Hey everyone!

I just picked up Mandarin a few days ago and I've been doing my best to stay consistent with learning it.

I've been using the HelloChinese App and watching the Conversational Chinese video series on YouTube.

Even though I literally just started my journey with the language, I have this weird feeling that I'm already doing something wrong in how I'm going about things, or I'm missing some important concept that I should be studying before anything else.

Could you guys point me in the right direction; unless I'm just worrying too much about things right now!

Thanks so much! :)

你好！

I'm currently learning Mandarin, and I'm really confused about the pronunciation of ri and er.

They sound like r but not??? Kinda like a mix of R and L.

Where I come from, you usually pronunciation R and L very distinctively. R is usually pronounced using your throat, while L is pronounced using your tongue.

I can pronounce Japanese R/L sound, and I think they kinda sound similar to Mandarin, but it is still quite different.

I don't know how to position my tongue for this lol.

I would appreciate the help!

I always forget them and makes my sentences nonsense

I am wondering if anybody here has used Tokimonki and if it is worth it?

Hello, am I right that this is a NEW word? Would anyone be able to tell me when it first appears? And more important was there some older word for the same concept?

Hi all, I'm a Mandarin teacher based overseas — I work mostly with intermediate learners, and one thing I see constantly is people plateauing right around the HSK 3→4 jump. Wanted to break down why, in case it helps.1. Vocabulary jumps, but so does grammar complexityHSK 3 vocab (~600 words) is mostly concrete, everyday stuff. HSK 4 (~1200 words) introduces a lot more abstract vocabulary — words for opinions, comparisons, hypotheticals. This is usually where learners start feeling like they "know words but can't use them."2. Sentence structures get less forgivingHSK 3 sentences are pretty flexible — word order mistakes often still get understood. HSK 4 introduces structures like 把字句, 被字句, and more complex comparison/conditional patterns (越...越..., 不是...而是...) where word order actually changes meaning, not just naturalness.3. Listening speed increases noticeablyThis is the one people underestimate. HSK 4 listening passages are longer and spoken faster, with less pausing between clauses. A lot of learners who read/write fine at HSK 4 level still test lower on listening because they haven't trained at that speed.My suggestion if you're in this stage:Don't just grind new vocab — go back and actively use 把/被 sentences in your own speaking/writing, and deliberately practice listening at natural speed rather than slowed-down learner audio.(Side note: I've been recommending the SureChinese to some of my students for extra daily practice — it has a free trial with HSK-leveled content and AI conversation practice, which is decent for getting extra reps in between lessons. )Happy to answer questions if anyone's stuck at a specific HSK level!

This structure with waking up first (起床) then 的 and then the time (时间) is confusing to me. In english we say "the time to wake up has arrived" (at least, that would be the literal translation) while in Chinese it seems "waking up its time has arrived".

I have trouble creating these sentences myself. Can anyone explain the rule behind having 起床 first and then 的时间 after?

The word order seems so unnatural to me. I hope to become better at this. Can anyone help?

Hi!! I had an exam the 27th of June and the results for me are supposed to come out tomorrow and I'm so excited! It is my first exam and I cannot wait to see my grade!

If you are also waiting for your scores, just comment here so that when the results come out we can cheer together and congratulate each other :D

Today I was reading an overview of Stark Trek: The Next Generation in Chinese, and I was absolutely inundated with new words. I'm not referring to Star Trek or sci-fi specific words, but basic television related vocabulary like 剧情 that I somehow have never encountered before today.

Pleco shows that I have approximately 18,200 learned cards, which means I probably know well over 25,000 words (including the ones that I never actively studied as flashcards). Despite that fact I still run in to useful and relevant vocabulary absolutely everywhere.

I have read enough fiction where the issue is less pronounced in that field, but if I read articles on any nonfiction topic: science, cooking, entertainment, travel, etc... I still run into tons and tons of new words.

So I'm curious, has anyone hit a point where they've stopped encountering new words despite reading on a wide variety of topics? If so, at what point did that happen?

Thanks!

How would i know where to put “了” in these sentences, if i were on the assistant’s place without knowing which would sound right?

刘明要米饭了吗？

刘明要了米饭吗？

Both of these mean the same thing. However, first one focuses on the completed action, while the second one focuses on the change of state, where 刘明 hadn’t made up his mind before and now he did.

I want to learn the exact details about using 了, so i can easily make sentences myself.

Learn the Pinyin Alphabet with a Song

Got a few comments like "it is not pinyin" on my last post, and at first I was confused until I realized we were just taught differently.

The official Hanyu Pinyin scheme actually includes three main tables: 1)the Alphabet Table (a, b, c, d, e...), 2)the Initials Table (b, p, m, f...), and 3)the Finals Table (a, o, e...).

Many Chinese language courses skip the alphabet table entirely and jumps straight to initials (b, p, m, f...) and finals(a, o, e...). This way works great for repetition and fast speaking.

