Popup Chinese

Remember the epic road trips of your youth? Our lesson today goes out to every eight year old who has ever had to sit still in the backseat for eight hours trapped between two quarreling siblings while the family enjoyed a nice drive into the countryside.If you're a premium subscriber, please note that we've enabled our Speaking Practice recording service for this lesson. Click through to our text page to find our toll-free telephone number. Call us and enter your dedicated PIN number when prompted. Then tell us all about the worst vacation you've ever had. Or just practice reading us the dialogue and vocabulary for this lesson. Our teachers will review your recording and give you personal feedback on your pronunciation by email in a day or two.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

"Is Echo really sleeping?" Apple had to raise her voice to overpower the sound of Pierce Brosnan's distant crooning. A moment later as the chorus to Super Trouper kicked in, she tossed down her pen and turned to face the rest of us. "Honestly," she said in her best no-nonsense voice, "I'm finding it hard to concentrate with all of this Greek music...."The constant presence in our Popup Chinese headquarters these last few weeks has been the soundtrack to Mamma Mia. After stumbling across the Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan version of the famous ABBA musical, Echo has had the music on constantly. And the musical has found its way into everything we've done, including today's lesson for Absolute Beginners. So join us as we share an effective strategy for avoiding work in China. Use this whenever you need to take the afternoon off to catch a broadway show.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

啊，那个是刘德华吗? Hey, is that Andy Lau?谁呀? Who?就是那个香港的，刘德华。It's Andy Lau from Hong Kong.刘什么? Andy who?就是那个著名的，香港的，演员，歌手，刘德华。It's the famous, Hong Kong actor and singer Andy Lau.从来没听说过。Never heard of him.刘德华呀! Andy Lau!哦，就是那个女的。Oh, it's that girl.Learn this vocabulary

With the Alibaba IPO throwing daytraders worldwide into a frenzed adulation of all things China, and the press going wild over Jack Ma and his Chinese e-commerce engine, this week's show takes a closer look at Taobao - the jewel in the Alibaba crown - with a hard-hitting quiz covering the most important things no-one seems to be able to remember about our favourite shopping site. Also on the show: questions about Beijing and the secrets of Uighur time....Quiz Night is a regular feature here at Popup Chinese that we've put together for intermediate to upper-intermediate students. And our goal is not so much teaching anything in particular so much as producing a half-mandarin, half-english show that features higher-level vocabulary you won't run into in other learning materials. Today, join us and learn everything from the name of Goldman Sachs in Chinese, to the essential catchphrases needed to outsource your thesis to somewhere south of Wuhan. Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Did you ever thumb through a fresh copy of City Weekend and wonder why the Readers' Choice Award for Creepiest Park in Beijing has been awarded to Jingshan Park every year since the mid-1660s? In this episode, Megan squares off with returning champion Zhiqiang to answer this as well as questions on rehab and earth's diminishing dolphin population. Normally, Megan and Joakeem are trapped in a discussion on how to define their relationship but during Quiz Night this week they stay off that topic for 16 uninterrupted minutes of bliss.Learning Chinese? The Popup Chinese Quiz Night is easy-to-digest mixed-language edutainment for intermediate learners. Our goal is offering up stimulating high-level vocabulary that can help you hone your listening comprehension and vocab while havng fun, or at least enjoying the warm feeling of knowing that your Chinese is better than that of the Swedish guy who is hosting the show.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Occasionally, we think back on our years in China and look back at our casual brushes with death with the sort of nostalgia other people feel for high school prom. For such were those heady days of SARS, when the streets of Beijing were clean, taxis were readily available, and glaston and woad were part of the everyday lexicon here. Also on this show, what happened to the inventor of the flying car who strapped Cessena wings to a Ford Pinto.Learning Chinese? Our Popup Chinese quiz show is intended for people who already have pretty good mandarin but are looking for a fun way to expand their vocabulary. This week we have nine questions split into three thematic categories, covering everything from mouthwash to our favorite ineffective Chinese herbal remedies. So if you're an upper-level student, check out the show and let us know what you think.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

