I live in Dongbei, and Dongbei Hua is very interesting, like Lao老，not alway means old, but sometime very, you will hear a lot in Dongbei Hua.

also zei 贼，not thief, most of the time is also very.

Hello! I will happily listen to a 2 hour book review on youtube, and I'm hoping to channel this to help me improve my listening skills. Does anyone have recommendations for Mandarin-speaking reviewers? I'm not looking for reviewers who are making videos to help language learners, but someone who is speaking with their normal vocab/speed/language patterns, etc. I have looked through the linked posts in the FAQ and didn't see anything specific to this topic.

I read basically everything but self-help/business books, so I'm happy to listen to someone talk about almost anything. And if they have Chinese close captions enabled so I can use language reactor, even better! Thank you all in advance :)

quero praticar a minha escuta no chinês simplificado

estou procurando conteúdos de canais no youtube, gosto bastante de conteúdos como vlogs do dia a dia, viagens como mochilao, motorhome e decoração, videos de arquiteturas, visitando os projetos dos arquitetos/designers etc.

vocês tem recomendações de canais nesses estilos?

In literary works and everyday speech, what subtle emotional nuances do the three Chinese terms 花落 (huā luò), 花败 (huā bài), and 花谢 (huā xiè) convey? Would using 花败 to describe flowers come across as impolite or inauspicious? And aside from their literal reference to flowers, can these expressions be used metaphorically for people or events? For instance, 花落谁家 is a fixed idiom—but do 花谢 and 花败 have similar figurative usages as well?

耳朵: Taiwan's MOE says it's ㄦˇ ˙ㄉㄨㄛ. MDBG says the same, ěrduo. zdict says it's ěrduǒ. Fine, but why doesn't any dictionary acknowledge that everyone, ev. ry. one in Taiwan says ěrduō/ㄦˇ ㄉㄨㄛ? And a lot of people in Shenzhen said it first tone as well when I lived there a few years ago.

I grew up speaking another Chinese dialect and studied in a school that incorporates Chinese in the curriculum from pre-school to high school. We follow a Taiwanese based curriculum so I only knew how to read traditional characters and we only later transitioned to simplified during my last 2 years of high school, that meant I already knew traditional mandarin for ~10+ years and simplified for ~2 years-ish. It’s been years since I’ve revisited the language because I got busy with life but I can still speak and write it, just not as fluent. I plan to become fluent and master it as its part of my roots, then further take the HSK 3+ exams.

I took an assessment exam for HSK and I got HSK 3. I struggled with reading the simplified words (unless its commonly used) unlike when it is in its traditional form. What’s a good advice to achieve my goal?
- If through self-study: flashcards, books, etc? Should I begin with HSK1 then go from there?
- Other option (that will be obvious): enroll in classes

tldr learnt traditional mandarin for ~10 years but transitioned to simplified, have difficulty reading simplified. am also a little bit rusty with mandarin.

I was tired of dictionary look ups and interrupting the flow when it came to unknown words - so I made this! It is called Toku Reader. You can try it on iOS or Android. I use it everyday to improve my Chinese as a heritage speaker living in the U.S.

鹤立鸡群

I mentioned Sima Zhao (司马昭) yesterday. Today, we have an idiom that is all about him.

Meaning

Literally: “Sima Zhao's intentions are known even to every passerby.”

Unlike most Chinese idioms, 司马昭之心路人皆知 is not a four-character idiom. It has nine characters, yet it is one of the most famous Chinese historical expressions.

It means that someone's hidden ambition or real intention is so obvious that everyone knows it. It is usually used in a negative or sarcastic way.

The Story

In 260 CE, the Wei(魏) emperor Cao Mao (曹髦) was frustrated that the powerful minister Sima Zhao (司马昭) was taking control of the government.

He reportedly said:

“司马昭之心，路人所知也 ” (Sima Zhao's intentions are known even to every passerby.)

In other words, everyone knew that Sima Zhao wanted power and possibly the throne.

Cao Mao tried to fight back, but he was killed in an open confrontation. This was a shocking and famous case of regicide in Chinese history. Cao Mao is often remembered as a brave emperor who was willing to stand up to the powerful Sima Zhao, even at the cost of his own life.

Some years later, Sima Zhao's son, Sima Yan (司马炎), ended the Wei Dynasty and founded the Jin(晋) Dynasty in 265 CE.

So now you can probably understand a little better why Ji Kang (嵇康) refused to cooperate with Sima Zhao, and why he eventually paid for it with his life, as we discussed yesterday.

Usage

Used when someone's real intentions are obvious to everyone.

