PopupChinese.com

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #27

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In a dark, dank bunker nestled miles under solid bedrock in the Himalayan Plateau lies the HSK Tribunal. Imposing men with soulless faces gather around a cursed table made from the bones of those slain by the HSK test. This tribunal exists for the sole purpose of exacting pain and suffering on those few warriors who enter the deadly labyrinth that is the HSK exam. With these exercises we give a guiding light to those lost in the caverns of this deadly maze.

KTV Wednesday - Zhao Chuan - I am a Little Bird

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0800

One of the secrets of KTV in China is that you don't have to be good at singing. You just have to be loud. So it helps to have a small repertoire of fallback songs you can belt out whenever the occasion calls for it. And for those of you just starting, we recommend this one. Mumble your way through the first couple of versus before striding into laowai stardom with the chorus.

There are plenty of versions and covers of this song floating around. If you're not in China, you may get better performance from this version hosted on Youtube.

Absolute Beginners - Life in Hebei

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Those of us living in Beijing occasionally hear tales of the strange lands and barbarous customs that exist beyond the third ring road. Visitors to our studios bring whispers and rumors of yet wilder places that stretch off in the lands beyond the fourth. And beyond them? Few have seen the savage mystery of Greater Hebei and returned to tell the tale. We know of only one, and his name is Frank Fradella.

Elementary - The Filthy Kitten

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Beijing has a lot of stray cats. Which translates into a lot of stray kittens. They are small, cute and usually covered with mud. And should you run into one while out on a date, you're likely to witness something along the lines of what happens in our lesson for today. So listen up and be prepared for the next time savage cuteness intrudes on your love life.

Announcements - Adso Version 5.065 Released

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

We've recently released an updated version of our downloadable Chinese annotation software. Our thanks to all of you who have helped push this release forward by making edits and additions through our online Chinese-English dictionary.

If you are already a user of our Firefox Chinese dictionary plugin you can upgrade to the latest release by reinstalling it here. And if you aren't using it... why not? Don't you want easy tooltip popups with pinyin and english definitions whenever you mouseover Chinese words on any webpage? And what about the convenience of our power hotkeys: "A" fires words to your Popup Chinese vocabulary list, "D" switches between simplified and traditional characters and "G" fetches the Google translation of any highlighted passage? Then there's that whole click-to-edit thing that lets you customize the dictionary.

We hope you find these materials useful and encourage you to take part in our editing community. Questions and feedback are always welcome at service@popupchinese.com, while software developers are encourged to check out the raw database and source code distribution by visiting our software downloads page.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #20

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Due to factors beyond the control of man, we're going to have to delay Film Friday until hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime, we're proud to present this Intermediate HSK exercise. If you've been with us for a while, you know the drill. Head over to our quiz and see how many of our fifteen questions you can answer correctly. If you can complete the quiz in less than twelve minutes you are making excellent time.

Intermediate - Lifehacker in China

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Did you know the average person spends two to three years of their life sitting on the toilet? It goes without saying that most of this time is not spent productively, which is why we're pleased to share this listening test with you today. In it we offer up a life-saving secret that will help free up some of your time for more important things like studying Chinese.

Office visitors please note: in response to the growing popularity of this technique among staff, we have implemented draconian controls on office washroom usage. You are encouraged to bring your own toiletries.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #26

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

About two hours into the exam your concentration wanes. And as the outside world reduces itself to a quiet hush your mind traces back to that moment when you first thought of picking up Chinese. "What was going through my head? Had I just finished watching Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? Had I eaten Chinese takeout that week?" The what's and why's start piling up.

Then somewhere in the middle of this whirlwind of recollection Chuck Norris enters your train of thought, and kicks your mind into kungfu mode. And you remember why you are here: these questions are your enemies, and they must be eliminated with extreme prejudice....

Absolute Beginners - Parking the Car

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

In this podcast we'll teach you a respectful form of address you can use to refer cab drivers, serving staff and martial arts instructors. We'll also teach you left from right, and share some tips on how to make the best use of your newest language partner (the cab driver). And as icing on the cake, Brendan and Anthony share some of their taxi stories from the wilds of Zhengzhou and Harbin, known collectively in these parts as "the interior".

Elementary - The Break-Up, part II

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In today's lesson we return with another outburst of marital dischord, and a dialogue that falls somewhere around the upper boundary of our Elementary series. The mandarin here will come at you fast and furious as our voice actors tear into each other at full speed and sometimes even yell over each other - just like a real argument.

If you find yourself despairing of the speed, take a deep breath though. With the exception of a single idiom, our vocabulary is relatively basic. And in addition to all the screaming and melodrama you can handle in a Monday podcast, this podcast covers a very useful way and relatively basic way to express the Future Tense. This is the powerful 会... 的 construct, which you'll be using all the time.

