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ChinesePod makes learning Mandarin fun and easy. It isn't your typical language learning resource - we think you'll be entertained as well!
If you’re just trying to learn some survival Chinese or looking to start a lifelong relationship with the language, this ChinesePod - Beginner Level Podcast Channel is where to start.
Expand your Mandarin Chinese learning experience by also SUBSCRIBING to ChinesePod - Intermediate and ChinesePod - Advanced Podcast channels.
For more lessons, go to www.chinesepod.com and take us for a spin.
Newbie | The First Tone
The alpha, the genesis, dongxi numero uno. All the other tones wish they were this high, but without the other tones, we wouldn't know how supreme the first tone actually is. That's the existential truth of tonal relativity. The first tone in history to get its very own podcast, and the only tone that's phonetically represented by its Chinese character--learn about it in this lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0769
08:5711/12/2023
Elementary | Pearl Tea
Your last Chinese dining experience has left you with a little post-traumatic stress, yes, but let us assure you that that toothsome slimy black ball you just sucked up your straw was NOT a fish eye. Or fish egg for that matter. Was it a drink, a food, or an unidentifiable glutinous object? You be the judge. Learn what it is and how to get some gluey goodness in Mandarin in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0882
12:5708/12/2023
Newbie | Is someone in here?
Sometimes bathroom stalls in China don't have doors on them. Though this may seem shocking to some, it's quite convenient when faced with the dilemma of whether to push the door open to potential stall going-ons, or not. But for those more uncertain times, when you are blocked by those troublesome stall doors, here is a Mandarin Chinese lesson that will help you to rouse any occupants before you waltz in to do your business. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0765
15:0006/12/2023
Elementary | Diet Coke
No, ChinesePod has not sold out. We have not succumbed to target marketing, multinational corporate conspiracies, nor do we endorse one cola over another (though in the blind taste test challenge, admittedly, had a favorite). This lesson is simply for those of us who want a Diet Coke. Here's how to get one, in Mandarin. Of course, as a personal favor... you could machine-gun click the play button a few times. You know... royalties... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0870
14:4004/12/2023
Newbie | Bumming a Smoke
Your doctor tells you to quit, the surgeon general's cancer warning on the pack kinda freaks you out, but the artist in you can't get those wispy smoke-filled 'In the Mood for Love' scenes out of your mind. You didn't come to the only place on the planet where smoking in pubs hasn't been banned yet for no reason. This is your last hurrah. In this podcast, learn how to bum a cigarette from a stranger in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0760
13:0601/12/2023
Elementary | Not on purpose
Oops sorry i bumped into you, oops excuse me my umbrella hit your eye, oops I opened the car door into you, oops, oh no, I wiped my baozi juice on your sleeve. In a place like this, accidents will happen. When 'sorry' is getting old and 'buhaoyisi' feels a bit long-winded, learn how to plead innocence in Mandarin Chinese in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0862
14:2929/11/2023
Newbie | After You
It's only been rumored to have ever happened in this city once, and that was from a Canadian tourist who was visiting from the Niagara falls region, and to this day we haven't found any witnesses to confirm this ever took place. In this podcast, a model lesson in Mandarin Chinese from a model world where chivalry is not dead. And if it's not dead... someway, somehow, somewhere, it could happen to you too... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0756
13:5628/11/2023
Elementary | Country Standings
Don't worry if that old hamstring injury dashed your Olympic dreams of bringing glory to your nation... do what Da Shan did... put on a blue silk Chinese suit and make your Mandarin so annoyingly good that you make your otherwise unassuming country famous. No steroids required. Go for gold, of the Mandarin variety, in this Olympic lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0854
15:1924/11/2023
Newbie | Before Noon, After Noon
The unending feud between those annoying morning people and their alter-egos, the 'night cats' comes to a Chinese lesson today. Listen in as pre-noon takes on post-noon, chipper good mornings take on groggy good afternoons. Listen and learn in Mandarin how to do battle for control of the alarm clock setting.