After a lengthy hiatus, we're pleased to release another episode of our Chinese Quiz Night. Joining new hosts Joakeem and Grace in our studio are two contestants known and feared by the other residents of Beijing: Martin the Destroyer, famous around Beijing for his mastery on the pub quiz circuit, as well as Ban "the terror from Qinghai" Yan, who is admittedly less intimidating in person that we were expecting.Not sure what this show is doing in your iTunes feed? Our Chinese Quiz Show at Popup Chinese is a mixed English-Chinese concept show we're developing for upper-intermediate students: a quiz game that mixes Chinese questions with just enough English to keep things intelligible. We're still tweaking the balance, but if you're stretching past the intermediate level and looking for fun listening materials we think you'll like it -- our topics today range from general China knowledge to popular and not-so-popular singers, as well as a final category with language we hope none of us ever to have to use. Listen up and find out why.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

In our fourth episode of Quiz Night, Tony from New Zealand matches matches his wits against Will from Australia in a battle that covers everything from T.S. Eliot's favorite detective novel, to horrific industrial accidents in Russia. Also up for your enjoyment? David repeatedly mispronounces the word "nuclear" and we learn the best place in Beijing for volleying ammunition into the Forbidden City.Learning Chinese? Our quiz show is geared for anyone with good listening comprehension also looking for a fun way to expand their vocabulary. This show is a bit heavy on English and we're likely to push back towards a more Chinese-intensive show in future episodes, but even so there is still a decent amount of upper-level mandarin here. So join us for a fun romp through history, pop culture and modern China, and let us know what you think.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Nazi refreshments, racist stereotypes from the 1980s and boy bands that refuse to die. Such are just a few of the topics you can expect this week on our Popup Quiz Night, along with our usual round of China questions designed to make you absolutely insufferable to friends and family alike.Learning Chinese? Our Popup Chinese quiz show is intended for people who already have pretty good mandarin but are looking for a fun way to expand their vocabulary. It features nine questions split into three thematic categories, with Chinese-heavy questions and a vocabulary review tucked onto the end. We've tried to make this show more difficult than our last one, so let us know what you think, and good luck!Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

After succumbing last episode to Brendan's wide-ranging knowledge of everything save contemporary pop music, Echo has switched sides this week to serve as Chinese quizmaster in a show that pits podcaster Sylvia against voice-legend Andy in a China-vs-China battle of the wits. And with a Chinese Mobile recharge card hanging in the balance, and SMS messages just waiting to be sent, the stakes could not be higher for our contestants.Learning Chinese? Our quiz show is intended for people who already have pretty good mandarin but are looking for a fun way to expand their vocabulary. And with that in mind, our topics covered this week include famous American companies which have bought other famous American companies, people who did not win the Nobel Peace Prize, and Communist beards we know and love. This is a fun romp through history, pop culture, and German facial hair, so join us for the quiz and let us know what you think.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

This is the pilot episode of a new concept show we're developing for upper-intermediate students: a quiz game featuring mostly Chinese questions with just enough bilingual discussion thrown in to keep things intelligible. We had a good time producing this, and if you're stretching past the intermediate level we think you'll like it too -- our topics range from ancient Rome to 19th century English literature and there is plenty of useful vocab here you won't find elsewhere, if only because dialogues about malaria are generally considered to be a bummer.And what exactly is at stake? This week we pitch China against the rest of the world in a climactic showdown that aims to establish definitively whether East or West is better at trivia. So if your Chinese is already pretty good and you're looking for a fun way to make it even better, join us and put your general knowledge to the test.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Our clip today has it all: useful language for subverting the local establishment while showcasing the amazing vocal diversity in mainland film-dubbing circles. And for fun, we're happy to offer useful advice on pronouncing Colin Firth's name at no extra charge. So take a listen: Dead Poets Society (1989)Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

