You know it's summertime when those trucks roll into the city, feeding streetside stalls thronging with business as the evening ambles home. Ask anyone who lives here: watermelon is a small joy of life in China. But no one will force it on you. And to get it, you've got to know how to ask for it in Mandarin Chinese. Which is where this podcast comes in. Enjoy! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0550

How a sport which involves sweaty sun-kissed bodies prancing around on sandy beaches became an official Olympic sport, who can say. But the gods of Athens would likely approve. In this podcast, catch some exciting Olympic volleyball action in Mandarin Chinese. And keep your eye on Team China for 2008! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0618

The kids are eating it. The old people are eating it. The babies are smooshing it into their faces and hair. The lady that sells stinky tofu sells it. The meat market man even sells it. We can't make it through the hot summer without it. Summer in China is an ice cream eating bonanza. In this podcast, learn how to get yours, using Mandarin Chinese. P.S. for those of a more reckless palate, green bean flavor comes highly recommended. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0547

Fortunately, ChinesePod won't be sending report cards home to your moms (though we of course would give you all A's!) However, for the millions of Chinese kids in the world, getting good grades can make or break things on the homefront. Listen to this podcast and learn in Mandarin about one poor student's academic angst. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0614

You're dancing around gesticulating. They're dancing around gesticulating. Children are clapping and someone might even be singing, shaking an abacus in time to the music. Except that you're not teaching them a "foreign friend" dance, you're trying to get the correct change so you'll have the bus fare home. This podcast in Mandarin Chinese will help you stave off that three hour walk home, although you'll have to learn the art of the abacus on your own. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0521

A shake of the hand received with an approving grip. A bow of the head prompts a slightly confused bow in return. A bear hug... a stone stiff body. Two kisses on each cheek... well, you might want to think twice about that one. Unsure what to do? ChinesePod greeting methodology 101 to the rescue. Listen to this podcast and learn about first meetings in China, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0609

Remember the days of field trips? Now, field trips in podcast-land aren't to the zoo; nor are they to the waterslides park (though that can be arranged!) Instead, we want you to do something educational and character-building... like going to the museum! Since we can't physically take you to the museum for a field trip (was that a sigh of relief?), jump into this podcast and come along on a virtual trip to a Mandarin Chinese lesson on going to the museum. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0543

You've heard about the agony of defeat. None of that here. In this podcast, learn about how the thrill of victory feels to an Olympic athlete. Listen in on an interview in Mandarin Chinese with an Olympic champion. (Rest assured: the phrase "I'm going to Hong Kong Disneyland" will not be found anywhere in this dialogue.) Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0605

Not that we think you would like hot beer, but believe us that in China it may be essential that you specify "cold" when you order your beer. In this podcast, learn how to use Mandarin Chinese to order a nice cold beer--essential pre-summer listening for those amongst us who feel that tepid beer is a swear word. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0517

Bosses amongst us, sit up and take note. Though you may not have had time to see it (due to being occupied with your "boss" things), you must take measures to ensure that your employees aren't comparing you to the annoying boss on "The Office." You may not have time for pseudo-reality TV shows, but you certainly don't want to become the next character in one. So pull out that fat wallet, buy a round, and listen to this podcast on how not to be the loathed "stingy boss." Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0599

"TIGER, tiger, burning bright, in the forests of the night, what immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?" In the distant post-apocalyptic future, cultural disputes will be resolved through Thunderdome/Survivor showdowns. And when that happens William Blake is in big trouble. Because no matter how good his scansion, roughly a fifth of the world's population knows the little tiger ditty in our podcast by heart. Why it sounds like Frère Jacques is beyond us, but here it is: ChinesePod presents the tiger song, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0540

Though being the only one at the intersection NOT jaywalking may make you feel like you're not one of the 'cool' kids, we'd hate for you to have to endure the humiliation of having the ear-shattering whistle of the traffic warden blown in your noise-pollution assaulted ears. Listen to this podcast, and use your Chinese to stay out of trouble--or at least to come up with some lame excuses! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0595

If you've given up on using chopsticks and haven't studied our lesson on requesting a fork yet, you may just have to pretend that where you come from, eating with your hands is a sign of respect for the chef. No problem! In some places it probably is. But when you're done, don't forget this important Mandarin Chinese lesson on requesting a napkin. Of course, upon visualizing this debacle, really, learning the art of chopstick use might be a tad classier. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0536

Think of track and field as a profound metaphor for Chinese learning: Jumping over grammar hurdles, throwing out words like shotputs, the high-jump of the leap from elementary to intermediate level... hey, when you have a good enough imagination, anything can be a metaphor for learning Chinese. Listen to this latest addition to our Olympics family of lessons, and start your training for the Chinese marathon! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0590

When learning a language there are a profusion of ways to acquire new language. One method many have found helpful has been dubbed "pictionary." However, when your partner in language, pen in hand, attempts to illustrate a concept to you by drawing a likeness that looks like a game of pick-up-sticks gone bad... it's time for this lesson. In this podcast, learn how to ask for someone to illustrate by example, rather than creative genius, using Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0532

