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Topic:
Chinese names for various professions
各种职业的中文名称
Para. 4: 白发渔樵江渚上 - White-haired fishermen and woodcutters on the river islets
fishermen and woodcutters - professions

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博学，审问，慎思，明辨，笃行。
- 礼记 · 中庸

Mandarin Learners, let's get together online for a morning of Mandarin conversation practice for all levels. When we run out of vocabulary, we continue to chat in English, but we write down the words we want to learn how to say in Chinese, and we ask our Mandarin speaking friends to help.

我们在线上聚会，练习中文会话。当遇到难题，不知道用中文该如何表达，我们用英语记下来，找说中文的朋友来帮忙。欢迎不同水平的中文学习者参与。

This is an international meetup event. Note the different Zoom Link! We'll join members of the London Mandarin Learners group for this online Mandarin Learners conversation practice meetup.

Attendance at previous Saturday morning conversation event: 9

Before signing up for this event, please make sure you have a profile picture in which you are recognizable as yourself.

Start time: 10:00 AM EDT - (Saturday, October 31st, 2026)
- 3 PM London UK time
- (follows BST in the UK)
Zoom meeting room will open at 09:50 AM Eastern Time
RSVPs close at 09:00 AM Eastern Time

Note: British Summer Time ends on October 25, 2026, putting London on Greenwich Mean Time. In order not to inconvenience members in on EDT time, this event will start as usual at 10 AM EDT. Members of the London group will join us from 11 AM. The event will end at 1 PM EDT.

10:00 AM - Introductions in Mandarin and English, Housekeeping announcements
10:30 AM - Topic of the day in breakout rooms

  • Participants will be asked to suggest a topic. We'll vote to decide.
  • Mandarin only rooms for intermediate and advanced Mandarin speakers
  • Mandarin English mixed conversation rooms for language exchange
  • Chinese text and vocabulary reading practice
  • Zoom session will be set up to allow participants to move between rooms and take part in different conversations
  • 30-40 minutes per session.

12:00 PM - End. Anyone who wants to chat in English can stay on for another half an hour.

Topic:
TBD

Please note that topics are icebreaker suggestions, you can talk about anything you like in the breakout rooms, just try to do it in Mandarin.

Reading room:
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Ch. 1 - Brotherhood of the Peach Garden - HSK5
by Luo Guanzhong
三国演义 - 001 - 桃园结义 - HSK5
作者：罗贯中原著，毛纶、毛宗岗父子修改、批注

Reading text
Chinese text with pinyin and selected vocabulary and explanations provided in Google Sheets. Best viewed on Chrome or Firefox browsers.
101-A|Brotherhood of the Peach Garden - HSK5 - reading page with pinyin (beginners)
t-101-B - the original article (advanced)
t-101-C - vocabulary with pinyin and definitions (from Google, with corrections)
t-101-D - Chinese text with pinyin and definitions (beginners)

Further Reading
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - text
三国演义 - 原文
Romance of the Three Kingdoms - wiki
三国演义 - 维基百科

Leaving before the end
Participants can leave any time they like. The main thing is for everyone to try and take part in the Mandarin conversation, and make an effort to express themselves and communicate with others in Mandarin.

No-shows
If you sign up for an event, please show up. If you have a schedule change and can't make it, please change your RSVP to "Not going". No-shows will be marked so that attendee lists can accurately reflect attendance.

Who should take part in this event?

  • Beginners.
  • Intermediate learners are also welcome.
  • Advanced learners who would like to help other learners.
  • Native speakers of Mandarin who would like to help.

Who should not take part in this event?

  • People who just decided last week they wanted to start learning Mandarin.
  • If you can't read basic Chinese characters in Pinyin, you're not a beginner. You need to spend a few months with a Mandarin teacher or a language learning App.
  • Native speakers of Mandarin who only want to practice English.

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Required:

  • A computer with Zoom installed and updated.
  • A reliable internet connection.
  • A working webcam.
  • Web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari.
  • Logging in on a computer/laptop is strongly recommended

Zoom link and password:
Please do not post Zoom login information on social media or on public pages of the Meetup website.

Webcams and Zoom usage
Participants will be asked to turn on their webcams so we can interact with each other just like we're in a face to face meetup. Please make sure your webcam and microphone are working before you log on.
Before logging in, please read the following regarding the usage of Zoom and how to have a better online meetup experience.
Usage of Zoom and Tips for a better online meetup

  • *** No participant has the right to restrict how and when another participant uses the chat window. The host has overall control over how the meetup is conducted.
  • Zoom recording by participants is disabled and is not permitted throughout the course of the meetup session. If for some reason part of the session needs to be recorded, this will be done by the host, and participants will be given forewarning.
  • Taking photos and videos of participants and posting them online without permission is not allowed.

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Banner artwork:
NYCCLC Meetup events
- from NYCCLC photo album

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