14:3822/11/2023
Elementary | Yang Jie's Diary: The Final Episode
All good stories have to come to an end, including the saga of our friend Yang Jie. She kinda got sick of writing, as diary-keepers usually do. Plus, we were starting to feel like creeps, slinking into her room every night to sneak a peek. In this podcast, find out how things turn out for Yang Jie and co-stars. How do you say in Chinese: "She's not that into you..." Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0847
16:5320/11/2023
Newbie | Turn on the Light, Turn off the Light
Open the lights and turn off the door, er, I mean, turn on the lights and close the door... why is this so confusing? Just get in here and pretend you love me. Close the lights if you have to. In this podcast, a Mandarin Chinese lesson on how to turn on/off the lights. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0744
12:4917/11/2023
Elementary | Tomb Sweeping Day
Today is Tomb Sweeping Day. The special day of paying respect to ancestors, lighting incense, making burnt offerings, and, like any self-respecting Chinese holiday... lighting off firecrackers. The holiday also favored by those with money to burn. So open up your wallet, light up your money, and listen to this podcast to learn more in Mandarin about the traditions of tomb sweeping. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0842
17:1415/11/2023
Newbie | Handsome Boy
Oh, look at him. He's a cross between Tony Leung and a young Ken Carroll. No, more like Chow Yun Fat meets John Pasden. Those are the handsome boys in this neck of the woods... how about yours? Listen to this podcast and learn how to talk about them, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0737
13:4613/11/2023
Elementary | April Fool's
Being a new language student, everyday can feel like Fool's Day, so think of today as a day to celebrate fools. Take your turn laughing at someone else. Pull the worst fool-causing prank you can, and spend the next year reliving it during those moments of Mandarin learning mortification. In this podcast, we help, with the ole not-so-original but oh-so-easy-to-pull-off Chinese 'hot-sauce-in-your-food' prank. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0838
15:1010/11/2023
Newbie | A Taxi for Tired Feet
Though they scare us, rip us off at times, and don’t wash the white seat covers nearly enough, there’s nothing like the vindication of winning the taxi battle and claiming your prize of a ride home. This lesson reminds us of all the times we almost wanted to kiss the taxi driver that finally stopped for us on a rainy day. Listen and learn how to snag your taxi, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0732
13:3808/11/2023
Elementary | Art Museum
Everyone knows there are a lot of fakes in China. Fake prada, fake watches, fake art students... yes, those too. So stay away from those sweet looking Nanjing Lu predators, and stick to the real art museums of China. Where treasures of jade bok choy and 50,000 renditions of West Lake lie awaiting your discovery. Educate yourself, art-wise and Mandarin-wise, in this lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0833
16:0506/11/2023
Newbie | Ten Four
No, it's not a lesson on CB radio lingo, good buddy. Rather, it's those pesky Chinese tones again. In this podcast, a Mandarin lesson to dissect the difference in sound between the perfect 10 and oft-maligned 4. Listen in, and you'll be blowing them away with the 'forty lions' tongue twister at the next game show that comes your way. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0728
12:3003/11/2023
Elementary | Baseball
Babe Ruth barnstormed in Shanghai, and MLB says baseball was the "unofficial sport" of the People's Liberation Army in the 1940's. But 60 years later, only five Mandarin swinging ball players have made it to the big leagues, all coming from the talent pools of Taiwan. Opening day is 'round the corner, so listen to this podcast and take a swing at this lesson on "fat-big-chunky-piece-of-stick ball". Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0830
15:2201/11/2023
Newbie | Hold the MSG
Some people are addicted to coke, others to crystal meth, but for the Chinese, the white powder of choice is none other than MSG. True, the MSG high leads to jacked up tasting pleasure, but if you want to avoid the crash, you might want to ‘just say no.’ Listen to this podcast to learn how--do your part in the War on MSG. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0724
13:5430/10/2023
Elementary | Cheering
Whether you've headed to this lesson because you're feeling a little lethargic in your study efforts, or because the idea of a cheerleader egging you on brings you some sort of post-jock high school flashback comfort, you're sure to gain a little spring in your step. Listen to this podcast when you're feeling down--Jenny will wave her pompoms and teach you to study Mandarin and not give up. Jiayou everybody! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0827
15:4427/10/2023
Newbie | Key Card
Just when you learned the Chinese word for 'key', technology had to come in and mess it all up for you. In this podcast, check-in to your hotel with us, in Mandarin, and feel the sense of accomplishment of finding your room, all in Chinese! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0721
11:5325/10/2023
Elementary | Dublin
In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet....Ken Carroll!?? Whilst Ken may not be as hot as Molly Malone, he certainly knows his way about Dublin. Listen to the Sino-Irish man himself as he takes you on a Mandarin Chinese tour through the streets of the capital of Ireland with all its pubs, pints, and...eh... leprechauns. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0823
14:2823/10/2023
Newbie | Chinese Breakfast
The visions you're having of glistening bacon and bottomless coffee might very soon be dashed. A lumpy curdled bowl of soy product and noodles a la oil don't appeal at 7:00 am? Wait till you taste... you just might come over to the Chinese side of breaky. This ain't no mini-wheats. 5,000 years in the development, learn in this podcast how to eat breakfast, China-style. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0717
13:1620/10/2023
Elementary | Going Dutch
The 'Warring Bills' period of Chinese history is officially over for all ChinesePod users. An international treating treaty has been declared, and it involves a handy little phrase that will be an instrument in achieving restaurant check peace. Listen to this podcast to learn what it is, and make your contribution to world Chinese dinner table harmony. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0819
18:2618/10/2023
Newbie | So Tall!