When your mouth is on fire and the only thing within reach with which to douse the flames is a tiny cup of hot tea, you had better be wise enough to take precautionary measures. In this lesson, learn how to avoid the potentially high cost of mouth skin grafts, and take control of your oral inferno, in Mandarin Chinese. (Recommended follow up lesson: "Thirsty for Water"...) Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0586

Though you may find having your face pressed up against someone else's cheek a little unpleasant, think of the intimacy it affords. Once you have listened to this podcast, you will handily be able use your Mandarin Chinese on a crowded subway or bus to enquire of your newly proximate acquaintance what stop you are at. Extracting yourself from the cozy throngs-- now, that is not a Chinese lesson, that is an art. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0527

Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why is Chinese still using hieroglyphics for its written language? While some questions are simply unanswerable, in this podcast, we will start by answering for you the question of how to say "why" in Mandarin. The answers to all the other enigmas of life, dear poddies, we'll leave for a future lesson, when Ken's in a more philosophical mood. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0582

Some things are not discussed in polite society. In today's groundbreaking lesson in Mandarin Chinese, we run through how to shatter that taboo and accuse your friends, neighbors and language partners of... well, having an overabundance of spirits. Note: vocabulary also useful when touring certain alternative-energy plants. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0523

The little extras you'll have to crown your food masterpiece with on this side of the world may just turn out to be a little different than the humble yet revered fixings you're accustomed to back home. Come to think of it, the foods you'll like to adorn here aren't the most ketchup-and-mustard-friendly anyway. So, get with the Chinese food condiments and find out where it's really at in Chinese food. Listen to this podcast and learn in Mandarin how to exalt your foodstuffs to the zenith of culinary perfection! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0577

No one likes waiting for the bus. But if you can’t find the bus stop, it’s going to make things that much more difficult. So before you give up and hop in that taxi, listen to this podcast, and learn how to ask where the bus stop is, in Mandarin Chinese. And remember... hold on tight! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0513

It's not that we advocate being TV addicts, however, come 2008 we'll be glued to our screens (or fighting the crowds in Beijing) with the best of them to watch the very first Olympic games ever held in China. In this podcast, learn how to sit down, turn on the telly, and camp out for a two-week viewing extravaganza, in Mandarin Chinese. Yet another incentive to make the trip to China for the games: not having to be ripped from slumber at 3:00am to watch! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0574

Mosquitoes are an age-old plague to mankind. Trinket salesmen are an age-old plague to tourists. You'll be assaulted by both climbing the Great Wall, but only one will bite. This podcast teaches you how to shut out those flying bloodsuckers in Mandarin Chinese (and if those are the trinket vendors, you're on your own). Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0509

Honey bunny... Sweet pea... pumpkin. You've heard them before - you probably use them. They play a role in close relationships, but few people know how to express such things in a language other than their native tongue. Today Qing Wen explores the oft-overlooked yet important world of terms of endearment. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/QW0146

You know that Ken and Jenny like to show their appreciation to our CPoddies by giving you a little serenade for your listening pleasure from time to time. Thus, in this podcast they will teach you a little ditty in Mandarin Chinese all about the the colors of the sky, clouds, fields, grass and sun. Sound a little flower child-ish? Well, maybe just a little...  Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0505

O, the profundity of language. Read literally, the word for contradiction in Chinese is nothing less intriguing than: "spear shield." Yes, it's just this kind of mental gymnastic that keeps us coming back for more. In this podcast, join us as we penetrate the fathomless depths of Chinese word origin and learn the interesting (poetic license notwithstanding) story of "contradiction," in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0562

Men, at times, find comprehending the female nature a perplexing and bewildering endeavor. However, leave it to this podcast to teach you the three magic words that women the world over, no matter what race, religion or language group, love to hear. (If only life were really that simple.) In this lesson, learn how to profess your love in Mandarin Chinese... and remember (profound statement of the day): you don't have to understand something to love it! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0564

Drug stores are full of potentially embarrassing items. Embarrassment is exponentially heightened when it involves the acting out of said item to drug store clerk, gesturing to specific body parts and drawing pictures. Thankfully, we at ChinesePod do not shy away from these topics (to wit: lesson on buying tampons), and wouldn't want to see you acting out the word for "condom." Thus, this podcast, where you will learn how to discreetly ask for your contraceptive of choice, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0567

There is going to be lots to write home about when you're in China, so because ChinesePod knows how much your mom wants to hear from you, we have created this lesson on inquiring about internet café rates. In this podcast, learn how to ask in Mandarin Chinese how much the rate is per hour, and also how to complain about the price being a bit expensive. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0501

This podcast covers a famous Chinese story about an old man who moves a mountain. Like most famous Chinese stories, it is more open to interpretation than you might expect. So... while we're not exactly sure what the mountain represents, or where it ends up (NIMBY, thank you), this is a handy story to know. Sit back by the fire, dowload this podcast, and learn it in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0553

Hot day—there’s nothing you imagine that could be better than a nice cold glass of ice water... aha, not so! There is a whole nation of Chinese people that would beg to differ with you on this point. In this podcast, learn how to request a glass of water in Mandarin Chinese... cold water. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0497

