Austin Chinese Language Learners

[cameras on] intermediate (口语和书面) Mandarin listening comprehension study session

Sun, Apr 19 · 9:00 AM CDT

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Online

Online

Participants should recognize and understand over one thousand words and be familiar with a variety of verb complements (不得了，到，好，起來，完). An ideal participant should be able to understand the use of 比 in comparisons, 把 in "disposal" constructions, and 被 to express passive voice. 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.

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my favorite resources
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9:00 听力 listening comprehension 1
大鹏说中文 Speak Chinese with Da Peng
Chinese Talk

Ep. 34-2「谁最漂亮？ 和Windah聊审美 」107-2
快问快答.1「小莲」108
快问快答.2「凯琳 🇮🇱」110
快问快答.3「许范锦绣，来自越南。」111
快问快答 4「欧姗姗，来自美国德州。」112
快问快答 5「陈芳草，来自越南北宁。」114
快问快答 6「三天不洗澡 -vs- 七天不刷牙 | Windah，来自🇮🇩。」115

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9:15 发音 pronunciation/accent warm-up
tone pair practice

绕口令 (tongue twisters)
黑蝴蝶飞，
灰蝴蝶飞，
黑蝴蝶飞完，
灰蝴蝶飞。

Hēi húdié fēi,
Hūi húdié fēi,
Hēi húdié fēi wán,
Hūi húdié fēi.

The black butterfly flies
The gray butterfly flies.
After the black butterfly flies,
The gray butterfly flies.

这些是十四只紫色的狮子，各自想试试写四十个字，是不是？
Zhèxiē shì shísì zhǐ zǐsè de shīzǐ, gèzì xiǎng shìshì xiě sìshí gè zì, shì bùshì?
These are fourteen purple lions, (and) each wants to try to write forty characters, isn't that so?

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9:20 听力 listening comprehension 2
A Kaleidoscope of China (中国社会百态/"A Hundred Aspects of Chinese Society")

1 一个完整的故事--中美消费观再比较 ("A complete story--an additional comparison of Chinese and American consumer views")
2 买房子还是生孩子 ("To buy a house or to have children?")
3 公民 “追捕权” 不是行为免罪护身符 ("Citizens' 'authority to pursue' is not a "magic" shield that exempts criminal behavior.")
4 没有中国货的日子 ("A day without Chinese goods")
5 中国的性骚扰案件 ("Sexual harassment cases in China")
6 让我们远离 “郁闷” ("Let us stay away from depression.")
7 大学生网恋虚引导 ("College students' virtual introduction to online dating")

8 树立科学的吃饭惯 ("Establishing science-based eating habits")

身份 shēnfèn identity
目前 mùqián at the moment; at present
破坏 pòhuài damage; to destroy
造成 zàochéng to bring about; to cause
挑战/挑戰 tiǎozhàn challenge

科学 kēxué science; scientific
吃饭惯 chīfànguàn eating habits

大量 dàliàng great amount; numerous
追求 zhuīqiú to pursue relentlessly
缺乏 quēfá to lack; shortage
不如 bùrú not equal to; inferior to
矛盾 máodùn contradiction; conflicting views
现象/現象 xiànxiàng phenomenon; appearance
花样 huāyàng pattern; way of doing something
结构/結構 jiégòu structure; composition; makeup; architecture
概念 gàiniàn concept; idea

统计 tǒngjì statistics
营养/營養 yíngyǎng nutrition; nourishment
树立/樹立 shùlì to establish; to set up
胡乱/胡亂 húluàn careless; reckless

率 lǜ rate
比率 bǐlǜ ratio; rate; percentage
概率 gàilǜ probability (math.)

