![ChinesePod - Beginner artwork](https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts113/v4/4d/dc/e8/4ddce8d3-2de5-d44c-a7a5-7a196e03494c/mza_15848002210187028154.jpg/100x100bb.jpg)
ChinesePod - Beginner
692 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day 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.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
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
Elementary | The Panda's Secret Wish
March 01, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.1 MBThe first cuddly creature to be used in a diplomatic capacity. A country full of bamboo to eat its way through. In its stuffed animal capacity, the first bear to give teddy a run for its money. The bear that seemingly has it all still wants more. Find out the panda's secret wish in this Mandarin Chinese lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0964
Newbie | He's Not In
February 28, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 31.3 MBYou've arrived, and want to fit in, so start with the national Chinese pastime: cell phone talking (well, it's better than taking up smoking). First, you're going to need a partner in conversation, so pull out one of those linty business cards you shoved in your pocket days ago, any one will do. If you can't read it, no problem, chances are his name is Mr. Li. Now, plug in this lesson and you're set... pick up the phone and pray he's not in. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0844
Elementary | Moscow
February 26, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.3 MBYou've always had a secret affinity for borscht, and a secret compulsion to buy nesting dolls at neighborhood garage sales. Enter this lesson, where we transport you to the land that gave us Zhivago, caviar, perogie-making babushkas (bless their souls), and huge fur hat sporting dedushkas. Get ready to warm yourself from the insides out with a vodka-filled journey in Mandarin Chinese to Moscow. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0930
Newbie | Can you Speak Chinese?
February 23, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.6 MBAnswering the question "Can you speak Chinese?" in the affirmative is always a proud moment. Perhaps, yes, literally, one moment. Let's call the inevitable next moment, with its subsequent barrage of language, ear assault. But hey, you're already ahead of the game because you have this podcast to learn the art of how to keep the Mandarin flowing, and you have and will perfect the invaluable fake 'i understand' head nod. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0840
Elementary | Seoul
February 21, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 34.2 MBPerhaps best known for remarkable food items such as spicy smelly preserved vegetables and some 'alternative' meats, this capital of Korea is known for a lot more than than its eating. Learn in this lesson about the city of Seoul. A place of delicious food, friendly people, and facelifts. This place has it all! Learn about it in this podcast, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0902
Newbie | Are You Tired?
February 19, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 34 MBDiscovering these 800-plus podcast lessons, likely you've been up for days, listening. You're not tired yet, due to the language-learning high that doesn't wear off until after lesson 452. However, a language full of sh's has been known to produce a trance-like sleepy state. The cure: just turn up the volume and let this podcast wake you up. Learn how to talk tired, in Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0836
Elementary | Paris
February 16, 2024 08:00 - 18 minutes - 41.5 MBWe've got the Summer Palace; they've got Versailles. We've got Shaolin Temple; they've got Notre Dame. They've got stinky cheese; we've got stinky tofu. They, eau de toilette; us, squat toilettes. We're the Paris of the east; they're... Paris. In this podcast, learn about the city of romance and fall in love with it all over again in your new passion... Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0866
Newbie | Upset
February 14, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 27.2 MBReports churning out of celebrity Los Angeles have sparked concern over the latest anti-aging fad: drinking of the tears of young Asian girls. We, Chinese-English speakers of the world all have a responsibility to prevent the cruelty of tear harvesting from taking place. Band together and learn in this podcast how to tell someone to stop crying, and force those movie stars to go back to botox. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0829
Elementary | Olympic Excitement
February 12, 2024 08:00 - 7 minutes - 16.5 MB08-08-2008. The day we've all been waiting for. The factories are closed, the cars are parked away. The buildings are ready, the skies are blue (hopefully). The world has arrived in Beijing and we at ChinesePod are here to cheer everyone on. Jiayou Olympics. Jiayou China. Listen to this podcast and celebrate the opening of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing with us. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0961
Newbie | Where are you going?
