ChinesePod - Beginner
691 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 7 hours ago - ★★★★ - 11 ratingsChinesePod makes learning Mandarin fun and easy. It isn't your typical language learning resource - we think you'll be entertained as well!
If you’re just trying to learn some survival Chinese or looking to start a lifelong relationship with the language, this ChinesePod - Beginner Level Podcast Channel is where to start.
Expand your Mandarin Chinese learning experience by also SUBSCRIBING to ChinesePod - Intermediate and ChinesePod - Advanced Podcast channels.
For more lessons, go to www.chinesepod.com and take us for a spin.
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Episodes
Elementary | Hong Kong Visa Run
June 26, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.5 MBVisas are a huge, unavoidable nuisance. If you live in China, there's a good chance you've made at least one trip to Hong Kong in search of this priceless little sticker. Learn useful Chinese vocabulary about visas in today's podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1123
Newbie | Taxi Destination
June 24, 2024 08:05 - 12 minutes - 27.5 MBYou feel like you've won the battle by actually getting one to stop--though you had to beat off your street corner contenders to do it. All is fair in the battle for the cab... you claimed this curb first. But now, as you settle into the not-so-white white seat covers, don't lose the war. In this podcast, learn how to tell your taxi driver where you wanna go (and how to get there!), in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0946
Elementary | In a Moment
June 21, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBToday's Chinese lesson will have you on the edge of your seat, if you get excited easily. You'll learn how to tell others to hold their horses in Mandarin. What's your hurry? Learning Chinese takes time. Lots and lots of time. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1118
Newbie | Finding a Taxi
June 19, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 29.6 MBWe assume that, as a beginner, deciphering the schedule for the airport bus might be just a little stressful, so put off breaking into that duty-free you bought for 10 minutes or so and get yourself far, far away from the mayhem that is an Asian airport. In this podcast, you will learn how to find a taxi, in Mandarin Chinese. Then, sit back and enjoy the thrill sport that is taxi-taking in China. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0942
Elementary | Watch Out!
June 17, 2024 08:00 - 10 minutes - 25.1 MBYou can't go forward all the time (unless you study Mandarin with ChinesePod, of course!) Sometimes you need to put 'er in reverse. Today's podcast tells you how to talk in Chinese about road safety. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1112
Newbie | Weekend Plans
June 14, 2024 08:00 - 9 minutes - 21.1 MBEverybody's workin' for the weekend... oh, no, wait a sec, that's just us... slaving away for your daily Chinese podcast dose. But we're not bitter, we love you. Pay us back by allowing us to live vicariously through you and your eventful full meaningful lives. Here, a lesson on living for the weekend. Listen in, then tell us your plans too in the comments section (that was a thinly veiled disguise for an invite). Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0939
Elementary | Bad Cell Reception
June 12, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36 MBIn this podcast, you'll learn how to complain about a poor cell phone signal. That must be why you didn't understand what your Chinese friend was saying...right? Make sure you always come through loud and clear when you speak Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1109
Newbie | What will it be?
June 10, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.3 MBMeat-laden fourth of July barbecues may have caused you to consider a jump onto the pescetarian bandwagon. It's so much more than vegetarianism for underachievers. To make the move easier, let's not learn how to say pescetarian in Chinese, and learn instead how to spurn meat and switch to fish, in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0935
Elementary | Expired!
June 07, 2024 08:00 - 17 minutes - 39.6 MBSome things get better with age: a violin, a painting, a big Bordeaux. Some things do not: computers, shoes, and dairy products. In today's Chinese lesson, you'll learn how to talk in Mandarin about that dodgy carton of semi-solids in your fridge. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1100
Newbie | The Mean Boss
June 05, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 26.3 MBJenny demanded that we teach you how to say that you enjoy your work, but not your boss--due to his temper. While we’re busy looking further into this matter, we’ll go ahead and teach you how to "moan about the man." Listen in to this podcast and learn how to talk about your bad-tempered boss, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0932
Elementary | Valentine's Special
June 03, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 37 MBLove is in the air at ChinesePod. Or maybe that smell is from the river beside our office. Anyway, today's lesson on Valentine's Day will teach you to speak the language of love: Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1096
Newbie | What is your job?
