Hacking Chinese Podcast

Translating everything in your head makes speaking and listening to Chinese slow and difficult. Here’s why it happens, and how to stop doing it and start thinking in Chinese instead.
#learnchinese #speaking #translation #listening
Link to the article this podcast episode is based on: How to stop translating in your head and start thinking in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-stop-translating-in-your-head-and-start-thinking-in-chinese/
How to improve fluency in Chinese by playing word games: https://www.hackingchinese.com/playing-word-games-to-practise-fluency/
The cheapest and most convenient way to improve your spoken Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-cheapest-and-most-convenient-way-to-improve-your-spoken-chinese/
Role-playing to learn more Chinese and avoid frustration: https://www.hackingchinese.com/role-playing-to-learn-more-chinese-and-avoid-frustration/
Learning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-input/
How much Chinese should you listen to every day? https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-much-chinese-should-you-listen-to-every-day/
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 4: Learning to process spoken Mandarin quickly and effortlessly: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beyond-ting-bu-dong-part-4-learning-to-process-spoken-mandarin-quickly-and-effortlessly/
The beginner’s guide to Chinese translation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-beginners-guide-to-chinese-translation/
Real communication: What it is, why you want it and how to get it: https://www.hackingchinese.com/real-communication-what-it-is-why-you-want-it-and-how-to-get-it/
Why flashcards are great for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-flashcards-are-great-for-learning-chinese/
Analyse and balance your Chinese learning with Paul Nation’s four strands: https://www.hackingchinese.com/analyse-and-balance-your-chinese-learning-with-paul-nations-four-strands/
How to become fluent in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-become-fluent-in-chinese/
More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com
Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

The best way to learn to understand spoken Mandarin is to listen as much as you can to engaging content that you can make sense of. But what should you listen to and how?
#learnchinese #beginner #listening #comprehensibleinput
Link to the article this podcast episode is based on: Beginner Chinese listening practice: What to listen to and how: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beginner-chinese-listening-practice-what-to-listen-to-and-how/
Learning Chinese is more like walking a thousand miles than running 100-metre dash: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-is-more-like-walking-a-thousand-miles-than-running-100-metre-dash/
Learning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-input/Is speaking more important than listening when learning Chinese? https://www.hackingchinese.com/is-speaking-more-important-than-listening-when-learning-chinese/7 characteristics of a great Chinese tutor or private teacher: https://www.hackingchinese.com/characteristics-of-a-great-chinese-tutor-or-private-teacher/
Four key principles to improve your Mandarin listening comprehension: https://www.hackingchinese.com/four-key-principles-to-improve-your-mandarin-listening-comprehension/
Analyse and balance your Chinese learning with Paul Nation's four strands: https://www.hackingchinese.com/analyse-and-balance-your-chinese-learning-with-paul-nations-four-strands/
Listen more than once: How the replay button can help you learn more Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/listen-more-than-once-how-the-replay-button-can-help-you-learn-more-chinese/
8 great ways to scaffold your Chinese listening and reading: https://www.hackingchinese.com/8-great-ways-scaffold-chinese-learning/Chinese listening, fast and slow: Three ways of slowing down Mandarin speech: https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-listening-fast-and-slow-three-ways-of-slowing-down-mandarin-speech/
Chinese subtitles and transcripts: Reading before, while or after listening: https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening/
Listen more and learn more by building a personal Chinese audio library: https://www.hackingchinese.com/listen-more-and-learn-more-by-building-a-personal-chinese-audio-library/
30 minutes of podcast, 3 minutes of Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/30-minutes-of-podcast-3-minutes-of-chinese/
The Input Pyramid: Chinese Listening for Any Situation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-input-pyramid-chinese-listening-for-any-situation/
How much Chinese should you listen to every day? https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-much-chinese-should-you-listen-to-every-day/
The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese in 2026: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese/
The best free Chinese listening practice for all levels: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-10-best-free-chinese-listening-resources-for-beginner-intermediate-and-advanced-learners/
Training your Chinese teacher, part 3: Listening ability: https://www.hackingchinese.com/training-your-chinese-teacher-part-3-listening-ability/
The best podcasts for learning Chinese in 2026: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-podcasts-for-learning-chinese/Why you should use more than one Chinese textbook: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-use-more-than-one-chinese-textbook/
More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com
Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

