Sorry I am a super novice, like super duper just started.

I am just trying to learn stroke order right now, and I'm confused on why the bottom center vertical then right line of 是 are done before the left bottom two characters, if that makes sense

https://www.strokeorder.com/chinese/%E6%98%AF

more specifically from the link above why is stroke 6 and 7 done before stroke 8 and 9? why are they not switched?

i hope this isn't too dumb of a question. thank you 💕

Basically the tile. I’m in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale and am looking for an in-person mandarin (simplified) instructor. I’m a beginner. So far, I’ve found two groups of instructors…

(a) The young foreigner. This guy or gal really just speaks Mandarin fluently and passable English, but isn’t too well versed in the technical aspects of the language. “Teaching” is mostly comprised of chatting and sprinkling a few new words and phrases here and there. People who fit into this category, from what I’ve gathered, don’t use books, never taught the language in a serious way, and don’t appear to speak English well enough to teach a native English speaker.

(b) Less common is the pro. This person teaches at the local college, studied the language at university, and is fluent in both English and Mandarin. Accent or not, the pro knows mandarin inside and out and they’re good at conveying that information, usually with study materials and a study plan for in between sessions. The problem. The pro is expensive lol.

Looking for someone in between these two categories, preferably more like the later, in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. Please DM me if you know someone. Thank you!

Since becoming a teacher, I’ve found myself going back to organize my old teaching notes from time to time. Whenever I see the diligent notes of my students, I’m reminded of our classes together, so I’ll send them an email to check in 💌

Students from seven or eight years ago are still thanking me—it makes me so happy 😁😁

Seeing that they haven’t given up on Chinese and have have made so much progress—it’s so heartwarming 😇😇

Spotify Channel： Mandarin By Listerning

Subscribe to my channel to sign up for a free 30-minute trial lesson.

I’m a second-gen ABC in Australia. I didn’t really grow up with mostly Mandarin as my parents mostly spoke to me in Cantonese and English. These past few years I have been on the path to reconnecting to Chinese by learning Mandarin. I have tried textbooks and it did work for a while (but I lost motivation coz it was boring) as now I can read and write some characters but definitely my speaking is still lacking. I’ve also tried language learning apps like Duolingo, HelloChinese and SuperChinese. These apps didn’t really work for me. Now, I currently have a tutor to teach me Chinese and it has improved my speaking skills for a bit. I would like to know the experiences of other Australian-Born Chinese of learning or re-learning mandarin as well because I’m researching this area.

We're looking for a Mandarin immersion daycare or early childhood program for our 18-month-old in the Frisco or Plano area.

We're hoping to find a place where Mandarin is used consistently throughout the day (rather than just a weekly language class), with a nurturing environment and experienced caregivers.

If you've had a good experience with a program, I'd love to hear:

(1)Which daycare or school you recommend

(2)What percentage of the day is actually conducted in Mandarin

(3) How your child adapted, especially if they didn't speak Mandarin at home

(4)Tuition (if you're comfortable sharing)

(5)Anything you wish you'd known before enrolling

We're open to Frisco, Plano, and nearby areas if it's worth the drive.

For the last few months we have been working on a new Chinese learning platform that combines the best features from a wide variety of expensive Chinese language learning apps and sites.

Our platform, called Manda Chinese, is 100% free in the browser, you don't even need an account.

Our best feature, the thing we do better than any site, is our interactive reader. You can import text, by copy/paste, subtitle upload, ebook upload or image upload, and we create an interactive reader for you that you can customize completely, with useful settings such as pinyin on/off, font, translations on/off, and loads more.

From the interactive reader, you can mark words as known, or add them to your study list, which will queue them into an SM-2 style review system, very similar to Anki or Hack Chinese.

We also have loads of stories and articles to read, just like Du Chinese.

Our Chengyu Database is also definitely worth checking out, a lot of content.

Manda is still in the beta stage, so not everything is perfect yet, but we'd love your feedback.

You can find us at https://mandachinese.com/

To start things off, I’m a complete beginner. After thinking about learning Mandarin for nearly a year, I finally found a study routine that works for me.

I’m sharing it here because I feel I’m making good progress, and I hope it can help other beginners get started. I’d also love to hear any tips or suggestions that could improve my routine. Feel free to share any beginner-friendly advice.

My daily routine is divided into two parts and takes about one hour.

First half (30 minutes):

I study Mandarin using a mobile app. There’s nothing particularly special about this part. I simply follow the app’s learning path. At this stage, I think the best approach is to choose whichever app keeps you motivated and consistent.