Granted, the 'you're tall' compliments have gotten fewer and farther between since Yao Ming had to come on the scene and wreck it for all of us. However, you can still milk some around here... just get some high heeled boots. Listen to this podcast, which will teach you not only to tell someone your height, in Mandarin Chinese, but also teach all you imperialists to think metric. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0713
13:0516/10/2023
Elementary | Event Times
We are not talking about the starting time of your own athletic competition... the last of which was probably field day at your junior high school where you took home the purple "honorable mention" ribbons in every event you entered. We are talking about the best athletes in the world, and they are going to be here in China before you know it. So sit back in your lazy boy, grab some Cheetos and a cold one, and listen to this here podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0814
11:2213/10/2023
Newbie | Give Me a Kiss
Mouths were intended to be used for so much more than speaking Chinese. Sometimes the language of love communicates better than the best vocabulary, so it never hurts to get a little lip service... In this podcast, get smoochy-smoochy with us and learn to ask for a kiss, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0709
10:4111/10/2023
Elementary | Bank Hours
You've camped out for U2 tickets, queued for boxing day sales... but the bank? Waiting outside the bank before it opens is a national pastime and community social event in China. So take your number (ah, so this is why they line up at the screech of dawn), take a seat and hunker down for your lesson in patience. While you wait, listen to this podcast on bank hours in Chinese and secure your teller time. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0801
15:2609/10/2023
Newbie | That's enough tea
The kind host refilling your tea for the twenty-fourth time is indeed generous, but for those of us with TB (tiny bladder), we just might need to learn to tell them when to quit. Listen to this podcast, and learn to graciously decline another cup in Mandarin Chinese. Either that, or just sip slower. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0704
11:0206/10/2023
Elementary | Equestrian
Long before Catherine the Great made equestrian famous, people used to jump things on horseback. But not in China. Considering their stature and overuse of the word ma, if any nation should dominate a sport, it's the Chinese in equestrian. Sadly this isn't the case, due to an ancient declaration of karaoke as the national sport. In this podcast, learn about this Olympic sport, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0798
11:1904/10/2023
Newbie | Forget It
Quite possibly the most useful phrase around, 'forget it' has been well-used by many a sulky teenager, dejected lover, pms-ing girlfriend and/or frustrated communicator. Listen in to this podcast, and learn how to get the most out of this multi-faceted conversation concluder, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0700
13:1802/10/2023
Elementary | Finding One's Seat
Even though your waiguoren butt is not going to fit in these seats, you'll at least be able to find the right one. Avoid becoming the event sideshow whilst dislodging said bum from said seat in front of an audience of 50,000. Study this lesson and you'll know how to find your correct seat in Mandarin. Listen to the podcast while running on the treadmill and kill two birds with one stone. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0786
14:4529/09/2023
Newbie | Do you have a girlfriend?
Of course, being a single man-about-town in a city chock-full of laowai-hungry gals this phrase will not come in handy at all. But, on the off-chance you find yourself being pursued, listen to this podcast and learn the language of getting hit-on, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0696
13:4327/09/2023
Elementary | Whatever...
Coined phrase of sulky teenagers and pet phrase of indecisive girlfriends. When you know what you don't want but not what you do want, turn to this lesson to learn how to non-commit, in Mandarin Chinese. In this podcast, a motley assortment of ambiguous phrases for the indecisive amongst us. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0782
16:0325/09/2023
Newbie | How is business?
Now, due to being asked so many personal questions by nosy neighbors, we know you all were waiting for the lesson on 'none of your business.' However, in addition to gossip, doing business in China is another great topic of conversation. Listen in to this podcast and learn to turn the conversation around from your own business to real business, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0690
17:1322/09/2023
Elementary | The Super Bowl
Glendale, Arizona. The home of Super Bowl XLII. No, that's not a world record sized wok, it's football, American style. The New England Patriots are trying to break every record by winning the Super Bowl to cap an undefeated season over the New York Giants... Writer may sound like a fan but only watches for the commercials. Worlds collide in this podcast as you learn about it all, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0777
15:1320/09/2023
Newbie | Are you OK?
