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A Sichuan Restaurant Menu Translated: Stir Fry Dishes
Most of us have had a situation where we’d like to try some new dishes but can’t read everything on the menu. To fix this problem and learn some new Chinese, we’ve translated the menu of a local...
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Learn Chinese Like an American Diplomat － For Free
2015 update: Unfortunately, this has come to an end, and the U.S. Foreign Service Institute has shut down its site. This was brought to my attention by Andrew from Remember.it Chinese, which is a...
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Why You Should Break Out of Your Culinary Comfort Zone
It’s easy to get stuck. You know how the routine goes: tracing your own footsteps (literally and figuratively) and ending up with the same dishes over and over again. Sure, they’re delicious. But...
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4 Proven Tips to Master Basic Chinese
Over the National Day Holiday I’ve been hosting a few American friends who first arrived in China several weeks ago. Although they haven’t been in China for long, they already understand the vital...
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How to Read Chinese Characters Without Learning Them: Pleco OCR
Everyone who’s become proficient in reading and writing Chinese will tell you that it doesn’t come quick. It takes years of practice, dedication and exposure to characters. Despite the learning curve,...
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Five Must-See Websites to Advance Your Chinese
Of all the resources at your disposal for learning Chinese, the internet has to be at the top of the list after interaction with native speakers. The sheer number and quality of tools available (vocab...
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Learn to Write Characters on Your iPad With Word Tracer
When it comes to learning or practicing Chinese characters, the iPad has always had enormous potential. But although the potential of the iPad was always clear, it wasn’t until the last year or so that...
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Chengdu Bars and the People You’ll Meet There
I found this funny little post on Weibo earlier, which lists several bars and clubs in Chengdu along with the common patrons to be found at those clubs. The titles used for the clientele are great for...
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5 Essential Apps for Living in China
My iPhone is always in my pocket and has become an invaluable tool for life in Chengdu. I’ve used it for learning Chinese, managing daily tasks, finding my way in China, and so much more. As each year...
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Combatting “Expat Illiteracy” With Apps
Due to a lack of English spoken among the average residents in Chengdu, learning Chinese is virtually a necessity in this city. Without knowledge of spoken Chinese, many of the doors to the best...
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The Paradox of Our Times, Translated to Chinese
Note: The following is an excerpt attributed to George Carlin (before we realized that it’s not in fact from Carlin, thanks John), followed by a Chinese translation that’s provided to help you learn...
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Studying Chinese with an iPhone
Note: because they run the same applications, this article applies to both the iPhone and iPod Touch. Many of the links below are to applications on the iTunes store and for those links to work you...
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Read Your Chinese AC’s Remote Control
Problem: Chengdu in late autumn was delivering an ice-bath of still air as a group of friends sat in a room that was even colder than outside. Prognosis: the air-conditioner was set to COOL. Upon...
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Using Apple OSX’s Character Palette to Input Chinese
2015 update: while this functionality still exists in OS X, it has been renamed and placed under the “Emoji and Symbols” menu option within Edit on your Mac. Full instructions on finding this are...
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Studying Chinese Vocabulary with Lingt
In the constant search to find more efficient language acquisition techniques, I’m always adjusting my study routine. The other day I stumbled upon Lingt, a site which offers vocabulary lists for...
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The Most Potent Fertilizer on Earth
“Shengdiyage” (pronouced “Shung Dee Yah Guh”) is a Chinese fertilizer company that has achieved notoriety through their television marketing campaign, which relies on the use of low-grade foreign...
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5 Great Reasons to Learn Mandarin
From immigrants in Chinatown to school boards in Ohio, people around the world are changing their tune on what languages should be taught to children. Resoundingly, they’re recommending Mandarin, the...
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Using the iPad to Study Chinese
Even though it was only announced a few days ago, Apple’s iPad already has me thinking about how app developers will use the large, high resolution display to make learning Chinese easier than ever...
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How to Take Shortcuts to Elite Chinese Like I Did
Note: the post below was authored by Luke Neale, co-founder of Mandarin Blueprint, the Chengdu-based Chinese language school and includes an embedded Youtube clip. If you’re in Mainland China, you will...
View ArticleThe Paradox of Our Times, Translated to Chinese
The immortal words of George Carlin (1937-2008) declaring what society has gained and lost through its modernization. Chinese translation included so you can learn some new phrases and words. The post...
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