May 31, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 26.5 MBSo a banker, a lawyer and a model walk into a bar… seriously. We won't make you the funniest guy in the room, but we will do our best to make you conversational, at least. In this podcast, learn to ask and answer the "what do you do?" query in Mandarin Chinese. And should you actually be a lawyer, we’ll also help you learn how to apologize profusely. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0927
Elementary | Illegal taxis
May 29, 2024 08:00 - 17 minutes - 40.8 MBYou've just gotten off your train in a strange city, and darkness is falling. You're tempted to follow the paunchy gent with the cigarette in his lips. Turning up the charm, he grunts as he gestures toward the cab with no meter. Do you dare hop in? Listen to today's Mandarin podcast and learn about illegal cabs, in Chinese! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1091
Newbie | Best Friends
May 27, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 34.8 MBLife can look better through drunk colored glasses. Teetotalism of course has its merits, but many a Shanghai reveler would agree that Mandarin flows better through liquor-loosened lips. In this podcast, for the happy drunks amongst us, a little inebriated Chinese to teach you how to open your heart and mouth to those loved ones around you. Tie one on and let's hear your true feelings come out. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0924
Elementary | New Clothes
May 24, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36 MBYou don't really need an excuse to buy new clothes. But Chinese New Year lets you rationalize buying that snazzy faux fur hat and "Guchi" sun-dress. Listen to today's podcast and learn to talk in Mandarin about your New Year's sartorial sojourn. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1085
Newbie | Wait!
May 22, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 29.4 MBThe familiar screech of tires on pavement. The last minute, albeit futile, 'wei, wei, wei!' In a place where safety rarely comes first, a little verbal warning exercise can go a long way. In this podcast, learn how to holler at someone in Mandarin Chinese... for their own good, of course. You may get more practice on this lesson than you bargained for. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0922
Elementary | Hanging Up the Phone
May 20, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 37.6 MBHanging up the telephone can be a drawn-out affair in China. Both sides seem reluctant to end the conversation, and may linger over best wishes, warnings, and advice. All the while, they insist that they are going to hang up now. In today's podcast, learn how to terminate a call in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1080
Newbie | When is the meeting?
May 17, 2024 08:00 - 10 minutes - 24.8 MBA time to laugh, a time to cry. A time to go to meetings, a time to die of boredom... If you're going to want someone to give you the time of day, you're going to have to learn how to ask it in Mandarin. So, listen to this podcast and never be late again. A time for Chinese... I swear it's not too late... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0917
Elementary | Plants Need Watering
May 15, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 27.8 MBThe Chinese word for "gardener" can also mean "teacher." Extending the metaphor, we can see our poddies as beautiful flowers, ready for their daily dose of ChinesePod's water of wisdom. That is, unless you're one of those rare students who thinks our podcasts are a lot of manure! Still, even manure helps things grow... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1078
Newbie | Who is that?
May 13, 2024 08:00 - 10 minutes - 24.2 MBYou may not be strutting on the catwalk, but your significant other is working it tonight! With this lesson, you can let everyone in the room know, hey... she's with me! And you'll do it in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0913
Elementary | Happiness Candy
May 10, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 38.5 MBHave you ever been on the receiving or giving end of 'Happiness Candy'? In today's lesson you'll learn how to congratulate newlyweds in Mandarin, and also get to know when people are asking subtle personal questions about your marital status. So without further ado let's eat some Chinese 'Happiness Candy'. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1073
Newbie | Sightseeing at Tiananmen
May 08, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 29.9 MBA square, you say? Touring a rectangle seems a little more stimulating, perhaps? This is not just any four-sided box. This is the center of Beijing. A place full of history and full of people. Now it's so big, you may just stumble across it, but we're thinking you might need a little more help. Since you've already learned where Changan Jie is from Pimsleur, let ChinesePod take you the rest of the way, in this Mandarin lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0909
Elementary | Outrageous Power Bill
May 06, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.5 MBToday's Chinese lesson is a power-play. If you get too fond of your air-conditioner, you'll end up with a sky-high electricity bill. As you fork over that big stack of RMB, learn how to blame your roommate in Mandarin Chinese! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1068
Newbie | Working Hours
May 03, 2024 08:00 - 10 minutes - 23.8 MBThe Shanghai bar scene starts with happy hour, but you won’t get the invite if you can’t tell the crew what time you get off work…and you won’t be able to bow out of taking early morning baijiu shots unless you can moan about what time you have to go in the next day… All this can be solved if you listen to this podcast on working time, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0904
Elementary | Don't push that button
May 01, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 34.3 MBThese days, there's a button for everything. Buttons help you make your coffee, turn on your computer to get your ChinesePod lesson...there are even buttons to bring on Doomsday! Listen to today's podcast and learn to talk about this touchy subject in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1066
Newbie | I'm Married
April 29, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 28 MBDandy, aren’t we? With that custom-made suit you got made here, you’re bound to turn some heads. In this podcast, ward off a wandering eye and learn to say you are married, in Mandarin Chinese. Ahem…your spouse did ask us to teach you how to speak about being spoken for. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0899
Elementary | Learning the Lei Feng Song
April 26, 2024 08:00 - 19 minutes - 44.9 MBIn the old days, Western kids wanted to "Be Like Mike." Chinese kids wanted to "Be Like Comrade Lei Feng." In today's podcast, learn about this ultimate do-gooder. He's a role model for communists and capitalist-running-dogs alike. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1055
Newbie | When will he return?