February 09, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 27.9 MBLittle did you know when you started learning Mandarin that you would be placed in the thick of an age-old war of 'where' words. Decide which camp has your allegiance--the roll of your tongue 'nar,' favorite of Beijing cabbies and northern ayis. Or 'nali,' a lighter, double-syllable approach to the oft-asked location query. You're gonna need this podcast and a 'nar/nali' support group to help, so listen in and make your stand on where you stand, in Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesep...
Elementary | Rock, Scissors, Cloth
February 07, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 29.8 MBThe debate over who invented this game is not as heated as the one about who invented the noodle, thankfully. Perhaps the noodle debate could be settled for all time by a nice round of rock, scissors, paper... or was it cloth? Either way, next time you're in a quandary, learn how to settle it in this Mandarin Chinese lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0960
Newbie | Getting Nationalities Straight
February 05, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 31.6 MBContrary to popular notions, no, we're not all Americans. The nationality guessing game: favorite exchange of bored cabbies and their captive audience passengers. Expressing nationality in Mandarin Chinese is not hard--unless you are Azerbaijani, Djiboutian, or hail from the Republic of Vanuatu, and even then a bit of research and transliteration gymnastics will do the trick. Listen to this podcast and learn how to reclaim your identity. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0821
Elementary | War Zone
February 02, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 25.5 MBWe assume you will never be a foreign soldier in a Chinese army, and sincerely hope that world peace is attained and this lesson will soon be obsolete. However, after 955 lessons it was about time that we taught you how to 'charge' in Mandarin. Don't forget that this vocabulary can also be applied in your battle for daily subway survival. Listen in and learn how to be a brave soldier, in Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0956
Newbie | How have you been?
January 31, 2024 08:00 - 11 minutes - 25.7 MBWhen faced with the 'Do Chinese people really say ni hao ma or are they just succumbing to Englese' quandary, here is a lesson you can use to circumvent these deep unanswerable how-are-you-dilemmas. An alternative greeting option in Mandarin. In this podcast, learn how to ask after a peep in all new exciting ways. And special bonus--two ambiguous answers in one dialogue. Do the Chinese know how to evade, or what? Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0816
Elementary | Microsoft
January 29, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 30.2 MBA little name-dropping serves one well in many environments. 'Brad Pitt' is just too long to say in Chinese, so let's start with a more business-oriented angle first. You may recognize your nosy neighbor in the conversation that follows. And, if you really want to impress him, throw in a little of your buddy 'Bill Gates' and you'll be the envy of all the 'hood. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0952
Newbie | Buying a Newspaper
January 26, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 32.7 MBAt this juncture, we know some of you bespectacled types are going to show-off your 4,000 character-plus savvy and say you read the Chinese newspaper. This lesson, however, is about options. Some of us lazy types just want to know what's going on in the world, without losing our eyesight over morning coffee. In this podcast, learn how to ask for your preference of the daily news, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0812
Elementary | Aussie Rules
January 24, 2024 08:00 - 15 minutes - 34.4 MBOlive-ball may not be big in China, but in Laowai land it is. English, American and Aussie styles may differ quite a bit, but they all hold the same potential for a lovers' spat on a lazy weekend afternoon. Couch, beer, game... or... wife, mall, shopping. In this podcast, our sports fan finds himself in this volatile situation. Listen in to see how he handles it, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0948
Newbie | Chinese Green Eggs and Ham
January 22, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 37.3 MBThe concept of green eggs is not one so particularly far-fetched in China. Could a 1,000 year old egg be any other color? Sam-I-am has found his place in the sun. In this podcast, green eggs and ham revisited with a Chinese bent--fried rice as their companion. With a mouse, in a house, on the train... yeah, pretty much anywhere. Expand your Mandarin palate with this lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0808
Elementary | Golf
January 19, 2024 08:00 - 14 minutes - 32.5 MB"So, I’m on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama... " If Carl the grounds-keeper can make it down to China to play a round of golf, so can you. But you'll need the lingo, and that is where we come in. After this lesson, you'll be equipped to tell one of your three caddies when you want the driver or the iron, in Mandarin. So you've got that goin’ for ya, which is nice. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0941
Newbie | What's up?
