五分钟中文 5 Minute Chinese

Hello everyone, in today's episode I compare Easter and Qing Ming Festival. Both are "spring festivals" in late March/early April and include outdoor activities in the beautiful spring weather. The difference between the two festivals lies in the cultural origin and tradition: though both are related to death, Qing Ming is about remembering dead ancestors whereas Easter, in its Chri...

Hello everyone, in this episode I recount our crazy Thursday at school. The power went out overnight and wasn't restored until right before class. Then 10 minutes into the first period, we were told to evacuate due to an electric fire. After 20 minutes in the rain and another 30 minutes of waiting in the gym, we were finally back in the classrooms for third period. What a day! Scripts and use...

Hello everyone! In this episode I talk about my dentist's appointment today and my journey with Invisalign, which started in late 2019 and is still going. Today they took new pictures and impressions to send back to Invisalign for new sets. I also learned that braces is a life-long commitment since I need to continue to wear retainers at night even after I finish my treatment. 大家好，欢迎收...

Hello everyone! In this episode, I start with last night's game between UNC and Duke and talk about the difference in school sports cultures in the US and China. March Madness is a great example of Americans' love for college sports and sports in general. By comparison, Chinese schools place much less emphasis on school sports and think that students should spend their day studying inste...

Hello everyone! In today's episode, I talk about how my broken hot water heater led me to temporarily change my shower routine and learn the benefits of cold shower. Script and useful expressions attached. Thank you for your support! Let me know if you have any questions or comments. 大家好，今天是周日，大家的周末过得怎么样呢？上个周末我家的热水器在半夜的时候坏了。第二天一早，我起床洗澡。因为...

Hello everyone! In today's episode, I talk about the differences in culture when it comes to eating snacks in China and the U.S.  Script and useful expressions below by paragraph. 大家好，上次跟大家聊了一下中美饮食的第一个不同：就是在“吃菜”这个方面。简单地说，就是中国人吃菜吃得比美国人多。今天我说说中美饮食文化的第二个不同：就是吃零食的习惯。我原来在中国的时候，不太有吃零食的习惯。到现在，我...

Hello everyone! In today's episode I talk about a big difference between traditional Chinese and American diets—how and how much vegetables are cooked and eaten. Scripts and useful expressions below. P1 大家好，欢迎收听。今天这期我想跟大家聊聊中美传统饮食上的差异。第一个就是在吃蔬菜上。 P2 在中国，一顿饭基本上是两菜一汤，加米饭。“两菜”一般就是两个炒菜（stir-fried dish）。可以是荤菜（就是肉菜...

Hello everyone, in today's episode I talked about how nice and helpful people are in my co-op gaming experience.  See below for English and Mandarin scripts as well as useful expressions. 大家好！今天是星期三。一个星期又过去一半了。大家这个星期过得怎么样呢？今天我晚饭以后又玩手机游戏《原神》就是Genshin Impact。我在第46期跟大家说过，这个游戏是我学生推荐给我的。我开始玩了以后也觉得挺不错的，所...

Hello everyone! In this Mandarin episode, I talk about the "little sure blessings" in life that we tend to take for granted.   Scripts and useful expressions are below. 大家好！欢迎收听。今天想跟大家聊一聊生活中的小确幸。小确幸就是生活中虽然很小但是确定的幸福。简称小确幸。我们生活有时候会觉得很无聊，甚至心情低落沮丧。其实生活中有很多美好幸福的事情，只不过我们都习以为常，不会注意。如果静...

Hello everyone, in this episode I talk about the different cultures about cars in China and the US. First, in many states in America, people can get behind the wheel as young as 15 whereas in China you have to be at least 18 to get a driver's license. Secondly, because China has more choices in terms of public transportation, many Chinese do not feel that much of a need to get a car. But it&a...

Hello everyone, in today's Mandarin chat, I talked about my "no" plan for next week's long winter break.  Transcribed script and useful expressions are below. If you have any questions or suggestions,  email me at TheLoneMandarinTeacher@outlook.com. Have a nice day! Script (transcribed) 大家好！欢迎收听。今天是一个闲聊节目。想跟大家聊聊我下个星期的计划。那这个星期一我没有上班。...

Hello everyone! In today's Mandarin episode I talk about my favorite Kpop group Blackpink: how I found them,  supported them, went to their concert in Atlanta and why I like Kpop in general. See script and useful expressions below. Have a wonderful day! 大家好，欢迎收听。今天我想跟大家聊聊我和Kpop组合——Blackpink的故事。Blackpink是韩国YG娱乐公司在2016年推出的新女团，成员有Lisa，Jennie， Rosé和...

