http://odeo.com/channels/2121540-PopupChinese-com no The most convenient way to learn Chinese the way it is actually spoken and used. Start with our basic lessons, and in no time you'll be listening to music, watching films and television and engaging in the actual language. With free daily podcasts, a vibrant community, online study tools and much more, PopupChinese is the most powerful and personal way to learn mandarin. The most convenient way to learn Chinese the way it is actually spoken and used. Start with our basic lessons, and in no time you'll be listening to music, watching films and television and engaging in the actual language. With free daily podcasts, a vibrant community, online study tools and much more, PopupChinese is the most powerful and personal way to learn mandarin. Learn Chinese with free mandarin podcasts, lessons, HSK sample tests, music videos, movies and more.... en-us 40 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800 © 2008 Language Systems Ltd. chinese, China, language, Beijing, chinese podcast, hong kong]]>, <![CDATA[learn chinese, cantonese, mandarin, HSK, shanghai, learn mandarin Language chinese China Beijing hong kong]]> cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai http://odeo.com/episodes/25542642-Intermediate-A-College-Education Laif could hardly breathe. Through tinted pinholes he looked out at an unearthly sea of noontime traffic. The unending flow of cars rolled past in slow motion, horns honking and tempers flaring. On the sidewalks pedestrians bustled past, hurriedly looking down or to the side to ignore his outstretched arms. And topping it all was the stultifying heat, which wrapped around them all, an invisible cage that shimmered in the distance like a snake poised to strike. He had of course heard whispers about the state of the job market. Everyone had. Rumors on campus said it had been tough for new graduates for years now. It was basic economics. The workforce exceeded the demand for labor. Salaries had been inching down for years as a result, but were especially bad this year as the economy tightened. What was anyone to do? Laif could hardly breathe. Through tinted pinholes he looked out at an unearthly sea of noontime traffic. The unending flow of cars rolled past in slow motion, horns honking and tempers flaring. On the sidewalks pedestrians bustled past, hurriedly looking down or to the side to ignore his outstretched arms. And topping it all was the stultifying heat, which wrapped around them all, an invisible cage that shimmered in the distance like a snake poised to strike. He had of course heard whispers about the state of the job market. Everyone had. Rumors on campus said it had been tough for new graduates for years now. It was basic economics. The workforce exceeded the demand for labor. Salaries had been inching down for years as a result, but were especially bad this year as the economy tightened. What was anyone to do? Laif could hardly breathe. Through tinted pinholes he looked out at an unearthly sea of noontime traffic. The unending flow of cars rolled past in slow motion, horns honking and tempers flaring. On the sidewalks pedestrians bustled past, hurriedly looking down or to the side to ignore his outstretched arms. And topping it all was the stultifying heat, which wrapped around them all, an invisible cage that shimmered in the distance like a snake poised to strike. He had of course heard whispers about the state of the job market. Everyone had. Rumors on campus said it had been tough for new graduates for years now. It was basic economics. The workforce exceeded the demand for labor. Salaries had been inching down for years as a result, but were especially bad this year as the economy tightened. What was anyone to do? tag:odeo.com,2009-12-14,25542642 Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25533648-Absolute-Beginners-What-sign-are-you Ever wonder what a Chinese chicken sounds like, or what to do when someone tells you they are one? In today's lesson Brendan, David and Echo take to the studio and talk about Chinese horoscopes. You may not believe in the Chinese zodiac, but you'll need to know how it works if you're ever going to navigate the animal barnyard that is the dating scene in China. If only because when you meet someone special here you can be sure they're going to be thinking about it. This podcast is part language lesson and part simple proof of an impressive disconnect between urban China and the natural world. If you don't know your own sign, we've posted more information on the Chinese zodiac in the comments section below. Feel free to write us at echo@popupchinese.com with any questions about your own star sign. We admit to being suckers for romantic gossip. Ever wonder what a Chinese chicken sounds like, or what to do when someone tells you they are one? In today's lesson Brendan, David and Echo take to the studio and talk about Chinese horoscopes. You may not believe in the Chinese zodiac, but you'll need to know how it works if you're ever going to navigate the animal barnyard that is the dating scene in China. If only because when you meet someone special here you can be sure they're going to be thinking about it. This podcast is part language lesson and part simple proof of an impressive disconnect between urban China and the natural world. If you don't know your own sign, we've posted more information on the Chinese zodiac in the comments section below. Feel free to write us at echo@popupchinese.com with any questions about your own star sign. We admit to being suckers for romantic gossip. Ever wonder what a Chinese chicken sounds like, or what to do when someone tells you they are one? In today's lesson Brendan, David and Echo take to the studio and talk about Chinese horoscopes. You may not believe in the Chinese zodiac, but you'll need to know how it works if you're ever going to navigate the animal barnyard that is the dating scene in China. If only because when you meet someone special here you can be sure they're going to be thinking about it. This podcast is part language lesson and part simple proof of an impressive disconnect between urban China and the natural world. If you don't know your own sign, we've posted more information on the Chinese zodiac in the comments section below. Feel free to write us at echo@popupchinese.com with any questions about your own star sign. We admit to being suckers for romantic gossip. tag:odeo.com,2009-12-13,25533648 Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25524082-Film-Friday-Corporate-Raiders "I really think we should do a film people have seen." Echo had been nursing her reservations for the last hour. There we were standing in the studio just about to record a special hour long Christmas show devoted to experimental 20th century French cinema. Dubbed Chinese clips of segments from Blood of a Poet and Testament of Orpheus were queued and ready to go. We had even forced Brendan into an old, matted bear costume to add a certain je ne sais quoi to the proceedings. "Perhaps she's right," Brendan's muffled voice sounded weary. "I'm not that familiar with experimental film, and it's really hot in here." And so faced with the prospect of a staff mutiny, we backed down and switched to this Hollywood film. We're guessing you've seen it, but can you guess the movie from nothing more than its mandarin dub? If so get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com. A month of free premium access to Popup Chinese is up for grabs. Keep it for yourself, or give it away to someone else as a s... "I really think we should do a film people have seen." Echo had been nursing her reservations for the last hour. There we were standing in the studio just about to record a special hour long Christmas show devoted to experimental 20th century French cinema. Dubbed Chinese clips of segments from Blood of a Poet and Testament of Orpheus were queued and ready to go. We had even forced Brendan into an old, matted bear costume to add a certain je ne sais quoi to the proceedings. "Perhaps she's right," Brendan's muffled voice sounded weary. "I'm not that familiar with experimental film, and it's really hot in here." And so faced with the prospect of a staff mutiny, we backed down and switched to this Hollywood film. We're guessing you've seen it, but can you guess the movie from nothing more than its mandarin dub? If so get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com. A month of free premium access to Popup Chinese is up for grabs. Keep it for yourself, or give it away to someone else as a special Christmas present. "I really think we should do a film people have seen." Echo had been nursing her reservations for the last hour. There we were standing in the studio just about to record a special hour long Christmas show devoted to experimental 20th century French cinema. Dubbed Chinese clips of segments from Blood of a Poet and Testament of Orpheus were queued and ready to go. We had even forced Brendan into an old, matted bear costume to add a certain je ne sais quoi to the proceedings. "Perhaps she's right," Brendan's muffled voice sounded weary. "I'm not that familiar with experimental film, and it's really hot in here." And so faced with the prospect of a staff mutiny, we backed down and switched to this Hollywood film. We're guessing you've seen it, but can you guess the movie from nothing more than its mandarin dub? If so get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com. A month of free premium access to Popup Chinese is up for grabs. Keep it for yourself, or give it away to someone else as a special Christmas present. tag:odeo.com,2009-12-10,25524082 Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25517962-Advanced-Besides-and-Let-Alone If you're listening to our advanced podcasts our site statistics tell us you're already fluent or close to getting there. And the bad news for most of you is that at this level you've likely passed the point where native speakers will correct your mistakes or help you master the subtleties of their language. Which is why we have podcasts like this. Join us as we help you push through the last mile with a lesson that focuses on a word so advanced even Chinese speakers often get it wrong. This word is ??, an advanced conjunction with two different meanings. In the first case ?? can be translated as "and also" and gets used interchangeably with ??. It's second usage is closer to ??? and is better translated as "let alone" or "not to mention". Our podcast sorts these two out with plenty of examples and a lot of fun, so give it a listen. We think you'll come out more fluent on the other side. If you're listening to our advanced podcasts our site statistics tell us you're already fluent or close to getting there. And the bad news for most of you is that at this level you've likely passed the point where native speakers will correct your mistakes or help you master the subtleties of their language. Which is why we have podcasts like this. Join us as we help you push through the last mile with a lesson that focuses on a word so advanced even Chinese speakers often get it wrong. This word is ??, an advanced conjunction with two different meanings. In the first case ?? can be translated as "and also" and gets used interchangeably with ??. It's second usage is closer to ??? and is better translated as "let alone" or "not to mention". Our podcast sorts these two out with plenty of examples and a lot of fun, so give it a listen. We think you'll come out more fluent on the other side. If you're listening to our advanced podcasts our site statistics tell us you're already fluent or close to getting there. And the bad news for most of you is that at this level you've likely passed the point where native speakers will correct your mistakes or help you master the subtleties of their language. Which is why we have podcasts like this. Join us as we help you push through the last mile with a lesson that focuses on a word so advanced even Chinese speakers often get it wrong. This word is ??, an advanced conjunction with two different meanings. In the first case ?? can be translated as "and also" and gets used interchangeably with ??. It's second usage is closer to ??? and is better translated as "let alone" or "not to mention". Our podcast sorts these two out with plenty of examples and a lot of fun, so give it a listen. We think you'll come out more fluent on the other side. tag:odeo.com,2009-12-08,25517962 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25508036-Intermediate-The-Law-of-the-Sea It was the ocean Henry saw on waking, and the ocean he saw again at dusk. The water was nothing like his dreams. In the tourist brochures that had lured him south, the sea was a shimmering creature of tranquil calm splashed with patches of azure blue. It had been welcoming then, a far cry from the greyish beast that spread out before him in all four directions. In all other respects the cruise has lived up to its promise to deliver "a life-changing adventure on the high seas." Our intermediate listening test for today uses a brief mandarin-only dialogue to tell a story of adventure on the high seas. If you think your Chinese is up to snuff, listen to our short recording just once. Then check out our quiz section to test yourself on your comprehension. Are you as good as you think? If you have any questions just leave a comment below or check our manually annotated transcript of this dialogue on the text page. Good luck! It was the ocean Henry saw on waking, and the ocean he saw again at dusk. The water was nothing like his dreams. In the tourist brochures that had lured him south, the sea was a shimmering creature of tranquil calm splashed with patches of azure blue. It had been welcoming then, a far cry from the greyish beast that spread out before him in all four directions. In all other respects the cruise has lived up to its promise to deliver "a life-changing adventure on the high seas." Our intermediate listening test for today uses a brief mandarin-only dialogue to tell a story of adventure on the high seas. If you think your Chinese is up to snuff, listen to our short recording just once. Then check out our quiz section to test yourself on your comprehension. Are you as good as you think? If you have any questions just leave a comment below or check our manually annotated transcript of this dialogue on the text page. Good luck! It was the ocean Henry saw on waking, and the ocean he saw again at dusk. The water was nothing like his dreams. In the tourist brochures that had lured him south, the sea was a shimmering creature of tranquil calm splashed with patches of azure blue. It had been welcoming then, a far cry from the greyish beast that spread out before him in all four directions. In all other respects the cruise has lived up to its promise to deliver "a life-changing adventure on the high seas." Our intermediate listening test for today uses a brief mandarin-only dialogue to tell a story of adventure on the high seas. If you think your Chinese is up to snuff, listen to our short recording just once. Then check out our quiz section to test yourself on your comprehension. Are you as good as you think? If you have any questions just leave a comment below or check our manually annotated transcript of this dialogue on the text page. Good luck! tag:odeo.com,2009-12-07,25508036 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25488205-Elementary-The-Road-Trip-Part-II