January 17, 2024 08:00 - 17 minutes - 40.2 MBIf we were slangpod.com, this lesson would be called 'whattup.' But for the sake of warding off potential improper English critics, we'll stick to the Queen's English just this once. Enough about English, what about Chinese? How do you greet your peeps? Listen in to this podcast and get the lingo down, bro, in Mandarin. Word. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0804
Elementary | Sound Check
January 15, 2024 08:00 - 16 minutes - 38.6 MBToday a little musical interlude for your listening pleasure. This ain't no muzac, nor is it out of tune KTV. On the other hand, it isn't Coldplay nor is it S.H.E. This podcast is a ChinesePod gig that's gonna make the Grammy's come a knockin'. Listen here as we toot our own horn and play a little ditty on a few instruments of choice. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0937
Newbie | Time for Class
January 12, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 30.7 MBNow that 2008 has been declared the "International Year of Languages" by the UN, it's time to buckle down and study Mandarin for world peace. Start with this podcast and learn how to understand your teacher so you don't end up in the detention hall because you confused 'sit down and shut up' with 'stand up and sing a Chinese rendition of 'Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting.' Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0800
Elementary | Wake-up Call
January 10, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 29.7 MBNo, this isn't the mid-evening call soliciting those 'other' services provided at certain questionable establishments... this is the all important, rip you from the womb of your 400 count Egyptian cotton fluffy feather pillowed bliss morning call. Now, you're gonna want to make sure your Chinese '4' pronunciation is tiptop before attempting this feat, should you have an early morning flight. Listen to this podcast and be sure to be the niao that catches the worm. Episode link: https://www.ch...
Newbie | Hot Soup
January 08, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 30.7 MBThe humble soup. Brought to life by a symphony of slurps... worthy enough to elevate eating to an oral concerto. In this podcast, get 'drinking' with a Chinese lesson to teach you to embrace, celebrate, and justify mouth noise. Take it from us and start gulping--table manners are sooooo passé. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0796
Elementary | Instant Noodles
January 05, 2024 08:00 - 13 minutes - 31.1 MBThe Mr. Noodles rage that swept elementary schools in the 80s (crunchy raw with seasoning packet sprinkled on top) doesn't hold a candle to Chinese people's love affair with this quick lunch. Nutritional value: no. Great taste: debatable. Cheap and easy: of course. The recipe for any well-loved Chinese meal. Get your soup on in this podcast, and get yourself some instant noodles, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0920
Newbie | I Have Class
January 03, 2024 08:00 - 12 minutes - 28.7 MBNo, we are not talking about the Ron Burgundy type of class, we are talking about the kind you go to...or at least supposed to go to. So don't skip class, and definitely don't skip this podcast. You will slowly become as wise as a miniature Buddha with yet another Chinese lesson under your belt. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0793
Elementary | Missing Luggage
January 02, 2024 08:53 - 13 minutes - 31.5 MBIf you think the people all look alike, wait until you see the luggage coming out of the conveyor belt. Apparently 394 of the 395 other passengers bought their black $15 'Samsonite' luggage from the same Pearl Market back alley. Mistaken luggage identity crisis.... what to do? Find it or not, fear not... there's more luggage where that came from... and underwear shops... and Chinese lesson podcasts to get you there. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0915
Newbie | The Neutral Tone
December 29, 2023 08:00 - 7 minutes - 16.3 MBOft over looked due to its timid tone and quiet presence, this Mandarin Chinese tone is anything but passive. In this podcast, we visit the sometimes forgotten and difficult to define tone that makes love, not war... impartially takes no sides and conscientiously objects to raising its voice. Its only flaw is perhaps a slight tendency toward wimpiness, but hey it'll never get in your face... the neutral tone. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0788
Elementary | Hiking