April 24, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 29.1 MB“Call me at the office when you land,” your friend says. So you do… He's not in. Now unless you actually envied Tom Hanks in “The Terminal,” you might want to learn a little phone Mandarin. In this podcast you will learn how to deal with a "bu zai" in Chinese, thereby avoiding the prospect of spending the night on a luggage cart. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0891
Elementary | What's your (animal) sign?
April 22, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 34.3 MBHere's a lesson on Sign Language. In this podcast, you'll learn how to sneakily figure out people's age, based on the twelve-year Chinese zodiac. And do it all in Mandarin! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1051
Newbie | Is it far?
April 19, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 26.2 MBSo, you’ve used our lessons to land the big contract (we’d like a cut), and all you have to do is meet at their office. Who knew your western GPS wouldn’t work in Asia?! What are you going to do now, G.G. Ross? Can we suggest a lesson on using Mandarin to find out where you are going? In the unlikely event of losing your way, find it in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0890
Elementary | Table for Three
April 17, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 26.5 MBIf you've ever had reservations about eating out in China, this is the Chinese podcast for you! Grab a seat and learn how to book a table in Mandarin. I'll meet you anytime you want, in our Sichuanese restaurant. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1046
Newbie | Cell Phones
April 15, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 26.1 MBThe hottest plastic surgery technique to hit China is the surgical removal of mobile phones from the ear. Though it's convenient having it so attached, with the onset of bluetooth technology, more and more young Chinese are opting for removal. So... you’re going to speak Chinese... how better to act Chinese?! Dial that mobile phone and don't ever get off of it. Learn how to do it in Mandarin in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0884
Elementary | Get in line!
April 12, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 37.1 MBFor those amongst us who have taken it upon themselves to provide community service in the form of 'Line Management Consulting and Enforcement' and hope to leave a trail of orderly lines behind as their legacy, we provide this podcast. Learn how to confront the offender and whip that line into shape, in Chinese. Today, line-ups... tomorrow, subway cars... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1037
Newbie | Sing and Dance
April 10, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 25.7 MBThe hills are alive with the sound of the pipa. Singing in China... rife in KTV bars, on street corners, in public parks, in low-budget questionably-directed lip-dub videos. Dancing.. though it's singing's less popular cousin, look out for the classy ballroom dancers in a lit up corner of the park on a cool summer evening. In this podcast, the language of music transcends. Learn it in this Mandarin lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0880
Elementary | Leaving Luggage with the Hotel
April 08, 2024 09:14 - 17 minutes - 40.4 MBPerhaps you could have traveled a little lighter, in retrospect. But the fake LV suitcases came in such a beautiful set and they match your outfit so well, it would have been a shame to exclude any of them from the journey, no? In this podcast, learn freedom from sore arms, broken suitcase wheels, and marital discord. Learn how to check your luggage with the hotel, in Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1033
Newbie | Where Do You Live?
April 05, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 28.2 MBYour place is a mess? Didn't make your bed this morning? Get those dirty clothes off the floor and stack those dishes you were leaving for the Ayi... Guess what? We're finding out where you call home and we're coming over! In this podcast, get ready to reveal all and open your door to someone other than your nosy neighbors! Learn how to say where you live, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0877
Elementary | Asking for Leave
April 03, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 32.3 MBEverybody needs a little time away... and in this podcast you're going to learn how to ask for it in Chinese. With the plethora of guests you're going to be fielding in your new found home away from home, chances are this will be high-frequency vocab for you. So listen in and learn... and get ready for your new favorite hobby: tour guide. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1030
Newbie | Cat in the Hat
April 01, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 32.1 MBIf only Dr. Seuss had learned Chinese, children China-over could have had a new chant to repeat after their teachers. "Haohao xuexi, tiantian xiangsheng" could have gotten a lot more fun. Now, listen to Dr. Zhu's version of the classic, 'The Mao in the Mao.' Learn this little story all over again, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0872
Elementary | Stopped at the Gate
March 29, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.1 MBThere are a few ways of dealing with getting stopped at an apartment complex gate. There is the 'tunnel vision' technique. To truly perfect this skill you must be on a bicycle to facilitate quick getaways and be immune to yelled threats. Another technique is the 'dense foreigner' skill. No explanation needed. Finally, there is the 'listen to the ChinesePod podcast' technique, highly recommended and transferable to any third degree grilling, Chinese or not. Episode link: https://www.chinesepo...