You may have been on a vacation like this. The radiator is overheating, the air conditioner is broken, and what began as a nice weekend jaunt into the countryside has morphed into something much, much uglier. Join us in this Elementary Chinese lesson as we explore the heart of darkness you'll only see in your family after spending eight hours in a car with them totally and utterly lost. In addition to a nice dialogue with plenty of useful vocabulary and phrases (especially for drivers), our lesson today covers the ??... ? construction and goes over how to use it to make vaguely threatening demands on those you love. So listen up and let us know what you think. And if you find the Chinese a bit above your level relax. Click through to the text page to consult our annotated popup version of the text for instant illumination. You'll be at the Intermediate level in no time. You may have been on a vacation like this. The radiator is overheating, the air conditioner is broken, and what began as a nice weekend jaunt into the countryside has morphed into something much, much uglier. Join us in this Elementary Chinese lesson as we explore the heart of darkness you'll only see in your family after spending eight hours in a car with them totally and utterly lost. In addition to a nice dialogue with plenty of useful vocabulary and phrases (especially for drivers), our lesson today covers the ??... ? construction and goes over how to use it to make vaguely threatening demands on those you love. So listen up and let us know what you think. And if you find the Chinese a bit above your level relax. Click through to the text page to consult our annotated popup version of the text for instant illumination. You'll be at the Intermediate level in no time. You may have been on a vacation like this. The radiator is overheating, the air conditioner is broken, and what began as a nice weekend jaunt into the countryside has morphed into something much, much uglier. Join us in this Elementary Chinese lesson as we explore the heart of darkness you'll only see in your family after spending eight hours in a car with them totally and utterly lost. In addition to a nice dialogue with plenty of useful vocabulary and phrases (especially for drivers), our lesson today covers the ??... ? construction and goes over how to use it to make vaguely threatening demands on those you love. So listen up and let us know what you think. And if you find the Chinese a bit above your level relax. Click through to the text page to consult our annotated popup version of the text for instant illumination. You'll be at the Intermediate level in no time. tag:odeo.com,2009-12-02,25488205 Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474338-Absolute-Beginners-Pinyin-Practice-Adventures-with-Umlaut Curious why the pinyin for some characters is written with an umlaut which vanishes in similar-sounding words? Is there really a difference in the way we should pronounce these sounds? The answer to these questions and more is revealed in our pinyin practice lesson for today, which will take you on a whirlwind tour through a maze of similar sounding words. For extra feedback, we've enabled our recording hotline for this lesson to give you an opportunity to get personal feedback on your pronunciation. If you're a premium subscriber call us using the custom PIN number that you'll find on this lesson's text page. Practice reading our sample sentences for this lesson and one of our teachers will get back to you shortly with one-on-one feedback on your pronunciation. And doubtless compliments too. Curious why the pinyin for some characters is written with an umlaut which vanishes in similar-sounding words? Is there really a difference in the way we should pronounce these sounds? The answer to these questions and more is revealed in our pinyin practice lesson for today, which will take you on a whirlwind tour through a maze of similar sounding words. For extra feedback, we've enabled our recording hotline for this lesson to give you an opportunity to get personal feedback on your pronunciation. If you're a premium subscriber call us using the custom PIN number that you'll find on this lesson's text page. Practice reading our sample sentences for this lesson and one of our teachers will get back to you shortly with one-on-one feedback on your pronunciation. And doubtless compliments too. Curious why the pinyin for some characters is written with an umlaut which vanishes in similar-sounding words? Is there really a difference in the way we should pronounce these sounds? The answer to these questions and more is revealed in our pinyin practice lesson for today, which will take you on a whirlwind tour through a maze of similar sounding words. For extra feedback, we've enabled our recording hotline for this lesson to give you an opportunity to get personal feedback on your pronunciation. If you're a premium subscriber call us using the custom PIN number that you'll find on this lesson's text page. Practice reading our sample sentences for this lesson and one of our teachers will get back to you shortly with one-on-one feedback on your pronunciation. And doubtless compliments too. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-30,25474338 Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474339-Elementary-The-Road-Trip Remember the epic road trips of your youth? Our lesson today goes out to every eight year old who has ever had to sit still in the backseat for eight hours trapped between two quarreling siblings while the family enjoyed a nice drive into the countryside. If you're a premium subscriber, please note that we've enabled our Speaking Practice recording service for this lesson. Click through to our text page to find our toll-free telephone number. Call us and enter your dedicated PIN number when prompted. Then tell us all about the worst vacation you've ever had. Or just practice reading us the dialogue and vocabulary for this lesson. Our teachers will review your recording and give you personal feedback on your pronunciation by email in a day or two. Remember the epic road trips of your youth? Our lesson today goes out to every eight year old who has ever had to sit still in the backseat for eight hours trapped between two quarreling siblings while the family enjoyed a nice drive into the countryside. If you're a premium subscriber, please note that we've enabled our Speaking Practice recording service for this lesson. Click through to our text page to find our toll-free telephone number. Call us and enter your dedicated PIN number when prompted. Then tell us all about the worst vacation you've ever had. Or just practice reading us the dialogue and vocabulary for this lesson. Our teachers will review your recording and give you personal feedback on your pronunciation by email in a day or two. Remember the epic road trips of your youth? Our lesson today goes out to every eight year old who has ever had to sit still in the backseat for eight hours trapped between two quarreling siblings while the family enjoyed a nice drive into the countryside. If you're a premium subscriber, please note that we've enabled our Speaking Practice recording service for this lesson. Click through to our text page to find our toll-free telephone number. Call us and enter your dedicated PIN number when prompted. Then tell us all about the worst vacation you've ever had. Or just practice reading us the dialogue and vocabulary for this lesson. Our teachers will review your recording and give you personal feedback on your pronunciation by email in a day or two. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-29,25474339 Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474341-Film-Friday-A-Dog-s-Life The stars have aligned and we've finally found another film both Brendan and Echo have seen. Only there's something strange happening here, because the movie didn't sound anything like this in the theaters. So join us for a linguistic mystery as we stumble into an alternate universe in which everything sounds almost, but not quite, like standard mandarin. We will reward you for your perseverance though. If you can peg our clip despite the added challenge, send an email to echo@popupchinese.com and we'll enter you for a chance to win a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese. The stars have aligned and we've finally found another film both Brendan and Echo have seen. Only there's something strange happening here, because the movie didn't sound anything like this in the theaters. So join us for a linguistic mystery as we stumble into an alternate universe in which everything sounds almost, but not quite, like standard mandarin. We will reward you for your perseverance though. If you can peg our clip despite the added challenge, send an email to echo@popupchinese.com and we'll enter you for a chance to win a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese. The stars have aligned and we've finally found another film both Brendan and Echo have seen. Only there's something strange happening here, because the movie didn't sound anything like this in the theaters. So join us for a linguistic mystery as we stumble into an alternate universe in which everything sounds almost, but not quite, like standard mandarin. We will reward you for your perseverance though. If you can peg our clip despite the added challenge, send an email to echo@popupchinese.com and we'll enter you for a chance to win a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-26,25474341 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474343-Intermediate-A-Sudden-Case-of-Acrophobia Even deep in his pockets, Adam's fingers were shaking uncontrollably. His anxiety had already reached the point where others were noticing his chattering teeth, and was only increasing with each minute that brought them closer to the drop zone. Above the steady drone of the plane engines, Adam could hear the whispered remarks of his peers, and feel their sidewards glances. Would he lose control when the time came? Would he endanger the mission? As an aside, many of you have written us asking how we come up with such unique dialogues. In this lesson we finally spill the beans about our creative secret. If you've ever wondered who the creative genius is behind our approach to language learning, listen in and get the inside scoop. Enjoy! Even deep in his pockets, Adam's fingers were shaking uncontrollably. His anxiety had already reached the point where others were noticing his chattering teeth, and was only increasing with each minute that brought them closer to the drop zone. Above the steady drone of the plane engines, Adam could hear the whispered remarks of his peers, and feel their sidewards glances. Would he lose control when the time came? Would he endanger the mission? As an aside, many of you have written us asking how we come up with such unique dialogues. In this lesson we finally spill the beans about our creative secret. If you've ever wondered who the creative genius is behind our approach to language learning, listen in and get the inside scoop. Enjoy! Even deep in his pockets, Adam's fingers were shaking uncontrollably. His anxiety had already reached the point where others were noticing his chattering teeth, and was only increasing with each minute that brought them closer to the drop zone. Above the steady drone of the plane engines, Adam could hear the whispered remarks of his peers, and feel their sidewards glances. Would he lose control when the time came? Would he endanger the mission? As an aside, many of you have written us asking how we come up with such unique dialogues. In this lesson we finally spill the beans about our creative secret. If you've ever wondered who the creative genius is behind our approach to language learning, listen in and get the inside scoop. Enjoy! tag:odeo.com,2009-11-25,25474343 Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474344-Elementary-Living-Together By the time Betty arrived home, her normally sedate neighborhood was abuzz with excitement. The police cruisers camped on the street were only the most visible sign of the investigative unit that had arrived hours earlier to cordon off the block and interview the neighbors. As she headed inside, Betty caught a far-off glimpse of two junior detectives taking soil samples from her back garden. Bursting into her home, she caught sight of the lead detective in the living room and charged over to demand an explanation. "Rumors have it you're not the only one who lives here," he replied. A casual glance around the room was enough to confirm this as fact. Jonathan had once again left his clothes strewn all over the sofa. As she simply nodded, the detective reached for his handcuffs. "I think it's time you spoke to a lawyer." By the time Betty arrived home, her normally sedate neighborhood was abuzz with excitement. The police cruisers camped on the street were only the most visible sign of the investigative unit that had arrived hours earlier to cordon off the block and interview the neighbors. As she headed inside, Betty caught a far-off glimpse of two junior detectives taking soil samples from her back garden. Bursting into her home, she caught sight of the lead detective in the living room and charged over to demand an explanation. "Rumors have it you're not the only one who lives here," he replied. A casual glance around the room was enough to confirm this as fact. Jonathan had once again left his clothes strewn all over the sofa. As she simply nodded, the detective reached for his handcuffs. "I think it's time you spoke to a lawyer." By the time Betty arrived home, her normally sedate neighborhood was abuzz with excitement. The police cruisers camped on the street were only the most visible sign of the investigative unit that had arrived hours earlier to cordon off the block and interview the neighbors. As she headed inside, Betty caught a far-off glimpse of two junior detectives taking soil samples from her back garden. Bursting into her home, she caught sight of the lead detective in the living room and charged over to demand an explanation. "Rumors have it you're not the only one who lives here," he replied. A casual glance around the room was enough to confirm this as fact. Jonathan had once again left his clothes strewn all over the sofa. As she simply nodded, the detective reached for his handcuffs. "I think it's time you spoke to a lawyer." tag:odeo.com,2009-11-22,25474344 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474345-Film-Friday-A-Holiday-Visit As those of you in the United States gear up to celebrate Thanksgiving, we're going to confuse things by skipping ahead to the next major holiday, with a newer holiday classic that happens to be one of Echo's favorite movies, and is known casually around the office as "the Citizen Cane of films Echo has actually seen." Fellow Orson Welles fans should please direct your outrage via email to Echo at the address below. In any event, if you've ever wondered what Echo's favorite movie is the game is now on... you've got a week to figure it out from listening to a small clip dubbed into mandarin. And we think you've got a decent chance at guessing. Our selection is at the elementary level in difficulty, so even if you're relatively new to Chinese we think you should have a healthy shot. So listen up, get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com and with a bit of luck you may even win