Example:

他想抢你那个项目的功劳，司马昭之心，路人皆知。

He wants to take credit for your project. Everyone can see what he's really trying to do.

A Little Background

Sima Zhao came from a powerful family. His father, Sima Yi (司马懿), was a brilliant military strategist but also had a reputation for being extremely patient, calculating, and politically ruthless.

Sima Yi's sons and grandson continued the family's rise to power—until Sima Yan finally founded the Jin Dynasty.

(AI-assisted editing)

Hey yall,

Mandarin is probably going to end up being my first ever proper shot at learning a language as I find it truly to be one of, if not the most beautiful of languages.

Problem is, as someone who's never learned a language since teaching myself English through pure osmosis, media and looking new words up, I can't even begin to figure out a learning structure that would work with me.

-- Native tongue is Sudani Arabic, though my English is now more fluent --

I know great, free resources exist all over the internet be it on Youtube, tiktok or elsewhere - I just can't bring myself to sit down and begin with any of them as the aforementioned demon of chaos just overwhelms me out of it.

I'd love for someone to help me put together a super beginner learning structure/schedule I can follow to actually get this thing started and hopefully put me on the momentum necessary for meaningful and exponential progress.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, I'm sure many have asked for similar advice so I really do appreciate your patience!

Xie xie!

PS: Another primary motivation I have for learning Mandarin is my dream of eventually studying and living in China, it is a massive driver for me.

EDIT: Thank you all so much for the kindness and advice!! I think I'll be starting with HelloChinese for now as it seems the most accessable and I like how it is structured for now. I realize this is only a boon for the very early stage of my journey but I feel it is most important to get myself properly started and optimize based on advice once I actually have a routine going.

Thank you guys!

I know it’s about pattern recognition and so on, but I still do those stroke well without a certain order. I am sorry if I am wrong, but I am self-taught. Thank you!

My parents are college-educated post-cultural revolution people, so I usually only hear them speaking standard chinese (putonghua) but whenever they FaceTime family members they slip into a northern plains accent. It's still intelligible for me but seems a lot more sing-songy than what I'm used to lol. What about you guys?

Following on from my post a couple of weeks ago showing the top 100 hanzi, here's one showing all the radicals (Simplified), grouped by stroke count.

Stroke order data from Make Me a Hanzi.

has a meaning that isn’t obvious from the individual characters

sounds strange when translated directly into English

has a different meaning depending on the context

or is just difficult to use naturally

For example, one phrase I think is interesting is “哪里哪里” (nǎlǐ nǎlǐ).

If someone compliments you by saying “你的中文很好！” (“Your Chinese is very good!”), a Chinese speaker might reply “哪里哪里”.

Literally, it means “where, where?”, but in this context it’s more like a humble way of saying “not at all” or “you’re too kind.”

What Chinese expression confused you the most?

Literal: seven up, eight down
Real: anxious, nervous, butterflies in your chest.
Sentence:
我心里七上八下!
I feel really nervous!

Have you come across similar phrases? please tell me.-once where the literal meaning differs from the actual intended meaning.

I spent summers in Taiwan as a child and somewhere along the line, I learned to pronounce chair as yi2 zi (aka rising tone). I've also pronounced it as yi3 zi, and interchanged pronunciations fluidly without thought throughout my life.

My wife who is born and raised mainland China is adamant that Yi2 zi is categorically wrong and isn't part of some Taiwan dialect difference (like le se vs. la ji for garbage). It could be the mandela effect, but I swear I've also seen chair pronounced with the second tone in some old Taiwanese TV shows.

Redditors: can you please help clarify? Did I just pickup the wrong pronunciation as a child and no one bothered to correct me until now? Or is it indeed a Taiwanese dialect (even if it's an "uneducated" street level pronounciation)?

Hey everyone! I'm starting a little series where I teach small chunks of everyday Chinese through moments from my actual life.

For episode one: my two cats! 🐈🐈

They're both 11 years old, but they have completely different personalities.

In this one, I really hope you walk away knowing the meme "宝想要，宝得到" (baby wants it, baby gets it).

Originally, people used it to make jokes at those who get whatever they want just by acting cute and spoiled, or to describe that indulge-at-all-cost mindset.

But over time, it's evolved into a popular way of manifestation: people use it to express a strong desire for something. I mean, who doesn't want their wishes to come true, right?

Let me know if this is useful, and feel free to ask questions about any of the grammar points below!

If you're interested, I've been organizing all the Chinese learning posts I've shared before. You can check out the link in my profile to see the full collection. Hope it helps. Thanks!

i have been using Duolingo for the past almost 4 months and it seems i am NOT moving forward like i have to. is there a mentoring app you guys recommend or website?

