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The Boston Mandarin Chinese Language Meetup Group

4.7•1525 ratings
Boston, MA, US

2,780 members · Public group

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What we’re about

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 recognizable as yourself. This helps people recognize each other at meetups. This is required for all new members joining after May 2022. 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.

October 2025 Reading Text
The Three-Body Problem - Ch. 11 - Three Body: Mozi and Fiery Flames
三体 - 第11章 - 三体、墨子、烈焰（节录）
作者：刘慈欣

Stories of the Sahara - Ch. 11 - A Ladder
撒哈拉的故事 - 11 - 天梯（节录）
作者：三毛

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 2025 Topics
Oct 1 - Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
Strangest date we've been on
最奇怪的约会
(suggested by Sumit)

Oct 4 - Online Mandarin Learners Practice - Saturday Morning
入境随俗 - 讲奇怪的习俗
When in Rome, do as the Romans do - Let's talk about strange local customs
(suggested by LML)

Oct 8 - Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
What's the most overrated/underrated everyday item?
最被夸大或被低估的日常用品
(suggested by Sumit)

Oct 15 - All Mandarin Online Conversation Meetup - Advanced Learners
讲一个我们去过的在中国的地方
Talk about a place we've been to in China
(suggested by LML)

Oct 15 - Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
The strangest job you've ever had (or someone you know has had).
你干过的最奇怪的工作（或你认识的人干过的）。
(suggested by Sumit)

Oct 18 - Online Mandarin Learners Practice - Saturday Morning
有意思的科技
Interesting technology
(suggested by Johnathon)

Oct 22 - All Mandarin Online Conversation Meetup - Advanced Learners
我们最害怕什么?
What are we most afraid of?
(suggested by Ashley)

Oct 22 - Online Mandarin English Conversation Practice
The most recent things that made you laugh like crazy.
最近一些令你捧腹大笑的事。
(suggested by Sumit)

Oct 29 - Online Language Learning through Song Sharing
Best songs to hear at a Halloween party
最好在万圣节聚会听的歌曲
(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.

Member Profiles
Returning members please log in to your member profile on a computer by going to our Group page. Look for the "You're a member" drop down menu next to the main toolbar with "About, Events, Members..." 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 from 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:

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page contributors: Reece, Ken, Rich, Audrey, Ingrid... 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

Online Language Learning through Song Sharing
•
Online

Online Language Learning through Song Sharing

Online

Suggested theme for this month:
Best songs to hear at a Halloween party
最好在万圣节聚会听的歌曲

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Words set to music give us the songs we know and love. Listen to a song, listen to it again, learn the words and the music. Find out what the song means. Memorize, and make it your own. Then share it with others, and pass it on.

歌词加上音乐，谱成了我们喜爱的歌曲。 好歌可以一听再听，学习歌词和曲调，挖掘出它的意义。把歌曲记到心里去，使它变成属于你自己的，然后跟大家分享。

We can learn language through song sharing. Let's get together online for an evening of song sharing and language learning. Each participant brings a song to share, and tells the group where and when they first heard the song, what it's about, who wrote it, and how it continues to inspire them.

我们通过分享歌曲能够学习语言。诚意邀请你来参加我们分享歌曲，学习语言的晚会。每位参与者选择一首想要分享的歌曲，给大家介绍一下自己如何接触到这首歌，以及歌词的意义，歌手是谁，歌曲带来什么启示。

Start time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time (Wednesday, September 24th, 2025)
Suggested theme for this month:
Best songs to hear at a Halloween party
最好在万圣节聚会听的歌曲

Zoom meeting room will open at 6:50 PM
RSVPs close at 6:00 PM

7:00 PM - Gathering song titles, Youtube links, lyrics.
7:15 PM - Song sharing

  • We will play songs on Watch2Gether. The W2G link will be provided once the Zoom meeting starts.
  • After each song, the person who suggested it tells the group about the song in the language they want to practice - English or Mandarin.
  • Songs can be in any language, but we'll talk about them in English and Mandarin.
  • Songs can be submitted at the beginning of the meetup, or by messaging the host.
  • We should be able to do 7-8 songs over 2 hours. If more people show up we'll ask them to do their songs at the next song sharing event. We will hold one of these events each month.
  • Please don't wait until the last minute to sign up and provide the Youtube link to your song. This makes it difficult to finalize the playlist and the lyrics file.

9:00 PM - End. Anyone who wants to chat in English can stay on for another half an hour.

Leaving before the end:
Participants can leave any time they like. The main thing is for everyone to listen to the songs, ask questions if they don't understand the lyrics, and share the learning experience together.

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.

Playlists:
Song sharing playlists from previous meetups.

Lyrics spreadsheets
Song Sharing Lyrics, Vocabulary and Notes - Google sheets format

Who should take part in this event?

  • Mandarin Beginners
  • Intermediate Mandarin learners
  • Advanced Mandarin learners who would like to help other learners
  • Native speakers of Mandarin who would like to help, and also practice English

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.

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.
  • Photo of the user
1 attendee

Upcoming events

7

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Group links

Organizers

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Lang and 11 others

Members

2,780
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J
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