Hi everyone, in today's Mandarin episode,  I talk about the two traditions of the Lantern Festival in China: eating glutinous rice ball (tangyuan & yuanxiao) and going to a street light show. Script and useful expressions below.  (correction:  元宵Yuanxiao is popular in the northern area of China while 汤圆 tangyuan is more in the south. I said it the other way. Sorry for the confusion.)...

Hi everyone, in today's episode,  I talk about why more and more Chinese people are not that into  the lunar new year any more. First of all,  people can get whatever they want anytime and with ease instead of waiting in anticipation for the new year, which lessens the significance of the festival. Secondly, people, especially the younger generation, have grown tired of relatives not respecti...

In this Mandarin chat, I talked about my tiring yet super satisfying and rewarding Lunar New Year with my students.  (Script - transcribed) 今天是2月3日，星期四。先在此祝大家春节快乐！如果你庆祝春节的话，希望你和你的家人、你的朋友、或者你自己度过一个美好的春节。在新的一年大吉大利，虎虎生威！今天我没有提前写稿子，所以也就想跟你们像朋友一样聊聊天，说说我这周过得怎么样吧。我这周其实真的很忙。虽然没有...

Hello everyone, in today's Mandarin episode, I talk about what I have prepared for the Lunar New Year at my school. From decorations, gifts, food and snacks, to fun activities, I'm ready to welcome in the new year!  Script and useful expressions below. When you see this episode, maybe it's already the new year. Here I wish you a happy and prosperous year of the tiger! Thank you for...

Hello everyone! In today's Mandarin episode, I talk about my past 3-day weekend due to a late-coming "snow day." See script and useful expressions below. 大家好！欢迎收听。今天想跟大家聊聊我刚刚过去的长周末。一说长周末，你马上就想：为什么你会有长周末呢？最近也没有什么节假日啊？我上周末多了一天，是因为我们星期五放雪假停课了。雪假就是Snow Day。是应该下雪才有的假。当时，天气预报说上星...

Hello everyone! In this Mandarin episode, I talk about Genshin Impact (原神), an open-world action game I started playing last weekend at the recommendation of my students.  What is the theme of Genshin Impact? And why do I like the game? Let's find out. 大家好，欢迎收听。今天想跟大家聊一个我最近开始玩的游戏，叫《原神》，英文名字叫Genshin Impact。我在中文的社交媒体上见过这个游戏的广告，而且我...

In this Mandarin episode, I explore the word 班/class. If you are a Mandarin student, this word is probably among the first that you learned. But have you ever thought of the socio-cultural concept of 班/class in a real school experience？What is a class in the US school context vs a 班 in a Chinese school? Let's find out!  (script) 大家好，欢迎收听。今天想跟大家聊“班”这个词。班被翻译成class...

In this Mandarin episode, I talk about China's weather: is it winter or summer in China now? What's the weather like in China? Is China cold or hot? Script and useful expressions can be found below.  (Script) 大家好，欢迎收听。今天跟大家聊聊中国的天气。有时候会有美国朋友问我，中国现在什么季节？跟我们（美国）一样吗？现在也是冬天吗？中国冷不冷？所以今天我们就说说中国的天气和气候的话题。 首...

In this Mandarin episode (with script), I talk about buying things in this day and age: how easy is it to get what we want either online or in-store? Based on my recent experience, it's not as smooth or fast as we'd like it to be.  After talking about my recent experience, I have 5 questions that are related to today's topic. For each question, you will have 20 seconds to respond. M...

In this Mandarin episode, I talk about the differences between a typical Chinese kitchen and a typical kitchen in the west. First, a Chinese kitchen is not usually equipped with a full-size oven and a dishwasher like we see in an American kitchen. Secondly, a Chinese kitchen is often separated from the rest of the house by design due to the cooking smoke, which is more of a source of indoor air po...

In this Mandarin episode, I talk about what things to bring for travel. ID, money and phone are basic essentials (0:09). Also, don't forget to bring toiletries (1:27) and a travel medicine kit (2:07).  Lastly, make sure you bring appropriate clothing (3:02) according to the weather and your travel purpose. Some useful words and expressions to put on your vocabulary packing list: Basic Essenti...

In this Mandarin episode, I talk about what Chinese people like to drink when they eat in a restaurant or hang out with friends. Orange juice and coke are popular in restaurants, along with some traditional drinks such as plum juice and Chinese herbal tea. Milk tea or Boba tea is hugely popular among the Chinese, especially the young, in all occasions.  | 准确 | Zhǔnquè: accurate  | 资料 | zīliào:...

In this Mandarin episode, I talk about the perennial question: Do Chinese people celebrate Christmas?  I try to first define celebrate in terms of whether we treat Christmas as a religious holiday. If so, then most Chinese don't celebrate Christmas in that sense. However, if we broaden the concept of Christmas as a holiday celebration for friends and family to get together and have a good tim...