Film Friday - The Interrogation

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our selection for this week has inspired an awful lot of terrible cinema, which might explain Echo's reluctance to watch it. But the rest of us consider it an outstanding example of its genre, and we're pretty sure you'll come down on our side. So give a listen and join Brendan and Echo for our weekly film guessing game. And for some extra fun we're joined in the studio by Anthony, who will be spending the summer with us up in Beijing. Good luck!

Short Stories - Dream: chapter one, part seven

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:30:00 +0800

As our first chapter winds to a close, tragedy finally strikes and our story swings into action. It is the night of the Lantern Festival when Zhen Shiyin invites Jia Yucun to his home for a night of revelry. The two men drink late into the evening, when Jia Yucun lets slip of his ambition for wealth and power through a poem that alludes to the rising moon. A sympathetic character, Zhen Shiyin gives the itinerant scholar the funding to travel to the Imperial capital and try his hand taking the official exam.

And then tragedy strikes. You'll have to read the story yourself for the full details. And we won't divulge more than say that the ominous prophecies made earlier in this chapter reach fruition in a series of devastating calamities that bring death and destruction in their wake. Our narrative swings into high action, and our prologue moves towards a close. And the tone for the rest of the novel is set.

If you've been reading Dream of the Red Chamber along with us from the start, you should be heartened to hear we're almost at the conclusion of the first chapter. And if you haven't yet, we would strongly encourage you to visit your vocabulary page and enable the display of extra notes in your popups. Just click the appropriate checkbox in the right-hand column. For all of our passages, we've stuck a lot of extra information regarding the symbolism, homophonic allusions, translations and cultural notes. If you're not reading these you may miss the underlying meaning of the story. In cases where word usage is somewhat antiquated, we often provide the more contemporary word in our notes space.

Dream of the Red Chamber is a piece of literature that makes the Chinese language worth knowing all by itself. We hope our annotated edition gives you the pleasure in reading that it gives us in preparing.

HSK Beginner - Positioning Exercise #2

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our team of conscripts from the Imperial exam is frenetically preparing our next installment of Dream of the Red Chamber. In the meantime, we're pleased to publish this short HSK test at the opposite end of the difficulty spectrum. Our challenge for you today is relatively easy: place the provided word in the only position in the sentence where it makes grammatical sense.

These questions take up a small portion of the total exam, and are biased towards students who have had a formal education in Chinese grammar. If you're working on Chinese without one, see how you negotiate the questions on feeling alone. In a crunch, you should always trust your first instincts in a test situation. As always, we hope you do well, but feel free to leave any questions in the comment section below.

Announcements - June Newsletter

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Between launching a new Chinese website and publishing 27 new lessons and tests on Popup Chinese (that's almost one per day!), we had a pretty intense May. So if you haven't visited us in a while you've missed a lot of new developments. But that's why we have this monthly newsletter, so all is forgiven. And here is our latest news for all of you in the Chinese learning circuit:

* ChineseClass101 Launches *

On May 18th we officially launched ChineseClass101.com, a new learning site we're running in partnership with Innovative Languages, the world leader in educational podcasting. Historically, we've noticed that most Popup Chinese users tend to outperform their peers when it comes to language competence in mandarin. You guys are good, but what you need is not always what a total beginner needs, so our focus with ChineseClass101 is taking the great content we've been producing and develop something focused more tightly on the needs of absolute beginners.

So far the new show seems to be a smash. According to statistics from Apple Computer, our new podcast has already ranked as the #1 educational podcast on iTunes and #54 most popular podcast worldwide. Those are pretty amazing statistics. If you haven't dropped by iTunes, you can check the details on Frank's blog. [http://frankfradella.com/?p=466]

* Our New Writing Pad *

In mid-May we rolled out a disastrous application called The Writing Pad. It was coded in Java and as Brendan commented, "I don't know what we were thinking." We've since ported the software to flash where it actually works. So if you're interested in learning how to write Chinese characters drop by and check it out. Our Writing Pad makes writing characters fun and addictive. And we've just published our first lesson that uses it to introduce the basic rules on how to write hanzi so it's educational too. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/writing/the-two-fundamental-rules]

* FREE T-Shirt Promotion *

You may have spotted our sleek black Popup Chinese t-shirts in some of our promotional graphics. These puppies will bring the heat of a Beijing summer to you wherever you happen to live. And so they're also our promotion for this month. Sign up for a six or twelve month subscription to Popup Chinese and we'll send you a free t-shirt. This is a limited time offer that will expire at the end of the month, so act now! [http://popupchinese.com/users/account]

Our Popular Lessons:

In May we published a variety of lessons with content at every level of difficulty. Here are our favorites:

