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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 | Too Fat
Finally, a place where to be fat is to be glorious. So, next time your friend tells you've gotten fat since coming to China, don't start looking for some fad no-rice carbo diet. Bask in all your paunchy grandeur. You've come to the right place! Listen to this podcast, to learn how to talk fat with the rest of them, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0657
12:4616/08/2023
Elementary | The Dice Game
This ain't no slummy fuzzy pink dice dangling from some cracked rearview mirror, peeps. We're talking dice of the hardcore, extreme-sport-gaming-variety. Learn these dice or lose your shirt. We're gonna teach you--yes, not only Mandarin but also drinking games. Listen to this podcast, and may your fuzzy dice forever hang on that Impala dashboard with pride. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0742
17:2914/08/2023
Newbie | Don't Leave
You've spent the last year glued to your headphones in a "The Fix" induced trance-like chant. One day you wake up and your significant other is packing his/her bags, accusing you of joining an online Mandarin-learning cult. ChinesePod is no homewrecker, thus we provide this podcast in which you can learn to beg someone not to leave. True, saying it in Chinese might not be the best conflict-resolving approach, but at least you're communicating, right? Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0652
11:3011/08/2023
Elementary | Tennis Anyone?
Pop quiz. We know you are all Jenny Zhu's biggest fans. But while you're all a-sighing over her, what makes little Jenny Zhu's heart go pitter-patter? Guesses? In the meantime, listen to this lesson on Olympic tennis and get a hint into the inner longings of the heart of Teacher Jenny, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0735
13:2409/08/2023
Newbie | Eating Tofu
So, you're thinking a lesson on eating tofu sounds about as bland as that spongy white square of mush on your plate? That's what you thought... Truth is, there is nothing more racy than an affinity for 'eating tofu.' Confused? Don't let someone else have the last laugh. Listen to this podcast and find out the 'spicy' side of tofu, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0648
13:2107/08/2023
Elementary | Buying a Bouquet of Flowers
This friendly reminder lesson goes out to all you boyfriends, husbands, secret admirers, penpals, joe blows and stalkers in the land... buy some flowers for your lady on the way home tonight. In this podcast, you'll get the language you need to do it right, in Mandarin Chinese. And don't forget to revisit the 'Give me a kiss' lesson, to really milk it for what it's worth. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0730
13:3604/08/2023
Newbie | Knowing the Teacher
Listening to ChinesePod podcasts every day, one gets to know many profound things from teachers Ken and Jenny. But of course, to quote the infamous Miss Zhu, there are many layers in meat, many layers to learning Mandarin, and... to add another... many layers of 'knowing' things. Learn in this lesson about two of the types of 'knowing', in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0644
12:3202/08/2023
Elementary | World Records
Put down the bowl of... what IS that... there's no world record for eating the most chicken feet, and you fell asleep three hours after setting out to break the world's record of staying awake the longest. Plus it's seriously time to throw away that storage unit full of Pocky stick wrappers. In this podcast, learn about REAL world records in Mandarin Chinese... the Olympic kind. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0726
12:3031/07/2023
Newbie | What's tomorrow?
So you download the BitTorrent file of 500 ChinesePod podcasts and hole yourself up for days on end learning Mandarin and laughing along with Ken and Jenny. You finally tear yourself away, glassy-eyed and ears ringing. As you come out squinting to the light of day, you realize you have been in a ChinesePod induced time-warp. What day is it? Listen to this podcast and find out. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0640
11:5828/07/2023
Elementary | Getting Dressed
Though XYZ doesn't translate well into Chinese (that being said, the letters X, Y and Z do have great pinyin potential), you may find yourself in the unenviable position of informing someone that they're 'flying low.' In this podcast, learn to tell someone to 'do it up' in Mandarin. And while we're at it, we'll throw in a little tying of the shoelaces and buttoning of the coat just to make sure you're all put together properly. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0715
13:4626/07/2023
Newbie | Identifying Family Members
The one-child policy might make a conversation about family members in Mandarin Chinese seem like a breeze. Be forewarned: to a nation of only children, birth order is a very interesting topic. Be forearmed: come to China with a cheesy family photo, and listen to this podcast. You'll learn all the vocabulary you'll need to introduce ma, pa, sis and bro. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0634
13:0324/07/2023
Elementary | Sailing
Sailing? In Beijing, you say? Boats gliding through the moat of the Forbidden City? Or a fake ocean to go with the fake ski hill? No... even better. You're going to get to head to the beauty of Qingdao. Visit it in this podcast, where you will learn about this Olympic event, in Mandarin. Our bet, however, is that the Chinese junk boat will blow those pansy sailboats out of the water. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0711
14:0821/07/2023
Newbie | How do you take your coffee?