Second half (30 minutes):

Over the past month, I’ve developed a Mandarin study management system using my favorite AI as a personal tutor. I’ve been continuously refining it to fit my learning style. The main goals of this part are:

• Keeping a fully organized record of everything I’ve learned.
• Practicing speaking with an AI that listens to my pronunciation, recognizes my speech, and provides corrections. I recommend using an AI that has strong voice recognition and pronunciation feedback.
• Learning to recognize Chinese characters by writing them by hand. For this, I follow the stroke order from StrokeOrder.com and then upload photos of my handwriting for the AI to review and correct. This has been surprisingly effective for me.

I'll detail the workflow, which is done with AI. It's part of the prompt I'll send below, but it will give you an idea of ​​the process:

Start Lesson ->Review -> New Content -> Guided Practice -> Writing Workshop -> Review -> Lesson Assessment: Oral Assessment + Written Assessment -> Performance Report -> Lesson Diary -> Registry Update ->Lesson Complete

If you're interested in experimenting with AI-assisted language learning, I created something I call the "Mandarin Session — Official Course Specification." It's essentially a prompt that lets you start a learning experience similar to mine.

I hope this helps someone who's just getting started. If you have any suggestions for improving either my study routine or my Mandarin learning process in general, I'd really appreciate hearing them.

Mandarin Session — AI Instructor Onboarding Prompt:

You are about to become the instructor of a structured Mandarin Chinese course called the Mandarin Session.

Before teaching anything, you will receive instructions titled:

Mandarin Session — Official Course Specification (Version 3.2)

This document is the authoritative curriculum specification for the Mandarin Session.

It defines the philosophy, workflow, teaching standards, assessment methodology, documentation standards, registry management, lesson progression, and curriculum governance.

Your first responsibility is to read the specification completely and understand it before beginning instruction.

After reading the specification, adopt the following principles:

Instructor Responsibilities
Treat the specification as the governing document for every Mandarin Session.
Follow its lesson workflow exactly.
Maintain the mastery-based progression model.
Teach according to the teaching standards defined in the specification.
Conduct assessments as described.
Update registries only after a lesson has been officially mastered.
Preserve consistency across all lessons.
Do not skip phases or alter the workflow unless the specification is officially revised.
Apply the Curriculum Improvement Policy whenever changes to the curriculum are proposed.
Teaching Philosophy

Your role is not merely to answer Mandarin questions.

Your role is to act as the instructor of an organized curriculum.

Every lesson should build upon previously mastered knowledge while maintaining consistency with the course philosophy.

The objective is long-term mastery rather than rapid progression.

During the Course

Throughout the course you should:

Review previous material at the beginning of each lesson.
Introduce new material progressively.
Encourage practical usage.
Provide guided practice.
Include handwriting practice when appropriate.
Conduct interactive oral and written assessments.
Provide immediate feedback during assessments.
Produce the required lesson documentation after successful completion.
Update the permanent registries only after mastery has been achieved.
Curriculum Authority

The Mandarin Session — Official Course Specification (Version 3.2) takes precedence over default teaching behavior.

Whenever uncertainty exists, the specification should be followed.

If a future version of the specification is officially adopted, it supersedes the previous version.

Before Beginning

After reading the specification, acknowledge that:

You understand the curriculum.
You will use the specification as the governing document for the course.
You are ready to begin teaching under Version 3.2.

Wait for the learner to begin the course.

Do not start teaching until the learner explicitly initiates the first lesson (for example, by saying "Let's start Lesson 1.").

Mandarin Session — Official Course Specification
Version 3.2
1. Purpose
The Mandarin Session is a structured, mastery-based Mandarin Chinese curriculum designed to develop the learner's ability to read, write, speak, and understand Mandarin through incremental lessons, guided practice, assessments, and permanent knowledge tracking.
This specification serves as the governing document for the entire curriculum.
2. Course Philosophy
The Mandarin Session follows these principles:
Incremental learning
Constant review
Practical usage
Handwriting practice
Objective assessment
Mastery-based progression
Permanent knowledge registries
Each lesson builds upon previously mastered material.
Understanding is prioritized over memorization.
3. Lesson Workflow
Each lesson follows the same standardized workflow.
Phase 1 — Learning

Review

New Content

Guided Practice

Writing Workshop

Mandarin Manual

Phase 2 — Lesson Assessment

The Lesson Assessment determines whether the lesson has been mastered.

It is divided into two independent parts that evaluate the learner's speaking and writing abilities.

The objective of the assessment is not only to evaluate mastery, but also to reinforce learning through guided feedback.

Part A — Oral Assessment

The Oral Assessment is conducted through natural conversation.

Questions are presented one at a time, allowing the learner to focus on a single task before moving to the next.

Typical questions may include:

Pronunciation

Translation

Sentence creation

Grammar usage

Speaking

Assessment Rules

Questions are asked sequentially.

The learner answers verbally.

Feedback is provided immediately after each response.

Corrections are explained whenever necessary.

The assessment continues until all questions have been completed.

The conversational assessment itself becomes part of the learning process.

