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.
Intermediate - Cosplay Jiang Zemin
May 25, 2011
Show notes
The first time the Communist Youth League suggested a cosplay outing to Beihai park, Xiao Wang was taken aback by the idea. She had always thought joining the Communist Party would be a romantic, intellectual journey filled with serious discussions about the fate of the nation and her responsibilities as a prospective Party member. And yet if costume play was what they wanted... let no-one say she wasn't willing to play the part.Learning Chinese and dismayed by the general lack of lessons about cosplay and senior Party leadership? Let our Intermediate Chinese podcast for today fill this critical gap as we cover both topics in a single podcast. And we welcome lesson suggestions for other topics you feel are equally underrepresented: send us your suggestions at service@popupchinese.com or leave a note in our comment section below.
Elementary - Squeak the Cat
May 24, 2011
Show notes
We took Squeak in after a friend found him huddling in the bushes of her apartment complex. As he's grown up, our once-tiny kitten has developed a fondness for gnawing on things as a general solution to any problem, along with a voracious appetite for lychee and fondness for fetching paper balls. Given that our last non-Chinese cat spent most of its time sleeping, our conclusion is that Chinese cats are pretty cool.Learning Chinese? At the elementary level our dialogues start moving away from simple words to more complex sentences. And while our dialogue for today is still not that complex, it moves as quickly as the language you'll hear on the streets of Beijing. So if you're pushing ahead with your mandarin or are an animal lover looking to pick up some pet-related vocabulary, join us for a lesson that will set you on the right track.
Intermediate - A Lifetime of Remorse
May 18, 2011
Show notes
He had heard that the Owl of Minerva flies only at twilight, and yet the old man had dismissed such philosophy when young. As a boy, enlightenment had raced before his grasping fingers. It was only now as he lay on his deathbed that the old man knew the cruel truth in the form of a pained regret for a lifetime of deeds left undone....
Absolute Beginners - The Grandmother Enigma
May 17, 2011
Show notes
"It says that Chinese people really care about family," Larry Page leafed through the consulting report. For the last few months, impassioned youth from all over the country had been flooding the Internet with impassioned pleas filled with references to their grandmothers. From its headquarters tracking online sentiment, Google was sure somewhat strange was happening in the country, but what exactly?Learning Chinese? This lesson is for Absolute Beginners to the Chinese language. Even if you don't know any mandarin this lesson should be simple enough to get you started. So join us as we cover two essentials: how to ask questions about time, and when and where to invoke the names of close friends and relatives. We thrive on your comments and suggestions, so if you have any, please feel free to leave a comment in the discussion space below or send us an email at service@popupchinese.com.
Elementary - The Dumb, Illiterate Judge of Hakensaw County
May 13, 2011
Show notes
Those who say justice is blind never met Samuel Trappers, famed throughout the fourteenth circuit for his unorthodox approach to law and personal hygiene. More than one counsel had met her match arguing the finer points of law before his court, and many were those to arrive with meticulously prepared briefs only to have their entire cases thrown out in a fit of pique over slight failings in ceremonial attire.Looking for a good way to learn Chinese? At our elementary level, our lessons start to creep up in length, but they still feature high-frequency vocabulary and avoid complex grammar structures. So they're exactly the sort of lessons you need if you're still trying to internalize the basics of the language. So if you're an elementary student listen in and let us know what you think. You can reach us by email anytime at service@popupchinese.com.
Absolute Beginners - An Inclination to Casual Looting
May 10, 2011
Show notes
John was the school's most popular thief. Sifting through a bag left unattended for a moment, he'd strike up conversation with the owner as they returned, hardly pausing from his single-minded plunder of their personal electronics. Yet while the boy had been repeatedly disciplined by the relevant authorities, his crimes never seemed to come to a head: there remained something almost charming about his childish enthusiasm for theft that disarmed even his most outspoken victims.Learning Chinese? Today we're proud to present a Chinese lesson for Absolute Beginners to the Chinese language. If this sounds like you, join us for a fun session that shares the secret everyone who has gone through the learning process knows about how not to sound like a robot when speaking Chinese. This is the sort of thing your textbooks won't teach you. And it's only from Popup Chinese. So listen up and let us know what you think!
Intermediate - The Secret Nazi Threat, part II
May 05, 2011
Show notes
George S. Patton charged into Hitler's bunker with revolver drawn. Frustrated by the creeping pace of Allied progress, the American general had torn ahead with trusty aide in his private jeep, single-handedly clearing out entire squads of enemy soldiers in his drive to beat the Red Army to Berlin. Little could he know the surprise lying in wait for him at the heart of the Third Reich....
Intermediate - The Secret Nazi Threat
May 03, 2011
Show notes
Nevermind that filming had been ongoing for weeks, and the script was explicitly based on records of Allied meetings during the Battle of the Bulge. The envoy from the Ministry of Culture had been adamant: changes were needed to both script and cast if shooting was to continue on schedule. Which was how the international WWII production found itself in disarray as its director headed off for an emergency meeting with his executive producer.If you're learning Chinese and are at the intermediate level, we think you'll like this lesson. It's based on a fairly lengthy dialogue, but is a fun one filled with colloquial mandarin spoken they way you'll hear on television and on the streets in China. We also move beyond teaching vocabulary to talk about a useful way to sound ironic, sarcastic and disappointed when something doesn't go your way. We hope you enjoy it!
Elementary - Popup Chinese Crossover Madness
Apr 28, 2011
Show notes
There are some things about Chinese that you won't learn in a classroom, and some dialogues that conventional textbooks simply won't feature. For an example of the latter consider our crossover dialogue for today, inspired by a mixture of 1980s films, serial nightmares involving thirsty politburo members and a certain orange-flavored carbonated beverage that just happens to taste delicious when mixed with a bit of rum and drunk on the beach.If you've listened to Popup Chinese for a while, you'll know what to expect. Or maybe you won't. But regardless of whether you're inured to the way we teach Chinese yet, listen up for our Chinese podcast that covers three elementary topics: an prepositional exception that proves the rule, an adverb you can use to tell friends that - as it happens - you don't really have the time to help them move, and a very colloquial way to order dinner. Because this is a long podcast and by the time it's done you'll probably be starving too.
Intermediate - Military Escalation
Apr 25, 2011
Show notes
The war had been raging for an eternity. At first the enemy would seize a strategic advantage and seem on the cusp of victory, only to be pushed back at the last moment. And then the pattern would play out in reverse. This ebb and flow had happened so many times that as the months and years wore on, both sides settled into an almost permanent stalemate of frustrated militarism: desperate and craving for escalation as a kind of perverse emotional release.Our Intermediate Chinese lesson for today is filled with military lingo and terminology (bombs and parachutes and planes, oh my!). And since we recognize that you may not have personal cause to start World War III, we also spend a bit of time exploring the differences between 按照 and 照着, two words that are so remarkably similar in meaning that even native speakers have been known to get their usage wrong. So fire up the warplanes, get listening and we hope you enjoy the show.
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