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.
Elementary - The Overworked Kitten
Jun 30, 2010
Show notes
This lesson is a bit different from what we normally do. Instead of a dialogue, we've got a short story to share with you. But this is not just any short story. It's actually a homework assignment written by Chris, one of our students who is studying one-on-one with Echo as part of our university program. And it is fantastic. Chris wrote this absolutely lovely tale about an overworked kitten, and when we read it we knew we had to share it with you.On a related note, if this sounds like the sort of thing you'd be interested in doing yourself, we'd be happy to give you a free trial to experience what our university program is actually like. Just send us an email at echo@popupchinese.com and Echo will schedule a free trial class for you at your convenience.
Advanced - Watercooler Gossip: Dream or Nightmare?
Jun 28, 2010
Show notes
We're taking a new approach to our Advanced series with this lesson, so let us know what you think. Instead of a Chinese-only discussion on a more general topic, we've got an in-depth bilingual discussion about what everyone in Beijing is talking about: the new television series of Dream of the Red Chamber. If you're not up on the latest gossip surrounding this production, join us as we complain about the bad casting, director scandals, atrocius haircuts and everything else your coworkers are griping about around the watercooler.In addition to the regular gossip though, we also talk a bit about the book itself. Even if you've never read Dream of the Red Chamber, by the end of this podcast you'll be able to talk knowledgeably not only about what actually happens in the book, but also what should have happened. We gave Brendan and Echo free rein to complain about who was supposed to end up with whom, who was supposed to die unhappily in chapter nine, and all of the other secrets revealed in one of the most critical passages in the book: the revelation of fates in the chapter five dream sequence. If you want the book in a nutshell, this is it.
Absolute Beginners - The Passive-Aggressive Masseuse
Jun 22, 2010
Show notes
The Chinese massage had started innocently enough, with the standard allotment of questions on age, nationality and marital status. But then almost imperceptibly it began to go downhill. First came the bruising kidney rub, and then what could only be called hyper-aggressive cupping. The masseuse was never overtly offensive, being almost professional to a fault, but she also never missed a pressure point.On a separate note, our apologies if the last few days have been a bit light on podcasts. We've just moved into our new headquarters at Popup Towers and things have been a bit chaotic shuffling furniture back and forth. We're back on a regular production schedule now and will have some more advanced materials coming out later this week. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this one.
Elementary - The Power Bar
Jun 17, 2010
Show notes
First of all, we should admit that this dialogue sparked a major feud at Popup Towers over the proper way to say the word "power bar" in Chinese. Religious obduracy in Ireland has nothing on the intransigence we've seen take root in our office over the past week. Echo refuses to use anything but 电插板 while Gail keeps making pointed reference to our 接线板. The rest of us being sick of the debate, officially give you permission to use whichever one you prefer.That said, Elementary students should know that our listening test today is special in essentially defining the upper boundary of our Elementary level. The vocabulary used is relatively straightforward, but it is delivered at a fast, natural speed. So test your Chinese comprehension by listening to our dialogue once and then clicking through to our online quiz to see how much you understood. Our regular popup transcripts and vocabulary lists are available for reference if you need them.
Absolute Beginners - The Internet, never heard of it....
Jun 14, 2010
Show notes
We were surprised when 9527 came out with this, especially since she's studying to be a programmer. But given the maze of Chinese Internet businesses with strange three-character names, it's not all surprising that - sooner or later - someone had to make this mistake. Just be glad this foot-in-mouth moment happened to a native speaker and not you....If you're a total beginner to Chinese, you'll find this lesson a bit on the hard side compared to most of our Absolute Beginner materials. So if you're new to Popup Chinese and easily intimidated, try starting with an easier lesson like this one. If you feel courageous though, remember that we have line-by-line recordings of all of the lines in this dialogue on our lesson text page, so you can listen to them one-by-one and practice until you get perfect. And for feedback on your spoken Chinese? We've enabled our Speaking Practice hotline for this lesson. Grab your PIN from the text page and give us a call for some individual Chinese learning love. We're looking forward to hearing from you.
Intermediate - Trapped in a Sea Cave
Jun 09, 2010
Show notes
Did I ever tell you about the time I was trapped in that sea cave? In less than ten minutes we went from collecting shells in shallow tidal pools to sloughing through waist-deep water as the tide came in. It was amazing how little it took to make everything wrong.And to be honest, there was a moment when I didn't think any of us would make it out alive. The currents had swollen so much it was getting hard to even keep my footing. But it was just then - right at that moment of despair - that I had what I know now is an epiphany. Because I suddenly realized what it really means to be human and why we're all here, and that's why I invited you out, because I think it's important to share....
Absolute Beginners - China's Harmonious Society
Jun 07, 2010
Show notes
There's no reason not to tell people what you think. Unless they're holding a weapon or have a crazy look in their eyes like the girl we met last week who insisted on asking us for our thoughts on the territorial integrity of the motherland before promising to swim across the Taiwanese straits with a knife in her teeth to ensure it before we even opened our mouth to answer. "So you like swimming," we tried to redirect the conversation. "What other hobbies do you have?"Some topics are too sensitive for other podcasts. But not Popup Chinese, which is why in today's lesson we stare down the rabid dog of media censorship and use it as an excuse to talk about our feelings. Our goal here is teaching you how to respond the next time someone puts you in a tough situation. And our suggestion? Tell them how you feel on pretty much every other subject under the sun until they get the point. We've tried this and can confirm that it actually works. And it doesn't take much Chinese to pull off either! Listen in and you'll be ready in no time.
Elementary - Watership Down, Part II
May 31, 2010
Show notes
Perhaps a rabbit made for an unorthodox pet, but considering the size of their apartment, it was a practical choice at least. Which was why Susan had relented at her son's insistence on adopting one. Fiver was the runt of the litter and had been practically apoplectic when picked out from the back of the cage, but the small beast was hastily quieted by an enthusiastic feeding of lettuce and carrots, and had fallen quite soundly asleep by the time they arrived home.Learning Chinese but having a rough time of it? No more. In this Chinese lesson, Brendan and Echo will teach you an easy way to put sentences into the future tense, while also reviewing a lot of vocabulary you'll use when... or... perhaps we'll just let you find out for yourself.
Elementary - The Chef Sends His Regards
May 27, 2010
Show notes
We were waiting for Brendan to arrive when the conversation turned to Yulao, one of our favorite restaurants in Beijing and the source of what is possibly the best lamb and beef kebabs in the whole city. Having spent an unhealthy number of evenings there, our crew was enthusiastically passing judgment on the menu when Brendan stepped into the room. "It's a great place," he said taking off his coat, "but don't look in the kitchen...."
Absolute Beginners - Stop Playing with My Phone
May 24, 2010
Show notes
There are moments of frustration in learning Chinese. Like the time you were crossing customs and the border agent asked for your Nexus One and refused to give it back. Or to be fair, he said he was looking for one and a more accurate description might be "played with it for about five minutes," all to the point you would have suspected industrial espionage if three of those minutes weren't spent on Snake.Our own bad experiences aside, our lesson today is designed for all of you who have yet to learn a single word of Chinese. The is one of the easiest lessons you'll find on Popup Chinese. In it, we introduce a very simple dialogue that will have you saying "this one" and "that one" and then asking others to give you things. Whether you're demanding electronics back from overzealous state employees, picking food off a menu or sourcing high-end commodity electronics from bazaars in Shenzhen, this is Chinese you can use right away. So dig in!
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
