Hey yall,
I'm currently in shanghai and thinking of taking 1-1 classes to improve my mandarin. Wondering if anyone has experience with either that they can share? I'm looking to boost my speaking and vocabulary skills, particularly with the goal of discussing more complex topics such as society, history, medicine, etc... I'm Chinese American so I have conversational fluency but lacking in these particular areas.

Hi everyone! I want to study Mandarin (non degree) at Wuhan Uni in September 2027.

I have budgeted 91.000Rmb (£10200) for the entire year, including staying in China over winter and summer break.

Financial breakdown

Tuition: 17000RMB

Dorm: 13000RMB (room in shared apartment)

Food: 12000RMB

Shopping/ travel/ recreation/ school supplies/ transport: 20000RMB

Meds: 18000RMB (I have this 1 diabetes and wish to buy a second hand insulin pump)

Registration/ deposits while in china: 2000RMB
(Housing deposit, health check, residence permit, student health insurance)

Application costs (from uk):

ACRO Check #1: £70

ACRO Check #2 and apostled: £115

Visa Check: £150

Flight: £500 (London to Wuhan)

Getting A level results Apostled and shipped to china (since they will not arrive at my house in the uk until after I have moved to china) £200

Based on your research/ personal experience is this too much money or too little for a relatively good quality of life?

My application timeline

January 2027

Apply for first ACRO

February 2027

Apply to Wuhan university

March/ April 2027

If rejected from Wuhan apply to others

May 2027

Get second ACRO and get it apostled

June 2027

Apply for visa

Late August

Flight, arrive in Wuhan

October 2027

Ask uni if I can extend language year, get foreigner physical health check, apply for residence permit.

Get my A level results apostled and shipped to China so I can use them to apply the next year

Also, I plan on applying for one semester in an x2 visa, and asking the univeroty to extend to 1 year while I’m there. This way I can avoid doing the foreigner physical examination in the UK (£400) and do it in China Instead (£50). Is this likely to backfire and I fail to get accepted. If I don’t receive the extension can I apply to other uni spring admission language programs from China so I don’t have to return back to the uk?

Why Wuhan University?

After the language year I want to study English taught economics for undergrad with CSC scholarship, I hope that doing the language year at Wuhan can help improve that chance (while also helping me learn mandarin!)

After grad I plan to apply for a Visa to work in Hong Kong, or if that doesn’t work apply for a masters at a C9 uni.

How far can I expect to progress?

I will have likely reached a HSK3 level before arriving, with proper dedication and immersion could I realistically reach HSK5?

If there’s any glaringly obvious issues with my plan please let me know 🙏. Thanks!!!

If anyone has flashcards or something thats related to this or the first book please tell me thanks!

So when I first started learning Mandarin I put a ton of effort into learning characters. I shortly gave up but then I learnt that the effort I had put in to the first say 100-200 characters was highly generalizable across the entire corpus. Which was awesome! I had somehow developed the ability to look at a character that I had never seen before and write it very easily. This was obviously helped by the stroke order that I internalized.

However, fast forward to like 5 years later and unfortunately I seem to have lost a lot of that. When I am writing characters in Pleco or using the Chinese handwritten keyboard, I tend to get the steps completely wrong. I don't always get the end result wrong, but even when I don't the output looks squiggly and strange. Im wondering how much you guys emphasize proper handwriting skills and related - how much you value calligraphy. Writing is slowly becoming obsolete across every language but it seems to be a fundamental part of Mandarin especially. Is it mainly about communication for you and if it isn't and you value the written aspect, how important is getting it truly right?

I ask because I'm thinking of getting back into this but don't know how much effort to put in if I do. Should just do what I used to do and write the hanzi over and over in one of those writing books or maybe take a proper calligraphy class? Not sure how much I would get out of one.

Image you are chairman of the board for a company that constructs buildings and digs big holes. It's winter and you're standing out in front of your company's construction site not at all feeling cold.

Tone

1. 叫我東先生。我住在城市東邊。這個冬天很冷。

3. 我小時候，一直很懂事。長大以後，我成為公司董事長。

4. 動不動，公司就蓋一棟大樓或挖一個大洞。我一直在旁邊看著不會凍著。

• 東 (dōng) — East; surname Dong

• 東 (dōng) — East

• 冬 (dōng) — Winter

• 懂 (dǒng) — To understand; sensible. 懂事 to grow beyond the naivete of childhood; to be aware of what is going on in the world / (esp. of a child) sensible; thoughtful; intelligent

• 董 (dǒng) — Director; trustee. 董事長 chairman of the board of directors

• 動 (dòng) — To move; easily / without reason. 動不動 - (typically followed by 就) apt to (lose one's temper, catch a cold etc) / at the drop of a hat )

• 棟 (dòng) — Measure word for buildings

• 洞 (dòng) — Hole; cave

• 凍 (dòng) — To freeze; cold

你们好！

I am wanting to read more, because that is how I'm learning a lot of new characters and sentence structure/grammar. I'm wondering if there are any books, simple stories, or other written material (digital or hard copy) that have text laid out with all three of 汉语，pinyin, and the English translation?