In our inaugural episode of the Popup Chinese movie show, opinions split over Let the Bullets Fly, the Chinese western directed by Jiang Wen and starring train-robbing, gun-shooting and horse-riding versions of himself and Chow Yun-Fat. This is the film that broke the Chinese box-office record shortly after its release, but considering that its competition that year included possibly the worst Chinese film ever made, we thought it about time for a discussion of whether the film is actually any good.Learning Chinese? We're pitching this show at the intermediate to upper-intermediate level and aiming for a discussion that splits half-and-half between English and Chinese. The English is there to help weaker listeners follow the discussion, but there is a lot of Chinese-only material here too, especially as the show goes on. And if you're having trouble following it? We've added a vocabulary list with some of the more difficult words, along with a number of sample sentences to illustrate usage.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

"The princess goes to sleep and wakes up again," Gail told us, making the fairy tale sound about as pedestrian as Echo's nightly routine. When pressed about this, our faithful podcaster paused, and then added mention of glass slippers and singing furniture, with the caveat that these were not "central to the plot" and may have been "made up by Disney".Regardless of how well you remember the classics yourself, once you're in China you're in uncharted waters. Which is why we've taken a few liberties ourselves this lesson. So join us for an enjoyable look at what happens when you mix a traditional Western fairy tale with the process-oriented crime-solving prowess of your local Beijing police bureau. We hope our love for the boys in blue shines through in this dialogue filled with danger, intrigue, and the requisite quota of social harmony.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

If you ask most foreigners for random trivia about Tianjin, they'll probably mention the foreign concessions, or Herbert Hoover fighting in the streets during the Boxer Rebellion, or the pivotal role the city played in the student protests during the May Fourth Movement. What you won't hear is anyone rave about the pizza....So let's note that if you've stumbled into Tianjin and are looking for a nice place to have lunch, this lesson is going to be totally useless to you unless you've "gone native" and have a thing for fruit and pak-choi smothered in a loving serving of ketchup and served up on toast. We give the city full points for trying, but you should probably hold off on practicing this vocab until you're in either Beijing or Shanghai, where it will come in really useful.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

When the Harvard Crimson called the job market depressed, it may as well have been describing its readership. Browsing through the classifieds, Susan was shocked to see so few opportunities for summer employment. Her uncle had been urging her to take a break from academia and "get her hands dirty" at the family business, and she had avoided the thought at first, but -- and then she noticed Michael leafing through the paper a few seats away. Hadn't he been the first in her cohort to land a good position?First things first, calm down. Our advanced Chinese listening test for today is not fork-in-eye difficult. It is fast and long but not terribly punishing, so if you've been pushing yourself through our Intermediate podcasts and have the endurance for a longer challenge, take a listen and see how much you understand. It may be more than you expect.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

You may have heard the slanderous rumours about our brand circulated by that other Golden Monkey pharmaceutical company. Don't believe the lies! Golden Monkey Throat Lozenges offer soothing relief from a range of symptoms with minimal side effects and a great orange taste. If you are suffering from any number of ailments or body image problems, call our telephone hotline and get medical relief with next-day delivery!The old-timers among you may remember our first part to the world-famous Golden Monkey saga. That podcast dates back almost two years now, but is as great-tasting today as it has even been. So if you're learning Chinese and like this podcast, be sure to check it out too.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

The rumbling explosion in the lower hold and increasingly acrid smoke on deck sent the captain's assistant scurrying into her master's cabin. But after closing and barring the door behind her, the young woman turned to the captain and froze in astonishment. Expecting to see him prepared for a fight in defense of command, the girl was shocked to find the man bent calmly over his desk examining the nautical charts with a pocket glass, his sword lying sheathed by the nightstand.Avast mateys! Our Chinese lesson for today is an advanced listening test designed for near-native speakers. If you think your mandarin is pushing towards fluency, try listening to our dialogue a single time before clicking through to our quiz and finding out how much you really understood. And if you have any questions? Either leave us a comment below, or click through to the text page to examine our word-by-word annotated transcript and find out what you missed.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