失衡 shīhéng to unbalance; imbalance
当回事 dànghuíshì to take [too] seriously
一粥一饭 yī zhōu yī fàn each and every meal ("一粥一饭，当思来处不易；半丝半缕，恒念物力维艰。")

9 “老外” 是贬义词吗？ ("Is 'lǎowài' a derogatory term?")
老外 lǎowài (coll.) foreigner (esp. non-Asian person)
贬义 biǎnyì derogatory sense
贬义词 biǎnyìcí derogatory word

文章 wénzhāng article; essay
嘲弄 cháonòng to tease; to make fun of
称呼 chēnghu to address as; to call

脱口而出 tuōkǒuérchū to let slip; to blurt out
一概而论 yīgàiérlùn to lump different matters together

称谓 chēngwèi title; form of address
明显 míngxiǎn obvious

义愤 yìfèn moral indignation
情趣 qíngqù appeal; delight

闭关锁国 bìguānsuǒguó to close a country to exclude foreign contact
大清 Dà Qīng the Great Qing dynasty
侵略 qīnlüè invasion
侵略者 qīnlüèzhě aggressor; invader
欺凌 qīlíng to bully and humiliate

复制 fùzhì to make a copy of; to copy; to reproduce

不劳而获 bùláoérhuò to reap without sowing
不必介意 bùbì jièyì to not have to care?

10 中国需要更多律师 ("China needs more lawyers.")

11 当代青年 与 “月光族” 之忧 ("Contemporary youth and the anxiety of living paycheck to paycheck")
月光族 yuèguāngzú (lit. "moonlight group") [slang] people who spend their monthly income before the month ends

12 “空巢老人” 问题突出，辽宁把 “常回家看看” 写进法规 ("The 'empty-nest elderly' problem is prominent; Liáoníng enacts 'frequent home visits' statutes.")

13 中国的新城乡关系 ("China's new urban-rural relationship")

14 洋块餐本土化 ("localization of foreign fast food")
本土化 běntǔhuà localization

15 校园枪击 ("campus shootings")

16 从 “三寸金莲” 到 “人造美女” ("from 'foot-binding' to 'synthetic beauties' ")

17 成绩和学费逼死了中学生 ("Grades and tuition are crushing middle school students.")

18 为 “厕所峰会” 叫好 ("applauding the 'toilet summit' ")

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9:40 口语词汇 conversational vocabulary

slang terms
41-50
51-60
61-70

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9:50 听力 listening comprehension 3 (and discussion)
瞎扯学中文 Convo Chinese
Ep. 24 她是一名小网红 She is a minor influencer
Ep. 25 抱歉 :( Sorry
Ep. 26 成为骄傲的铲屎官 Becoming a proud pooper-scooper!
Ep. 27 在瑞士“被”消费升级 Forced consumption upgrade in Switzerland
Ep. 28 你最近看了什么好看的电影 Let's talk about movies!
Ep. 29 春节快乐 Happy Chinese New Year !
Ep. 30 家里的水管爆了 My water pipe burst!
Ep. 31 和一个东北人唠嗑 Chatting with a Northeasterner
Ep. 32 这就是非洲 This is Africa!
Ep. 33 滑雪一定要注意安全 Safety first when skiing!
Ep. 34 这才是正宗的对外汉语老师 A real TCFL teacher!
Ep. 35
Ep. 36
Ep. 37
Ep. 38
Ep. 39

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10:10 sing a couple of songs; wrap-up
[05]《月亮代表我的心》(1977, 鄧麗君/Teresa Teng)
[09]《爱江山更爱美人》(1994, 李麗芬/Lily Lee)
《朋友/"Friends"》(1997-04-16, 周華健/Emil Chau) karaoke
[17]《情非得已》 (2001-05-18, 庾澄慶/Harlem Yu) karaoke
[23]《童話/"Fairy Tale"》(2005-01-21, 王光良/Michael Wong) karaoke
[25]《不能說的秘密/Secret》(2007-07, 周杰倫/Jay Chou; 2018, 林俊傑)
[26]《洋蔥》(2008-01, 楊宗緯/Aska Yang) karaoke
[28]《那些你很冒险的夢/"Those Were the Days"》(2011-12, 林俊杰/JJ Lin) karaoke
[29]《泡沫/Bubble》(2012-07, G.E.M./鄧紫棋)
[38]《你的答案/"Your Answer"》(2019, 阿冗/A Rong)

Excel Mandarin

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[online] Let's sing Chinese songs together!