a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. As those of you in the United States gear up to celebrate Thanksgiving, we're going to confuse things by skipping ahead to the next major holiday, with a newer holiday classic that happens to be one of Echo's favorite movies, and is known casually around the office as "the Citizen Cane of films Echo has actually seen." Fellow Orson Welles fans should please direct your outrage via email to Echo at the address below. In any event, if you've ever wondered what Echo's favorite movie is the game is now on... you've got a week to figure it out from listening to a small clip dubbed into mandarin. And we think you've got a decent chance at guessing. Our selection is at the elementary level in difficulty, so even if you're relatively new to Chinese we think you should have a healthy shot. So listen up, get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com and with a bit of luck you may even win a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. As those of you in the United States gear up to celebrate Thanksgiving, we're going to confuse things by skipping ahead to the next major holiday, with a newer holiday classic that happens to be one of Echo's favorite movies, and is known casually around the office as "the Citizen Cane of films Echo has actually seen." Fellow Orson Welles fans should please direct your outrage via email to Echo at the address below. In any event, if you've ever wondered what Echo's favorite movie is the game is now on... you've got a week to figure it out from listening to a small clip dubbed into mandarin. And we think you've got a decent chance at guessing. Our selection is at the elementary level in difficulty, so even if you're relatively new to Chinese we think you should have a healthy shot. So listen up, get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com and with a bit of luck you may even win a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-19,25474345 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474357-Advanced-The-Northeasterner-Part-II With apologies to our friends in Jilin, the northeastern accent is totally ridiculous at times. Ever heard it? If you haven't you're in for a treat in this special listening test for advanced speakers. Take a listen to our situational dialogue and see how much you can pick up. If you're fluent in mandarin we think you'll be able to understand more than you think, and learn some northeastern slang in the process. And if you're not fluent yet, just check out our word by word annotated transcript. It'll bring you up to speed. With apologies to our friends in Jilin, the northeastern accent is totally ridiculous at times. Ever heard it? If you haven't you're in for a treat in this special listening test for advanced speakers. Take a listen to our situational dialogue and see how much you can pick up. If you're fluent in mandarin we think you'll be able to understand more than you think, and learn some northeastern slang in the process. And if you're not fluent yet, just check out our word by word annotated transcript. It'll bring you up to speed. With apologies to our friends in Jilin, the northeastern accent is totally ridiculous at times. Ever heard it? If you haven't you're in for a treat in this special listening test for advanced speakers. Take a listen to our situational dialogue and see how much you can pick up. If you're fluent in mandarin we think you'll be able to understand more than you think, and learn some northeastern slang in the process. And if you're not fluent yet, just check out our word by word annotated transcript. It'll bring you up to speed. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-18,25474357 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474365-Intermediate-Plants-vs-Zombies We don't like to play favorites when it comes to our dialogues, but there's something charming about the performance Andy turns in today as a compulsive liar with an almost desperate need to be liked. He gives his character such enthusiastic and infectious likability we think it's easy to ignore the fact that nothing he says is even remotely close to being plausible. So we find this one charming anyway, and hope you like it too. As far as our subject matter goes, this podcast is inspired by the Pop Cap game of the same name, and is intended for anyone with a fair bit of mandarin under their belt who has ever been tasked with translating a John Carpenter film into Chinese. It is tragic that more textbooks don't teach vocabulary for describing the undead. While you may not use this at the office, it will surely be high frequency vocabulary on that fateful day the dead rise from their graves and shotgun prices go vertical. Best to prepare in advance. We don't like to play favorites when it comes to our dialogues, but there's something charming about the performance Andy turns in today as a compulsive liar with an almost desperate need to be liked. He gives his character such enthusiastic and infectious likability we think it's easy to ignore the fact that nothing he says is even remotely close to being plausible. So we find this one charming anyway, and hope you like it too. As far as our subject matter goes, this podcast is inspired by the Pop Cap game of the same name, and is intended for anyone with a fair bit of mandarin under their belt who has ever been tasked with translating a John Carpenter film into Chinese. It is tragic that more textbooks don't teach vocabulary for describing the undead. While you may not use this at the office, it will surely be high frequency vocabulary on that fateful day the dead rise from their graves and shotgun prices go vertical. Best to prepare in advance. We don't like to play favorites when it comes to our dialogues, but there's something charming about the performance Andy turns in today as a compulsive liar with an almost desperate need to be liked. He gives his character such enthusiastic and infectious likability we think it's easy to ignore the fact that nothing he says is even remotely close to being plausible. So we find this one charming anyway, and hope you like it too. As far as our subject matter goes, this podcast is inspired by the Pop Cap game of the same name, and is intended for anyone with a fair bit of mandarin under their belt who has ever been tasked with translating a John Carpenter film into Chinese. It is tragic that more textbooks don't teach vocabulary for describing the undead. While you may not use this at the office, it will surely be high frequency vocabulary on that fateful day the dead rise from their graves and shotgun prices go vertical. Best to prepare in advance. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-17,25474365 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25474369-Absolute-Beginners-Yes-I-m-a-Student We haven't come out with a lesson for absolute beginners in a while, partially because whenever we start teaching something simple Brendan segues into a rambling discourse on character etymology and before we know it we've produced another graduate seminar about regional dialects in the Song dynasty. So today we slowed him down with an intentionally simple and very straightforward dialogue. This one teaches how to ask basic questions and tell others a bit about yourself. In fact, those of you without a graduate degree in linguistics will be pleased to hear that we even managed to restrain Brendan from using the word "copula" in this podcast. This was accomplished somewhat by the dialogue itself, but mostly by Echo, who threatened the use of physical force unless Brendan used "actual English real people understand." So if you're totally new to mandarin and afraid of our other lessons, fire up your iPod and check out this one, which makes the basics about as easy as they can get. We haven't come out with a lesson for absolute beginners in a while, partially because whenever we start teaching something simple Brendan segues into a rambling discourse on character etymology and before we know it we've produced another graduate seminar about regional dialects in the Song dynasty. So today we slowed him down with an intentionally simple and very straightforward dialogue. This one teaches how to ask basic questions and tell others a bit about yourself. In fact, those of you without a graduate degree in linguistics will be pleased to hear that we even managed to restrain Brendan from using the word "copula" in this podcast. This was accomplished somewhat by the dialogue itself, but mostly by Echo, who threatened the use of physical force unless Brendan used "actual English real people understand." So if you're totally new to mandarin and afraid of our other lessons, fire up your iPod and check out this one, which makes the basics about as easy as they can get. We haven't come out with a lesson for absolute beginners in a while, partially because whenever we start teaching something simple Brendan segues into a rambling discourse on character etymology and before we know it we've produced another graduate seminar about regional dialects in the Song dynasty. So today we slowed him down with an intentionally simple and very straightforward dialogue. This one teaches how to ask basic questions and tell others a bit about yourself. In fact, those of you without a graduate degree in linguistics will be pleased to hear that we even managed to restrain Brendan from using the word "copula" in this podcast. This was accomplished somewhat by the dialogue itself, but mostly by Echo, who threatened the use of physical force unless Brendan used "actual English real people understand." So if you're totally new to mandarin and afraid of our other lessons, fire up your iPod and check out this one, which makes the basics about as easy as they can get. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-16,25474369 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25426791-Elementary-The-Backstreet-Boys As Napoleon once commented, "China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will truly rock." We may be paraphrasing slightly, but it's impossible to under-emphasize the passion with which Chinese youth have embraced the concept of the Western boy band. Truly the Middle Kingdom is a place where everything old is new again. Join us in this podcast and see for yourself. On a side note, we should mention that our dialogue this lesson is at the upper-end of our difficulty spectrum for the Elementary level. We were almost tempted to put it at the Intermediate level, but the vocabulary is still pretty basic and our sentences are still relatively simple. So don't worry if you find it more challenging than usual. Just add oil. As Napoleon once commented, "China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will truly rock." We may be paraphrasing slightly, but it's impossible to under-emphasize the passion with which Chinese youth have embraced the concept of the Western boy band. Truly the Middle Kingdom is a place where everything old is new again. Join us in this podcast and see for yourself. On a side note, we should mention that our dialogue this lesson is at the upper-end of our difficulty spectrum for the Elementary level. We were almost tempted to put it at the Intermediate level, but the vocabulary is still pretty basic and our sentences are still relatively simple. So don't worry if you find it more challenging than usual. Just add oil. As Napoleon once commented, "China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will truly rock." We may be paraphrasing slightly, but it's impossible to under-emphasize the passion with which Chinese youth have embraced the concept of the Western boy band. Truly the Middle Kingdom is a place where everything old is new again. Join us in this podcast and see for yourself. On a side note, we should mention that our dialogue this lesson is at the upper-end of our difficulty spectrum for the Elementary level. We were almost tempted to put it at the Intermediate level, but the vocabulary is still pretty basic and our sentences are still relatively simple. So don't worry if you find it more challenging than usual. Just add oil. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-08,25426791 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25416990-Film-Friday-An-Unexpected-Romance Film Friday this week is brought to you by Brendan, David and Gail, Echo having been waylaid by a nasty cold. And the topic? Our clip this week has all the mandarin you'll need to warm the heart of someone special. It's all about love. So listen up and if you think you can identify our mystery film, be sure to write echo@popupchinese.com to be entered in our weekly draw for a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. Film Friday this week is brought to you by Brendan, David and Gail, Echo having been waylaid by a nasty cold. And the topic? Our clip this week has all the mandarin you'll need to warm the heart of someone special. It's all about love. So listen up and if you think you can identify our mystery film, be sure to write echo@popupchinese.com to be entered in our weekly draw for a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. Film Friday this week is brought to you by Brendan, David and Gail, Echo having been waylaid by a nasty cold. And the topic? Our clip this week has all the mandarin you'll need to warm the heart of someone special. It's all about love. So listen up and if you think you can identify our mystery film, be sure to write echo@popupchinese.com to be entered in our weekly draw for a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-05,25416990 Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25383960-Intermediate-A-Dangerous-Chinese-Lesson There are some words which are so powerful in mandarin, simply using them properly will cause any native speaker in hearing distance to cough up blood in shock and awe. So understand why we refer to this as the most dangerous lesson we've ever produced. It contains not one but three fatal phrases you won't find in any other textbook: ????, ???? and ???. If you've been tricked into thinking Chinese is a tremendously logical language, you may be surprised to learn that none of these expressions have anything to do with love. Join us in this podcast and we'll make it clear what they mean though. Just remember that with great power comes great responsibility and we completely disavow responsibility for the consequences if you detonate this stuff on live national television. There are some words which are so powerful in mandarin, simply using them properly will cause any native speaker in hearing distance to cough up blood in shock and awe. So understand why we refer to this as the most dangerous lesson we've ever produced. It contains not one but three fatal phrases you won't find in any other textbook: ????, ???? and ???. If you've been tricked into thinking Chinese is a tremendously logical language, you may be surprised to learn that none of these expressions have anything to do with love. Join us in this podcast and we'll make it clear what they mean though. Just remember that with great power comes great responsibility and we completely disavow responsibility for the consequences if you detonate this stuff on live national television. There are some words which are so powerful in mandarin, simply using them properly will cause any native speaker in hearing distance to cough up blood in shock and awe. So understand why we refer to this as the most