* Absolute Beginners: Watership Down

Sometimes our lessons veer into the surreal. The concept for this dialogue started with the perfectly innocent question "What if Richard Adams spoke Chinese"? From there we ended up with this hard-hitting podcast that explores the life of two mandarin-speaking rabbits. If you haven't listened to this yet, you'll find it about as explosive and action-packed as a podcast with lagomorphs can be. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/absolute-beginners/watership-down]

* Elementary: Mother's Day *

On Mother's Day we split our listeners along gender lines with a podcast all about jewelery, and whether it makes for an appropriate gift. You may be wondering what this subject has to do with Mother's Day, and you'd be right to wonder. Listen to this podcast and you'll hear how things derailed. And since we're studying Chinese we'll also learn the basics of how to use Chinese prepositions. Just stick them in front of the verb and you'll be fine. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/elementary/mothers-day]

* Intermediate: How to Swear in Chinese *

Too often language learning products tone themselves down into pablum out of fear of offending. We're lucky to have a crowd of fairly advanced listeners for whom this sort of thing isn't a problem. And if you're living in China and don't know the basics here you really owe it to yourself to listen to this podcast. In it we cover some fairly low level ways of expressing anger, and explain why you really shouldn't escalate to more aggressive language unless you really know what you're doing. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/intermediate/how-to-swear-in-chinese]

* Advanced: The Band's Perspective *

If you're a fan of our annotated short stories, check out our popup edition of Autumn in the Ancient Capital [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/short-stories/autumn-in-the-ancient-capital], a lengthy love letter to Beijing written by Yu Dafu in the early 20th century. And if you think your listening skills are really hot, check out a recent listening test we put together on a subject we've visited before [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/advanced/the-bands-perspective].

And that's it for last month. As always Echo, Dave, Brendan and the rest of the crew want to thank you for reading, and please accept our special thanks as well to everyone who is supporting our work with a paid subscription. We hope this newsletter finds all of you well and encourage you all to drop by our studio the next time you're passing through Beijing.

祝好,

The Popup Chinese Team

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #19

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"I want to make a lesson about the toilet/shower combo," Anthony said. "Did you know you can take a shower when you're on the toilet here?"

Just as China offers many new experiences to the hardened traveler, so does the HSK offer new challenges to the experienced language learner. In this exam we are proud to present 15 questions the answers to which hinge on slight differences in meaning between otherwise similar words. These questions are typical of the Intermediate HSK. So good luck, and be sure to cover the toilet paper.

Writing - The Two Fundamental Rules

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Welcome to the first lesson in our series on How to Write Chinese Characters. Today we cover the two most fundamental rules of writing hanzi, and explain the underlying logic behind them. If you're a premium subscriber, click through to our Writing Pad and practice these basics using our incredible writing tool. This will correct your mistakes in real-time and provide instant feedback on your handwriting style.

Getting to the substance of our lesson for today, the general direction of writing in Chinese is from top-left to bottom-right. This is the most important thing you need to know to write characters, and it helps explain our two fundamental rules of precedence: write horizontal strokes before vertical strokes, and write characters from top to bottom. Let's look at these two rules in more depth:

Rule #1: horizontal strokes precede vertical strokes

1. 先横后竖：十、干、丰、下、丁、于、开、井

In the above characters, you should complete your horizontal strokes before starting any vertical strokes. But why? The key is noticing the starting position where our brush hits the paper. Our horizontal strokes usually start furthest left: it makes sense to write them first. The same logic holds when we finally get around to writing our vertical strokes in characters like 川 and 井. We write these strokes from left to right as well.

You should think of these rules as general guidelines, as there are always exceptions. The most common happens by interference with other rules. The character 李, for instance, combines the two radicals (subcomponents) 木 and 子. When we write any character we typically write its subcomponents in order from top-left to bottom-right without worrying too much about the overall position of each stroke within the character as a whole. This may seem confusing at first if you have difficulty recognizing the subcomponents of characters. In fact, it radically simplifies the writing system: writing more complex characters is usually a matter of combining the subcomponents you already know.

Rule #2: write from top to bottom

2. 从上到下：二、三、工、土、本、个、王、天、分、全、子、立、它、李、兄、今、奇、春

As these characters illustrate, the general direction of movement is downwards and to the left. Minor differences in our vertical or horizontal starting position (see 井 where the second stroke technically starts further left) are of less importance than the overall left-to-right, top-to-bottom sweep of the character.

And there are two more tricky points we want to call to your attention. We see the first in strokes like 土 and王 where a horizontal and vertical stroke form an inverted T at the bottom of the character. In these cases the bottom horizontal stroke is written last in order to have a more secure joint. The second tricky point we want to mention is found in characters like 千 and 我 where our first stroke slopes noticeably right-to-left. In these cases we break with custom and write the initial stroke right-to-left. Once again, there is a method to the madness. You should find this way of doing things more comfortable, as this way of writing puts the finishing point of your first stroke very close to the starting point of your second.