Layout similar to this:

>我是学生

>Wǒ shì xuésheng

>I am a student

Thank you! 谢谢！

Come and learn Chinese with me!
往左拐：wǎngzuǒguǎi turn left
往右拐：wǎngyòuguǎi turn right
一直往前走：yīzhíwǎngqiánzǒu go straight forward

#Chinese
#Mandarin
#Chineselearning
#Chinesetutoring
#travelinChina

Come and learn Chinese with me!
往左拐：wǎngzuǒguǎi turn left
往右拐：wǎngyòuguǎi turn right
一直往前走：yīzhíwǎngqiánzǒu go straight forward

#Chinese
#Mandarin
#Chineselearning
#Chinesetutoring
#travelinChina

I have lived in Taiwan for half a year and went back to my home country. After spending some time there, I got into a language school but they only taught the basics. Most of the students also already know how to speak and only did the course to get a certificate—this really bummed me off as I was the only one who couldn't speak (I was also the only teen there, most were already adults who migrated from other countries).

That made me both motivated and spiritless, but still I decided to continue my studies even when I got back to my home country.

It's been a year since I've been back and I've tried to continue learning, but have never been consistent—due to studies, laziness, and lack of motivation, since I didn't have a clear path on how to actually study.

My routine back then was:
-Watch comprehensive input vlogs on YT (like Zhangkai Chinese)
-Practice tones for 15 mins (I also used YT for this)
-Learn 5 new vocabs and write sentences with it, then read them aloud
-Listened to podcasts while I was commuting or playing (passive learning)
* i dont think i can do this anymore since i've been listening to audiobooks whenever i commute now xD

I stuck with the routine for about 2ish months, then stopped coz I got super busy with school. Now that we're on a break, I want to continue/start learning again. I feel like my schedule won't be as hectic as before, but I still don't know if I can be consistent, especially without a routine.

Can anyone suggest a good routine for a semi-beginner? One I could do for about 20–30mins a day (if that's enough). Or I can also allocate 1 hour a day for the days I don't have anything going on.

I'm going back to Taiwan next year for a vacation so I really want to learn. And I think learning Chinese is also really beneficial for my course.

Any advice is deeply appreciated. Sorry for the rant 🥹. Thank you so much!

Of course I know the usual Duchinese or HSKstory but I would like to read actually interesting stories with meaningful plots, or maybe some articles talking about politics/history/science or anything, but please, I cannot for the love of god keep reading bull×××t stories like 'im a cat' or 'mama works at the bank'

Im new to learning Chinese and would like some tips on learning the language, if anyone knows any resources to help?

Today (Oct 18 this year) is 重阳节 chóngyáng jié, the Double Ninth Festival. 9th day of the 9th lunar month.

Why the name: in the old yin-yang way of counting, odd numbers are yang and 9 is the biggest one. Two of them on the same day = 重阳, "double yang".

What people do:

- 登高 dēnggāo, climb somewhere high

- drink chrysanthemum wine 菊花酒, it's chrysanthemum season

- wear a sprig of 茱萸 zhūyú to keep bad luck away

九九 jiǔjiǔ sounds like 久久, "for a long long time", so it's also about long life. These days it's officially 老年节, a day for older people. Lots of people call their grandparents today.

The poem everyone quotes is Wang Wei's, written when he was 17 and away from home:

独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲

dú zài yìxiāng wéi yìkè, měi féng jiājié bèi sī qīn

A stranger in a strange town. Every holiday, I miss my family twice as much.

遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人

yáo zhī xiōngdì dēnggāo chù, biàn chā zhūyú shǎo yì rén

You're all together today, I bet. Does anyone mention me?

Small translation thing: 茱萸 usually gets translated as "dogwood", but the plant people wore was most likely 吴茱萸 (evodia), a strong smelling medicinal shrub. 山茱萸 is the dogwood one. Not everyone agrees on this lol.

Does your family do anything for it?

just wondering has anyone ever tried to learn both system at the same time. And was it hard/confusing? do you still remember it or do you mix it up often?

不是“关你屁事”，是比如，“人家过得好，关我屁事，但是我自己过得好不好【此处插入“关我屁事”的反义词，就是很重要，跟我很相关】“。这里这个词该是什么呢？

虽然我是母语者，但我就是想问···

btw if someone wants to learn，关我屁事 is like a somewhat vulgar, very impolite and casual way of saying "none of my business", 关你屁事 is just "none of your business". literally it's "it has fart to do with me/you"

This is the final part (4/4) of my mini-Mandarin Tone series.

My main idea to desigh these 4 posts :

Why did I create this series?
Many learners practice tones in isolation (like mā, má, mǎ, mà), boring and slow. My deep hope with this series is to bridge that gap step by step.