December 27, 2023 08:00 - 13 minutes - 30.3 MBYou've been stuck on city streets too long. Lace up your shoes, point in the direction of trees, and trade in red China for green with this podcast on hiking. Whether it's the trails of Yangming Shan, the pseudo-hills of She Shan, or the dizzying cliffs of Huang Shan, explore the woods that inspired the Chinese painters and poets of old, and see the China behind the bustle Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0907
Newbie | The Fourth Tone
December 25, 2023 08:00 - 6 minutes - 14.1 MBHere we arrive at the last stage in the rise and fall of the four tones of Mandarin Chinese, and poor fourth is a bit of an enigma. Due to his angry tone of voice and overbearing sharpness, some find it hard to get to know him. In this podcast, we peel back the layers and help fourth tone make peace with his inner child. He's not mad, just misunderstood. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0784
Elementary | Barbecuing
December 22, 2023 08:00 - 15 minutes - 34.5 MBThe apparatus may be the same. The venue, similar--give or take a few trees. The wafts of the mouth-watering scent of roasting flesh. You begin to reminisce over the long days of summers past-- replete with hot dogs, steak, jacket potatoes... but WAIT. What do you see... whaaat the... Yes, the medium is the same, but the materials are very, very different. Listen to this podcast and learn about Chinese barbecue. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0898
Newbie | The Third Tone
December 20, 2023 08:00 - 7 minutes - 16.2 MBThe third tone is basically the middle child of the Mandarin line-up. It gets abused like a red-headed step child. Sometimes it's third, sometimes it gets ridden roughshod by second tone, and sometimes it straps a fourth tone on for good times. Third tone suffers from low self-esteem and is still trying to find its true self. Listen to this podcast and give the third tone the love it missed out on as a child. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0780
Elementary | KTV
December 18, 2023 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.9 MBYeaaaah, you've been known to chang a little ge when no one is around. So, stop the bashful act... have a few beers if that helps... and get your KTV on. Select a forgotten 80s tune (Purple Rain is a rousing melody), turn on the reverb. Wrestle the microphone from your partner in song, and see a side of the Chinese you never knew existed. Listen to this podcast and learn how to join in, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0892
Newbie | The Second Tone
December 15, 2023 08:00 - 6 minutes - 15.5 MBOf all the tones, the second tone is the most exciting. It's a rising tone. Don't get too charged up though, we don't want to turn it in to a fourth tone just yet, we want to make this last. Listen to this podcast and learn all about the second tone of Mandarin Chinese as it ascends to its rousing climax. Just try not to wake the neighbors. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0775
Elementary | I don't want it!
December 13, 2023 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.3 MBWatch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... need we say more? No. Need they say more? Please no. But how to get them to stooooop?? Listen to this podcast, and learn how to refuse, in Mandarin. Then again, maybe just a little peek wouldn't hurt... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0885
Newbie | The First Tone
December 11, 2023 08:00 - 8 minutes - 20.5 MBThe alpha, the genesis, dongxi numero uno. All the other tones wish they were this high, but without the other tones, we wouldn't know how supreme the first tone actually is. That's the existential truth of tonal relativity. The first tone in history to get its very own podcast, and the only tone that's phonetically represented by its Chinese character--learn about it in this lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0769
Elementary | Pearl Tea
December 08, 2023 08:00 - 12 minutes - 29.7 MBYour last Chinese dining experience has left you with a little post-traumatic stress, yes, but let us assure you that that toothsome slimy black ball you just sucked up your straw was NOT a fish eye. Or fish egg for that matter. Was it a drink, a food, or an unidentifiable glutinous object? You be the judge. Learn what it is and how to get some gluey goodness in Mandarin in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0882
Newbie | Is someone in here?