Sun, Apr 19 · 10:30 AM CDT

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Online

Online

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We'll sing some (or many!) of these songs together:

[01]《茉莉花》(清朝/Qing or 明朝/Ming dynasty?, 蔡琴)
[02]《康定情歌/"Kangding Love Song"》(1946; 2016, 龍飘飘)
[03]《情人的眼淚》(1958, 潘秀瓊/Poon Sow Keng; 1971, 姚苏蓉) karaoke
[04]《不了情/Love Without End》(1961, 顧媚/Koo Mei)

[05]《月亮代表我的心》(1977, 鄧麗君/Teresa Teng)
[06]《甜蜜蜜》(1979, 鄧麗君/Teresa Teng)
[07]《一无所有/"Nothing to My Name"》(1986, 崔健/최건/Cui Jian)

[08]《快樂頌》(1992?, 庾澄慶/Harlem Yu)
[09]《爱江山更爱美人》(1994, 李麗芬/Lily Lee)
[10]《輸了你，贏了世界又如何》(1994, 優客李林/Ukulele) karaoke
[11]《夜夜夜夜/"Night"》(1996-12, 齊秦/Chyi Chin)
[12]《心太軟/"Too Softhearted"》(1996-12-24, 任賢齊/Richie Jen)
(1997-04-16, 周華健/Emil Chau) karaoke
[13]《對面的女孩看過來/"Girl Across the Street, Look Over Here"》(1998-10-16, 任賢齊/Richie Jen) karaoke
[14]《紅豆/"Red Beans"》(1998-10-02, 王菲/Faye Wong) karaoke
[15]《那些花儿/"Those Flowers"》(1999?, 朴樹/Pu Shu) karaoke

[16]《月亮之上/"Above the Moon"》(2001?, 韩红; 2005, 凤凰传奇/"Phoenix Legend")
[17]《情非得已》 (2001-05-18, 庾澄慶/Harlem Yu) karaoke
[18]《流星》(2001-06, 郑钧) Mandarin version of Coldplay's "Yellow"
[19]《十年》(2003-04, 陳奕迅/Eason Chan) karaoke
[20]《豆漿油條/Perfect Match》(2004-06, 林俊傑/JJ Lin)
[21]《七里香/Common Orange Jasmine》(2004-08, 周杰倫/Jay Chou)
[22]《老鼠愛大米/"Mice Love Rice"》(2004-12, 杨臣刚/Yáng Chéngāng) karaoke
[23]《童話/"Fairy Tale"》(2005-01-21, 王光良/Michael Wong) karaoke
[24]《小情歌》(2006-10, sodagreen/蘇打綠)
[25]《不能說的秘密/Secret》(2007-07, 周杰倫/Jay Chou; 2018, 林俊傑)
[26]《洋蔥》(2008-01, 楊宗緯/Aska Yang) karaoke

[27]《星空/"Starry Starry Night"》(2011-11, 五月天/Mayday)
[28]《那些你很冒险的夢/"Those Were the Days"》(2011-12, 林俊杰/JJ Lin) karaoke
[29]《泡沫/Bubble》(2012-07, G.E.M./鄧紫棋)
[30]《聽見下雨的聲音/Rhythm Of The Rain》(2013-10, 魏如昀; 2014-12, 周杰倫) backing
[31]《Say Something/说些什么》(2014, 陳傑瑞/Jeric Tan + Rose Liu/刘明湘)
[32]《平凡之路/"Ordinary Road"》(2014-07-16, 朴樹/Pu Shu)
[33]《夜空中最亮的星/"Brightest Star In The Night Sky"》(2014-12, 逃跑计划/Escape Plan) backing
[34]《可惜沒如果/"Pity There's No If"》(2014-12-15, 林俊杰/JJ Lin) karaoke

[35]《漂向北方》(2016-12-30, Namewee/黃明志 + 王力宏/Wang Leehom)
[36]《我的新衣》(2017-10, Vava, Ty., 王倩倩/Nina Wang)
[37]《雪落下的聲音/The Sound of Snow Falling》(2018-07, 陸虎; 2018, 周深) karaoke
[38]《你的答案/"Your Answer"》(2019, 阿冗/A Rong)

If you're familiar with other songs, we invite you to share, sing, or teach them to us!

