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. 12 "Independence Day"---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
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 口语词汇 conversational vocabulary
rénshānrénhǎi "people everywhere"
Nǐ xíng, nǐ shàng "Put up or shut up."
méimé'r "No way!"
Bù pà yīwàn, jiù pà wànyī. "better (to be) safe than sorry"
Zhǒng guā dé guā, zhǒng dòu dé dòu. (lit. "plant melons, get melons; plant beans, get beans") "You reap what you sow."désè to boast; to "flex"; to strut; to swagger
shénjīngbìng neurological disorder; mental illness; mental
tǔ soil; rustic; unsophisticated; old-fashioned
fèihuà nonsense; trash; You don't say!
kàopǔ reliable---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
9:40 听力 listening / "comprehensible input"
大鹏说中文 Speak Chinese with Da Peng
Chinese Talk Ep. 3 (大鹏是谁)---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
10:15 听力 special story listening
《小王子》(Le Petit Prince; The Little Prince book read)---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Use calendar view to see other upcoming events at a glance. - [in-person] tea tasting: Tiěguānyīn and all that!West China Tea House, Austin, TX
If you think tea is bland/boring/weak, this event is especially for you. If you have only tried "Earl Grey", "English breakfast", or flavored teas like "jasmine", get ready to have your mind (and palate!) expanded!
Come learn about and enjoy gōngfū chá (功夫茶) tea tasting.
We will aim to taste at least one "oolong" (烏龍) and one pǔ'ěr (普洱).
Tea tasting at the front tea bar typically works out to about $10/hour.If the parking lot is full, you may park around the corner on Harmon Ave and walk on the sidewalk along the I-35 frontage road.
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Tea is a beverage commonly prepared by pouring hot water over leaves of the tea plant, an evergreen shrub native to Asia. The tea plant originated in the region which today is NE India/SW China.The word for tea in almost every language is derived from either Hokkien (Amoy or Teochew dialects) tê or Cantonese (and later Mandarin) chá. Many major European languages (Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish), Tamil, and Telugu have words that come from the first pronunciation, while the words in Arabic, Hindi and many other Indian languages, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish derive from the second one, particularly the Persianized form chai.
Chrysanthemum, chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, hibiscus, lavender, peppermint, rooibos, and rosehip "teas" are infusions of bark, flowers, herbs, leaves, roots, or spices and not truly tea in the strict sense.
Every high quality tea has a variety of interesting and complex aromas and flavor notes that come through intensely or subtly, depending on the type and the steeping process. Most will have some "grassy" vegetable-like taste, with some astringent and/or bitter flavors. Some may even have a fruit-like sweetness. Appreciating these components is part of the enjoyment process.
烏龍/乌龙 ("Oolong") wū lóng "dark dragon"
毛蟹 máo xiè "hairy crab"
鐵觀音/铁观音 Tiěguānyīn ("Iron Goddess of Compassion"), 安溪 Ānxī County, 福建省 Fújiàn Province
大紅袍 Dà Hóng Páo ("big red robe"), from 武夷山 Wǔyí mountains, 福建省 Fújiàn Province普洱 pǔ'ěr, traditionally from 雲南/云南 Yúnnán Province
生 shēng "raw"; unfermented; "classic pǔ'ěr"
熟 shú (or shóu) "ripe"; wet piling and fermented to simulate aged pǔ'ěrHere's a list of famous teas, most with names in Chinese and English.
蓋碗/盖碗 gàiwǎn covered bowl, for steeping tea
公道杯 gōngdào bēi equity cup, for serving tea
茶杯 chábēi teacup, for tasting/drinking tea---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
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,课文四 (Lesson 2, Dialogue 4)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. - [novice+] Let's learn some basic Chinese words and phrases!Link visible for attendees
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.---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
my favorite resources
basic words
Immersive Chinese incremental lessons---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
pronunciation tips
Běijīng: It really is "jing", not "zhing".
Zhōngguó: more like "joong-gwo", -not- "zhoong-gwaw", -not- "choong-gwaw".
Does your "wo" sound like "whoa"?! 😂---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Melnyks Lesson 00601:25
餐厅 cāntīng restaurant
中国菜 Zhōngguó cài Chinese food
菜 cài greens; dishes (of food); cuisine
饿 è hungry
肚子 dùzi tummy
我肚子饿。 Wǒ dùzi è. I'm hungry.
想 xiǎng would like
有 yǒu to have
没有 méiyǒu don't have; there's none
菜单 càidān menu
点菜 diǎn cài to order food06:35
炒饭 chǎo fàn stir-fried rice
古老肉 gǔlǎo ròu sweet-and-sour pork
宫保鸡丁 gōng bǎo jī dīng kung-pao chicken (cubes)
锅贴 guōtiē pan-fried dumplings ("pot-stickers")
香菇菜心 xiānggū cài xīn black (shiitake) mushrooms with tender greens
豆腐 dòufu soybean curd ("tofu")
麻婆豆腐 má pó dòufu "ma-po tofu"
茄子 qiézi eggplant
红烧鱼 hóngshāo yú "red-braised" fish
干煸四季豆 gān biān sìjì dòu Sichuan-style sauteed long beans
西兰花 xīlánhuā broccoli
蔬菜 shūcài vegetables
肉 ròu meat
鱼 yú fish
蚝油生菜 háoyóu shēngcài lettuce in oyster sauce
拔丝香蕉 básī xiāngjiāo ("pulled silk") fried banana with syrup glaze12:29
给 gěi to give
等一下 děng yīxià wait a moment
还 hái still; also
欢迎再来 huānyíng zàilái Please come back. (lit. "welcome again come")
好吃 hàochī delicious (lit. "good to eat")15:48
A:我肚子饿了。我们去吃中国菜,怎么样?Wǒ dùzi èle. Wǒmen qù chī Zhōngguó cài, zěnme yàng?
B:好啊!我们一起去中国餐厅。 Hǎo a! Wǒmen yīqǐ qù Zhōngguó cāntīng.A:你好!我们来吃中国菜。 Nǐ hǎo! Wǒmen lái chī Zhōngguó cài.
C:你好!你的中文说得很好。你们想吃什么? Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ de Zhōngwén shuō dé hěn hǎo. Nǐmen xiǎng chī shénme?
A:请给我菜单。 Qǐng gěi wǒ càidān.
C:好,请等一下。 Hǎo, qǐng děng yīxià.C:这是我们的菜单。 Zhè shì wǒmen de càidān.
A:请问,有没有古老肉? Qǐngwèn, yǒu méiyǒu gǔlǎo ròu?
C:有,还想吃什么? Yǒu, hái xiǎng chī shénme?
A:还要 ... Hái yào...C:这是你们点的菜。 Zhè shì nǐmen diǎn de cài.
A:你们的菜很好吃。 Nǐmen de cài hěn hào chī.
C:谢谢,你们欢迎回来! Xièxiè, nǐmen huānyíng huílái!
A,B:再见! Zàijiàn!
C:再见,再见! Zàijiàn, zàijiàn!---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Shawn's basic words
(251 to 260)
水果 shuǐguǒ fruit
正在 zhèngzài right now; just in the middle of
好吧 hǎo ba [defeatedly/hesitantly/reluctantly] I guess so. O-kay, fine.
开玩笑 kāiwánxiào just kidding; joking around---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.--- ---.---
Use calendar view to see other upcoming events at a glance.