This lesson is a bit different from what we normally do. Instead of a dialogue, we've got a short story to share with you. But this is not just any short story. It's actually a homework assignment written by Chris, one of our students who is studying one-on-one with Echo as part of our university program. And it is fantastic. Chris wrote this absolutely lovely tale about an overworked kitten, and when we read it we knew we had to share it with you.On a related note, if this sounds like the sort of thing you'd be interested in doing yourself, we'd be happy to give you a free trial to experience what our university program is actually like. Just send us an email at [email protected] and Echo will schedule a free trial class for you at your convenience.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

We're taking a new approach to our Advanced series with this lesson, so let us know what you think. Instead of a Chinese-only discussion on a more general topic, we've got an in-depth bilingual discussion about what everyone in Beijing is talking about: the new television series of Dream of the Red Chamber. If you're not up on the latest gossip surrounding this production, join us as we complain about the bad casting, director scandals, atrocius haircuts and everything else your coworkers are griping about around the watercooler.In addition to the regular gossip though, we also talk a bit about the book itself. Even if you've never read Dream of the Red Chamber, by the end of this podcast you'll be able to talk knowledgeably not only about what actually happens in the book, but also what should have happened. We gave Brendan and Echo free rein to complain about who was supposed to end up with whom, who was supposed to die unhappily in chapter nine, and all of the other secrets revealed in one of the most critical passages in the book: the revelation of fates in the chapter five dream sequence. If you want the book in a nutshell, this is it.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

It was strange that the headmaster had arranged their tour for the weekend. While it hadn't struck Monica as odd previously, now that they were walking through campus, the choice of days seemed peculiar. For despite the fact it was a sunny October afternoon, the school grounds were almost deserted. Save for the occasional schoolboy slouching home in the distance, there was nothing to be seen suggesting she and her husband were touring the most renowned international school in Beijing. Or any other school for that matter. And then they entered the buttery....If you're living the expat life in China, you're doubtless familiar with the hordes of international schools scrambling over each other to educate your brood. Since you may not be intimately familiar with what a Chinese education involves, in this podcast we strip away the mystery and show you how the education system really works in China. And in the process, we illuminate a subtle difference between two very similar words that intermediate Chinese learners mix up all the time. So listen up and we hope you enjoy the show.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

There are plenty of Chinese textbooks that claim to teach basic Chinese but are in fact utterly useless in everyday situations like the one we found ourselves in about a month ago, when our new colleague Nicole arrived back from lunch slightly the worse for the wear....Nicole had just crossed the threshold and was bending over to take off her shoes when Echo, having successfully maneuvered herself behind the coffee table, finally broke the ice. "Did you have a good lunch," she asked? "Oh lunch," Nicole faltered. "I almost forgot all about that in the excitement...."Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

We know what you're thinking: how did I ever get to such an advanced level in Chinese without learning the words for narcolepsy or hangglider? This is admittedly an oversight on your part, but it's also one no-one need ever know about. Unlike many of our other advanced podcasts, today's lesson is built around a dialogue. And this dialogue will drill these words so deeply into your inner cortex you'll forget there was ever a day you weren't comfortable talking about neural disorders and extreme sports in Chinese.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Our lesson for today is an advanced listening test. And while it's quite difficult, if you've seen Reservoir Dogs, the setup should be familiar. Minutes after a botched and bloddy robbery, the gang regroups in an abandoned warehouse outside town. But who is responsible for the carnage, and how do their tensions play out? Find out the answers in our action-packed listening test for today. Just listen to our test recording a single time and then head over to our quiz section to test your comprehension.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Trips to Hong Kong, Singapore and across the mainland are a mainstay of life for most foreign professionals in Asia. Couple that with the fact that many of the best jobs for mandarin-speaking expats are with smaller and mid-sized firms, and you've got a recipe for the need to work on the go. Say goodbye to life in a cubicle and hello to rushing to find a power outlet in rural Guangxi in order to make your conference call on Skype.If you do business in Asia but are just learning to speak Chinese, join us in this lesson as we teach you how to ask for an electrical outlet for your laptop or phone. In addition to our regular Chinese podcast, we've also enabled our Speaking Practice hotline for today's lesson. If you're a premium subscriber, grab your personal ID number on our text page along with our telephone hotline number. Give us a call and practice reading the dialogue and vocabulary to us (add your own commentary, of course) and we'll get back to you in a day with personal feedback on how you sound.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

