Category Archives: Learning Chinese
For everything to do with the Chinese language and what it takes to learn it.
ChinesePod affiliate program back up
ChinesePod.com, one of the pioneers for learning languages via podcasts, has recently relaunched their affiliate program, and I gotta say, it’s better than ever. An affiliate program might not mean much to many of you, but I know a lot of folks that read this blog regularly also run their own China-related blogs and sites, …
Soochow/Suzhou University Mandarin Program – Contact Info
As I’ve had no less than half a dozen e-mails asking me this, and as I can’t remember where I got the information initially, here’s some contact/prelim. information about Suzhou’s Soochow University Mandarin language program. I’ve decided not to continue studying there for a whole number of reasons – none of which have to do …
The Chinese Alphabet – it’s not THAT big
For as long as I’ve been in China I’ve been told, and have told others, that the reason the Chinese language is so impossibly difficult to learn is because of its alphabet of 50,000,000,000,000,000 characters, each strokingly more confusing than the last. However, I think it’s time to set the record straight. Comparing the number …
Practice writing Chinese on your computer
Over the past couple years of half-heartedly studying Chinese I’ve come across a good number of computer-based tools to help in my studies. ChinesePod, Google’s IME, Adsotrans and Google Translator, Wenlin and a bunch of great freeware and Firefox plugins – just to name a few. However, about two months ago I was casually browsing …
Has anyone seen my face?
One of the things I like about Chinese is that it tends to be quite module-like. There are lots of little structures that you can just modify with new nouns, adjectives or what have you, to create entirely new meanings. A couple examples: 越 … 越 … 越(来)越(好) | yuè lái yuè hǎo | better …
First day and I’m already sick and tired
I was up with the construction workers this morning, excited to be heading off to my first day of school. The anticipation of starting something new made me ignore the stomach cramps, and pass them off to nerves. Arriving at the university with ten minutes to spare, I realized I should have given myself more …
Soochow University, here I come
So, I’m registered. As of yesterday afternoon I am officially a student of Mandarin at Suzhou University (cue hollers and hats thrown in a random and celebratory fashion). The whole process was pretty straight forward, and I have to admit that I’ve little clue as to what is actually going on (mantra – follow the …
The Laowai Psychological Street Fight
I’ve always been a lousy liar. Remembering whom I’ve told what to is difficult for me when it’s the truth, but add in the complexity of deceit, well… forget it. About five years ago my buddies and I started up a weekly Texas Hold’em game, and this taught me the “bluff”. Now here was a …
Black Black Heart – 分开旅行 (Travelling Separately)
We all have bands that made an impression on us in those most impressionable years of adolescences. For me (and many of my generation) it was the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, STP, Alice In Chains and pretty much anyone off the Singles and Pump Up The Volume soundtracks. Thanks to some strict CanCon laws …
