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 Wandering Eye
Mar 26, 2009
Show notes
Thailand was warm, hospitable and overrun with brazen hussies. It was the perfect destination for her deadbeat lout of a spouse, thought Mary Lincoln, as the two of them rolled slowly towards Wat Mahathat wrapped in the sort of stifling heat that can only be experienced in a low-end tourist bus on a hot summer day. Sitting by her right shoulder, her husband was eagerly snapping photographs of the passing scenery.Over the last four days the prospect of a divorce had assumed a looming certainty in her mind. For it had been a terrible vacation. First there was the airport attendant, then the cleaning staff at the hotel. Then the tour guide, the lawyer they had met over brunch, and finally the woman who ran the juice-press outside their hotel. All told, Mark was like a man out of control. Things were severalfold worse than they had been on their last disastrous trip to Canada, Mary decided. She had had enough.
Intermediate - A Parasitic Relationship
Mar 23, 2009
Show notes
Life in China is tough for recent university graduates, especially those seeking work in major cities like Shanghai. While living expenses keep rising and housing prices are off-the-charts compared to local wages, pressure from China's rural labor force has kept compensation low, especially for women. It isn't uncommon for recent graduates to find themselves earning just over 2000 RMB a month in positions that fail to provide social insurance or other forms of support like subsidized housing.Consequently, it isn't surprising that so many single children with working parents have simply shunned the job market. And while not needing to work makes life easier in the short run, it puts a huge strain on their relationships and long-term independence. In our listening test for today we look at the toll this sort of thing takes on a previously healthy relationship. So listen up, take our quiz to measure your listening comprehension and then consult our annotated transcript in case you missed any details. We think you'll learn something now.
Elementary - The Break-Up
Mar 20, 2009
Show notes
Today we delve into the messy end of a typical Chinese break-up. Despite the fact that it sounds a lot like one of Echo's Korean soap operas, this podcast has been inspired by real-life events. We have stories involving Hong Kong art smugglers, knifed fruit and death threats. We're sure you've got stories too: when you come to Beijing look us up and we'll swap them over a beer or two.All that said, we were a bit torn about how to classify today's lesson. The Chinese in this podcast is more difficult than in our typical Elementary lesson, but also easier than our average Intermediate. We finally settled on Elementary as the vocabulary covers family relationships, pets and children. This is relatively basic stuff, but don't worry if you find it a bit challenging given the emotions involved, and the fact that plates are probably being flung through the air during the dialogue.
Elementary - Diet-Popup
Mar 17, 2009
Show notes
The medical establishment is slowly coming around to an incontrovertible fact: Popup Chinese subscribers are better looking, smarter, thinner and generally cooler people than the rest of the population. That's what our recent t-shirt promotion suggested at least, and while correlation isn't exactly causation, it's close enough that we can all feel good about ourselves.Which is why in this podcast we engage in some experimental and entirely unapologetic brand promotion. "I don't get it," Gail said after listening to this podcast, mere seconds before pulling out her credit card and ordering a subscription. If you also like what you hear and are looking to mix-up your own workout routine, we'd encourage you to take out one as well. Cutting the fat and keeping the Popup is healthy advice. Just ask your doctor.
Intermediate - Killing the Mole
Mar 16, 2009
Show notes
Interested in a career with the Triads? Join us today as we teach the core vocabulary you'll need to launch your career with the Chinese mob. Whether you're rooting out moles, sending people to sleep with the fishes, smuggling opium or managing a gang of surly enforcers from Guangzhou, Popup Chinese is committed to helping you communicate ambiguous hit orders in fluent mandarin without awkward pauses, malapropisms or other linguistic gaffes.
Absolute Beginners - Taking a Photo
Mar 12, 2009
Show notes
It is our fate at Popup Chinese to be surrounded by beautiful and talented men and women. So it isn't any surprise that our camera gets whipped out on occasion and we all indulge in The Deuce. You want in the picture too? Join us today as we learn the basics of telling left from right and counting to three. Because you're a beautiful person and we're glad to have you around.
Advanced - An Unexpected Surprise
Mar 10, 2009
Show notes
Our advanced listening test for today is entirely spontaneous: something we caught on tape almost accidentally when Apple and Kang were fooling around in the studio. While the vocabulary itself is not terribly demanding, the recording is fast-paced and somewhat unforgiving. There's a lot here: if you can keep up try paying attention to the way emotions are expressed, especially exasperation.There are a few things worth noting grammatically, such as the repeated, instinctive reliance on 然后 when stringing together complex sentences. Also the phrasing for expressing insistence in the first sentence. As with our other listening tests, we recommend listening to the recording once through before taking our quiz. Once you know what you've missed you can listen again while reading our annotated transcript for instant enlightenment.
Elementary - A Date with Sichuan
Mar 09, 2009
Show notes
"How hot do you like it," he had asked, which was how they ended up in the latest Sichuan restaurant to open in downtown Paris. The setting was a coy pairing of Continental elegance and Oriental exoticism. And it would have made for a perfect date except for some unspoken fear that flitted in the air around them, like the shadow from a bird of prey circling far above.When the waiter appeared with the menu, her date had simply passed it to her and turned his attention to the nearby Seine, the last rays of the setting sun disappearing over the Île de la Cité, and the few couples winding their ways home through the cobbled streets. Had something in their relationship changed? Was he disinterested, or simply distracted? Deborah was on the verge of broaching the question when their server reappeared and her date snapped to attention. It was time to order.
Absolute Beginners - Thanks But No Thanks
Mar 05, 2009
Show notes
Our title isn't meant to be cruel, but running the poverty gauntlet gets old fast, which might be why some of the harshest comments we've heard about the homeless have come from Chinese friends and students. Nonetheless, while we recommend ignoring the professional beggars, it's a good habit to keep some change in your pocket and dispense with it liberally when you meet someone in real need. It's also important to keep the pickpockets at bay, so in this podcast we teach you how.
Intermediate - Porn for Panda
Mar 03, 2009
Show notes
The creak of the door stirred Tuan Tuan from the depths of his slumber. It was eleven o'clock, and Yuan Yuan, who had been sleeping peacefully in the thicket beside him, growled quietly at the disruption. On this they could agree: what fools they had for keepers! The great beast briefly entertained the thought of shifting to express his displeasure at the intrusion, but natural lethargy and his ongoing digestive battle with the the previous evening's bamboo won out. He remained prone.Nonetheless, the giant panda did keep a groggy eye on the two figures who had emerged into his dwelling, huffing and puffing in their white gowns as they wheeled in what appeared to be a giant black box. Disappointment settled in his heart at seeing this most unimaginative of gifts, until it occurred to him that perhaps this too would be filled with bamboo. There was always room for more bamboo.
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