As Alex struggled to finish his thesis in the only Internet cafe still open in this part of Wuhan, he quietly prayed the air would clear as the evening wore on and the local chain-smoking Counterstrike guild closed shop for the night. By one o'clock, however, the omnipresent haze of smoke had settled into more-or-less permanent stormclouds over a growing mass of players who if anything were more animated than ever before.It took another hour for the full horrific truth to hit Alex. Staggering to the service counter to stock up on caffeine, he noticed a small sign perched on the desk advertising a significant discount for overnight users. His non-stop smoking, terrorist-killing and expletive-shouting neighbors were here for the long-haul. And not only would they be playing through his morning deadline, they would be paying significantly less for the privilege too.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

It's been a while since we've released a lesson for absolute beginners, but we're back in the saddle today with a sequel of sorts to our earlier podcast on how not to be confused for a Scientologist during your weekend trip to Xi'an. So if you've ever fancied yourself more a Brad Pitt (or Angelina Jolie) take a listen as we teach you how to introduce yourself to the locals in style. Maybe you'll get a free lunch out of it.In addition to sharing some useful language for passing yourself off as a celebrity in China, in this lesson we also introduce a dead-easy sentence pattern you can use to indulge in unsubstantiated celebrity gossip or tell others how you feel. So if you're an absolute beginner give this lesson a listen. And if your Chinese is more advanced, swing by our lessons archive and look for something a bit more suited to your level of difficulty.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

So, you've woken up at some ungodly hour in the morning to start hauling yourself out of bed when a minor epiphany strikes. Why get out of bed at all? Isn't there something better you can do with your day than this car trip to Tongzhou. And whose crazy idea was this anyway? How about just sleeping in past noon? Now there's a capital idea. And maybe in a few hours you could even head downstairs and get some breakfast, or maybe watch a movie. Or maybe just stay in bed all afternoon.At Popup Chinese we're keenly aware of the practical reality of life in China: which is why we're happy to bring you today's lesson on what to do on those days you feel totally and utterly apathetic. If you've ever felt that cheerfulness is not exactly your strong point, this is the lesson for you. So join us today for an Absolute Beginner lesson that will let you tell them what you really think. Because sleep calls.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

If you've ever been in a Chinese taxi, you've been asked this question, even if you didn't understand it at the time. In fact, being asked where one is from is such a common question we've decided to devote an entire lesson just to it. So join us in this beginner lesson and before long you'll be inventing new and exciting background stories each time you take a trip across town. Yes sir, I am a nuclear scientist from Kazakhstan.Note: it's been a while since we've had a dedicated speaking practice lesson, so we've enabled our voice recording service for this lesson. If you're a premium subscriber click through to our text page and grab our telephone hotline and your personal PIN number. Call us up and leave us a message in Chinese when prompted: record yourself either practicing the dialogue or speaking extemporaneously using this vocabulary or telling us a story. Our teachers will get back to you in a day or two with personal feedback on how you're doing.Navigate re-incarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup CantoneseReincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Chinese shows — Popup Chinese shows — Popup Chinese shows

"Don't worry about me," the voice on the phone hoarsely whispered after its wave of violent coughing finally subsided. "I'll be down in an hour so we can keep working on that report."Join us in our Absolute Beginner lesson for today as we learn a polite way of telling others to keep themselves and their infections out of your working space. There is a lot of simple but useful mandarin in this podcast. In addition to introducing a number of common adjectives you can use to express your fatigue and frustration, we also give you a simple sentence pattern you can use whenever you're feeling under the weather yourself.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Ever wonder what a Chinese chicken sounds like, or what to do when someone tells you they are one? In today's lesson Brendan, David and Echo take to the studio and talk about Chinese horoscopes. You may not believe in the Chinese zodiac, but you'll need to know how it works if you're ever going to navigate the animal barnyard that is the dating scene in China. If only because when you meet someone special here you can be sure they're going to be thinking about it.This podcast is part language lesson and part simple proof of an impressive disconnect between urban China and the natural world. If you don't know your own sign, we've posted more information on the Chinese zodiac in the comments section below. Feel free to write us at [email protected] with any questions about your own star sign. We admit to being suckers for romantic gossip.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