Some love to watch Olympic swimming--the poignant fortitude of the human spirit, the split-second heart-breaking culmination to a lifetime of training, the record-crushing photo finishes, the heart-wrenching agony of defeat. Others, however, appreciate something different. The robust, wet, speedo-clad chisled physiques. . . a testimony to the exquisiteness of human anatomy in it's highest form. . . (sigh). Whatever your thing, listen in to this podcast, and learn about Olympic swimming in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0545

Admittedly, you may have been getting a little bit raucous practicing the “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” song you learned in that other podcast, but baby comes first. In this lesson, listen and learn how to tell someone in Mandarin Chinese to be quiet, ‘cause the baby is sleeping. Even if you don’t have a baby, it’s a handy phrase to use on those noisy neighbors (works every time). Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0494

You lay out a few thousand kuai on what you think is a great deal on a mobile phone. But as you dial your soon to be jealous friend's number and get a waft of the slightly pungent but unmistakable aroma of burning wires, you feel a vague uneasiness. Was it prudent to have trusted that man in the dark cloak that lured you into the back alley? In this podcast, we'll help you to learn how to return something for a refund, using Mandarin Chinese. (we're assuming, of course, that the dark cloak man gave you a receipt... right?) Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0538

We love our ChinesePod students, and we want to make sure that you’re all in attendance today. Thus, our lesson on calling roll. Listen to this podcast to learn how to be accounted for in Mandarin Chinese! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0490

Not that anyone's intimating that you've got big feet, a wide girth, or an ample posterior -- but those who have been in China for a while know that the Chinese tend to be a little more "petite" than their western counterparts. In this lesson, learn how to ask for your size in Mandarin Chinese... and to understand the (often) disappointing answer. But don't be dismayed -- there's just that much more of you to love. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0530

Now, don't be shy to act out all the motions that go along with this podcast, wherein you will learn a well-loved song about your body parts in Mandarin Chinese. Think of it as multi-tasking--a Chinese workout. Oh, and we'll be listening to make sure you are singing along too! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0484

You may be feeling stranded, lost, confused... but you are never alone. That's right--a friendly robotic lady voice and soothing Kenny G ballad are just a phone call away. Listen to this podcast, and learn the Mandarin Chinese language you'll need to make that inevitably necessary call to Directory Assistance (dial 114) to get a phone number or address (or, heck, just to chat.) You'll never be lonely again! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0525

You may know about a famous Chinese "Day for the Ladies," but what about that face-down-in-green-beer-that-seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time holiday involving leprechauns? You'll only know if you listen to this podcast, the source to learn about St. Patrick’s Day in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0458

Taiwan is not often the focus of our lessons at ChinesePod, but this time it's front and center. Learn such gems as "Taiwan is an island," as well as some of the names of the major cities on said island. As for you political-minded rascals, ho ho, no we're not going there. We're here to help you learn Chinese! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1998

When you strike up a conversation with someone in Shanghai, people will inevitably want to know how long you've been there. Whether you're a grizzled expat who's been there for years or a newbie who's just around for a couple of days, you'll still need to know how to respond in Mandarin Chinese. Learn how in today's newbie lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1952

The 2012 Olympics are in London! If you're from London, going to London, or even fond of occasionally mentioning London, you'd better be able to say it in Chinese! (Oh, and while we're at it, let's make sure you can say "London" in Chinese as well...) Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1993

Another Chinese class is over. You've answered the teacher's questions masterfully throughout and are ready to get home. Learn how classes are ended and how to bid farewell to your teacher in today's newbie lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1942

What are friends for? Lending money, right? In this lesson, learn how to extract as much money as possible from your good, generous friend. (You'll pay him back, of course.) Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1984

Now, we know ChinesePod users like to sit in hip cafés and listen to hip Chinese podcasts, so before you commit to buying that 30RMB cappuccino, we’ve created a lesson to help you to ask if wireless internet is available. We’ll also help you to learn how to ask in Mandarin Chinese whether there are any associated fees, as well—so that 30RMB cappuccino doesn’t turn into a $30 cappuccino. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0480

In China, convenience reigns supreme. So, not only can you buy a drink, herb-flavored gum, underwear, and/or a brown simmering egg in a convenience store, you can also handily pay your bills. In this podcast, learn how to pay those bills using Mandarin Chinese. Don't forget to stop and enjoy the tantalizing tea egg aroma while you're there! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0519

On your next trip back to your home country, don’t forget to pick up some nice “western” treats for all your little friends in the neighborhood to try. And leave it to ChinesePod to think up a lesson to teach you how to be the benevolent benefactor that you will come to be known as around the ‘hood when you start handing out treats. Listen to this podcast to learn how to be a “sugar daddy” in Mandarin Chinese. But remember: buy in bulk...! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0478

Now that your Mandarin is getting so good, chances are all you cool CPoddies will be out late partying every night, your Mandarin getting more fluent with every drink you imbibe. But don’t forget there will be some worrywarts who would appreciate a phone call home when you'll be out late. In this podcast, learn how to talk about the time being late, as well as how to express worry in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0515