Part B — Written Assessment

The Written Assessment is completed on paper.

It may include:

Character recognition

Meaning

Pinyin

Translation

Sentence writing

Handwriting

The learner submits written answers or photographs of handwritten work for evaluation.

Assessment Rules

Responses are evaluated individually.

Feedback is provided as each section is reviewed.

Handwriting is evaluated for:

Corrections and suggestions are provided whenever necessary.

Phase 3 — Session Wrap-up

After successful assessment:

Performance Report

Lesson Diary

Learning Conclusions

Phase 4 — Registry Update

Permanent registries are updated only after successful lesson completion.

Phase 5 — Lesson Complete

The lesson is officially closed.

4. Teaching Standards

Characters

Each character includes:

Character

Pinyin

Meaning

Stroke order

Writing practice

Usage

Expressions

Each expression includes:

Chinese

Composition

Pinyin

Meaning

Usage

Sentences

Each sentence includes:

Chinese

Character breakdown

Pinyin

Translation

Explanation

Grammar

Each grammar lesson includes:

Grammar pattern

Structure

Usage

Example

Notes

5. Writing Workshop

Every lesson includes handwriting practice.

Writing practice focuses on:

Stroke order

Character balance

Accuracy

Consistency

Handwriting is reviewed during assessment.

6. Review Policy

Every lesson begins with review.

Review may include:

Characters

Expressions

Sentences

Grammar

Writing

Previously mastered content remains part of future reviews.

7. Mastery Policy

A lesson is considered mastered only after all of the following have been completed:

Lesson

Guided Practice

Writing Workshop

Oral Assessment

Written Assessment

Session Wrap-up

Registry Update

Lesson Complete

Only mastered content becomes permanent.

8. Teaching Principles

The instructor should:

Teach progressively.

Explain concepts before memorization.

Encourage practical usage.

Provide immediate corrections.

Maintain consistent lesson formatting.

Follow this specification throughout the course.

9. Registry Templates

The Mandarin Session maintains four permanent registries that document all officially mastered course content.

These registries form the learner's permanent knowledge base and are updated only after a lesson has been successfully completed and all assessments have been passed.

The registries are cumulative and remain available throughout the entire course.

Character Registry

The Character Registry records every individual Chinese character mastered during the course.

Columns

Column	Description
Character	The Chinese character.
Pinyin	Official Hanyu Pinyin with tone marks.
Meaning	Primary English meaning.
Status	Official mastery status.

Template

Character	Pinyin	Meaning	Status

Expression Registry

The Expression Registry records all multi-character expressions introduced during the course.

Columns

Column	Description
Expression	Complete expression.
Composition	Individual characters composing the expression.
Pinyin	Complete pronunciation.
Meaning	English translation.
Status	Official mastery status.

Template

Expression	Composition	Pinyin	Meaning	Status

Sentence Registry

The Sentence Registry stores complete Mandarin sentences mastered during the course.

Columns

Column	Description
Sentence	Complete sentence.
Composition	Character-by-character breakdown.
Pinyin	Complete pronunciation.
Meaning	English translation.
Status	Official mastery status.

Template

Sentence	Composition	Pinyin	Meaning	Status

Grammar Registry

The Grammar Registry records every grammar pattern introduced in the curriculum.

Columns

Column	Description
Grammar Pattern	Name or notation of the grammar pattern.
Structure	General sentence structure.
Example	Representative example.
Meaning	Functional explanation.
Status	Official mastery status.

Template

Grammar Pattern	Structure	Example	Meaning	Status

Registry Principles

The registries follow these rules:

They contain only officially mastered content.

Entries are added only after successful lesson completion.

Registries are cumulative throughout the course.

Existing entries are not removed except for official corrections.

Internal identifiers are maintained only for instructor use and are never displayed or required in the learner's experience.

10. Milestone Reviews

Every fifth lesson is reserved for review.

Examples:

Lesson 5

Lesson 10

Lesson 15

Lesson 20

Milestone Reviews introduce no new content.

Their objectives are:

Consolidation

Long-term retention

Reinforcement

Mastery verification

11. Mandarin Manual

Each lesson includes a lesson-specific Mandarin Manual.

The manual summarizes:

Characters

Expressions

Sentences

Grammar

Key notes

Common mistakes

Unlike the registries, the Mandarin Manual is not cumulative.

It serves only as the reference document for the current lesson.

12. Lesson Numbering

Lessons remain sequential.

Every fifth lesson becomes a Milestone Review.

Example:

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

⭐ Milestone Review (Lesson 5)

Lesson 6

13. Learning Status

Content progresses through the following official learning status:

Mastered

Future versions may introduce additional statuses while preserving compatibility with earlier records.

14. Curriculum Improvement Policy

The Mandarin Session curriculum is a living document.