If you're listening to our advanced podcasts our site statistics tell us you're already fluent or close to getting there. And the bad news for most of you is that at this level you've likely passed the point where native speakers will correct your mistakes or help you master the subtleties of their language. Which is why we have podcasts like this. Join us as we help you push through the last mile with a lesson that focuses on a word so advanced even Chinese speakers often get it wrong.This word is 何况, an advanced conjunction with two different meanings. In the first case 何况 can be translated as "and also" and gets used interchangeably with 再说. Its second usage is closer to 更别说 and is better translated as "let alone" or "not to mention". Our podcast sorts out these two meanings with plenty of examples and a lot of fun, so give it a listen. We think you'll come out more fluent on the other side.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Curious why the pinyin for some characters is written with an umlaut which vanishes in similar-sounding words? Is there really a difference in the way we should pronounce these sounds? The answer to these questions and more is revealed in our pinyin practice lesson for today, which will take you on a whirlwind tour through a maze of similar sounding words.For extra feedback, we've enabled our recording hotline for this lesson to give you an opportunity to get personal feedback on your pronunciation. If you're a premium subscriber call us using the custom PIN number that you'll find on this lesson's text page. Practice reading our sample sentences for this lesson and one of our teachers will get back to you shortly with one-on-one feedback on your pronunciation. And doubtless compliments too.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

With apologies to our friends in Jilin, the northeastern accent is totally ridiculous at times. Ever heard it? If you haven't you're in for a treat in this special listening test for advanced speakers. Take a listen to our situational dialogue and see how much you can pick up. If you're fluent in mandarin we think you'll be able to understand more than you think, and learn some northeastern slang in the process. And if you're not fluent yet, just check out our word by word annotated transcript. It'll bring you up to speed.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

We haven't come out with a lesson for absolute beginners in a while, partially because whenever we start teaching something simple Brendan segues into a rambling discourse on character etymology and before we know it we've produced another graduate seminar about regional dialects in the Song dynasty. So today we slowed him down with an intentionally simple and very straightforward dialogue. This one teaches how to ask basic questions and tell others a bit about yourself.In fact, those of you without a graduate degree in linguistics will be pleased to hear that we even managed to restrain Brendan from using the word "copula" in this podcast. This was accomplished somewhat by the dialogue itself, but mostly by Echo, who threatened the use of physical force unless Brendan used "actual English real people understand." So if you're totally new to mandarin and afraid of our other lessons, fire up your iPod and check out this one, which makes the basics about as easy as they can get.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

As Napoleon once commented, "China is a sleeping giant. Let her sleep, for when she wakes she will truly rock." We may be paraphrasing slightly, but it's impossible to under-emphasize the passion with which Chinese youth have embraced the concept of the Western boy band. Truly the Middle Kingdom is a place where everything old is new again. Join us in this podcast and see for yourself.On a side note, we should mention that our dialogue this lesson is at the upper-end of our difficulty spectrum for the Elementary level. We were almost tempted to put it at the Intermediate level, but the vocabulary is still pretty basic and our sentences are still relatively simple. So don't worry if you find it more challenging than usual. Just add oil.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

