ChinesePod - Intermediate

While no one can be a smooth as Steve Martin’s character in “The Jerk” (”No more 1966! Bring us some fresh, new stuff!”), you can still impress (or offend) some with a fine choice of vino. In this podcast, learn how to talk about different wines in Mandarin Chinese, as well as learn some Chinese foods you just may never have thought of pairing with wine. Just tell us you’re not a rosé drinker. Epi...

In this lesson, you’ll learn useful vocabulary for nuts, seafood, milk etc that’ll come handy especially for persons with food allergies. 祸从口入 means to encounter misfortune (or in this case) to fall ill when an allergic person eats the wrong food. As the saying goes be careful of what we put in our mouths! HSK 4 - 出发 仔细 紧张 样子 HSK 5 - 海鲜 过敏 消化 毕竟 耽误 Episode link: https://www.c...

“The greatest danger could be your stupidity.” “Hell is paved with good intentions.” “Magic time is created when unconventional person comes.” Where can such sage wisdom be found? Confucius? The Analects? Nope. Fortunate you are amongst eaters if you even get a fortune cookie at the end of your ‘Chinese’ meal. Learn about how un-Chinese these Chinese cookies really are, in this podcast. Episode li...

In a land of, ahem, less-than-pricy DVD’s, it’s no shock that films are always of interest. So why not wow ‘em by discussing your favorite genres of movies in Mandarin Chinese? From Hollywood to Bollywood, learn all about them in this podcast. Premium subscribers will also be taught how to say “I think Dolph Lundgren is underrated”. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0298

In the intermediate coffee break series, we will follow the footsteps of Nick through his adventure in China. Along the way, you will learn important terms and phrases used in business settings, as well as some tips and tricks on dealing with Chinese businessmen. In this episode, our main character Nick meets a customer in the exhibition and introduces his company's products. Will the customer pay...

Reports reveal a mysterious drop in the GDP of several countries in the last ten years. Analysts have been concerned and perplexed. But they have overlooked the telltale signs. The blinking orange task bar, the familiar 'ping', the too-fast typing smirk and dexterous click of the mouse when the boss nears. A decade of workdays have passed that much happier for office toilers since the miracle of M...

No visit to the PRC would be complete without a “Waving Mao” watch, but is it *really* an antique? In this podcast, one seasoned friend helps another with determining whether that artifact really is 3,000 years old or not. Learn some characteristics of different dynasty’s antique items, and how to talk about them in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0289

Not that we agree with the whole “those who can’t, teach”, but it does seem odd, us giving a lesson on talking about dates--seeing as how we can’t get them (despite our “We work with Ken and Jenny” shirts). However, it’s a hot topic in conversation and we’d like to think you’re a “bit of all right” and will need to know this. If not…join us for video night, Friday and Saturday nights. Episode link...

Your mom's not here and neither is your ayi, and where is a Chinese laundry when you need one? Yes, we know it's true that shirt will get just as rumpled after your sardine subway ride to work, but hey... you never know when you'll be sandwiched up against Mrs. Right. Make a good impression--learn how to iron, and how to say it in Mandarin in this podcast. Women love a man that can pull off a grea...

With more and more people (see: our John Pasden) attending uni at a Mandarin school, we’d like to cover some basics. We’ve already taught you “keg stand” and “dodging student loans”, so the only thing left is making sure you know when an exam is coming up. In this podcast, learn to discuss exams and expectations in Mandarin Chinese. (Premium subscribers get an invite to our “ChinesePod Toga Party”...

What are your plans for the future? Think that this question ends after you walk out of your guidance counselor’s office? “Think two times” (Chinglish for “twice”). In this podcast, we offer up a monologue on business plans in Mandarin Chinese. Listen and learn…you might just get some good ideas! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0104

Dodging street debris may be good foot-dexterity training for the Chinese New Year lion dance you've been getting ready for, but a quick slip on a banana peel can end a potentially brilliant dance career faster than the crash of a gong. In this podcast, a lesson for the litterbugs, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0773

For Ken, it’s those tiny little sock hangers. For Jenny it’s losing that great head of hair. We all have phobias…ours is that you won’t learn enough Mandarin (ahem - on your terms) to talk about them. Let’s fix that. In this podcast, learn about some common, and some not-so-common phobias, in Mandarin Chinese. Now, we want you to focus on that object directly in front of you. Allow your entire bod...