December 06, 2023 08:00 - 15 minutes - 34.3 MBSometimes bathroom stalls in China don't have doors on them. Though this may seem shocking to some, it's quite convenient when faced with the dilemma of whether to push the door open to potential stall going-ons, or not. But for those more uncertain times, when you are blocked by those troublesome stall doors, here is a Mandarin Chinese lesson that will help you to rouse any occupants before you waltz in to do your business. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0765
Elementary | Diet Coke
December 04, 2023 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.6 MBNo, ChinesePod has not sold out. We have not succumbed to target marketing, multinational corporate conspiracies, nor do we endorse one cola over another (though in the blind taste test challenge, admittedly, had a favorite). This lesson is simply for those of us who want a Diet Coke. Here's how to get one, in Mandarin. Of course, as a personal favor... you could machine-gun click the play button a few times. You know... royalties... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0870
Newbie | Bumming a Smoke
December 01, 2023 08:00 - 13 minutes - 30 MBYour doctor tells you to quit, the surgeon general's cancer warning on the pack kinda freaks you out, but the artist in you can't get those wispy smoke-filled 'In the Mood for Love' scenes out of your mind. You didn't come to the only place on the planet where smoking in pubs hasn't been banned yet for no reason. This is your last hurrah. In this podcast, learn how to bum a cigarette from a stranger in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0760
Elementary | Not on purpose
November 29, 2023 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.2 MBOops sorry i bumped into you, oops excuse me my umbrella hit your eye, oops I opened the car door into you, oops, oh no, I wiped my baozi juice on your sleeve. In a place like this, accidents will happen. When 'sorry' is getting old and 'buhaoyisi' feels a bit long-winded, learn how to plead innocence in Mandarin Chinese in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0862
Newbie | After You
November 28, 2023 08:00 - 13 minutes - 31.9 MBIt's only been rumored to have ever happened in this city once, and that was from a Canadian tourist who was visiting from the Niagara falls region, and to this day we haven't found any witnesses to confirm this ever took place. In this podcast, a model lesson in Mandarin Chinese from a model world where chivalry is not dead. And if it's not dead... someway, somehow, somewhere, it could happen to you too... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0756
Elementary | Country Standings
November 24, 2023 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.1 MBDon't worry if that old hamstring injury dashed your Olympic dreams of bringing glory to your nation... do what Da Shan did... put on a blue silk Chinese suit and make your Mandarin so annoyingly good that you make your otherwise unassuming country famous. No steroids required. Go for gold, of the Mandarin variety, in this Olympic lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0854
Newbie | Before Noon, After Noon
November 22, 2023 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.5 MBThe unending feud between those annoying morning people and their alter-egos, the 'night cats' comes to a Chinese lesson today. Listen in as pre-noon takes on post-noon, chipper good mornings take on groggy good afternoons. Listen and learn in Mandarin how to do battle for control of the alarm clock setting.
Elementary | Yang Jie's Diary: The Final Episode
November 20, 2023 08:00 - 16 minutes - 38.7 MBAll good stories have to come to an end, including the saga of our friend Yang Jie. She kinda got sick of writing, as diary-keepers usually do. Plus, we were starting to feel like creeps, slinking into her room every night to sneak a peek. In this podcast, find out how things turn out for Yang Jie and co-stars. How do you say in Chinese: "She's not that into you..." Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0847
Newbie | Turn on the Light, Turn off the Light
November 17, 2023 08:00 - 12 minutes - 29.4 MBOpen the lights and turn off the door, er, I mean, turn on the lights and close the door... why is this so confusing? Just get in here and pretend you love me. Close the lights if you have to. In this podcast, a Mandarin Chinese lesson on how to turn on/off the lights. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0744
Elementary | Tomb Sweeping Day
November 15, 2023 08:00 - 17 minutes - 39.5 MBToday is Tomb Sweeping Day. The special day of paying respect to ancestors, lighting incense, making burnt offerings, and, like any self-respecting Chinese holiday... lighting off firecrackers. The holiday also favored by those with money to burn. So open up your wallet, light up your money, and listen to this podcast to learn more in Mandarin about the traditions of tomb sweeping. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0842
Newbie | Handsome Boy
November 13, 2023 08:00 - 13 minutes - 31.5 MBOh, look at him. He's a cross between Tony Leung and a young Ken Carroll. No, more like Chow Yun Fat meets John Pasden. Those are the handsome boys in this neck of the woods... how about yours? Listen to this podcast and learn how to talk about them, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0737
Elementary | April Fool's
November 10, 2023 08:00 - 15 minutes - 34.8 MBBeing a new language student, everyday can feel like Fool's Day, so think of today as a day to celebrate fools. Take your turn laughing at someone else. Pull the worst fool-causing prank you can, and spend the next year reliving it during those moments of Mandarin learning mortification. In this podcast, we help, with the ole not-so-original but oh-so-easy-to-pull-off Chinese 'hot-sauce-in-your-food' prank. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0838