Coffee is a harsh mistress. One perhaps best relinquished before you arrive in tea land. But for those who can't face the notion of life without her, here is a Mandarin Chinese lesson modeled on a fantasy utopia-China, where not only could you have your coffee, but your sugar and cream too. Listen in, and you never know, you may just get your cuppa to your liking. If not... there is a Chinese medicine perfect for treating that withdrawal headache. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0631
15:3419/07/2023
Elementary | Thanksgiving
Hearing talk of turkey and mashed potatoes is like cruel and unusual punishment to oven-deprived China-ites. Rather than drooling, get into the spirit of Thanksgiving and be grateful: for cheap massages, the ayi you have that you could never afford at home, those BBQ meat skewers on the street, and DVDs for 75 cents. Then, listen to this podcast and learn how to be thankful, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0707
17:0117/07/2023
Newbie | Too Much to Drink
Don't be fooled by the bottles of Russian vodka collecting dust by our water cooler, or the small bottle of baijiu on Amber's desk: the drug of choice here at ChinesePod is caffeine. And while it may be socially-acceptable to quaff a few cups of either while working, one too many will shoot your judgment and send coworkers fleeing in terror. Listen to this podcast and learn how to use Mandarin Chinese to fend off booze-bedraggled assailants. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0629
14:1314/07/2023
Elementary | Hard of Hearing
Screeching scooter brakes, cacophonous construction and prolonged iPod use to block it all out is a China dweller’s recipe for auditory undoing. Before you end up bidding an early retreat to the world of grandpa hearing aids, listen (while you still can) to this podcast and learn about being hard of hearing, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0702
20:5312/07/2023
Newbie | Time to Go
No, this is not another in our 'taking the classroom to the bathroom' series of Mandarin lessons. Rather, this lesson is about having to get going. So, next time you're waiting as your significant other is performing their getting ready ritual, you will have the words to get him/her rolling. Listen to this podcast and learn to nag a little, a la Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0624
11:5110/07/2023
Elementary | Athlete Injuries
In China, potential injuries are lurking around every corner. Prepare yourself... when your foot is stomped on for the twenty-fourth time in one bus commute, you will be crying out for a tensor bandage with the best of them. Not to mention the repetitive strain injury from dinging your bicycle bell at those rogue taxi drivers. Listen to this podcast, and learn about getting hurt, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0693
12:4707/07/2023
Newbie | I'm hot!
