How do you get started with listening in Mandarin? What makes group conversations so challenging? And is it true that news broadcasts in Chinese are...
Category: Chinese
Student Q&A, March 2024: Reading aloud, finding word boundaries, and working actively with reading materials
This week’s podcast episode (number 187) is a reader and listener Q&A, where I answer three questions sent to me about reading in Chinese. This...
Student Q&A: March, 2025: Chinese slang, leaving expat bubbles, and competing with other learners
Is learning Chinese slang worth your time? What do you do when someone with less study time speaks better than you? And how can you escape the expat...
Student Q&A, May 2024: Understanding strangers, listening with transcripts, and which podcasts to avoid
This week’s podcast episode (number 196) is a reader and listener Q&A, where I answer three questions about listening comprehension in Chinese....
Student Q&A: May, 2025: Learning Chinese characters and words with flashcard apps
Should you focus on many words superficially or few words well? How do you stay motivated when flashcards get boring? And how can you tell if you...
Student Q&A, November 2023: Reading Pinyin or characters, comprehensible vs. compelling content and reading tools
This week’s podcast episode (number 169) is a reader and listener Q&A, where I answer three questions sent to me about reading in Chinese, more...
Student Q&A, November 2024: Pros and cons of digital tools for Chinese reading, and the struggle to find comprehensible and interesting texts
This week’s podcast episode is a reader and listener Q&A, where I answer three questions about reading in Chinese. This time, I’m answering...
pre-launch-plea-for-help
A pre-launch plea for help | Hacking Chinese
Preparing for rainy days and dealing with slumps
Image credit: flickr.com/photos/adrian_s/ We all experience slumps or periods when we don’t study much for some reason. This can be because the fun...
Why you should preview before every Chinese lesson
Previewing before Chinese lessons is a simple yet frequently overlooked method to enhance learning. By previewing, you maximise the benefits of...