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The Boston Mandarin Chinese Language Meetup Group

4.7•1636 ratings
Boston, MA, US

2,495 members

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About us

Language learning is a life long endeavour.
Never give up. Never stop moving.

语言学习，一生之计。永不放弃，永不停步。

The BMCL Meetup Group was founded on May 5, 2003. We are a Mandarin Chinese conversation practice group, for all levels. The group is open and self-led. When we run out of vocabulary, we chat about China in English :) Welcome native speakers who would like to meet conversation partners, or lead activities.

Joining the meetup group
To be a member of this group you need to have a profile photo in which you are recognizable as yourself. This helps people recognize each other at meetups. This is required for all new members joining after May 2022. For all members of the group, please do not use AI generated photos and photos of other people. Also, please join the group with your actual name and in your personal capacity, not as a company or organization. Please have a look at recent event descriptions. Join if you feel that these are the types of events you would like to take part in.

Member information
As from June 2024, regular Meetup members (without an organizer subscription)

  • Can view the information on the home page and event pages of public meetup groups.
  • Can view names but not profile pictures on attendee lists for events.
  • Cannot view the full members list.
  • Can view the list of organizers.

September 2026 Reading Text
The Three Body Problem - Ch. 23 - Red Coast VI
三体 - 23 - 红岸之六（节录）
作者：刘慈欣

"Twelfth Night" in 5 Minutes
五分钟看完《第十二夜》
作者：有书视频

October 2026 Reading Text
The Three Body Problem - Ch. 24 - Rebellion
三体 - 24 - 叛乱（节录）
作者：刘慈欣

Romance of the Three Kingdoms - Ch. 1 - Brotherhood of the Peach Garden - HSK5
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

Links to all reading text files
Chinese text with pinyin and selected vocabulary and explanations provided in Google Sheets. Best viewed on Chrome or Firefox browsers.

October 2026 Topics
Oct 3 - Online Mandarin Learners Practice - Saturday Morning
忘恩负义
Ingratitude
(suggested by Jan)
Para. 13:
但安东尼奥可不领情，指责薇奥拉忘恩负义，白费了自己三个月来照顾他的苦心。
However, Antonio was unappreciative of this; he accused Viola of ingratitude, claiming she had wasted the three months he had spent caring for her.

Oct 7 - All Mandarin Online Conversation Meetup - Advanced Learners
最爽的饭后小吃/夜宵
The most satisfying post-meal snack or late-night bite
(suggested by Jan)

Oct 7 - Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
Continue the Story
文字接龙
(suggested by Lauren - game)

Oct 14 - All Mandarin Online Conversation Meetup - Advanced Learners
Renewable energy
可再生能源
(suggested by Stefanie)

Oct 17 - Online Mandarin Learners Practice - Saturday Morning
最爽的饭后小吃/夜宵
The most satisfying post-meal snack or late-night bite
(suggested by Jan)

Oct 21 - All Mandarin Online Conversation Meetup - Advanced Learners
生活碎片
Fragments of Life
(suggested by Joe)
- 「生活碎片」指的是日常生活中那些零散、平凡、不成系统的小片段和细节 - 谷歌AI

Oct 21 - Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
数字成语接龙
Number-themed Idiom Chain Game
(suggested by Woods)

Oct 28 - Online Language Learning through Song Sharing
Songs from movie soundtracks
电影原声带的歌曲
(from Audrey)

Attending our meetups
We organize meetups to help people practice Mandarin Chinese and English language. A crucial part of the language learning process is interacting with other people. Books and computers and apps cannot take the place of real, live human interaction.
Please come prepared to practice and receive feedback on your target language: either Mandarin or English. Native speakers of each will be in attendance to help us learn. Each attendee is invited to bring an icebreaker question to help spark conversation.

Icebreaker topics
It's always difficult to start a conversation with a stranger, even more so in a foreign language. Here are a few topics we've recently used in our various online conversation events. This page is configured for easy viewing on a smartphone. Many thanks to Ashley for suggesting this.

Member Profiles
Returning members please log in to your member profile on a computer by going to our Group page. Look for the "Manage membership" drop down menu on the right - "Membership details, Group notifications..." Please update your information and tell us where you are currently based, which time periods on which days of the week you are likely to be able to attend events, and what kind of meetups you would like us to organize.

Members
Many of our members live in Massachusetts. Some live in other parts of the US. Some are in the Boston area for brief periods. In the age of Online Meetups, you do not need to physically be in Boston to take part in our events. Once you have joined our meetup group and taken part in our events, you're always welcome to pop in and catch up with your friends, be it online, or at in-person meetups. Please remember to visit the group meetup page occasionally and update your profile details. Members will not be deleted just because they are not residing in MA.

Zoom meetings
Please note that in our Zoom meetings, participants are encouraged to use the Zoom chat window to write down words and expressions to help each other learn. No participant has the right to restrict how and when another participant uses the chat window. The host has overall responsibility for how the meetup is conducted. Where there is anti-social behaviour, such should be reported to the host.

Event Cancellation
Some groups cancel events at the last minute because there are too few signups. We will not do this. If an event is announced, it will be held. Unless there is inclement weather, a natural disaster or a serious transport strike, there will not be a cancellation.
If an event can only be held if a certain number of members sign up, this will be stated on the event page when the event is announced.

No-Flake, Zero No-show group
Group events often involve reservations at restaurants and hiring of venues. Organizers have to put in a lot of effort to set up the event. Members might change work schedules and travel far to meet other members. It is inconsiderate to the group and its members to sign up for in-person events and then send in a last-minute cancellation or do a no-show.

No-shows and flake outs undermine the relationship between organizers and members, and destroy the community spirit of meetups. The attendance record has a large role to play in deciding how we host future events, and in the extreme case, if we can even have events.

We should try to make our group a no-flake, zero no-show group. Let's make a commitment to respect each other, and support group events by showing up when we RSVP.

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". All no-shows in all online meetups since April 20th, 2022 have been marked as such, so the attendee lists all reflect actual attendance. For in-person meetups, no-shows will be recorded when and where it is practical to do so.

Links:

Event Notes - Google sheets format (view on Chrome or Firefox)

Song Sharing Lyrics, Vocabulary and Notes - Google sheets format

Classical Music Sharing - info, vocabulary and notes - Google sheets format

Archives

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page contributors: Reece, Ken, Rich, Audrey, Ingrid, Ashley... and Luigi.

Banner photo:
4th Mondays @ 6:30p: Mandarin Meetup- chat & then dinner - Hosted By Chih-wei - Monday, September 22, 2014
- from BMCL photo album

Upcoming events

2

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Group links

Organizers

Photo of the user Lang
Badge for Lang
Lang and 12 others

Lang is a Super Organizer

Members

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