Serious Mandarin Chinese Learner: The Comparison Trap
“Reader be warned: at the time of writing, I’ve only completed six months of formal Chinese language instruction. I’m still a beginner, perhaps verging on intermediate, so my thoughts on…
The Best Chinese Picture Books for your Kids
If you’re raising your child to be bilingual in Chinese and you don’t have the benefit of living in China, then one fantastic way to practice with your Children would…
Mastering the Different Ways to Say “Because” and “So” in Chinese
One of the biggest steps you can take in learning a new language is moving beyond simple sentences and being able to explain why something happened or what happened next…
Sending Flowers in China: Do’s and Don’ts
The topic of how to send flowers in China came to my mind a short time ago when one of my friends told me of a student who sent her…
Finding the Hidden Keys to Unlocking Chinese Compound Words
A huge bulk of the words in Chinese are compound words, consisting of two or more characters put together. Even if you’re already aware of the fact that Chinese characters…
The Different Learning Methods for Beginner and Advanced Chinese Learner
You may be wondering, as someone studying Mandarin, if there is any difference in the learning methods of beginners and advanced students? If we use the same methods from the…
Tips and Tricks to Successfully Learn Chinese
Background: Andrea learned Chinese as an adult and is now a non-native Chinese teacher with five years’ experience in high school teaching. She is a native English speaker with a…
Ways to Make Chinese Learning Fun for Your Kids!
Learning a second language from an early age is incredibly valuable, so if you have decided to educate your children in Mandarin as a second language, there are some key…
Breaking the Ice: Top Topics for Your First Chinese Conversation
It is almost impossible to learn Mandarin without lots of practice with a native Chinese person, but taking that first step to actual have that first conversation can feel like…