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(cameras on, please) Let's learn basic Chinese words/phrases!

Mon, Apr 27 · 7:00 PM CDT

·

Online

Online

In this online activity series for novice learners, we'll present some basic words/phrases, explain/discuss how to pronounce them, and take turns repeating them aloud.

During the meeting, please
[1] be in a distraction-free, quiet environment;
[2] use headphones/headset to minimize audio feedback;
[3] pay close attention to melody, rhythm, and sounds.

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my favorite resources
Immersive Chinese incremental lessons (first 20 lessons free; $15 gets you lifetime access to all 160)

What about apps? If your main goal is to be able to understand and speak some Mandarin, I would suggest the following three that focus on listening. The first two are available free of charge through many local public libraries!

Mango Languages is basically audio examples/flashcards, interspersed with text and audio explanatory notes. You may record yourself and play back both your sample and the native speaker's.

Pimsleur puts the focus on speaking. Compared with other programs, they give more detailed descriptions/explanations of pronunciation.

SuperChinese is essentially a combination of audio flashcards, with some multiple-choice and matching exercises for feedback. If you record yourself, it will give you a pronunciation score. It's the only app I've seen that has some parts only in audio and some questions that actually test comprehension.
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pronunciation tips
Běijīng: It really is "jing", not "zhing".
Zhōngguó: more like "joong-gwo", -not- "zhoong-gwaw", -not- "choong-gwaw".
"Wo" should not sound like "whoa"?! 😂

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review
Zhè shì shénme? "What is this?"
Zhè shì shuǐ. "This is water."
Nà shì shénme? "What is that?"
Nà shì mǐfàn. "That is rice."

Wǒ yǒu shǒujī. "I have (a) cell phone."
Wǒ méiyǒu chē. "I don't have (a) car/vehicle."
Yǒu méiyǒu xiāngjiāo? "Are there bananas?"; "Do you have bananas?"

Tā shì shéi? "Who is s/he?"
Tā shì wǒ māmā; bàba; gēgē; dìdì; jiějiě; mèimei.
"S/he is my mom; dad; big brother; little brother; big sister; little sister;"
Tā shì wǒ de péngyǒu. "S/he is my friend."
Nà shì wǒ de péngyǒu de chē. "That is my friend's car."

Xiànzài jǐ diǎn [zhōng]? What time is it (now)?
yī diǎn [zhōng] one o'clock
sān diǎn [zhōng] three o'clock

chī to eat
píngshí normally; ordinarily; usually
Nǐ [píngshí] jǐ diǎn chī zǎocān? What time do you [normally] eat breakfast?
Wǒ zǎoshang bā diǎn chī zǎocān. I eat breakfast at 8 in the morning.
Nǐ [píngshí] jǐ diǎn chī wǎncān? What time do you [normally] eat dinner?
Wǒ wǎnshang qī diǎn chī wǎncān. I eat dinner at 7 in the evening.

jǐ gè a few; several; how many?
jǐ wèi "Table for...?"; How many (are in your group)?
Duōshǎo qián? How much money (does it cost)?
Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén? How many people are in your family?

hěn [default modifier for predicate adjectives] quite; [UK] rather
Wǒ de péngyǒu hěn gāo; kāixīn; piàoliang; shuài. My friend is quite tall; happy; beautiful; handsome/cool.

Nǐ hǎo ma? How are you?
[Nǐ] zěnmeyàng? How's it going [for you]?

[Wǒ] hěn hǎo [I am] quite well.
[Wǒ] hěn bùcuò [I'm] not bad at all.