From a sickly childhood, Steven passed into a sickly adolescence. Phantom aches and pains constantly wracked the poor boy, much to the bafflement of the family doctor, who pronounced "nothing at all wrong with him physically." In fact, it wasn't until his first year away at university that his constitution seemed to pick up and his body threw off its shackles of ill-health.New to Popup Chinese? Our lessons at the Elementary level are designed for anyone who already knows the basics but is still working towards full comprehension of shorter sentences spoken at real speed. Our dialogues here are limited in length and our vocabulary is very high frequency. Exactly the stuff you need to build the bridge to greater fluency. So give us a listen. Feedback is always welcome at [email protected]. Oh yeah, and skip the rice gruel too.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

It happens to the best of us. Even if your home or office is strategically located in the heart of Sichuan street, surrounded by a hundred different Chinese restaurants with upwards of a hundred different dishes each, there will come a point when your stomach rebels and your heart starts pining for simpler fare. Or maybe you'd kill for Chinese food but the only restaurant that delivers is the Korean one down the street.Almost miraculously, this lesson is useful in either situation. If you're totally new to mandarin, join us as we introduce the four tones, cover some basic words and phrases you can start using right away, and learn how to steer your fellow diners towards the kind of food you want to eat.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Why is it that despite the enormous variety in our personal experiences, we all end up having exactly the same conversation with cab drivers? You know the drill. Where are you from? Are you used to eating Chinese food? Can you use chopsticks? Like Chinese water torture, the deadening repetition invites psychological defense mechanisms just to cope, like inventing new personal histories for each encounter.But then, just when you're about to lose faith in humanity, you run into a cabbie who is interesting, quick on his feet, and brutally honest. Our Elementary lesson for today is about exactly this situation. Like a bracing dash of cold water, it refreshes and re-motivates. Give it a listen and see if it rings true for you too.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Today we're pleased to support all you parents out there with a lesson that will teach you how to crush the hopes and dreams of your offspring with two simple words. Whether your child's interests lie in backyard construction, the sporting life, or more prosaic things like a chance to leave their room and enjoy their sixth birthday, this is your chance to put that foot down and establish some parental authority. Enjoy!Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

This lesson takes place in a doctor's office, and while we hope you won't have too many encounters with the Chinese medical system, it is one of the many places the words and phrases we teach in this podcast will come in useful. So if you're new to learning the Chinese language, put on your earphones and get listening. By the time this podcast is over, you'll know enough mandarin to ask how others are doing and be expert at pointing and complaining whenever someone else returns the courtesy.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Notice that shark over there? That's right, our Elementary Chinese lesson for today is all about man-eating beasts of the deep. It is unapologetically inspired by Jaws III, and particularly that scene where the Great Whites start ramming the underwater observation tunnels at Seaworld to the shock and horror of the soon-to-be-eaten tourist hordes.Despite the fact that its dialogue was written by an eight year old, our podcast for today offers more than weeks of unrelenting nightmares for the discriminating Chinese student. In it we showcase all the mandarin you'll ever need to bluff your way through the Orient as a marine biologist. In addition, we also teach a valuable Machiavellian lesson on how to bend others to your will and coerce colleagues into risking life and limb through the steady application of negative rhetorical questions. Enjoy!Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Johns Hopkins University recently published a study that followed ten thousand subjects over a ten year period, and closely monitored the eating habits of its participants. Among the results? The experiment showed conclusively that those who dispose of leftover Chinese take-out within the week have longer lifespans, whiter teeth and fuller hair. The remainder suffered from chronic headaches, extreme sensitivity to sunlight and a predisposition to Kenny G's "Going Home".Even in the absence of rigorous scientific proof, at Popup Chinese we believe the anecdotal evidence is compelling enough. When you have a hankering for kung-pao chicken at four in the morning avoid the leftovers and order in fresh. Your body will thank you.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Attention new recruits. After 84% of last year's class were caught crossing Customs and an additional 10% were found out while checking into their hotels, the Agency Directorate has ordered the commencement of emergency classes on basic spy decorum. Join us in this Elementary Chinese podcast as we cover the four elementary rules you need to know for how not to get caught.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