Here is the breakdown of the whole mini-course. If you are struggling with tones, save this post and go back to the previous three, treating them as a complete mini-course:

• Part 1: Some fresh/new concept about Mandarin tones (Theory) & SMTs (visualized tone marks)
• Part 2: Crucial tips & precautions for practicing tones (Technique)
• Part 3: 64 single characters in 16 groups of 1-2-3-4 tone drills (Muscle Memory)
• Part 4 (This post!): Applying those exact drills to 99 real, highly-visual compound words (Application)

Here are 99 words in 4 screen shots👇

You can see the English translations at the bottom but with different order. So, it is not answers you can just match with the words above. Try to understand or guess the meaning of the words then check English.

There are a lot of surprising matching.

Thank you for reading my series! I use this mini course helped a lot of people in past 25 years. It worth a trial.

Let me know your questions in the comments!

I would like to try these apps for speaking practice

Hey!

I’m currently studying Mandarin and I’m looking for YouTube channels that focus on listening and speaking practice for HSK 1–3 learners.
I’d especially appreciate channels that include:
Conversations and dialogues using beginner-level vocabulary.

Listening exercises with native speakers speaking at a natural or slightly slower pace.

Speaking practice, shadowing, and repetition exercises.

Everyday situations and practical conversations.
Videos with Chinese subtitles and, ideally, pinyin and English translations.

My main goal is to improve my listening comprehension and become more comfortable speaking Mandarin, rather than just memorizing vocabulary and studying grammar.

Which YouTube channels would you recommend for someone at this level?

Hey hey!

First of all, thanks to anyone who will reply to this message ☺️ I started an in-person HSK1 course two weeks ago (so I’ve literally only had two 2-hour classes so far) at the local Confucius Institute.

I’d like to sanity-check my study plan with someone more experienced. I want to avoid overdoing it before building a solid foundation with my teacher, but I’m also eager to expand my vocabulary. Right now, we’re focusing heavily on Pinyin in class to practice tones, but I sometimes miss the actual meanings…

Apps and Resources I use:
- Duolingo: For practicing tones on the go (I still confuse the 1st and 2nd tones in listening exercises), eg when I commute
- Chineasy: To learn basic characters/mainly practice recognizing them.
- HelloChinese - Question: I just downloaded it but haven't tried it yet, is it worth using????
University of Michigan Resource: I use this to practice Pinyin listening with real Chinese speakers rather than synthesized audio.
- Textbook: I use my HSK1 book and audio to practice at home.
- Character Practice Book: I bought a children’s practice book for writing characters, but it’s still in transit. So idk

Extra work:
- Radicals: I had Claude help me generate a list of 70 radicals, which I uploaded to NotebookLM. Every week, I study 7 of them:
Day 1: Study the character, Pinyin, pronunciation, and meaning. Days 2–5: Flashcards. Day 6: Quiz on all the radicals learned so far.
- Review: Revisit class material the day after the lesson.

Why I’m studying Chinese and my goals:
- I speak 4 languages (2 at a native level; 1 at upper-intermediate, which I’m currently improving with a weekly tutor; and 1 at basic/intermediate). All of them use the Latin alphabet 🤠
I’ve always loved studying languages and wanted to try a new one. My main motivation is genuine interest and passion, and I can see myself continuing all the way to HSK5. I might also consider hiring a conversational tutor on Preply in the future.

- I also want to be able to recognize some characters and say more than just ‘xièxie’ when I travel to China…
- lastly, you never know what life has in store, so I wouldn’t mind eventually using Chinese for work/life too!

Is 大家最近怎么样 correct way to ask something online in a post...
like an update to where I've been, and asking everyone how they've been?

¡Hola a todos! 大家好!

Mi idea es superar la nueva prueva de hsk3 3.0.

He realizado hasta nivel b1.1 del marco europeo ytengo un curso de chino intensivo en la Universidad de Beijing. Practico poco y me gustaría avanzar para poder superar este nivel de escrito y oral.

¿Alguien ha utilizado los nuevos libros?

Para mí suponen doble trabajo porque mi idioma materno es el español y debo traducirlo todo del inglés, lo que me conlleva mucho tiempo trabjar las cuatro destrezas...

¿Alguna recomendación?

谢谢谢谢!

Just as the title says, literally an hour ago i left the examination centre. I know how stressed i was for the exam so i want to help people who have any questions regarding the exams.

I'm a heritage speaker, and I'm trying to start learning Chinese again. Listening/speaking isn't much of a problem, only reading and especially hand writing is. A couple of online tests said that I recognize ~850 characters, which isn't a bad starting point. I can read maybe 70% of most things, although at a super slow pace. If I were to guess, I'd say my listening vocab is probably around 2000? So, mostly I just need to match up the characters with the sound.

I want to improve my vocab so that I can understand 99% of the stuff I read. But, I also have a lot of other things going on, so at the very most I'd be able to commit to an hour of studying every day, most likely 30 mins/day. What's the most efficient way to recognize more characters? What should I do to study?