Someone's fallen and they can't get up. You want to help, but likely due to the stress of the whole ordeal, you've forgotten every Chinese word you know. By this time you are wishing for a Life Alert alarm with a direct line to ChinesePod's Mandarin Emergency response team. The 24 hour helpline is in the works... in the meantime what you need this podcast where you can learn how to show your fellow feeling, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0687
11:3818/09/2023
Elementary | Cold from Biking
If the potholes, rogue taxis and silent electric bikes passing on the right don't get ya, cold will! Sure, snow pants and moon boots seem cumbersome, but when that Tibetan front blows in, you won't mind the rubberneckers staring at you as you pass. They can just go stick their tongues on a frozen pole somewhere for all you care. In this podcast, learn how to bundle up, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0771
17:5815/09/2023
Newbie | A Ghost Outside
With Halloween making its marketing inroads to modern China, the ghosts are sure to follow. Turn out the lights, shine a flashlight on your face and get spooky, with some ghost stories in Mandarin. Listen to this podcast and learn some shivers-up-the-spine Chinese words to help you. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0685
13:0313/09/2023
Elementary | Diving
Though diving out of the way of oncoming vehicles has not yet been included in the Olympic roster, that could change any day now. Hey, don't laugh... if the 'Women's Hammer Throw' can make it in, this is more than feasible. Listen to this lesson on the hardcore street diving's more elegant cousin, Olympic diving, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0767
13:4411/09/2023
Newbie | Pumpkin Food
While Linus is keeping his Great Pumpkin vigil in the pumpkin patch, his counterparts in China are doing their own chowing down on the culinary delights that pumpkin season brings. Listen in to this podcast, and learn in Mandarin what the Chinese do with their leftover jack-o-lanterns as the fall air crisps and comfort food beckons. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0681
12:1008/09/2023
Elementary | No Kidding
It may seem quaint or funny, maybe even a little melodramatic, but when you need it and find yourself flailing in the green, oolong, bubble tea sea... your coffee compulsion is no joke. When desperation begins to lead you down the path to instant Folgers, a $10 cup of coffee may just be what stands between you and the point of no return. Listen to this podcast, and learn to pay the price of dependency, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0763
14:3706/09/2023
Newbie | Phone Call for the Boss
With the chorus of cell phones belting out staticky Chinese pop songs and Crazy Frog remixes, identifying your ring tone can be a challenge, at best. In this podcast, learn how to identify whose phone is ringing, in Mandarin, and save your already half-deaf ears from the mad cacophony. Or, better yet, put on the vibrator alert. It makes for a nice back pocket massage. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0672
12:3504/09/2023
Elementary | Too Picky
You may feel that it is your God-given right to not have the eyes of your shrimp staring back at you from the plate. Or that bones in your fish are nothing but a potential throat-lodging disaster. But keep in mind, there are others in distant lands who feel that chewing a bagel with cream cheese has a texture like snot smeared onto a worn out shoe sole. So don't be picky... and listen to this Chinese lesson to hear how fussy sounds in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0758
17:2001/09/2023
Newbie | Speaking and Writing
It is said that the ability to speak and write is what separates us from the monkeys. Now, if you want to be the Monkey King, then try your hand at learning to speak and write Mandarin. In this podcast, a good start, where you will learn to talk about speaking and writing Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0667
12:2930/08/2023
Elementary | Preparing for the Heat
When you come to Beijing in August for the Olympics, you'll meet a sea of umbrellas and wonder if you watched the wrong weather report. If the Chinese know one thing, it's how to stay out of the heat. Listen to this podcast for a Mandarin lesson on how to keep your cool... even when you get a spoke in the eye due to haphazard umbrella management. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0754
14:3629/08/2023
Newbie | Something to Do Tomorrow
With a new ChinesePod podcast coming out every day, all Cpoddies everywhere always have something to do tomorrow. So, listen to this lesson on how to tell someone you've got stuff goin' on. (Also comes in handy as an excuse for deflecting unwanted Karaoke invitations.) Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0663
13:5325/08/2023
Elementary | Getting Water Delivered
There was once a fair maiden who lived five stories up, no water to drink, not even a cup. How DOES a princess hire a 60 year old man to carry a five gallon jug of water up the stairs? Using this podcast! And you too can quench your thirst for Mandarin with a Chinese lesson about how to get water delivered. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0750
17:0923/08/2023
Newbie | Finding the Teacher
The title of this lesson may bring back painful childhood memories of that field trip to the museum; the one where you got lost somewhere between the Egyptian pharaohs and the Chinese cabbage carved from jade. Maybe it was that self same ethereal cabbage that inspired you to learn Mandarin. So here you are. And here is our podcast on 'Finding the Teacher.' Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0661
14:4322/08/2023
Elementary | Hawaii
Let's face it, it's December, we'd all rather be there than here... those more fortunate are, those of us less fortunate are sitting here listening to this lesson. Jealousy gets you nowhere, of course, except resenting your cold unheated China apartment. So, put a conch shell up to your ear, and listen to this podcast instead. You'll be dreaming of Mandarin hula girls and Chinese tan lines in no time. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0745
15:2418/08/2023