Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles in the ‘Intermediate’ category Page 8

  1. Improving your Chinese pronunciation by mimicking native speakers

    The best way to improve your Chinese pronunciation is to mimic native speakers. But why, and how exactly should you go about it?

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  2. Student Q&A, September 2023: Listening more than once, assessing pronunciation and the merits of flashcards

    Is it good to listen to the same passage more than once? How do you assess progress with pronunciation? And are flashcards really all that good for learning Chinese?

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  3. How long do you have to study Chinese to make it useful?

    For some, the allure of Chinese lies in language and culture, but for many, practical utility is more important. So, how long do you have to study Chinese to make it useful?

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  4. Should you throw away your Chinese textbook?

    Many students rely on textbooks to learn Chinese, but is this a good idea? Some people say that to unleash your full potential, you should throw your textbook away.

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  5. Hacking Chinese Podcast three-year anniversary Q&A

    This is a Q&A to mark the third anniversary of the Hacking Chinese Podcast! Should you drop everything you’re doing to learn Chinese for one year? How should you approach reading at an intermediate level? And how do you choose the best resources for learning?

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  6. Is Chinese difficult to learn?

    Is Chinese difficult to learn, even impossible? Or is it in fact quite easy? The answer is that learning Chinese is difficult, but not in the way most people think!

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  7. Timeboxing Chinese: Get more done in less time

    If you don’t invest the necessary time into learning Chinese, it doesn’t matter how good your method is. Timeboxing is a wonderful way to get more done in less time.

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  8. Insights from the new HSK 7-9: Interview with Sara Jaaksola

    Are you curious about the new HSK? Do you want to know what it’s really like to take and pass the advanced level? And how should you prepare to ace your own exams?

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  9. How narrow reading and listening can help you bridge the gap to real Chinese

    Varying your diet of Chinese reading and listening practice is often considered good, indeed necessary, for your learning, but this could be wrong. In some cases, variation makes things too difficult, and then narrow reading and listening is a better option!

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  10. Seeing through the illusion of advanced Chinese learning

    Courses and textbooks encourage narrow but advanced proficiency in Chinese, but if you want to be able to communicate well, you need to see through the illusion.

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