What we’re about
* Currently, our activities focus on language learning (listening and conversational practice, particularly in Mandarin and Cantonese) and Chinese culture (especially music, poems, movies, regional cuisines, art, calligraphy, history)
* Use your computer to plan ahead.
Look at our monthly calendar to find activities that appeal to you:
https://www.meetup.com/austin-chinese-language-and-culture/events/calendar/
RSVP a week in advance if you can. Otherwise, do so at least a day before the event.
If no one signs up for an event, it will probably be cancelled a couple of days before.
* Use the app to check messages (Event Chats and Direct Messages) a day or two before any event for possible discussion.
If you won't be able to attend, update your RSVP before the event starts.
If the host needs to make a schedule change, s/he should do so before the event start time, preferably at least a day in advance.
* Participate regularly.
If we don't see you for a few weeks, you'll probably be removed from the group. Nothing personal--our events probably just don't fit your interests or schedule.
* We're here to learn and improve.
Participate in online activities using headphones and from a quiet location.
Be open to information/strategies that may challenge your practices.
We invite discussion based on research/experience.
* Please do not advertise, attack, campaign, proposition, proselytize, or solicit.
If anyone contacts you through Meetup to do any of these, please let us know.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- intermediate (口语和书面) Mandarin listening comprehension study sessionLink visible for attendees
Participants should recognize and understand more than 500 words. We will emphasize fairly standard Putonghua pronunciation but also work towards comprehending regional accents.
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During the meeting, please
[1] be in a distraction-free, quiet environment;
[2] use headphones to minimize audio feedback;
[3] pay close attention to melody, rhythm, and sounds.---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
my favorite resources---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
9:00 听力 listening warm-up / "comprehensible input"
(CCTV) "Happy Chinese" (Season One)
Ep. 11 "An Important Task"---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
9:15 发音 pronunciation/accent warm-up
绕口令 (tongue twister)树上有梨 shù shàng yǒu lí On the tree is a pear.
地上有泥 dì shàng yǒu ní On the ground is mud.
风刮梨 fēng guā lí The wind knocks off the pear.
梨落地 lí luò dì The pear falls to the ground.
梨滚泥 lí gǔn ní The pear rolls in the mud.
泥沾梨 ní zhān lí The mud moistens the pear.---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
9:25 口语/书面 词汇 conversational/literary vocabulary
rénshānrénhǎi "people everywhere"
Nǐ xíng, nǐ shàng "Put up or shut up."
xiǎng dé měi "Dream on!"; "thought beautifully"
méimé'r "No way!"Shuō Cáocāo, Cáocāo dào. "Speak of the devil..."
Bù pà yīwàn, jiù pà wànyī. "better (to be) safe than sorry"
fóxì ("Buddha-like") super-chill; ultra laid-back; not "caught up in the rat race"
Zhǒng guā dé guā, zhǒng dòu dé dòu. (lit. "plant melons, get melons; plant beans, get beans") "You reap what you sow."拜托 bàituō Puh-lease; Get real!
gān gà (尴尬) awkward; embarrassing
笑死我了 xiàosǐwǒle LMAO; killing me
贱 jiàn cheap; despicable; [Fujian; Taiwan?] naughty
萌 méng to sprout; [anime/manga] adorable; [internet slang] cute---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
9:40 听力 listening / "comprehensible input"
大鹏说中文 Speak Chinese with Da Peng
Chinese Talk Ep. 2 ("抢着买")---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Use calendar view to see other upcoming events at a glance. - [in-person] playing games and/or singing songs in MandarinThe Village (courtyard), Austin, TX
All participants should be able to ask (and answer) simple questions (how, how many/much, what, when, where, who, why) in Mandarin. For games that involve describing/explaining ideas/things, it will be helpful to have an active vocabulary of at least several hundred words.
"Catch Phrase":
Select a word or idiom and try to describe or explain it, without using any of the component characters contained in the selected word. Other people try to guess the word or idiom."Pictionary":
One player tries to illustrate a given word or idiom. The other players try to guess the word or idiom."Question Chains":
(A) Repeat the previous player's answer.
(B) Answer the previous player's question.