dangerous lesson we've ever produced. It contains not one but three fatal phrases you won't find in any other textbook: ????, ???? and ???. If you've been tricked into thinking Chinese is a tremendously logical language, you may be surprised to learn that none of these expressions have anything to do with love. Join us in this podcast and we'll make it clear what they mean though. Just remember that with great power comes great responsibility and we completely disavow responsibility for the consequences if you detonate this stuff on live national television. tag:odeo.com,2009-11-02,25383960 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25383961-HSK-Beginner-Listening-Exercise-6 We've run into a few people here whose approach to speaking Chinese is basically to fake it. Which is actually easier than it sounds. The key is really nodding ambiguously when spoken to and muttering the occasional "yes" just to keep things dynamic. For extra points keep your partner unclear whether you're really engaging in conversation with them or simply talking to yourself. And try to avoid buying things until the price comes down on its own. While the listening exercises on the HSK are pretty effective at weeding out people who don't actually understand Chinese, they're also quite challenging even for even serious students with considerably study time under their belt. In this practice HSK test, listen as we hear the first sentence in a brief conversation. Your challenge is to pick the only sensible response. These listening exercises move at a fast pace and do not repeat. So good luck! We've run into a few people here whose approach to speaking Chinese is basically to fake it. Which is actually easier than it sounds. The key is really nodding ambiguously when spoken to and muttering the occasional "yes" just to keep things dynamic. For extra points keep your partner unclear whether you're really engaging in conversation with them or simply talking to yourself. And try to avoid buying things until the price comes down on its own. While the listening exercises on the HSK are pretty effective at weeding out people who don't actually understand Chinese, they're also quite challenging even for even serious students with considerably study time under their belt. In this practice HSK test, listen as we hear the first sentence in a brief conversation. Your challenge is to pick the only sensible response. These listening exercises move at a fast pace and do not repeat. So good luck! We've run into a few people here whose approach to speaking Chinese is basically to fake it. Which is actually easier than it sounds. The key is really nodding ambiguously when spoken to and muttering the occasional "yes" just to keep things dynamic. For extra points keep your partner unclear whether you're really engaging in conversation with them or simply talking to yourself. And try to avoid buying things until the price comes down on its own. While the listening exercises on the HSK are pretty effective at weeding out people who don't actually understand Chinese, they're also quite challenging even for even serious students with considerably study time under their belt. In this practice HSK test, listen as we hear the first sentence in a brief conversation. Your challenge is to pick the only sensible response. These listening exercises move at a fast pace and do not repeat. So good luck! tag:odeo.com,2009-11-01,25383961 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:00:00 -0800 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25383962-Film-Friday-When-Things-Go-South Our mystery movie this week came close to sweeping the Oscars a few years back, and if you've seen it we're pretty sure it made a deep impression on you. But can you guess the film from nothing more than a short clip entirely in mandarin? Our selection this week is around the Elementary level, but we're betting even advanced students haven't run into some of this vocab. So listen up and be sure to write echo@popupchinese.com if you think you can identify our mystery film. Our mystery movie this week came close to sweeping the Oscars a few years back, and if you've seen it we're pretty sure it made a deep impression on you. But can you guess the film from nothing more than a short clip entirely in mandarin? Our selection this week is around the Elementary level, but we're betting even advanced students haven't run into some of this vocab. So listen up and be sure to write echo@popupchinese.com if you think you can identify our mystery film. Our mystery movie this week came close to sweeping the Oscars a few years back, and if you've seen it we're pretty sure it made a deep impression on you. But can you guess the film from nothing more than a short clip entirely in mandarin? Our selection this week is around the Elementary level, but we're betting even advanced students haven't run into some of this vocab. So listen up and be sure to write echo@popupchinese.com if you think you can identify our mystery film. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-29,25383962 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25383963-Elementary-The-Trip-Home From a sickly childhood, Steven passed into a sickly adolescence. Phantom aches and pains constantly wracked the poor boy, much to the bafflement of the family doctor, who pronounced "nothing at all wrong with him physically." In fact, it wasn't until his first year away at university that his constitution seemed to pick up and his body threw off its shackles of ill-health. New to Popup Chinese? Our lessons at the Elementary level are designed for anyone who already knows the basics but is still working towards full comprehension of shorter sentences spoken at real speed. Our dialogues here are limited in length and our vocabulary is very high frequency. Exactly the stuff you need to build the bridge to greater fluency. So give us a listen. Feedback is always welcome at echo@popupchinese.com. Oh yeah, and skip the rice gruel too. From a sickly childhood, Steven passed into a sickly adolescence. Phantom aches and pains constantly wracked the poor boy, much to the bafflement of the family doctor, who pronounced "nothing at all wrong with him physically." In fact, it wasn't until his first year away at university that his constitution seemed to pick up and his body threw off its shackles of ill-health. New to Popup Chinese? Our lessons at the Elementary level are designed for anyone who already knows the basics but is still working towards full comprehension of shorter sentences spoken at real speed. Our dialogues here are limited in length and our vocabulary is very high frequency. Exactly the stuff you need to build the bridge to greater fluency. So give us a listen. Feedback is always welcome at echo@popupchinese.com. Oh yeah, and skip the rice gruel too. From a sickly childhood, Steven passed into a sickly adolescence. Phantom aches and pains constantly wracked the poor boy, much to the bafflement of the family doctor, who pronounced "nothing at all wrong with him physically." In fact, it wasn't until his first year away at university that his constitution seemed to pick up and his body threw off its shackles of ill-health. New to Popup Chinese? Our lessons at the Elementary level are designed for anyone who already knows the basics but is still working towards full comprehension of shorter sentences spoken at real speed. Our dialogues here are limited in length and our vocabulary is very high frequency. Exactly the stuff you need to build the bridge to greater fluency. So give us a listen. Feedback is always welcome at echo@popupchinese.com. Oh yeah, and skip the rice gruel too. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-28,25383963 Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25378070-Intermediate-A-Murder-Mystery The motive wouldn't be hard to establish: they all had it. But given the sheer number of beatings, shootings and stabbings the deceased had suffered in the course of a few minutes (including at least one attempted hanging), it was going to be thorny to prove who exactly laid the telling blow, and where, and with what. Our Chinese lesson for today is all about what happened the time we introduced our crew to a classic American board game of murder, mayhem and sleuthing. Fun and hijinks it was not. The rules took at least 10 minutes to explain to our baffled guests, and even then we don't think we properly handled many of their more philosophical objections, such as 9527's repeated insistence that we just "jail them all and forget about it." The motive wouldn't be hard to establish: they all had it. But given the sheer number of beatings, shootings and stabbings the deceased had suffered in the course of a few minutes (including at least one attempted hanging), it was going to be thorny to prove who exactly laid the telling blow, and where, and with what. Our Chinese lesson for today is all about what happened the time we introduced our crew to a classic American board game of murder, mayhem and sleuthing. Fun and hijinks it was not. The rules took at least 10 minutes to explain to our baffled guests, and even then we don't think we properly handled many of their more philosophical objections, such as 9527's repeated insistence that we just "jail them all and forget about it." The motive wouldn't be hard to establish: they all had it. But given the sheer number of beatings, shootings and stabbings the deceased had suffered in the course of a few minutes (including at least one attempted hanging), it was going to be thorny to prove who exactly laid the telling blow, and where, and with what. Our Chinese lesson for today is all about what happened the time we introduced our crew to a classic American board game of murder, mayhem and sleuthing. Fun and hijinks it was not. The rules took at least 10 minutes to explain to our baffled guests, and even then we don't think we properly handled many of their more philosophical objections, such as 9527's repeated insistence that we just "jail them all and forget about it." tag:odeo.com,2009-10-25,25378070 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25364177-Film-Friday-A-Fashionable-Blockbuster If you're new to Popup Chinese, welcome to Film Friday. Every week we pick a short clip from a Hollywood movie that's been dubbed into Chinese. If you can guess our mystery film from nothing more than its mandarin dub, write to echo@popupchinese.com and let her know what you think the film is. We pick a single winner every week and give them a free month of premium access here at Popup Chinese. This week it could be you! Note to Gang: this one is a lot harder than usual, but so many of you guessed our film last week we don't feel the least bit guilty about tossing you this intermediate to advanced clip. Good luck! If you're new to Popup Chinese, welcome to Film Friday. Every week we pick a short clip from a Hollywood movie that's been dubbed into Chinese. If you can guess our mystery film from nothing more than its mandarin dub, write to echo@popupchinese.com and let her know what you think the film is. We pick a single winner every week and give them a free month of premium access here at Popup Chinese. This week it could be you! Note to Gang: this one is a lot harder than usual, but so many of you guessed our film last week we don't feel the least bit guilty about tossing you this intermediate to advanced clip. Good luck! If you're new to Popup Chinese, welcome to Film Friday. Every week we pick a short clip from a Hollywood movie that's been dubbed into Chinese. If you can guess our mystery film from nothing more than its mandarin dub, write to echo@popupchinese.com and let her know what you think the film is. We pick a single winner every week and give them a free month of premium access here at Popup Chinese. This week it could be you! Note to Gang: this one is a lot harder than usual, but so many of you guessed our film last week we don't feel the least bit guilty about tossing you this intermediate to advanced clip. Good luck! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-22,25364177 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25353207-Absolute-Beginners-How-about-Korean-Food It happens to the best of us. Even if your home or office is strategically located in the heart of Sichuan street, surrounded by a hundred different Chinese restaurants with upwards of a hundred different dishes each, there will come a point when your stomach rebels and your heart starts pining for simpler fare. Or maybe you'd kill for Chinese food but the only restaurant that delivers is the Korean one down the street. Almost miraculously, this lesson is useful in either situation. If you're totally new to mandarin, join us as we introduce the four tones, cover some basic words and phrases you can start using right away, and learn how to steer your fellow diners towards the kind of food you want to eat. It happens to the best of us. Even if your home or office is strategically located in the heart of Sichuan street, surrounded by a hundred different Chinese restaurants with upwards of a hundred different dishes each, there will come a point when your stomach rebels and your heart starts pining for simpler fare. Or maybe you'd kill for Chinese food but the only restaurant that delivers is the Korean one down the street. Almost miraculously, this lesson is useful in either situation. If you're totally new to mandarin, join us as we introduce the four tones, cover some basic words and phrases you can start using right away, and learn how to steer your fellow diners towards the kind of food you want to eat. It happens to the best of us. Even if your home or office is strategically located in the heart of Sichuan street, surrounded by a hundred different Chinese restaurants with upwards of a hundred different dishes each, there will come a point when your stomach rebels and your heart starts pining for simpler fare. Or maybe you'd kill for Chinese food but the only restaurant that delivers is the Korean one down the street. Almost miraculously, this lesson is useful in either situation. If you're totally new to mandarin, join us as we introduce the four tones, cover some basic words and phrases you can start using right away, and learn how to steer your fellow diners towards the kind of food you want to eat. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-21,25353207 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25315966-Speaking-Practice-Tone-Sandhi-in-the-Chinese-Word-for-No Today's lesson is for elementary Chinese learners. In it we practice saying ten words and phrases, and eight sentences that all contain the character ?. We do this to highlight the tonal change that occurs when you pronounce this character next to another fourth tone character (hint: it changes to second tone). If you're relatively new to Chinese and have been struggling with picking up a natural intonation, this podcast can help. And if you're a premium subscriber we want to help you even more. Just visit our text page, dial our toll-free telephone number listed there and key in your PIN number when prompted. Then practice speaking these words and sentences (or just talk to us about anything else you'd like). Our system will forward your recording to a teacher who will get back to you in a day or two. And be careful too: we've included a couple of linguistic landmines in some of our sentences to test how good your listening skills really are.... Today's lesson is for elementary Chinese learners. In it we practice saying ten words and phrases, and eight sentences that all contain the character ?. We do this to highlight the tonal change that occurs when you pronounce this character next to another fourth tone character (hint: it changes to second tone). If you're relatively new to Chinese and have been struggling with picking up a natural intonation, this podcast can help. And if you're a premium subscriber we want to help you even more. Just visit our text page, dial our toll-free telephone number listed there and key in your PIN number when prompted. Then practice speaking these words and sentences (or just talk to us about anything else you'd like). Our system will forward your recording to a teacher who will get back to you in a day or two. And be careful too: we've included a couple of linguistic landmines in some of our sentences to test how good your listening skills really are.... Today's lesson is for elementary Chinese learners. In it we practice saying ten words and phrases, and eight sentences that all contain the character ?. We do this to highlight the tonal change that occurs when you pronounce this character next to another fourth tone character (hint: it changes to second tone). If you're relatively new to Chinese and have been struggling with picking up a natural intonation, this podcast can help. And if you're a premium subscriber we want to help you even more. Just visit our text page, dial our toll-free telephone number listed there and key in your PIN number when prompted. Then practice speaking these words and sentences (or just talk to us about anything else you'd like). Our system will forward your recording to a teacher who will get back to you in a day or two. And be careful too: we've included a couple of linguistic landmines in some of our sentences to test how good your listening skills really are.... tag:odeo.com,2009-10-18,25315966 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25299257-Film-Friday-Jobs-and-Jets Our films for the last few weeks have been pretty difficult. So today we're taking a step back with a simpler dialogue that even relative newcomers to Chinese have a decent shot at guessing. Our mystery clip is from a film whose director has graced Film Friday before. And his work? A strange cross between an action adventure and a family comedy. We can't agree on whether it really succeeds. That said, if you think you can identify our mystery Hollywood film based on this short Chinese dub, write to Echo at echo@popupchinese.com and let her know. We'll pick a winner from the crowd and give them (you?) a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. So good luck and happy guessing! Our films for the last few weeks have been pretty difficult. So today we're taking a step back with a simpler dialogue that even relative newcomers to Chinese have a decent shot at guessing. Our mystery clip is from a film whose director has graced Film Friday before. And his work? A strange cross between an action adventure and a family comedy. We can't agree on whether it really succeeds. That said, if you think you can identify our mystery Hollywood film based on this short Chinese dub, write to Echo at echo@popupchinese.com and let her know. We'll pick a winner from the crowd and give them (you?) a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. So good luck and happy guessing! Our films for the last few weeks have been pretty difficult. So today we're taking a step back with a simpler dialogue that even relative newcomers to Chinese have a decent shot at guessing. Our mystery clip is from a film whose director has graced Film Friday before. And his work? A strange cross between an action adventure and a family comedy. We can't agree on whether it really succeeds. That said, if you think you can identify our mystery Hollywood film based on this short Chinese dub, write to Echo at echo@popupchinese.com and let her know. We'll pick a winner from the crowd and give them (you?) a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. So good luck and happy guessing! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-15,25299257 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25290434-Elementary-The-Honest-Cabbie Why is it that despite the enormous variety in our personal experiences, we all end up having exactly the same conversation with cab drivers? You know the drill. Where are you from? Are you used to eating Chinese food? Can you use chopsticks? Like Chinese water torture, the deadening repetition invites psychological defense mechanisms just to cope, like inventing new personal histories for each encounter. But then, just when you're about to lose faith in humanity, you run into a cabbie who is interesting, quick on his feet, and brutally honest. Our Elementary lesson for today is about exactly this situation. Like a bracing dash of cold water, it refreshes and re-motivates. Give it a listen and see if it rings true for you too. Why is it that despite the enormous variety in our personal experiences, we all end up having exactly the same conversation with cab drivers? You know the drill. Where are you from? Are you used to eating Chinese food? Can you use chopsticks? Like Chinese water torture, the deadening repetition invites psychological defense mechanisms just to cope, like inventing new personal histories for each encounter. But then, just when you're about to lose faith in humanity, you run into a cabbie who is interesting, quick on his feet, and brutally honest. Our Elementary lesson for today is about exactly this situation. Like a bracing dash of cold water, it refreshes and re-motivates. Give it a listen and see if it rings true for you too. Why is it that despite the enormous variety in our personal experiences, we all end up having exactly the same conversation with cab drivers? You know the drill. Where are you from? Are you used to eating Chinese food? Can you use chopsticks? Like Chinese water torture, the deadening repetition invites psychological defense mechanisms just to cope, like inventing new personal histories for each encounter. But then, just when you're about to lose faith in humanity, you run into a cabbie who is interesting, quick on his feet, and brutally honest. Our Elementary lesson for today is about exactly this situation. Like a bracing dash of cold water, it refreshes and re-motivates. Give it a listen and see if it rings true for you too. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-14,25290434 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25282198-Intermediate-The-Legend-of-the-oPhone Oh, have you heard the legend of the oPhone? It may seem naïve to raise our hopes again after the crushing disappointments that were the iFeng and Hi-Phone. Yet rumors from the interior are reaching us of a new mobile device that makes its Apple cousin seem almost diminutive by comparison. The words "hushed rapture" might best describe the attitude of our correspondents towards this device, which has a thirty hour battery, features too numerous to list and is rumored to verge on sentience itself. Join us in this podcast as we share our thoughts on China's much vaunted shanzhai competition to the iPhone. Our vocabulary and dialogue in this lesson are both on the easy side for an Intermediate lesson, but we make up for that with a grammar point that is fiendishly difficult. It centers on the slight difference in meaning between two eerily similar sentences: ??????? and ???????. Both are grammatically correct, but they actually mean different things. Oh, have you heard the legend of the oPhone? It may seem naïve to raise our hopes again after the crushing disappointments that were the iFeng and Hi-Phone. Yet rumors from the interior are reaching us of a new mobile device that makes its Apple cousin seem almost diminutive by comparison. The words "hushed rapture" might best describe the attitude of our correspondents towards this device, which has a thirty hour battery, features too numerous to list and is rumored to verge on sentience itself. Join us in this podcast as we share our thoughts on China's much vaunted shanzhai competition to the iPhone. Our vocabulary and dialogue in this lesson are both on the easy side for an Intermediate lesson, but we make up for that with a grammar point that is fiendishly difficult. It centers on the slight difference in meaning between two eerily similar sentences: ??????? and ???????. Both are grammatically correct, but they actually mean different things. Oh, have you heard the legend of the oPhone? It may seem naïve to raise our hopes again after the crushing disappointments that were the iFeng and Hi-Phone. Yet rumors from the interior are reaching us of a new mobile device that makes its Apple cousin seem almost diminutive by comparison. The words "hushed rapture" might best describe the attitude of our correspondents towards this device, which has a thirty hour battery, features too numerous to list and is rumored to verge on sentience itself. Join us in this podcast as we share our thoughts on China's much vaunted shanzhai competition to the iPhone. Our vocabulary and dialogue in this lesson are both on the easy side for an Intermediate lesson, but we make up for that with a grammar point that is fiendishly difficult. It centers on the slight difference in meaning between two eerily similar sentences: ??????? and ???????. Both are grammatically correct, but they actually mean different things. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-12,25282198 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25275374-Speaking-Practice-The-Most-Popular-Beer-in-China Join us as we celebrate a belated Oktoberfest with this podcast dedicated to the most popular domestic beer in China. And if you don't know this you pretty much owe it to yourself to listen, since it isn't what you think (Brendan is the only one we know who guessed correctly). Also because dropping this sort of trivia in casual conversation will help you come across as urbane, sophisticated and connected to the pulse of the Chinese consumer. Hello promotion! That said, since this is a Speaking Practice lesson, our primary focus is helping you get your tones right when ordering these beers. So if you're a beginner student, the first half of this podcast is designed for you. We focus on the tones and talk a bit about the different beers. If you're a more advanced student, hang in there until halfway through our lesson when we start putting these words into context, and pulling up lots of related vocab including the proper way to say 12-pack in Chinese. And if you're a premium subscrib... Join us as we celebrate a belated Oktoberfest with this podcast dedicated to the most popular domestic beer in China. And if you don't know this you pretty much owe it to yourself to listen, since it isn't what you think (Brendan is the only one we know who guessed correctly). Also because dropping this sort of trivia in casual conversation will help you come across as urbane, sophisticated and connected to the pulse of the Chinese consumer. Hello promotion! That said, since this is a Speaking Practice lesson, our primary focus is helping you get your tones right when ordering these beers. So if you're a beginner student, the first half of this podcast is designed for you. We focus on the tones and talk a bit about the different beers. If you're a more advanced student, hang in there until halfway through our lesson when we start putting these words into context, and pulling up lots of related vocab including the proper way to say 12-pack in Chinese. And if you're a premium subscriber? Click through to our text page and grab our toll-free telephone number and your personal identification code. Call us up and enter your personal code when prompted. Start recording yourself reciting the names of these brands (focus on the tones!), or repeat our sentences, or talk to us about something completely different. Our teachers will listen to everything you say and get back to you in a day or two with personal feedback. It's a very good thing. Join us as we celebrate a belated Oktoberfest with this podcast dedicated to the most popular domestic beer in China. And if you don't know this you pretty much owe it to yourself to listen, since it isn't what you think (Brendan is the only one we know who guessed correctly). Also because dropping this sort of trivia in casual conversation will help you come across as urbane, sophisticated and connected to the pulse of the Chinese consumer. Hello promotion! That said, since this is a Speaking Practice lesson, our primary focus is helping you get your tones right when ordering these beers. So if you're a beginner student, the first half of this podcast is designed for you. We focus on the tones and talk a bit about the different beers. If you're a more advanced student, hang in there until halfway through our lesson when we start putting these words into context, and pulling up lots of related vocab including the proper way to say 12-pack in Chinese. And if you're a premium subscriber? Click through to our text page and grab our toll-free telephone number and your personal identification code. Call us up and enter your personal code when prompted. Start recording yourself reciting the names of these brands (focus on the tones!), or repeat our sentences, or talk to us about something completely different. Our teachers will listen to everything you say and get back to you in a day or two with personal feedback. It's a very good thing. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-11,25275374 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25255865-Intermediate-The-Nobel-Peace-Prize Each year, the Nobel Prize committee surveys the world and selects the best-of-the-best for prestige and public honor. And while there's always been controversy over some of the selections, there has never been quite as much controversy as this year, when the awards were surprised by "an unprecedentedly strong show by those Chinese upstarts," as one anonymous critic so ingloriously put it. From our vantage point in Beijing, we feel the criticisms are totally unfounded. Jealous bastards. Each year, the Nobel Prize committee surveys the world and selects the best-of-the-best for prestige and public honor. And while there's always been controversy over some of the selections, there has never been quite as much controversy as this year, when the awards were surprised by "an unprecedentedly strong show by those Chinese upstarts," as one anonymous critic so ingloriously put it. From our vantage point in Beijing, we feel the criticisms are totally unfounded. Jealous bastards. Each year, the Nobel Prize committee surveys the world and selects the best-of-the-best for prestige and public honor. And while there's always been controversy over some of the selections, there has never been quite as much controversy as this year, when the awards were surprised by "an unprecedentedly strong show by those Chinese upstarts," as one anonymous critic so ingloriously put it. From our vantage point in Beijing, we feel the criticisms are totally unfounded. Jealous bastards. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-07,25255865 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25242423-Elementary-No-you-cannot-build-a-swimming-pool-in-our-backyard Today we're pleased to support all you parents out there with a lesson that will teach you how to crush the hopes and dreams of your offspring with two simple words. Whether your child's interests lie in backyard construction, the sporting life, or more prosaic things like a chance to leave their room and enjoy their sixth birthday, this is your chance to put that foot down and establish some parental authority. Enjoy! Today we're pleased to support all you parents out there with a lesson that will teach you how to crush the hopes and dreams of your offspring with two simple words. Whether your child's interests lie in backyard construction, the sporting life, or more prosaic things like a chance to leave their room and enjoy their sixth birthday, this is your chance to put that foot down and establish some parental authority. Enjoy! Today we're pleased to support all you parents out there with a lesson that will teach you how to crush the hopes and dreams of your offspring with two simple words. Whether your child's interests lie in backyard construction, the sporting life, or more prosaic things like a chance to leave their room and enjoy their sixth birthday, this is your chance to put that foot down and establish some parental authority. Enjoy! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-05,25242423 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25236328-Short-Stories-The-Foolish-Man-and-the-Mountain It is April 1945. Although the United States is still months from bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the end of the Pacific War now seems inevitable, and the Japanese retreat across China is setting the stage for a return to full-blown civil war. In the north the Communists are extending their strategic grip across the countryside. Arrayed against them is the Kuomintang, propped up by the support of China's southern industrial base and Chiang Kaishek's largest international ally: the United States. Coming at a critical juncture in Chinese history, Mao's ruminations in "The Foolish Man and the Mountain" reveal a belief that a Communist victory was a historic certainty, despite a short-term material deficit and clear need to shore up consensus on post-war planning within the Party. As Mao made clear, what lay ahead for China was mass mobilization and war. But the fate of the world was less certain, and this speech gives a curious sense of an alternate history that may have been. In it Ma... It is April 1945. Although the United States is still months from bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the end of the Pacific War now seems inevitable, and the Japanese retreat across China is setting the stage for a return to full-blown civil war. In the north the Communists are extending their strategic grip across the countryside. Arrayed against them is the Kuomintang, propped up by the support of China's southern industrial base and Chiang Kaishek's largest international ally: the United States. Coming at a critical juncture in Chinese history, Mao's ruminations in "The Foolish Man and the Mountain" reveal a belief that a Communist victory was a historic certainty, despite a short-term material deficit and clear need to shore up consensus on post-war planning within the Party. As Mao made clear, what lay ahead for China was mass mobilization and war. But the fate of the world was less certain, and this speech gives a curious sense of an alternate history that may have been. In it Mao hints at a fascinating trump card he believed the Communists held which might have proved useful in levering the United States away from the Kuomintang. But exactly what was this trump card? And what happened to it? For answers to these questions and more, you'll have to click through to our text page and step back in time by reading this speech in its original Chinese. As with all of our short stories, we've annotated every single word in the text with a contextual definition: just mouseover any word for an instant popup containing its pronunciation and meaning. And if you have any other questions or thoughts, leave a comment in our discussion space below. It is April 1945. Although the United States is still months from bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the end of the Pacific War now seems inevitable, and the Japanese retreat across China is setting the stage for a return to full-blown civil war. In the north the Communists are extending their strategic grip across the countryside. Arrayed against them is the Kuomintang, propped up by the support of China's southern industrial base and Chiang Kaishek's largest international ally: the United States. Coming at a critical juncture in Chinese history, Mao's ruminations in "The Foolish Man and the Mountain" reveal a belief that a Communist victory was a historic certainty, despite a short-term material deficit and clear need to shore up consensus on post-war planning within the Party. As Mao made clear, what lay ahead for China was mass mobilization and war. But the fate of the world was less certain, and this speech gives a curious sense of an alternate history that may have been. In it Mao hints at a fascinating trump card he believed the Communists held which might have proved useful in levering the United States away from the Kuomintang. But exactly what was this trump card? And what happened to it? For answers to these questions and more, you'll have to click through to our text page and step back in time by reading this speech in its original Chinese. As with all of our short stories, we've annotated every single word in the text with a contextual definition: just mouseover any word for an instant popup containing its pronunciation and meaning. And if you have any other questions or thoughts, leave a comment in our discussion space below. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-04,25236328 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25225575-HSK-Beginner-Listening-Exercise-5 How good are your listening skills? Find out with today's HSK listening test for beginner students. In this practice HSK test we give you fifteen simple statements with four possible replies each. Your challenge is to pick the most suitable answer based on what you heard. Want more than the podcast? Basic subscribers can download these test questions as part of our regular lesson transcripts. Premium subscribers have access to our online testing center. Not only is taking our tests online fast and convenient, but our system will remember the questions you get wrong so you can review them at your convenience later. If you're not yet a subscriber you're missing out on the best Chinese learning service online. Sign up today. How good are your listening skills? Find out with today's HSK listening test for beginner students. In this practice HSK test we give you fifteen simple statements with four possible replies each. Your challenge is to pick the most suitable answer based on what you heard. Want more than the podcast? Basic subscribers can download these test questions as part of our regular lesson transcripts. Premium subscribers have access to our online testing center. Not only is taking our tests online fast and convenient, but our system will remember the questions you get wrong so you can review them at your convenience later. If you're not yet a subscriber you're missing out on the best Chinese learning service online. Sign up today. How good are your listening skills? Find out with today's HSK listening test for beginner students. In this practice HSK test we give you fifteen simple statements with four possible replies each. Your challenge is to pick the most suitable answer based on what you heard. Want more than the podcast? Basic subscribers can download these test questions as part of our regular lesson transcripts. Premium subscribers have access to our online testing center. Not only is taking our tests online fast and convenient, but our system will remember the questions you get wrong so you can review them at your convenience later. If you're not yet a subscriber you're missing out on the best Chinese learning service online. Sign up today. tag:odeo.com,2009-10-02,25225575 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25222238-Film-Friday-Adventures-in-the-Maintenance-Tunnel For weeks our screenwriter had been haunted by dreams of gutters, drainage culverts and sewage pipes. His subconscious was trying to tell him something, but what? And then one day it clicked. Trapped in an intractable position, what his heroes needed more than anything was a maintenance tunnel. Everything needs maintenance, he thought, and why shouldn't there be a tunnel there? Toss an extra janitor in there and no-one will ever think twice about it. If you count yourself a film buff listen to our movie-guessing podcast and see if you can identify today's mystery Hollywood film from nothing more than a short clip dubbed into Chinese. And if you know the film write Echo at echo@popupchinese.com to be entered in a draw for a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival too! For weeks our screenwriter had been haunted by dreams of gutters, drainage culverts and sewage pipes. His subconscious was trying to tell him something, but what? And then one day it clicked. Trapped in an intractable position, what his heroes needed more than anything was a maintenance tunnel. Everything needs maintenance, he thought, and why shouldn't there be a tunnel there? Toss an extra janitor in there and no-one will ever think twice about it. If you count yourself a film buff listen to our movie-guessing podcast and see if you can identify today's mystery Hollywood film from nothing more than a short clip dubbed into Chinese. And if you know the film write Echo at echo@popupchinese.com to be entered in a draw for a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival too! For weeks our screenwriter had been haunted by dreams of gutters, drainage culverts and sewage pipes. His subconscious was trying to tell him something, but what? And then one day it clicked. Trapped in an intractable position, what his heroes needed more than anything was a maintenance tunnel. Everything needs maintenance, he thought, and why shouldn't there be a tunnel there? Toss an extra janitor in there and no-one will ever think twice about it. If you count yourself a film buff listen to our movie-guessing podcast and see if you can identify today's mystery Hollywood film from nothing more than a short clip dubbed into Chinese. And if you know the film write Echo at echo@popupchinese.com to be entered in a draw for a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival too! tag:odeo.com,2009-10-01,25222238 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25212464-Absolute-Beginners-Where-does-it-hurt This lesson takes place in a doctor's office, and while we hope you won't have too many encounters with the Chinese medical system, it is one of the many places the words and phrases we teach in this podcast will come in useful. So if you're new to learning the Chinese language, put on your earphones and get listening. By the time this podcast is over, you'll know enough mandarin to ask how others are doing and be expert at pointing and complaining whenever someone else returns the courtesy. This lesson takes place in a doctor's office, and while we hope you won't have too many encounters with the Chinese medical system, it is one of the many places the words and phrases we teach in this podcast will come in useful. So if you're new to learning the Chinese language, put on your earphones and get listening. By the time this podcast is over, you'll know enough mandarin to ask how others are doing and be expert at pointing and complaining whenever someone else returns the courtesy. This lesson takes place in a doctor's office, and while we hope you won't have too many encounters with the Chinese medical system, it is one of the many places the words and phrases we teach in this podcast will come in useful. So if you're new to learning the Chinese language, put on your earphones and get listening. By the time this podcast is over, you'll know enough mandarin to ask how others are doing and be expert at pointing and complaining whenever someone else returns the courtesy. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-29,25212464 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25205964-Intermediate-The-Airlock There was a deep silence after the sirens stopped blaring, and then chaos broke out. As the crew scuttled to the cargo bay, each couldn't help but wonder what had brought them to this point. Stranded light years from human settlement with nothing but their wits and a thin hull separating them from the vacuum outside. And then a comforting thought. At least they had the captain: he would know what to do. Think your Chinese is good? Join us in this Intermediate listening test as we push it to the limits. Listen to our short dialogue and then click through to our quiz page to test your comprehension. Who are the people in this scene? What exact problem do they have and how are they planning to solve it? If you can catch the answers by listening congratulations! If you have trouble, click through to our text section to consult our manually annotated transcript. Good luck! There was a deep silence after the sirens stopped blaring, and then chaos broke out. As the crew scuttled to the cargo bay, each couldn't help but wonder what had brought them to this point. Stranded light years from human settlement with nothing but their wits and a thin hull separating them from the vacuum outside. And then a comforting thought. At least they had the captain: he would know what to do. Think your Chinese is good? Join us in this Intermediate listening test as we push it to the limits. Listen to our short dialogue and then click through to our quiz page to test your comprehension. Who are the people in this scene? What exact problem do they have and how are they planning to solve it? If you can catch the answers by listening congratulations! If you have trouble, click through to our text section to consult our manually annotated transcript. Good luck! There was a deep silence after the sirens stopped blaring, and then chaos broke out. As the crew scuttled to the cargo bay, each couldn't help but wonder what had brought them to this point. Stranded light years from human settlement with nothing but their wits and a thin hull separating them from the vacuum outside. And then a comforting thought. At least they had the captain: he would know what to do. Think your Chinese is good? Join us in this Intermediate listening test as we push it to the limits. Listen to our short dialogue and then click through to our quiz page to test your comprehension. Who are the people in this scene? What exact problem do they have and how are they planning to solve it? If you can catch the answers by listening congratulations! If you have trouble, click through to our text section to consult our manually annotated transcript. Good luck! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-28,25205964 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25201067-Speaking-Practice-Tone-Sandhi-with-a-Three-Two-Punch Our speaking practice lesson for today is all about tone sandhi, and particularly about how to properly pronounce the three-two combo of a dipping third tone followed up by a rising second tone. There is a particular way Chinese people pronounce this combination which actually makes the language easier to speak. Do you know the trick? Listen to our podcast if not and we'll let you in on a great secret for improving your fluency in mandarin. Since this is a speaking practice lesson, premium subscribers will find our toll-free telephone number and a personal PIN number listed on the text page. This is yet another chance to get personal feedback on your spoken Chinese! If you're a total beginner, we recommend you practice reading us the lesson vocabulary, paying special attention to the tone changes. More advanced learners are encouraged to try reading our sample sentences or composing their own stories to share. Whatever you record, our teachers will get back to you in a day or two wi... Our speaking practice lesson for today is all about tone sandhi, and particularly about how to properly pronounce the three-two combo of a dipping third tone followed up by a rising second tone. There is a particular way Chinese people pronounce this combination which actually makes the language easier to speak. Do you know the trick? Listen to our podcast if not and we'll let you in on a great secret for improving your fluency in mandarin. Since this is a speaking practice lesson, premium subscribers will find our toll-free telephone number and a personal PIN number listed on the text page. This is yet another chance to get personal feedback on your spoken Chinese! If you're a total beginner, we recommend you practice reading us the lesson vocabulary, paying special attention to the tone changes. More advanced learners are encouraged to try reading our sample sentences or composing their own stories to share. Whatever you record, our teachers will get back to you in a day or two with personal feedback on how you sound and suggestions on how to sound even better. Good luck! Our speaking practice lesson for today is all about tone sandhi, and particularly about how to properly pronounce the three-two combo of a dipping third tone followed up by a rising second tone. There is a particular way Chinese people pronounce this combination which actually makes the language easier to speak. Do you know the trick? Listen to our podcast if not and we'll let you in on a great secret for improving your fluency in mandarin. Since this is a speaking practice lesson, premium subscribers will find our toll-free telephone number and a personal PIN number listed on the text page. This is yet another chance to get personal feedback on your spoken Chinese! If you're a total beginner, we recommend you practice reading us the lesson vocabulary, paying special attention to the tone changes. More advanced learners are encouraged to try reading our sample sentences or composing their own stories to share. Whatever you record, our teachers will get back to you in a day or two with personal feedback on how you sound and suggestions on how to sound even better. Good luck! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-27,25201067 Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25192818-Announcements-Learn-Chinese-with-Video When we relaunched Popup Chinese, we hinted at a number of new features slated for release. Today we're pleased to announce the first: new video lessons. Join Anthony and Gail in this short video as they grab a drink at a local cafe in support of our new video lessons and its more interactive features. To get started, just click on the video player to our left. You should see a lightbox appear with our video in it. As you watch the video, you'll notice an annotated transcript appear alongside it. You can click anytime to pause the video and mouseover the transcript for our manually-edited popups. And if you're looking for an extra challenge, you can also enter dictation mode. This will play the video, but stop it occasionally to test your listening comprehension. Provide the missing Chinese characters when prompted. The video will only continue when you enter them correctly. As always, all of our features are under active development. If you have any feedback or suggestions please s... When we relaunched Popup Chinese, we hinted at a number of new features slated for release. Today we're pleased to announce the first: new video lessons. Join Anthony and Gail in this short video as they grab a drink at a local cafe in support of our new video lessons and its more interactive features. To get started, just click on the video player to our left. You should see a lightbox appear with our video in it. As you watch the video, you'll notice an annotated transcript appear alongside it. You can click anytime to pause the video and mouseover the transcript for our manually-edited popups. And if you're looking for an extra challenge, you can also enter dictation mode. This will play the video, but stop it occasionally to test your listening comprehension. Provide the missing Chinese characters when prompted. The video will only continue when you enter them correctly. As always, all of our features are under active development. If you have any feedback or suggestions please send them to us at service@popupchinese.com. When we relaunched Popup Chinese, we hinted at a number of new features slated for release. Today we're pleased to announce the first: new video lessons. Join Anthony and Gail in this short video as they grab a drink at a local cafe in support of our new video lessons and its more interactive features. To get started, just click on the video player to our left. You should see a lightbox appear with our video in it. As you watch the video, you'll notice an annotated transcript appear alongside it. You can click anytime to pause the video and mouseover the transcript for our manually-edited popups. And if you're looking for an extra challenge, you can also enter dictation mode. This will play the video, but stop it occasionally to test your listening comprehension. Provide the missing Chinese characters when prompted. The video will only continue when you enter them correctly. As always, all of our features are under active development. If you have any feedback or suggestions please send them to us at service@popupchinese.com. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-26,25192818 Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25175511-Elementary-The-Shark-Tank Notice that shark over there? That's right, our Elementary Chinese lesson for today is all about man-eating beasts of the deep. It is unapologetically inspired by Jaws III, and particularly that scene where the Great Whites start ramming the underwater observation tunnels at Seaworld to the shock and horror of the soon-to-be-eaten tourist hordes. Despite the fact that its dialogue was written by an eight year old, our podcast for today offers more than weeks of unrelenting nightmares for the discriminating Chinese student. In it we showcase all the mandarin you'll ever need to bluff your way through the Orient as a marine biologist. In addition, we also teach a valuable Machiavellian lesson on how to bend others to your will and coerce colleagues into risking life and limb through the steady application of negative rhetorical questions. Enjoy! Notice that shark over there? That's right, our Elementary Chinese lesson for today is all about man-eating beasts of the deep. It is unapologetically inspired by Jaws III, and particularly that scene where the Great Whites start ramming the underwater observation tunnels at Seaworld to the shock and horror of the soon-to-be-eaten tourist hordes. Despite the fact that its dialogue was written by an eight year old, our podcast for today offers more than weeks of unrelenting nightmares for the discriminating Chinese student. In it we showcase all the mandarin you'll ever need to bluff your way through the Orient as a marine biologist. In addition, we also teach a valuable Machiavellian lesson on how to bend others to your will and coerce colleagues into risking life and limb through the steady application of negative rhetorical questions. Enjoy! Notice that shark over there? That's right, our Elementary Chinese lesson for today is all about man-eating beasts of the deep. It is unapologetically inspired by Jaws III, and particularly that scene where the Great Whites start ramming the underwater observation tunnels at Seaworld to the shock and horror of the soon-to-be-eaten tourist hordes. Despite the fact that its dialogue was written by an eight year old, our podcast for today offers more than weeks of unrelenting nightmares for the discriminating Chinese student. In it we showcase all the mandarin you'll ever need to bluff your way through the Orient as a marine biologist. In addition, we also teach a valuable Machiavellian lesson on how to bend others to your will and coerce colleagues into risking life and limb through the steady application of negative rhetorical questions. Enjoy! tag:odeo.com,2009-09-23,25175511 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25163809-Absolute-Beginners-You-found-what-in-the-fridge John Hopkins University recently published a study that followed ten thousand subjects over a ten year period, and closely monitored the eating habits of its participants. Among the results? The experiment showed conclusively that those who dispose of leftover Chinese take-out within the week have longer lifespans, whiter teeth and fuller hair. The remainder suffered from chronic headaches, extreme sensitivity to sunlight and a predisposition to Kenny G's "Going Home". Even in the absence of rigorous scientific proof, at Popup Chinese we believe the anecdotal evidence is compelling enough. When you have a hankering for kung-pao chicken at four in the morning avoid the leftovers and order in fresh. Your body will thank you. John Hopkins University recently published a study that followed ten thousand subjects over a ten year period, and closely monitored the eating habits of its participants. Among the results? The experiment showed conclusively that those who dispose of leftover Chinese take-out within the week have longer lifespans, whiter teeth and fuller hair. The remainder suffered from chronic headaches, extreme sensitivity to sunlight and a predisposition to Kenny G's "Going Home". Even in the absence of rigorous scientific proof, at Popup Chinese we believe the anecdotal evidence is compelling enough. When you have a hankering for kung-pao chicken at four in the morning avoid the leftovers and order in fresh. Your body will thank you. John Hopkins University recently published a study that followed ten thousand subjects over a ten year period, and closely monitored the eating habits of its participants. Among the results? The experiment showed conclusively that those who dispose of leftover Chinese take-out within the week have longer lifespans, whiter teeth and fuller hair. The remainder suffered from chronic headaches, extreme sensitivity to sunlight and a predisposition to Kenny G's "Going Home". Even in the absence of rigorous scientific proof, at Popup Chinese we believe the anecdotal evidence is compelling enough. When you have a hankering for kung-pao chicken at four in the morning avoid the leftovers and order in fresh. Your body will thank you. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-21,25163809 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25157554-Elementary-I-am-not-a-Spy Attention new recruits. After 84% of last year's class were caught crossing Customs and an additional 10% were found out while checking into their hotels, the Agency Directorate has ordered the commencement of emergency classes on basic spy decorum. Join us in this Elementary Chinese podcast as we cover the four elementary rules you need to know for how not to get caught. Attention new recruits. After 84% of last year's class were caught crossing Customs and an additional 10% were found out while checking into their hotels, the Agency Directorate has ordered the commencement of emergency classes on basic spy decorum. Join us in this Elementary Chinese podcast as we cover the four elementary rules you need to know for how not to get caught. Attention new recruits. After 84% of last year's class were caught crossing Customs and an additional 10% were found out while checking into their hotels, the Agency Directorate has ordered the commencement of emergency classes on basic spy decorum. Join us in this Elementary Chinese podcast as we cover the four elementary rules you need to know for how not to get caught. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-20,25157554 Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25142948-Film-Friday-Does-Not-Compute You thought you could beat the lie detector, so focused on your breathing, sweaty palms pressed tight against the table. You stared straight ahead as the interrogator fired his questions off like clockwork. And then you started twitching. Once, twice, and the needles began to tick. What were you thinking trying to fool this accursed machine? You saw Steven Seagal do it in a movie once. But you're not Monsieur Seagal, and this is no film. Join us for Film Friday today as hosts Echo, David, and Brendan introduce a clip from a Hollywood movie dubbed into Chinese. And if you can guess the original film? Write Echo at echo@popupchinese.com and be entered into a draw for a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese. Important Disclosure: Steven Seagal is not in this movie. You thought you could beat the lie detector, so focused on your breathing, sweaty palms pressed tight against the table. You stared straight ahead as the interrogator fired his questions off like clockwork. And then you started twitching. Once, twice, and the needles began to tick. What were you thinking trying to fool this accursed machine? You saw Steven Seagal do it in a movie once. But you're not Monsieur Seagal, and this is no film. Join us for Film Friday today as hosts Echo, David, and Brendan introduce a clip from a Hollywood movie dubbed into Chinese. And if you can guess the original film? Write Echo at echo@popupchinese.com and be entered into a draw for a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese. Important Disclosure: Steven Seagal is not in this movie. You thought you could beat the lie detector, so focused on your breathing, sweaty palms pressed tight against the table. You stared straight ahead as the interrogator fired his questions off like clockwork. And then you started twitching. Once, twice, and the needles began to tick. What were you thinking trying to fool this accursed machine? You saw Steven Seagal do it in a movie once. But you're not Monsieur Seagal, and this is no film. Join us for Film Friday today as hosts Echo, David, and Brendan introduce a clip from a Hollywood movie dubbed into Chinese. And if you can guess the original film? Write Echo at echo@popupchinese.com and be entered into a draw for a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese. Important Disclosure: Steven Seagal is not in this movie. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-17,25142948 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25137511-Intermediate-The-Gay-Vampire-Part-II Our general standard for measuring podcast excellence is whether listening causes Gail to spit milk out her nose. By that standard we have a winner today. Which is good, because there's no easy way to describe what's in store for you otherwise. This lesson is a sequel to our previous podcast about a Gay Chinese Vampire. It continues our trend of producing the sorts of cutting-edge lessons you won't find in any traditional textbook. Since this podcast builds on the vocabulary we introduced in part one, if you haven't already checked out our preceding podcast you may want to take a listen to get up to speed. Otherwise, tune in as we charge headfirst into another messy romance replete with underwear models, strained friendships, and lots and lots of blood. Our general standard for measuring podcast excellence is whether listening causes Gail to spit milk out her nose. By that standard we have a winner today. Which is good, because there's no easy way to describe what's in store for you otherwise. This lesson is a sequel to our previous podcast about a Gay Chinese Vampire. It continues our trend of producing the sorts of cutting-edge lessons you won't find in any traditional textbook. Since this podcast builds on the vocabulary we introduced in part one, if you haven't already checked out our preceding podcast you may want to take a listen to get up to speed. Otherwise, tune in as we charge headfirst into another messy romance replete with underwear models, strained friendships, and lots and lots of blood. Our general standard for measuring podcast excellence is whether listening causes Gail to spit milk out her nose. By that standard we have a winner today. Which is good, because there's no easy way to describe what's in store for you otherwise. This lesson is a sequel to our previous podcast about a Gay Chinese Vampire. It continues our trend of producing the sorts of cutting-edge lessons you won't find in any traditional textbook. Since this podcast builds on the vocabulary we introduced in part one, if you haven't already checked out our preceding podcast you may want to take a listen to get up to speed. Otherwise, tune in as we charge headfirst into another messy romance replete with underwear models, strained friendships, and lots and lots of blood. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-15,25137511 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25136267-Intermediate-The-Gay-Vampire-Part-II Our general standard for measuring podcast excellence is whether listening causes Gail to spit milk out her nose. By that standard we have a winner today. Which is good, because there's no easy way to describe what's in store for you otherwise. This lesson is a sequel to our previous podcast about a Gay Chinese Vampire. It continues our trend of producing the sorts of cutting-edge lessons you won't find in any traditional textbook. Since this podcast builds on the vocabulary we introduced in part one, if you haven't already checked out our preceding podcast you may want to take a listen to get up to speed. Otherwise, tune in as we charge headfirst into another messy romance replete with underwear models, strained friendships, and lots and lots of blood. Our general standard for measuring podcast excellence is whether listening causes Gail to spit milk out her nose. By that standard we have a winner today. Which is good, because there's no easy way to describe what's in store for you otherwise. This lesson is a sequel to our previous podcast about a Gay Chinese Vampire. It continues our trend of producing the sorts of cutting-edge lessons you won't find in any traditional textbook. Since this podcast builds on the vocabulary we introduced in part one, if you haven't already checked out our preceding podcast you may want to take a listen to get up to speed. Otherwise, tune in as we charge headfirst into another messy romance replete with underwear models, strained friendships, and lots and lots of blood. Our general standard for measuring podcast excellence is whether listening causes Gail to spit milk out her nose. By that standard we have a winner today. Which is good, because there's no easy way to describe what's in store for you otherwise. This lesson is a sequel to our previous podcast about a Gay Chinese Vampire. It continues our trend of producing the sorts of cutting-edge lessons you won't find in any traditional textbook. Since this podcast builds on the vocabulary we introduced in part one, if you haven't already checked out our preceding podcast you may want to take a listen to get up to speed. Otherwise, tune in as we charge headfirst into another messy romance replete with underwear models, strained friendships, and lots and lots of blood. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-15,25136267 Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25137512-Intermediate-The-Gay-Vampire As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning here than you may be used to, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning here than you may be used to, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning here than you may be used to, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-14,25137512 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25136268-Intermediate-The-Gay-Vampire As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning here than you may be used to, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning here than you may be used to, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning here than you may be used to, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-14,25136268 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25126792-Intermediate-The-Gay-Vampire As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning in this podcast, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning in this podcast, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. As recovering narcoleptics, we know a thing or two about shunning daylight, sleeping in coffins and going straight for the jugular. Sadly, in many parts of the world people continue to harbor prejudices against the undead. And yet blood donations are at an all-time high. It's a crazy world, we know. Join us today as we strike out against this pervasive and insidious form of social discrimination. Bloody Mary has a more literal meaning in this podcast, but regardless of your taste in drinks we're sure you'll enjoy learning all the Chinese you'll ever need to know should you find yourself invited to an underground party in the French Concession, and have the opportunity to chat up that cute, pulseless waitress from the local cafe who's always sleeping on the job. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-13,25126792 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25101341-Advanced-How-to-Speak-Shanghainese You may have been surprised on arrival in Shanghai to learn that no-one actually speaks mandarin there. Sure, the locals may call their language Chinese, but it's a bit of a national in-joke at this point. After a few thousand years of frustrated attempts to get directions out of the Pudong New District, no-one else in the country believes them anymore. Which is why it's a good idea to pick up a little Shanghainese if you're planning to be in town. And that's where this podcast comes in. Most of our advanced shows are entirely in standard mandarin. In this one we use the standard dialect to teach some of the basics of the Shanghai dialect. Join us and in addition to showing the difference between standard mandarin and Shanghai-accented mandarin very clearly, we'll teach you some of the basic phrases you'll need know to lubricate your way through the Pearl of the Orient in the language she prefers to speak. You may have been surprised on arrival in Shanghai to learn that no-one actually speaks mandarin there. Sure, the locals may call their language Chinese, but it's a bit of a national in-joke at this point. After a few thousand years of frustrated attempts to get directions out of the Pudong New District, no-one else in the country believes them anymore. Which is why it's a good idea to pick up a little Shanghainese if you're planning to be in town. And that's where this podcast comes in. Most of our advanced shows are entirely in standard mandarin. In this one we use the standard dialect to teach some of the basics of the Shanghai dialect. Join us and in addition to showing the difference between standard mandarin and Shanghai-accented mandarin very clearly, we'll teach you some of the basic phrases you'll need know to lubricate your way through the Pearl of the Orient in the language she prefers to speak. You may have been surprised on arrival in Shanghai to learn that no-one actually speaks mandarin there. Sure, the locals may call their language Chinese, but it's a bit of a national in-joke at this point. After a few thousand years of frustrated attempts to get directions out of the Pudong New District, no-one else in the country believes them anymore. Which is why it's a good idea to pick up a little Shanghainese if you're planning to be in town. And that's where this podcast comes in. Most of our advanced shows are entirely in standard mandarin. In this one we use the standard dialect to teach some of the basics of the Shanghai dialect. Join us and in addition to showing the difference between standard mandarin and Shanghai-accented mandarin very clearly, we'll teach you some of the basic phrases you'll need know to lubricate your way through the Pearl of the Orient in the language she prefers to speak. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-09,25101341 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25137513-Advanced-How-to-Speak-Shanghainese You may have been surprised on arrival in Shanghai to learn that no-one actually speaks mandarin there. Sure, the locals may call their language Chinese, but it's a bit of a national in-joke at this point. After a few thousand years of frustrated attempts to get directions out of the Pudong New District, no-one else in the country believes them anymore. Which is why it's a good idea to pick up a little Shanghainese if you're planning to be in town. And that's where this podcast comes in. Most of our advanced shows are entirely in standard mandarin. In this one we use the standard dialect to teach some of the basics of the Shanghai dialect. Join us and in addition to showing the difference between standard mandarin and Shanghai-accented mandarin very clearly, we'll teach you some of the basic phrases you'll need know to lubricate your way through the Pearl of the Orient in the language she prefers to speak. You may have been surprised on arrival in Shanghai to learn that no-one actually speaks mandarin there. Sure, the locals may call their language Chinese, but it's a bit of a national in-joke at this point. After a few thousand years of frustrated attempts to get directions out of the Pudong New District, no-one else in the country believes them anymore. Which is why it's a good idea to pick up a little Shanghainese if you're planning to be in town. And that's where this podcast comes in. Most of our advanced shows are entirely in standard mandarin. In this one we use the standard dialect to teach some of the basics of the Shanghai dialect. Join us and in addition to showing the difference between standard mandarin and Shanghai-accented mandarin very clearly, we'll teach you some of the basic phrases you'll need know to lubricate your way through the Pearl of the Orient in the language she prefers to speak. You may have been surprised on arrival in Shanghai to learn that no-one actually speaks mandarin there. Sure, the locals may call their language Chinese, but it's a bit of a national in-joke at this point. After a few thousand years of frustrated attempts to get directions out of the Pudong New District, no-one else in the country believes them anymore. Which is why it's a good idea to pick up a little Shanghainese if you're planning to be in town. And that's where this podcast comes in. Most of our advanced shows are entirely in standard mandarin. In this one we use the standard dialect to teach some of the basics of the Shanghai dialect. Join us and in addition to showing the difference between standard mandarin and Shanghai-accented mandarin very clearly, we'll teach you some of the basic phrases you'll need know to lubricate your way through the Pearl of the Orient in the language she prefers to speak. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-09,25137513 Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin http://odeo.com/episodes/25085708-Speaking-Practice-A-Face-like-a-Kite We know you started making plans for a night out as soon as you saw us publish that lesson for Absolute Beginners this morning. Unfortunately for your social ambitions, we don't have a reputation as cruel mandarin taskmasters for nothing. Which is why in addition to our beginner podcast we've got this speaking practice lesson aimed at Elementary students and above: anyone who can be intentionally funny in Chinese. So call us up and tell us a joke. In order to get you in the mood, we've put together a quick podcast accompanying this lesson in which 9527 unleashes her devastating wit. Give it a listen and see if you can understand it, and if you don't have any better jokes of your own, feel free to steal it (the transcript is on the text page). Premium subscribers will find our toll-free telephone number and a personal PIN number listed on the text page. So call us up and record your joke when prompted. Our staff will listen in and get back to you later this week with personal feedbac... We know you started making plans for a night out as soon as you saw us publish that lesson for Absolute Beginners this morning. Unfortunately for your social ambitions, we don't have a reputation as cruel mandarin taskmasters for nothing. Which is why in addition to our beginner podcast we've got this speaking practice lesson aimed at Elementary students and above: anyone who can be intentionally funny in Chinese. So call us up and tell us a joke. In order to get you in the mood, we've put together a quick podcast accompanying this lesson in which 9527 unleashes her devastating wit. Give it a listen and see if you can understand it, and if you don't have any better jokes of your own, feel free to steal it (the transcript is on the text page). Premium subscribers will find our toll-free telephone number and a personal PIN number listed on the text page. So call us up and record your joke when prompted. Our staff will listen in and get back to you later this week with personal feedback on your spoken Chinese. We know you started making plans for a night out as soon as you saw us publish that lesson for Absolute Beginners this morning. Unfortunately for your social ambitions, we don't have a reputation as cruel mandarin taskmasters for nothing. Which is why in addition to our beginner podcast we've got this speaking practice lesson aimed at Elementary students and above: anyone who can be intentionally funny in Chinese. So call us up and tell us a joke. In order to get you in the mood, we've put together a quick podcast accompanying this lesson in which 9527 unleashes her devastating wit. Give it a listen and see if you can understand it, and if you don't have any better jokes of your own, feel free to steal it (the transcript is on the text page). Premium subscribers will find our toll-free telephone number and a personal PIN number listed on the text page. So call us up and record your joke when prompted. Our staff will listen in and get back to you later this week with personal feedback on your spoken Chinese. tag:odeo.com,2009-09-07,25085708 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0700 no PopupChinese.com chinese China language Beijing chinese podcast hong kong]]> <![CDATA[learn chinese cantonese mandarin HSK shanghai learn mandarin