You may have been surprised on arrival in Shanghai to learn that no-one actually speaks mandarin there. Sure, the locals may call their language Chinese, but it's a bit of a national in-joke at this point. After a few thousand years of frustrated attempts to get directions out of the Pudong New District, no-one else in the country believes them anymore. Which is why it's a good idea to pick up a little Shanghainese if you're planning to be in town. And that's where this podcast comes in.Most of our advanced shows are entirely in standard mandarin. In this one we use the standard dialect to teach some of the basics of the Shanghai dialect. Join us and in addition to showing the difference between standard mandarin and Shanghai-accented mandarin very clearly, we'll teach you some of the basic phrases you'll need know to lubricate your way through the Pearl of the Orient in the language she prefers to speak.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Our biological clock is a natural wonder. It tells us when to sleep, when to wake, and of course when to eat. So when the alarms start sounding and the hunger pangs strike, there's only one prudent course of action: start complaining as loudly as possible in the hope that someone will appear with food. It worked when you were a kid, right?If you are totally new to learning Chinese you are in the right place. Join us in this podcast and we'll teach you all the mandarin you'll ever need to know in order to make uncompromising demands on those around you. In this lesson we will teach you six easy adjectives and two simple verbs that will help you amaze others with your fluency, and might also get you fed in the process.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

While you were cracking the spine on that Kangxi dictionary in grad school, your younger brother was hitting the gym. Twice a day even. So does it matter that he can't tell the difference between the first and fourth tone? Or straighten his arms? With his brawn and your brain the two of you are an unstoppable force for good. And you're getting filthy rich in the process too.That said, despite the fact that David spent a curious amount of time hunting down the photo accompanying this lesson, we're really not sure what to make of it. And we actually had a debate in house over whether it is inappropriately homophobic or homoerotic, which is something you'll have to decide. Brendan summarized our own feelings with his comment that, "I don't know what this dialogue is save strange...." So consider this a little gift from Popup Chinese: the best place online for learning Chinese and getting weirded out in the process.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Our pinyin practice lesson for today focuses on one of the more challenging sounds in the Chinese language. And the reason English speakers have difficulty with it is fairly simple: there is no good English equivalent. Not that we could think of, at least.In an effort to help you hunt down this sound and overpower it though, in this podcast we review this sound in all of its strange tonal glory. We first go over the sound in all four tones, and then practice putting it into words and then sample sentences. If you made improving your pronunciation a part of your New Years resolutions way back in January, we think this will come in useful. Just speak along with Echo and disregard the crazy looks your coworkers give you: they're just jealous you're speaking Chinese.On a closing note, we've enabled our recording hotline for this lesson, so if you're a premium subscriber you're invited to call us using the custom PIN number that you'll find on this lesson's text page. Practice recording our words and sample sentences back for us and we'll have one of our teachers listen to it and get back to you with one-on-one feedback about your pronunciation.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

Developed over 5000 years of history, the traditional Chinese approach to sales involves deploying armies of salespeople to flank the merchandise, and opening a single cashier three floors away to ring up sales. Stamped receipts issued by this critical employee can hypothetically be exchanged for the actual product, although we've never heard of anyone successfully completing the transaction.Perhaps times are changing though. Along with efforts to lure the few remaining foreign factories into central Hunan, the Chinese Government has recently begun a program to encourage the import of advanced western sales techniques. Key among these is the classic upsell, whose sudden emergence this summer has turned it into the latest marketing craze to hit the streets of Beijing. Join us in this podcast and we'll introduce it to you.Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

In this podcast Echo, Liu and 9527 hit our studio for a show about Saturday morning cartoons in China. And if you think they're going to chat about Superfriends or Rocket Robin Hood you're sadly mistaken. Not only is there no English in today's show, there are no non-Asian shows either. So even if you're an advanced student you may want to click through to our vocabulary section to familiarize yourself with the subject matter before listening.Why cartoons? The catalyst for this has been some good news for Liu, who just picked up a job doing voice acting for the new animated edition of The Monkey King set for release later this year. Congratulations Liu. We fully expect everyone in mainland China to know you as "that guy from Popup Chinese" in a couple of years, but don't let that go to your head....Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup ChineseReincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese