The amount of information on the Internet available to learn Chinese is astounding, but when it comes to quality and consistency, the list is whittled down. Below you’ll find my five favorite online Chinese resources that always deliver with consistency, practicality, and quite often, humor. Hacking Chinese Olle gives advice that is straightforward, academically-backed, and…
10 Must-Watch Taiwanese Dramas for Chinese Learners
I know the story lines aren’t particularly original, but there is something about the outrageousness, the twist in the plot, and the transformation of the characters that I just can’t get enough of in Taiwanese dramas. The list below is a collection of my favorite ones over the years, from mushroom heads to amnesia and grudges…
How to Start Learning Radicals in Chinese
When I first started learning Mandarin again, I made a conscious decision to hold off on practicing reading and writing. I wanted speaking and listening to be my two main focuses. While that may have served me at the start, it’s crippling me now with using native content to learn and texting other language learners…
Day 90 Update: Learning Mandarin Chinese with the #Add1Challenge
I needed something, anything, really, to add some fire to my Chinese studies; something that would make me feel like I was moving in the right direction. In short, I needed a kick in the butt and a structure that would keep me going after said kick. So I took the Add1Challenge, and it was,…
How to Give Compliments in Mandarin Chinese
I’m a big fan of flattery. I like to see people smile, and I like the idea that I added a little joy to their day, so naturally I like having an arsenal of phrases to use in Chinese to do just that. In Chinese, complimenting people works around the same way it does in…
13 Things You Can Do to Re-motivate Yourself While Learning Mandarin
It’s easy to lose motivation when trying to learn any new skill, but consistency is often your best friend while you’re learning a new language, so it’s completely essential that you find ways to re-motivate yourself when the going gets tough. Sometimes it can be as simple as reminding yourself why you’re learning Chinese, but…
16 More Phrases You’ll Be Glad You Learned in Mandarin for Online Tutoring
So now that you know how to tell your tutor that you don’t and do understand what they’re talking about in Mandarin, what do you say when you need more clarification, examples, or there are technical issues? Plus, what can you tell your teacher at the end of the lesson besides the usual 謝謝你？ Here…
12 Phrases You’ll Be Glad You Learned in Mandarin for Online Tutoring
Nowadays, it’s so easy to connect with a tutor from halfway around the world through technology like Skype and with the help of language learning sites like Italki and SharedTalk. When you finally book your session with a tutor, you’re going to want to have an arsenal of phrases that you can use throughout the…
Day 60 Update: Learning Mandarin Chinese with the #Add1Challenge
After sixty days in the #Add1Challenge by Brian Kwong, here is a snapshot of where I am currently at. Can’t see the video? Click the link here. I’m happy with my progress so far, and I feel like I’m really hitting my stride in the challenge now, so I’m excited to see where the final…
One Way to Use the Verb 把 in Chinese to Make Your Sentences Clearer
Lately, one word has been torturing me in Chinese and that word is 把 (ㄅㄚˇ/ bǎ), which can mean a variety of things like “to take, to take hold of, to handle, to grasp” and on and on. While there are many definitions and usages for this troublesome little word, we’re going to focus on…