out there. Here’s one learner’s set of recommendations for what you should try first:
https://medium.com/@HarleyAmit/my-chinese-learning-journey-top-5-insights-tools-resources-b6e36fd8f1b2
Transportation words Intermediate Vocabulary
Getting around in China can be easy or hard — I’ve generally found it to be fairly easy — but the language adds another dimension. Here are some transportation-related words that can help you out:
https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/chinese-transportation-vocabulary/
Twitter: @ChineseLanguage
Bowed string instruments Intermediate Culture Vocabulary
Chinese instruments come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles. In this post, we learn about bowed string instruments:
https://blogs.transparent.com/chinese/chinese-bowed-string-instruments/
Twitter: @ChineseLanguage
New learner roadmap Beginner Learning
Are you just at the start of your journey learning Chinese? Then you might need a plan to get you through the next few stages. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind when creating such a plan:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/chinese/2017/12/13/learn-chinese-step-by-step/
Twitter: @FluentU
In the future… Intermediate Vocabulary
How can we talk about the future in Chinese? There are a few terms:
https://www.digmandarin.com/chinese-words-future.html
Twitter: @DigMandarin
My child, the genius Intermediate Grammar Video
If someone approaches you in China and says something about your child, how do you react? This video has advice about cultural norms and useful vocabulary/grammar:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEdjsaQAxvo
Twitter: @ChinesePod
Craft beer Advanced Vocabulary Video
Do you love beer? So do people in China! Do you love craft beer? Once again, so do people in China. But can you talk about craft beer with them? Watch this video, and then you will be able to do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5_PSPHjwFs
Twitter: @ChinesePod
How do you pronounce 行? Intermediate Pronunciation
The character 行 can be pronounced in two completely different ways. How can you know which pronounciation (and meaning) to use?
https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/pronunciation-%E8%A1%8C.2525469/
Chinese terms in same-sex relationships Intermediate Culture Vocabulary
Chinese uses very specific terms for older and brother relatives, also making it clear whether the relative is on the mother’s side or the father’s side. What happens to these terms in same-sex relationships?
https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/28089/what-kinship-terms-to-use-for-spouses-of-aunts-and-uncles-in-same-sex-relationsh
Looking up characters All Learning
If you see a word you don’t know in a language that uses Latin characters, you can easily look it up in a dictionary. But how do you search for characters you don’t know?
https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/28095/how-can-i-search-for-a-chinese-character-when-i-see-it-on-a-picture
Calling all curators Intermediate Vocabulary
How do you say “museum curator” in Chinese, and do you need to repeat the character 馆 (guǎn) in the resulting term?
https://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/28085/whats-the-difference-between-%e5%8d%9a%e7%89%a9%e9%a6%86%e9%95%bf-and-%e5%8d%9a%e7%89%a9%e9%a6%86%e9%a6%86%e9%95%bf
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