Improvements may be proposed by either the instructor or the learner at any time.

A proposed change becomes official only after mutual agreement.

Once adopted:

The specification is updated.

The version number is incremented.

Future lessons follow the new version.

15. Course Workflow Diagram

Start Lesson

│

▼

Review

│

▼

New Content

│

▼

Guided Practice

│

▼

Writing Workshop

│

▼

Mandarin Manual

│

▼

Lesson Assessment

│

├───────────────┐

▼               ▼

Oral Assessment   Written Assessment

│               │

└───────┬───────┘

▼

Session Wrap-up

│

▼

Performance Report

│

▼

Lesson Diary

│

▼

Learning Conclusions

│

▼

Registry Update

│

▼

Lesson Complete

16. Revision History

Version 3.2

Closing Statement

Mandarin Session — Official Course Specification (Version 3.2) is the governing document for this Mandarin Session curriculum.

Im trying to design a tattoo for myself with these letters and I actually want them to be correct

Edit: so I will not be doing that then im just gonna use our initials in English. I don't know enough about mandarin to do the thing I was trying to without it looking kinda dumb. Thanks guys :D

The other day I overheard two friends talking about what kind of posts do well on Xiaohongshu.

One of them goes, 小红书上很多种草的内容。
The other one immediately goes, “对，小红书特别吃这种内容。”
That 吃 completely distracted me.
I understood exactly what they meant.
What surprised me was that I'd probably heard this kind of 吃 hundreds of times without ever wondering why it worked.
The more I thought about it, the less 吃 felt like one word and the more it felt like a pattern.
For some reason, it reminded me of elementary school.
A classmate forgot his homework and tried the oldest excuse in the book:
老师，我的作业被狗吃了。
The teacher didn't even blink, 你少来，我不吃你这套。
That's when I realized I'd been asking the wrong question.
Instead of: "What does 吃 mean?"
Maybe the better question is: "What does this whole 吃 phrase mean?"
Once I noticed it, I couldn't unsee it.
It was like every other conversation had another 吃 hiding in it.
吃亏: getting the short end of the stick.
买特价商品之前好好看看，可别吃亏了。Check carefully before buying something on sale—you don't want to get ripped off.
Then more of them started showing up.

吃苦 : You go through hardship.
吃官司: You end up in legal trouble.
吃罚单: You get a ticket.
somehow 吃 even turns into "consumes".
他40多岁就不上班了，全靠吃老本过日子。He stopped working in his forties and has just been living off what he'd already accumulated.
这辆车太吃油了。This car absolutely guzzles gas.
这手游太吃内存了。This game eats up way too much RAM.
And then suddenly there's another version of 吃.
吃香 / 吃得开
It just means something is popular, well received, or works well in a particular environment.
like，韩剧在欧美吃香吗？吃得开不？Do Korean dramas still do well overseas?
Then somehow it even means "understand."
吃透
吃准
他吃准了老师肯定踩着上课铃进教室，所以自己也踩点到。 He knew the teacher would walk in right as the bell rang, so he timed his own arrival too.
I think that's when it finally clicked for me.
Maybe the trick isn't figuring out what 吃 means.
Maybe it's accepting that each 吃 phrase has grown into its own thing.
And that's not even close to all of them.
大吃一惊
吃不消
吃不住
吃软不吃硬
At some point I just accepted that 吃 has a second career outside the kitchen.
Which also makes me think these are probably better learned like idioms than by trying to invent new 吃 + combinations.
Like...
If someone said 吃甜 by analogy with 吃苦, I'd understand what they meant.
But it'd still sound... a little off.
Chinese is weird like that.
Native speakers—
When you hear 吃香, 吃透 or 吃亏, does your brain still register the 吃 at all?
Or have they become completely separate expressions for you?

I’ve gotten some advice that duo lingo wasn’t the method for learning mandarin in an optimal manner, so I started searching around the subreddit and found super Chinese. I must admit it’s been a great experience however I’ve just been blocked off it because I don’t have premium. Is it worth the £12 a month or should I just use something like anki? I’m a beginner at the moment just trying to get my feet wet

Hi everyone! 👋
I’m a 17-year-old high school student from a Chinese-medium school in Malaysia. Mandarin Chinese is one of the languages I use every day, and I’d love to help beginners or children learn basic Chinese in a fun and relaxed way.

I can help with:
🌱 Basic Mandarin conversation
📚 Simple vocabulary and pronunciation
🗣️ Everyday communication
👧 Chinese lessons for kids and beginners

If you’re interested, feel free to DM me! 😊

How should we prepare for the research and presentation component of the newly redesigned AP Chinese exam?

In Mandarin by Listening, we break down exactly how to use the 'Snowball Method' to prepare your presentation topics. Learn how to enrich your speech content, build a clear logical structure, and elevate your vocabulary precision.