A foreigner in China soon gets over any initial shyness to talk price after finding out he paid fifteen times the going rate for that “waving Mao” watch. Everything is to be bargained for…everything. So, take a break from talking price to brush up on your skills in this podcast. And remember, if you can do it in Mandarin Chinese, you’ll only pay ten times too much…! Episode link: https://www.chine...

If you're creative, indoor winter sports can be so much fun in China. Warm your hands over your gas stovetop flame with your significant other, or chug baijiu in a vain attempt to warm up from the inside out. Or, steam your pores over a lip-numbing Sichuan hotpot while trying not to look at the guy eating brains beside you. All this, and more, can be yours in a China winter. Listen to today's podc...

Between 1937-39, over 20,000 Jewish families migrated to Shanghai. Today, north of the city center, there is still a flourishing Jewish community. China is also seeing more and more Christian churches popping up. So how does the average Chinese feel about others who pray to a different higher being? We’ll learn all about it in Mandarin Chinese, in a podcast on the subject. Episode link: https://ww...

So, you’re able to say “I’m fine”, but what about when you’re in that bad mood? Sure, the easy way out is to always be “fine”--even if you’re not. But wait, this isn’t Stoic-pod, ya know! In this lesson Kind Ken and Jovial Jenny offer up a lesson on “disappointment”…you robot. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0102

Oh the superlative human form. It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, so please allow your eye to feast on the lesson image to the left of this very intro, and admire along with the writer that hunk of a man. Oh yes, and before you get too carried away... don't forget to push play and listen to this podcast on describing hot bods, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod....

If Pepsi’s slogan “Come Alive” can mean “Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Dead” after translation into Chinese, then there’s a good chance that you’ll find yourself lost in translation. We don’t want that to happen, so we want to help with this podcast in the form of a Mandarin Chinese lesson on translating. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0251

Taiwanese songwriters such as 罗大佑 and 李宗盛, and of course the legendary singer Teresa Teng 邓丽君 gifted us classic songs that almost every Chinese-speaking person could sing by heart. Chi explains the beautiful music and lyric-writing in these “经典中的经典” (lit. “the classics of classics”). Song in focus: 罗大佑 – 童年 (1983). Songs featured: 邓丽君 – 月亮代表我的心 (1977) 邓丽君 – 甜蜜蜜...

In China, having a meal with clients is not just eating. Everything is related to the business. That's why learning table manners is so important. In this lesson, we’re going to learn what we can say after hosting a meal or being treated. Let's get started! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/4366

No trip to China would be complete without a look at the (sleeps for 23.7 hours a day) panda and the (will take your mobile phone) golden-haired monkey. In this podcast, we take a trip to the erm, “exotic zoo” (Google that if you’re bored), where you will learn about some interesting animals in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0244

In the intermediate coffee break series, we will follow the footsteps of Nick through his adventure in China. Along the way, you will learn important terms and phrases used in business settings, as well as some tips and tricks on dealing with Chinese businessmen. In this episode, our main character Nick is having his first meeting in the company, and things are not going so well for him. If you wa...

When he/she walks like a woman and talks like a man, and the response that comes to your query of “Who is that?” is “It’s Pat,” you may find yourself in a quandary of gender identification. Think you can fake your way through this kind of predicament in Chinese with an evasive ‘ta’? That, and this podcast will help. And who knows, you may just find out that the elusive Lola ended up in China. Epis...

Well, to start, there’s the first 3 months plus deposit… and that’s the easy part. The “laowai” shuffle begins thereafter. If you think you can knock that price tag down all by your lonesome, then feel free – and come back to this lesson afterwards. In this podcast, take a tour of an apartment in Mandarin Chinese, then learn some effective bargaining tools to try out. Episode link: https://www.chi...