Xièxie! Thanks!

zhīdào to know
[Wǒ] bù zhīdào. [I] don't know.
Ó, wǒ zhīdàole! Oh, I get it! (I know *now*!)

zài to be located at/in/on
Nǐ zài nǎlǐ? Where are you?
Wǒ jiù zài zhèlǐ! I'm (right) here!

zài jiā at home
zài bàngōngshì at the office
zài gōngyuán at/in a/the park

zài... [ne] to be in the process of
Wǒ zài chī wǎncān [ne]. I'm [right in the middle of] eating dinner.
zài kàn diànyǐng; zài tīng yīnyuè; zài xué Zhōngwén; zài zuòfàn watching movies; listening to music; learning/studying Chinese; cooking [a meal]

zuò to do; to make
Nǐ zuò shénme? What do you do?
Nǐ zài zuò shénme ne? What are you doing?

Jīntiān shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào? What is today's *date*? (lit. "Today is which month, which number?")
Jīntiān shì shí-èr yuè sānshíyī hào. Today is December 31st.

Jīntiān shì xīngqí jǐ? What day [of the week] is it [today]?
Jīntiān shì xīngqísān. Today is Wednesday.
Jīntiān shì xīngqítiān. Today is Sunday.

cóng Běijīng dào Shànghǎi from Beijing to Shanghai
Nǐ cóng nǎlǐ lái? Where did you come from?

hǎochī delicious
hǎokàn good-looking
hǎowán enjoyable; fun

yòng to use; using
hǎoyòng easy to use; user-friendly
yǒuyòng useful ("to have use")

zěnme shuō? How (does one) say (it)?

yòng Zhōngwén zěnme shuō? How (does one) say (it) in Chinese?
yòng kuàizǐ chīfàn to eat using chopsticks
yòng bǐ xiězì to write [Chinese characters] using a pen

xǐhuān to like
Wǒ xǐhuān ___. "I like ___."
Nǐ xǐhuān ___ ma? "Do you like ___?"

zuì the most; "-est"
zuì xǐhuān de favorite

yùndòng exercise; movement; sport
Nǐ zuì xǐhuān de yùndòng shì shénme? "What is your favorite exercise/sport?"
Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de yùndòng shì ___. "My favorite exercise/sport is ___."

pǎobù to run
yóuyǒng to swim
dǎ lánqiú to play basketball
dǎ wǎngqiú to play tennis
tī zúqiú to play soccer
dǎ páiqiú to play volleyball

yánsè color
Nǐ zuì xǐhuān de yánsè shì shénme? "What is your favorite color?"
Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de yánsè shì ___. "My favorite color is ___."

hēisè black
hóngsè red
huángsè yellow
báisè white
lánsè blue
jīnsè gold
lǜsè green
zǐsè purple

new
hǎo ma? Okay?
hǎo a! Okay! (Let's do that!)

shì ma? Is that so?
shì a! Yes! That's right!

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[cameras on] pre-intermediate listening & usage

Mon, Apr 27 · 8:00 PM CDT

·

Online

Online

Participants should already

understand how pinyin notation expresses the precise pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese, including the "melody";

be familiar with a few hundred words;

be 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]

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my favorite resources
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"lighten up" and "tighten up"
Do you pronounce "wo" like "whoa"? (You should NOT! 😂)

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HSK Level 3 audio translated
第十七八九课，课文一二三四 (Lesson 18, Text 3)

(18.1)
向 xiàng in the direction of; toward
万 wàn ten-thousand; myriad

(18.2)
只 zhǐ [classifier for small animals]
嘴 zuǐ mouth
动物 dòngwù animal
段 duàn section; length (of time, etc.)

(18.3)
不但...而且... bùdàn...érqiě... not only...but also...
有名 yǒumíng famous; well-known
同意 tóngyì to agree
相信 xiāngxìn to believe
关于 guānyú with regard to; related to
机会 jīhuì opportunity

(18.4)
国家 guójiā country; nation
种 zhǒng kind; type
特点 tèdiǎn characteristic
奇怪 qíguài strange; odd; weird
地 de [adverbial-construction particle] "-ly"

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usage notes

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supplementary listening
textbooks
Oh China!
A New China

YouTube
Blabla

podcasts
TeaTime Chinese Why Chinese?

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