(C) Ask a new question for the next player."Rhymin' Simon":
Each player must say a word (单词), phrase (短语), or sentence (句子), up to 8 characters long, that rhymes with (the last syllable of) the previous word/phrase/sentence."Scattergories":
A character will be randomly selected from a pre-selected list. Once it's revealed, each player will have three minutes to list as many words that start with the selected character as s/he can."Twenty Questions":
One player thinks of a person, place, or thing. The other players take turns asking “yes/no” questions. The goal is to determine the person, place, or thing by the time 20 questions have been asked and answered."Word Chains" (單詞接龍/单词接龙):
Each player in turn must say a word that starts with the ending character of the previous word.word lists:
"HSK 3.0" (Level 2 3 4 5)
HSK Level 5+---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Here are some songs that we may sing:
[01]《康定情歌/"Kangding Love Song"》(1946)
[02]《情人的眼淚》(1958, 潘秀瓊/Poon Sow Keng; 1971, 姚苏蓉)
[03]《月亮代表我的心》(1977, 鄧麗君/Teresa Teng)
[04]《甜蜜蜜》(1979, 鄧麗君/Teresa Teng)
[05]《爱江山更爱美人》(1994, 李麗芬/Lily Lee)
[06]《輸了你,贏了世界又如何》(1994, 優客李林/Ukulele)
[07]《紅豆》(1998-10, 王菲/Faye Wong)
[08]《月亮之上/"Above the Moon"》(2001?, 韩红; 2005, 凤凰传奇/"Phoenix Legend")
[09]《流星》(2001-06, 郑钧) Mandarin version of Coldplay's "Yellow"
[10]《十年》(2003-04, 陳奕迅/Eason Chan)
[11]《小情歌》(2006-10, sodagreen/蘇打綠)
[12]《不能說的秘密/Secret》(2007-07, 周杰倫/Jay Chou; 2018, 林俊傑)
[13]《洋蔥》(2008-01, 楊宗緯/Aska Yang)
[14]《星空/"Starry Starry Night"》(2011-11, 五月天/Mayday)
[15]《泡沫/Bubble》(2012-07, G.E.M./鄧紫棋)
[16]《聽見下雨的聲音/Rhythm Of The Rain》(2013-10, 魏如昀; 2014, 周杰倫)
[17]《Say Something/说些什么》(2014, 陳傑瑞/Jeric Tan + Rose Liu/刘明湘)
[18]《平凡之路/"Ordinary Road"》(2014, 朴樹/Pu Shu)
[19]《雪落下的聲音/The Sound of Snow Falling》(2018-07, 陸虎; 2018, 周深)
[20]《你的答案/"Your Answer"》(2019, 阿冗/A Rong)---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Use calendar view to see other upcoming events at a glance. - pre-intermediate listening, vocabulary, pronunciation, and bits of grammarLink visible for attendees
Participants should
understand how pinyin notation expresses the precise pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese, including the "melody";
be familiar with a few hundred words, incl. words for
"one" through "ninety-nine"; to arrive; to be; to be at/in/on (somewhere); behind; clothes; cold; color; to come; computer; doctor; to eat; exercise; facing; few; from ... to ...; in front of; to go; hot; to know (a fact); to know (be acquainted with); noodles; pencil; to run; to sleep; some; to speak; time (concept/quantity); time (event/point); weather; workbe able to ask and answer questions like these:
"Do you like to dance/eat/sing/swim?" "I like to sing." "I don't like to dance."
"Who is she?" "She's my friend."
"What is this?" "This is a book/cup/fruit."
"What time are we going to see a movie?" "Tomorrow, at 7:30 in the evening."
"Where is David?" "He's at home."
"Why do you study Chinese?" "Because I would like to speak Chinese."and have a general idea of the "golden rule" of basic sentence structure
subject [+ time] [+ location] [+ manner] + verb [+ duration] [+ object]---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
my favorite resources
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listening material
HSK Level 3 audio translated
第二课,课文三 (Lesson 2, Dialogue 3)周末 zhōumò weekend
打算 dǎsuàn to plan; plan
啊 a [exclamatory particle]
跟 gēn to follow; for; to; with一直 yīzhí all along; straight through
游戏 yóuxì game
作业 zuòyè operation; task; homework
着急 zháojí, zhāojí to feel anxious
复习 fùxí to review南方 nánfāng southern
北方 běifāng northern面包 miànbāo bread
带 dài to bring; to carry
地图 dìtú map
搬 bān to move; to carry好 hǎo [verb complement indicating successful completion]
一个都不能少 yīgè dōu bùnéng shǎo not even one less
那 nà [transition particle]腿 tuǐ leg
疼 téng to ache; paine
脚 jiǎo foot
树 shù tree
容易 róngyì easy
难 nán difficult太太 tàitài wife; Mrs.
秘书 mìshū secretary
经理 jīnglǐ manager
办公室 bàngōngshì office辆 liàng [classifier for wheeled vehicles]
楼 lóu multi-story building; floor of a multi-story building
拿 ná to pick up; to grasp; to seize
把 bǎ handle; [classifier for objects with handles/grips]
伞 sǎn umbrella胖 pàng fat; plump
其实 qíshí actually
瘦 shòu lean; skinnyChinese for Us
Mandarin Bean
Road to Success(new HSK "3.0") Level 3 lessons
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"lighten up" and "tighten up"
Does your "wo" sound like "whoa"?! 😂---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Use calendar view to see other upcoming events at a glance. - [FYI only] pre-intermediate grammar with Seattle Chinese LearnersLink visible for attendees
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[adapted from the Seattle Chinese Learners page for this event]Each participant will give a simple self-introduction.
If there are enough people, they'll separate into a beginner (HSK 1 & 2) room and a pre- to low intermediate (HSK 3 & 4) room. If not, everyone will stay in the main room.
They'll review 2 or 3 grammar points from the Chinese Grammar Wiki, practice the sample sentences, and create some examples.
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Use calendar view to see other upcoming events at a glance.