For those of us all sweaty in our China summer, this lesson has a special significance. We want to know how to voice our complaints to the weather gods that be. In this podcast, learn to bellyache over the heat, in Mandarin Chinese. Now, if only we could learn how to do a rain dance... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0620
10:0005/07/2023
Elementary | Scary Clown
Clowns freak people out. They have weird hair, and what's with the big shoes? 10 million crying children can't be wrong. Who came up with clowns, anyway? And who came up with a Chinese lesson on clowns? Some sicko, likely... but the next time one comes up to you, at least you'll have the language to tell it to go away. Listen to this podcast and join the anti-clown campaign, Mandarin-style. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0683
15:5103/07/2023
Newbie | I Can't Write It
Never thought we'd one day be just another illiteracy statistic, but, alas, learning Mandarin can be a humbling undertaking. If you just wrote down your name and the squinting clerk is turning the paper upsidedown, sideways and backward, this podcast is for you. Do not be daunted! Listen and learn how to get someone to write a Chinese character for you. And do not despair--literacy initiatives have worked in developing countries. There's hope for us yet. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0616
11:5630/06/2023
Elementary | Yang Jie's Fury
Men everywhere know about the fury of the woman scorned, but that holds nothing in comparison to that of a hormone-raging, pubescent, Sweet Valley High novel-reading youth. In this podcast we revisit our Chinese friend Yang Jie, and this time, she's furious. Follow along as the diary leaves the page and turns into a reality-show-gone-bad lesson in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0806
15:2428/06/2023
Newbie | Pretty Ugly
Since 'politically correct' is getting kind of old, ChinesePod today teeters on the edge of controversy with a purely shallow Mandarin Chinese lesson on looks. In this podcast, learn all about making disparaging comments about a person's appearance. Of course, we at ChinesePod do not advocate judging a person by their physical attributes... but jerks learn Chinese too, so we hereby discharge our duty to the meanies of the Chinese-learning world. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0612
12:2026/06/2023
Elementary | Yang Jie's Diary: He's Not Stupid
In this excerpt from Yang Jie aka the Princess' Diary, we get to see how a library date pans out for the under-appreciated Wang Wei. Will he make a move while pretending to be reaching for a book on a shelf? Will he impress with his knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System? Let's see if it works, as you listen to this podcast with some Mandarin Chinese love in the library. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0718
15:1323/06/2023
Newbie | Someone Needs A Shower
Let's face it. With the rising temperatures of summer, some of those around you may not realize that they are a little bit stinky. Today we are going to give a lesson on how to give a subtle (or not-so-subtle) hint in Chinese regarding that certain funk wafting in your direction. Learn in Mandarin how to tell someone to take a shower. You can thank us later. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0606
11:2821/06/2023
Elementary | Wang Wei's Diary: The Importance of Brains
You know the old adage: if they don't find you handsome, they better find you brainy. It's revenge of the nerds in this episode of Diaries of our Lives. We hear from Wang Wei as he breaks out into Mr. Popularity with exam time looming. Listen to this podcast, and hope that some of his brains rub off on you, too, as you attempt this Mandarin lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0698
15:2419/06/2023
Newbie | Really Good Food
How to win over Chinese friends and wrangle more dinner invites? It's all about the compliments, people. Learning how to wax poetic about food bodes well for your future popularity with your new-found partners in calories. In this podcast, learn to rhapsodize in Mandarin over the cookery, and secure your future place at the dinner table. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0603
11:2016/06/2023
Elementary | Li Yan's Diary: More and More
The romance seems to be escalating. Things are getting juicy. They've gone from studying to eating to... utterly scandalous... watching movies together. Where will our two lovers go from here... listen to this podcast and read along with us as Li Yan continues to bare her deep thoughts, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0689
14:4814/06/2023
Newbie | Asking for English Books
You're in the place aptly dubbed "Book City," and the masses of Chinese characters overwhelm you like the masses of humanity you just jostled through to find the information counter. Not an ABC in sight. So, how to get the elusive English book you seek (or at least a procurable substitute)? Listen to this podcast, and learn how to ask for English books, using Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0601
10:0613/06/2023
Elementary | Yang Jie's Diary: Date with a Nerd
It's about time the nerds of the world got some respect. Bookworm Wang Wei seems to be trying to win the heart of fair Yang Jie. What does Yang Jie really think of this scholarly specimen? Is the way to her heart through the library? Let's snoop, in this podcast, where we look into a girl's not-so-deep thoughts, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0670
16:4209/06/2023
Newbie | Asking for a Phone Number
At the risk of subjecting our poor receptionist to an onslaught of telephone calls from Jenny fans trying out this newly-acquired language tomorrow morning, we publish this lesson on requesting a phone number. In this podcast, learn to improve your Mandarin skills by practicing how to request information. Learn how to improve your mental math skills by actually trying to memorize the 50 digit long number that gets spat back at ya! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0597
15:1407/06/2023
Elementary | Wang Wei's Diary: Food and Girls
In today's diary entry, we get the male perspective on life in the world of Li Yan, Yang Jie and Wang Wei. Why does Wang Wei stare at Yang Jie every day? Is there blossoming romance? Will this be the start of an titillating love triangle? Listen in to this podcast as we tell all, invade privacy, and learn Mandarin Chinese in the process. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0659
20:2804/06/2023
Newbie | What meat is this?
In a place where anything with its back to the sun qualifies as dinner, you’ll need to be “alternative” meat savvy. This lesson will save you from unwittingly eating animals you consider cute. Listen to this podcast and learn in Mandarin Chinese how to avoid mistaken meat identity. Though, don't be too apprehensive--there is something life-changing about accidentally finding out that you like cat. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0592
12:5102/06/2023
Elementary | Li Yan's Diary: Love and Italian Food
Some may deem it 'nosy,' but we prefer the term 'inquisitive.' This week, we find another diary under the mattress, and this time it's young Yang Jie's rival in love... Li Yan. Read along with us as she pours out her soon to be not-so-private thoughts to her diary, and to millions of Mandarin Chinese learners everywhere. (Don't tell her we showed you.) Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0650
14:0631/05/2023
Newbie | Repeat After Me
Though we all wish we sounded like Jenny when we repeat after her, the old adage is true, that practice makes (well, almost) perfect. So don't give up! Put Jenny on in your headphones day in and day out, and you'll be guaranteed to be sounding more sweet and adorable within the week. Of course, if you are a man, this may or may not be a good thing... Either way, in this lesson, learn how to repeat after the teacher, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0588
13:5629/05/2023
Elementary | Yang Jie's Diary: Everyone Is Dating
Here is a Mandarin Chinese lesson to take you back to the simpler days of ugly boys, teenage angst and unrequited crushes. Yes, come with us as we sneak a peek at young Yang Jie's Diary (you know you want to). If the content doesn't sound juicy yet, listen as things unfold... if a Canadian businessman can get knocked off by ninjas, anything could be around the corner for naive Yang Jie. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0642
16:3126/05/2023
Newbie | My Dog
There are dogs to love (big, drooly, friendly pups) and dogs to love (loyal, best friend mutts)... hey--who doesn't love pooches? (No offense to the cat lesson.) Now, we know you've probably got a wallet full of photos to pull out and show off, but first, learn from this podcast how to throw a few dog commands and compliments around, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0584
12:0024/05/2023
Elementary | New York City
New York City? What the heck does learning Chinese have to do with New York City? Don't be naive. In the gritty underworld of the fake Prada black market, you're going to need to hone your Mandarin skills to survive. Listen to this podcast and learn why New York City is a great place for Chinese learners too. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0679
15:1622/05/2023
Newbie | Giving up a Seat
In a place where an empty seat on public transportation is about as uncommon as toilet paper in the bathroom, it's understandable why there is a certain "scrimmage" of sorts when the bus doors fling open to the weary throngs. In this podcast, a pleasant turn of events. Listen and learn how to be the kind soul that offers up his seat, in Mandarin Chinese. And remember, what goes around comes around--you never know... just when you're desperately in need of some TP... it just might come around your way. Or one can hope. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0580
14:0819/05/2023
Elementary | Gymnastics
If you feel like you've been doing back flips trying to learn Chinese, this lesson is for you! This next in our series of Olympics lessons is about gymnastics. In this podcast, you'll learn how to describe the elegant movements of the art of gymnastics in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0674
15:0017/05/2023
Newbie | My Cat
There are cats to love (white, fluffy kittens) and cats to hate (those gold ones waving their strange little arm at the till in the Chinese restaurant). However, love them or hate them, you probably wouldn't mind a little one to keep you company (they make patient language partners). If so, you're going to have to learn how to use your Mandarin to bond with the rice-eating cats of China. Listen to this podcast, and learn how! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0576
12:1015/05/2023
Elementary | Superman
Your wonder-twin powers won't activate and the kryptonite is sapping the Mandarin from your very brain. The frustration is making you feel like kicking some bad-guy booty? Or perhaps you feel like withdrawing to your lair... wrapped up in your cape, crying for mommy. You need the man of steel. Listen to this podcast and let Chinese Superman save the day. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0655
17:3712/05/2023
Newbie | Moving
Don't think of moving house as a pain. Think of it as an excuse for throwing a house-warming bash. Invite us! We'll bring a nice plant. In this podcast, learn how to tell someone that you are moving, using Mandarin Chinese. And, who knows... the more people you try out these phrases on, the more chance you have that someone might actually get the hint and offer to pitch in (bribing with beer and pizza helps for this aspect, of course). Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0572
14:2310/05/2023
Elementary | Cycling
Some cyclists train for years before hitting the track in the Olympics. Other cyclists buy a $30 bicycle and are thrown onto the gritty pavement of a Chinese city to learn from their hard knocks. One such lesson learned being: never pass on the right for risk of being spat on by an old man (sorry, post-traumatic flashback). Listen to this podcast and learn all about the more refined side of cycling, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0646
12:4008/05/2023
Newbie | I'm Bored
With the onset of summer vacation, mothers everywhere are familiar with the refrain: "I'm bored!" Now, if you decide to join the kids in a two-month long loafing, better get your whining down pat. In this podcast, learn how to complain about being bored, in Mandarin Chinese. Alternatively... research shows that the cure to boredom is dusting off that enthralling 3,000 Chinese characters book you bought on an ambitious shopping trip months ago. So, there's always options. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0569
11:2805/05/2023
Elementary | Basic Shapes
After months of painstakingly writing Chinese characters, we recommend you take a moment to vent your frustrations by grabbing a felt marker and angrily drawing squares, circles, and triangles all over that Chinese textbook. It's strangely liberating, actually. Then, listen to this podcast so you can explain in Mandarin to your teacher what exactly you were doing when she rebukes you for defacing school property. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0637
15:2103/05/2023
Newbie | I Forgot Your Name
Now, we know that when names consist mainly of a medley of Xs, Qs and Zs, it can be easy to lose it under pressure. So, when that friend that you just ran into is looking into your eyes with an anticipative look, you might just, understandably, come up short. This situation affords two choices: calling them Li Xiansheng (you just could be right!), or listening in to this podcast, so you can learn how to 'fess up that you've forgotten someone's name, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0560
11:2502/05/2023
Elementary | Olympic Training
It would be remiss to have a Mandarin lesson on training for the Olympic Games without a Chinese learning analogy to go with. So... Ken is your coach. Jenny, your cheerleader. The daily podcast is your pep talk. The expansion sentences are your cross-training and the exercises are, well, your exercises. Please don't eat too much while listening and whatever happens, don't injure yourself. And, if you get burned out, think of Jenny with her pompoms, and all will be right in the world once again. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0633
14:1328/04/2023
Newbie | Please Speak Chinese
You've just stepped out from the office when a frenzied pack of language students senses your presence and rushes over with English greetings. We've all been there and know this is one of those things about China that can be both sweet as well as incredibly frustrating. How you deal with it is your call. But since pretending you're from Xinjiang isn't always an option, it's useful to have a few tricks up your sleeve for steering conversations back to Mandarin. This podcast covers the easiest way: asking them to speak Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0556
11:2226/04/2023
Elementary | Number Two
Writing classy lessons about bodily functions may be considered a difficult task by some. One lesson better left to the naughty neighborhood kids, perhaps. But, we at ChinesePod know that there are certain times where acting out what you are trying to get across in polite company is just a big no-no. We are up to the task. A prequel to the clogged toilet lesson--this podcast, where we take the classroom to the bathroom. Learn about 'number two,' in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0622
14:0524/04/2023