ChatGPT can offer valuable feedback on Mandarin word choice and grammar, but can it help you improve your pronunciation?
#learnchinese #pronunciation #chatgpt
Link to the article this podcast episode is based on: No, ChatGPT can't analyse your Mandarin pronunciation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/no-chatgpt-cant-analyse-your-mandarin-pronunciation/
Full ChatGPT transcript: https://chatgpt.com/share/6aa3adc2-6938-83eb-9dfd-adb8477854ac
Learning to hear the sounds and tones in Mandarin: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-learn-to-hear-the-sounds-tones-in-mandarin/
Using speech recognition to improve Chinese pronunciation, part 1: https://www.hackingchinese.com/using-speech-recognition-to-improve-chinese-pronunciation-part-1/
Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 3: Using what you already know to aid listening comprehension in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beyond-ting-bu-dong-part-3-using-what-you-already-know-to-aid-listening-comprehension-in-chinese/
The importance of tones is inversely proportional to the predictability of what you say: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-importance-of-tones-is-inversely-proportional-to-the-predictability-of-what-you-say/
Get to know your Chinese voice to level up your speaking ability: https://www.hackingchinese.com/know-your-Chinese-voice/
Improving your Chinese pronunciation by mimicking native speakers: https://www.hackingchinese.com/mimicking-native-speakers-way-learning-chinese/
A smart method to discover problems with Mandarin sounds and tones: https://www.hackingchinese.com/a-smart-method-to-discover-problems-with-tones/
How to get honest feedback to boost your Chinese speaking and writing: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-art-of-being-corrected/
Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/mandarin-chinese-pronunciation-course/
More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com
Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

Learning to pronounce Mandarin can be tricky, and if you misunderstand the link between spoken sounds and Pinyin spelling, it gets a lot worse. Let’s discuss nine questions about learning Chinese pronunciation.
#learnchinese #pinyin #pronunciation #questions
Link to the article this podcast episode is based on: 9 answers to questions about Pinyin and pronunciation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/9-answers-to-questions-about-pinyin-and-pronunciation/
Chinese Language Stack Exchange: https://chinese.stackexchange.com/
5 websites to help answer your questions about Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/5-websites-to-help-answer-your-questions-about-chinese/
101 questions and answers about how to learn Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/101-questions-and-answers-about-how-to-learn-chinese/
Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/mandarin-chinese-pronunciation-course/
Pinyin chart (AllSet Learning): https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/pronunciation/pinyin_chart
A guide to Pinyin traps and pitfalls: Learning Mandarin pronunciation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/a-guide-to-pinyin-traps-and-pitfalls/
Obligatory and optional tone change rules in Mandarin: https://www.hackingchinese.com/optional-obligatory-tone-change-rules-mandarin/
International Phonetic Alphabet: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet
Learning the third tone in Mandarin Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-the-third-tone/
Focus on initials and finals, not Pinyin spelling: https://www.hackingchinese.com/focus-on-initials-and-finals-not-pinyin-spelling/
Why learning Chinese pronunciation by using English words is a really bad idea: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-learning-chinese-pronunciation-by-using-english-words-is-a-really-bad-idea/
Yuen Ren Chao: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuen_Ren_Chao
Gwoyeu Romatzyh: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwoyeu_Romatzyh
Learning to pronounce Mandarin with Pinyin, Zhuyin and IPA: Part 1: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-to-pronounce-mandarin-with-pinyin-zhuyin-and-ipa-part-1/
More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com
Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

There are over 500 articles and more than 1 million words on Hacking Chinese. How are you supposed to absorb all that information and inspiration as a student? Let’s discuss how to get the most out of Hacking Chinese and the courses I've created to provide more structured guidance.
Back-to-school course discount, 2026: https://www.hackingchinese.com/back-to-school-hacking-chinese-course-discount/
Get $31 off any course with the code “kaixue”, or $128 off when buying any three courses with the code “buy3”. Both discounts are available through September 9!
Tags: #learnchinese #course #howto #guidance #discount #backtoschool
Link to Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence (for all learners): https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/mandarin-chinese-pronunciation-course/
Link to Unlocking Chinese: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners (get off to a good start or make sure you haven’t missed anything): https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/unlocking-chinese-ultimate-guide-beginner/
Link to The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water (for all learners): https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water/
Link to Hacking Chinese: A Practical Guide to Learning Mandarin (for all learners): https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/practical-guide-to-learning-mandarin/
Listen to this and other episodes on your favourite podcasting platform, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube: https://www.hackingchinese.com/podcast
More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com
Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)