Newbie | Formal Introduction
March 27, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 37.5 MBThis is the formal introduction to the formal introduction lesson: You've mastered your Chinese hello and don't know what to do with that awkward silence. Now what? 1) Lose any sentimental attachment to your previous identity--you're going to need a new name. 2) Smile, bow, handshake, kiss, twiddle your thumbs, or curtsy... it's all good. Oh yeah, and 3) listen to this lesson to learn how to introduce yourself, Mandarin-style. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0868
Elementary | ID Check at the Internet Cafe
March 25, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 28.1 MBLast time this happened you were busted for having fake ID, and robbed of your chance at an illicit beer-enhanced evening. No, they don't think you're under 21 anymore, but you can tell yourself that if you're having a late-twenties crisis. The China internet cafe ID check. Don't ask why, just bring your passport, listen to this podcast, and stay away from anything your momma wouldn't want you looking at. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0992
Newbie | Months
March 22, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.1 MBThirty days has September... April, June, and November. All the rest... are so easy you won't even need a rhyme. In this podcast, learn the months of the year in Mandarin Chinese. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3....4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0864
Elementary | Checking Baggage
March 20, 2024 08:00 - 18 minutes - 41.4 MBYou have an inkling from a post-packing teeter on the bathroom scale that your baggage may be overweight. Your only hope to avoid overweight fees is charming that handsome check-in clerk with a batting of eyes and barrage of Chinese. That, or employing strategic passport placement to cover the scale display numbers. In this lesson, use your Mandarin to check-in your bags and curry some bulkhead seat favors. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0988
Newbie | Days of the week
March 18, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.2 MBThere are two methods for learning the days of the week in Chinese. One: this podcast. Two: personalized Chinese days of the week undies. Since the latter seem to be the one eighties fad that has yet to be resurrected, this podcast might be the easier way to get them in your head. And creates less laundry. Listen in and learn, it's as easy as 1, 2, 3... 4, 5, 6, 7. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0860
Elementary | Keys, Wallet, Phone
March 15, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 31.4 MBGood things come in threes. Case in point: watch, bag, DVD. In this case: keys, wallet, phone. All good things, and good things to remember to bring with you when you leave the house. In this podcast, learn how to do a Mandarin Chinese mental checklist before leaving the house, to make sure that you don't end up locked out, penniless and searching in vain for a germy public phone on a borrowed dime. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0985
Newbie | Fruit Salad
March 13, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 28.5 MBCould it be key to the Chinese ability to eat three oil saturated meals a day and maintain their girlish (or boyish) figures? No. Trust us. Even the fruit salad comes with mayonnaise. Your western genes weren't made for this diet. So listen to this Mandarin lesson on eating fruit salad and come prepared with loose pants. Make peace with your paunch and revel in the Buddha belly noogies given by admiring locals. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0856
Elementary | Afraid of Dogs
March 11, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.4 MBIn China, there aren't really that many dogs around to be afraid of, but a good chunk of the population has a paralyzing fear of dogs. This lesson will help you learn the Chinese to deal with that fear. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0980
Newbie | Ordering Noodles
March 08, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 30 MBThe Chinese claim to have discovered the key to a long life... eating noodles on your birthday. While they struggle for immortality, you the Newbie can start with a little mortality, and learn how to order some in Mandarin. Your own struggle may have less to do with life and more to do with slippery wetness and chopstick management, but at least you won't starve awaiting your next birthday. Long live the noodle. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0852
Elementary | Caught in the Act
March 06, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 26.3 MBSure, we've all got our skeletons in the closet. It's just when someone opens the door that we get a little red in the face. In today's podcast, the boss makes a slightly uncomfortable discovery. Should you find yourself entangled in a little 'office scandal,' listen to this podcast to learn how to get yourself out of it! In Chinese! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0972
Newbie | Do you have...?
March 04, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36 MBIn the hierarchy of language learning, there are the 'haves' and the 'havenots.' The 'haves' are those that know how to ask for something. The 'havenot' is that guy over there wildly gesturing, grunting, pointing and flailing at the laoban. In China, of course, as a 'have', you may find you can't always get what you want; but if you try you can get what you need... by listening to this Mandarin lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0849