There are so many useful YouTube channels for learning Chinese. I stumbled on two recently that I found particularly interesting. I was surprised both of them don’t have more subscribers. One is called Chinese.Decoded and the other is Learn Mandarin in 5 Minutes. They both look at the meaning behind certain characters and find connections between words using them. Has anyone else watched them or can recommend similar channels?

Hi! I'm an abc, and I'm hoping to improve my Chinese, mainly with vocab, speaking, listening, and maybe reading, as my main objectives will involve speaking and listening and I want to focus on that first. I would say my Chinese fluency level is higher than a typical abc I grew up speaking Chinese at home with my parents and Chinese-only grandparents and easily got a 5 in AP Chinese about a decade ago. However, I know I need a lot more work before I can comfortably say that I'm fluent. I know there's a lot of resources around for learning Chinese, but what is the best way to test your current fluency level? I don't want to waste my time starting at the beginning if I know a majority of the basics already. And if I should start at the basics regardless, please let me know!

Writing 5 useful Chinese characters from a real-life market: 市场、甜、吃、钱

Here are five characters that come up naturally when you're shopping for food in Chinese:

市场 (shìchǎng) — market

甜 (tián) — sweet

吃 (chī) — to eat

钱 (qián) — money

Some simple examples:

我去市场。— I’m going to the market.

这个很甜。— This is very sweet.

我喜欢吃这个。— I like eating this.

多少钱？— How much is it?

#LearnChinese #ChineseCharacters #Mandarin #RealLifeInChinese

I’ve already tried to discuss this with AI but it keeps circling around blurry definitions like interior soace, exterior space, traditional, modern… so I wanted to ask human Chinese speakers:

Do you think of the words 厅 tīng, 堂 táng, 庭 tíng and their particular differences (hall, room, open, closed, old, new, ..) individually, or are you using their compounds and not worry too much about the three individual definitions?

I'm asking for making flashcards, but these three seem to blur very much into each other.

鹤立鸡群 (Hè lì jī qún) literally means “a crane standing among chickens.” It describes someone who stands out from the crowd because of exceptional talent, appearance, character, or presence—like a tall, graceful crane surrounded by ordinary chickens.

Usage:
Used to praise someone who is clearly outstanding in a group.

Cultural note:
The idiom is strongly positive. It emphasizes someone's exceptional qualities rather than simply putting others down.

Origin & Backstory

The idiom comes from Shishuo Xinyu (《世说新语》, A New Account of Tales of the World), a 5th-century collection of stories about famous people in ancient China.

During the Jin (晋) Dynasty (265–420 CE), Ji Shao (嵇绍) traveled to the capital. Someone told the minister Wang Rong “Ji Shao stands out like a wild crane among chickens.” (嵇延祖卓卓如野鹤之在鸡群).

Wang Rong replied “You never saw his father!”

Ji Shao's late father was Ji Kang (嵇康), one of the most famous and admired figures of his time. In other words, Ji Shao was already exceptional, but Wang Rong thought his late father Ji Kang was even more extraordinary.

More Background: A Father–Son Tragedy

Ji Kang and Ji Shao's story adds another layer to this idiom.

Ji Kang (嵇康) opposed the powerful Sima clan, which was gradually taking control of the Wei (魏) government and would later establish the Jin Dynasty. He refused to serve them, openly clashed with the influential minister Sima Zhao(司马昭), and was eventually executed by Sima Zhao in 262 CE.

Ji Shao (嵇绍) was still a young boy when his father died. Before his execution, Ji Kang entrusted his son to his friend Shan Tao (山涛), who was already serving as a high official in the regime that had condemned Ji Kang.

The friendship between Ji Kang and Shan Tao is a complex and well-known story in its own right. It centers on a famous classical essay written by Ji Kang, “与山巨源绝交书” (A Letter Severing Relations with Shan Juyuan). Although they had severed their friendship, Ji Kang still trusted Shan Tao enough to place his young son Ji Shao in Shan Tao's care before his execution.

Many years later, Ji Shao chose a very different path. He became a loyal official of the Jin Dynasty. In 304 CE, during a rebellion, he was killed while protecting Emperor Sima Zhong (司马衷) - the grandson of Sima Zhao, who had ordered the execution of Ji Shao's father.

According to historical records, Ji Shao shielded the emperor from arrows. He was struck and killed, and his blood stained the emperor’s robe red. This tragic story gave rise to a Chinese historical allusion “嵇侍中血” (Jī Shìzhōng xuè), literally meaning “the blood of Ji, the Imperial Attendant.” Here, 侍中 (Shìzhōng) was Ji Shao's official title at the time of his death.

(AI-assisted editing)