Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles tagged with ‘Listening comprehension’

  1. Student Q&A, September 2024: Slowly spoken Chinese, passing listening exams and understanding numbers

    Should you slow down the Mandarin you listen to? How can you prepare for difficult listening exams? And how can you understand Chinese numbers in context?

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  2. Insights from my recent trip to China: The importance of top-down listening

    Understanding Chinese involves more than just knowing words and phrases; it’s about using context to interpret meaning. My recent trip to China highlighted the crucial role of top-down listening in navigating dialects, speech patterns, and unexpected questions.

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  3. Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 4: Learning to process spoken Mandarin quickly and effortlessly

    Our ability to consciously process spoken Mandarin is limited; the only way forward is to listen so much that processing becomes automated.

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  4. Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 3: Using what you already know to aid listening comprehension in Chinese

    Listening comprehension is not only about extracting information from the spoken Mandarin you hear, it’s also about applying what you already know and expect.

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  5. Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 2: From sound to meaning in Mandarin

    Listening comprehension in Mandarin is complex, and the more I learn about it, the more amazing it seems that we’re able to understand anything at all.

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  6. Listen before you read: Improve your listening ability

    Listen before you read

    Listening ability is often overlooked when learning Chinese. Make sure you get the most out of the listening resources you do have and improve your Chinese listening ability.

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