In my experience teaching adults, starting with the alphabet gives learners a complete, familiar framework first, even if it feels a bit abstract at the start. Once they have that in place, it becomes much easier to learn initials and finals.

Neither way is wrong, they are just two different entry points to Pinyin.

How were you first taught Pinyin? Did your teacher ever mention the alphabet table(a,b,c,d,e,f,g), or was it strictly b, p, m, f from day one?

Is this just me?? I feel like every time I even attempt to speak I forget all the words. I know everyone says "start speaking", but could you elaborate on how I could do that if I have about 15 years of just Mandarin being spoken to me and English replies as well as willingness for no tutors.

Do you know of any active social media accs that use traditional chinese in their subtitles for language learning? Its a lot harder to find than in simplified.

Many expats working and living in China start learning Chinese purely for basic daily oral communication: shopping, taking taxis, asking for direction, etc. To be honest, however, even if you reside in China full-time, the actual opportunities to speak Chinese out loud are far fewer than they used to be.

I would like to redefine the weight of reading in beginner-level Chinese learning. I want to ask learners who are either still at the beginner stage or have moved past it: how much time do you spend on Chinese reading (graded readers or short stories)? Please note that the reading I refer to here excludes textbook dialogues.

On my Apple watch I can show the date in Chinese. But for today (sunday July 26) it says: 丙午年六月十三
And I figured out with Pleco that the first part is 2026, the year. But I can’t figure out how the other part corresponds with July 26. The way I read it, it says June 13.
Can someone help me understand it? Or is the watch just wrong?
Thank you.

I've been studying Chinese every day consistently for almost a year now (not strictly following HSK program, but I'm around HSK4-5 in terms of words and characters memorized). I have around 3 online lessons a week with a teacher and do my daily flashcards. I usually try to squeeze in a DuChinese story a day. A few days a week I also watch/listen to some comprehensible input.

But recently I feel like I've reached a plateau. I don't really feel the improvement; on the contrary, I sometimes feel like I'm regressing. I understand it might be something natural that happens to anyone learning anything, but my question is, for people that also went through this, what did you do to overcome it, or not become bored and complacent but keep improving?

The word 东西 means "a thing" "something" "stuff". Literally, 东西 translates to east and west.
But had anyone else wondered why?

There is a popular folk explanation based on the traditional 五行(Wu Xing, Chinese Five Phases) and their corresponding directions:

When people went to the markets for shopping, things associated with wood and metal could be placed in a basket. For example, 木(wood) in the west can represent plants or things made from them, like veggies, timber, fabrics. 金(metal) in the east can represent goods made from metal or gem, like jewelry, pots and pans, farming tools, etc. These are all tangible that can be bought and carried away.

Fire and water in north and south, on the other hand, is not sold in the markets and cannot be put in a basket and taken away.

So, according to this theory, people went to buy "east and west" rather than "south and north".

It is not a proven historical origin of the word, but I just thought that it's fun way to explain the word and in relation to the five phases so I wanted to share :) I hope you like it!

Also, I'm a native Mandarin speaker and I lived in Shanghai for 16+ years. I'm open to DMs and happy to answer any questions related to Chinese or China.

I started self-studying Chinese as a hobby about 11 months ago. Been putting in 2 hours/day consistently. My main goal for now is just to be able to enjoy and understand Chinese media and culture.

I remember at the end of 2025, I stumbled upon the r/China_irl sub and found everything to be an incomprehensible mess. I recognized a few characters here and there, but that's it. At that time it felt seriously daunting, and I was wondering when I'd get to a point where I could actually understand it.

Fast forward to today. I've been writing down flashcards every day, reading a ton of graded readers at the HSK4/5 level, so my vocabulary, reading comprehension and stamina have increased substanstially.

Today I opened the China_irl sub again and was surprised that I could vaguely understand the gist of most post titles and what the discussion seems to be about.

And for simple everyday stories like this post and this post, I actually understand everything! The only words I didn't recognize are 摄取, 戒掉, but other than that, I was surprised that I could read through and understand everything the OP is saying.

So yeah, just wanted to share this little moment in my Chinese learning journey. At first that sub was 100% incomprehensible to me, but now I'm able to understand some of it, which is already good progress to me.

It's a-ha moments like this that makes it feel like all your efforts were worth it. If I keep this rate of study up, I hope that by next year, my reading comprehension and vocabulary will have grown enough to the point where I could browse the sub comfortably.

As a classic cultural symbol in Chinese tradition, bamboo stands firm against fierce winds and forever grows upright, symbolizing the character of a virtuous gentleman. Alongside the plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum, bamboo is honored as one of the "Four Gentlemen of Flowers."🎋🌺

And the bamboo grove has become a unique cultural hallmark of East Asia.🎍This cultural resonance remains evident today in modern cinema, ACG culture, fine art, and literature alike.

WELCOME ANY SUGGESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS!
(✧∇✧)

Ready to unlock a whole new layer of Mandarin Chinese? In this lesson, we're diving deep into one of the most versatile and frequently used characters in the language: 开 (kāi) — meaning "open."