Advanced - Vintage Science Fiction

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

We sent our troops into the studio with a simple request for vintage science fiction, but it wasn't until we conscripted the duck they began to get the picture. So listen up if you're a fan of imaginative and futuristic stories. In addition to covering critical everyday vocabulary like "photon cannon", our podcast contains some revelations about Echo's film preferences that may shock and amaze....

Absolute Beginners - No More Toilet Paper

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

More tragic words have never been spoken. Two hours ago you were enjoying the best spicy chicken this side of Chongqing. Now your lunch is having the last laugh. You make eye contact with the man squatting next to you, and notice that his eyes, too, are filled with quiet despair. Listen to our podcast today and learn the magic words we hope you will never have to hear.

HSK Advanced - Find-the-Mistake Exercise #6

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Thought we were giving you the weekend off? This Saturday we're proud to bring you another find-the-mistake exercise. These questions are among the hardest you'll find on the Advanced HSK exam. The challenge is to identify the section in each sentence which has a clear error in grammar or word choice. When you've made your selection, be sure to click through to the answer page to have the ungrammatical word or phrase highlighted in red.

Film Friday - Hope and Despair

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our film this week is such a classic that Brendan, Echo and and David have all seen it. Which means no more pithy commentary from the gallery. And we have some educational substance to our podcast today too, as our clip inadvertently highlights three completely different words for expressing hope. So listen in, try to guess our mystery film, and get your guesses to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a free month of premium access and a sexy Popup Chinese t-shirt. Good luck!

HSK Beginner - Reading Comprehension Exercise #9

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

The longer reading passages on the HSK are often the most challenging segments for beginner students. Even though the texts themselves are relatively rudimentary, the sheer density of hanzi plays to the advantage of those who can quickly skim written text. This is something that often comes easily only with significant exposure to the written language, making these exercises come closest to separating beginner and intermediate students.

The challenge itself is simple: read the passages provided and answer the question denoted in parentheses at the end of each. And be sure to think - the answers are not always spelled out in black and white.

Intermediate - The Orphanage

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

You'd have thought we'd have stopped with the child labor jokes after that kerfuffle at the UNESCO conference in Hangzhou. Remember the one? It was the time our ragtag band of Artful Dodgers picked the crowd clean while providing an occasionally accurate interpretation service to the assembled delegates.

We've since gone generally legit with our use of underaged staffers, but as our pack of 8 year old programmers can attest, there remain many benefits to hiring young. In addition to asking fewer questions about labor rights, children eat less, learn faster and are more easily indoctrinated into online personality cults. Nothing is ever perfect though. Which is why this podcast offers practical advice on what you'll need to say in Chinese when things just don't work out.

Absolute Beginners - Missing Keys

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

We've all been in this sordid situation. Your date was a wild success and you've come back home for a nightcap. But just as you step to the door you reach into your pocket and find something wrong: it has been picked clean. But by whom? Was it your surly waiter? The child selling roses who snaked after you down the street, pulling at your arm? The shifty group of ragged layabouts who operated that makeshift coat-check outside the restaurant?

Whoever the culprit, it seems you will now be spending the rest of your evening walking around looking for an open locksmith. So fire up your iPod and tune in to this podcast for all the language you'll need to get things fixed. Or at least all the language you'll need to complain about your lost keys to anyone who will listen, locksmith included.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #25

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Deep in the underground caverns below Mountain View, the once close friends stood silhouetted in strobing red as a siren warned of the coming destruction of the Googleplex. They were mere minutes from annihilation, and Sergey was sweating uncontrollably despite the cool air that blanketed the underground lair. "You knew our motto," he fumed. "Not being evil meant something to you once... even to you."

"You've always been naive." Larry answered patiently, more machine than man by now. "Indexing the questions and answers to the HSK was never about organizing the world's information. It was about establishing a monopoly over knowledge itself." Faint traces of his once-human breathing were barely audible beneath the hum of his electronic rebreather. "Once this data is destroyed and I am one with my creation there will be no more fluency in any mortal language." His metal fist closed against the air with a terrible finality. "The world will bend to my will or suffer the consequences."

Film Friday - Fighting the Man

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0800

This week Film Friday charts unfamiliar territory with a classic film suffering from a not-so-classic Chinese translation. That's the only explanation we can offer for the bit about the fishing pond, anyway. So get ready for a challenge. And if you do recognize our film from its Chinese dub be sure to get your guess in to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a sleek black Popup Chinese t-shirt, the hottest unisex garment this side of Dyykan-Kyshtak.

HSK Intermediate - Reading Comprehension Exercise #7

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

As China prepares to celebrate late twentieth century history by shutting down the Internet, we are pleased to bring you our latest Reading Comprehension exam. In the event you haven't taken one of these yet, the challenge is to pick the option from the answers provided which best matches the meaning of the selected word from the original sentence. In a real-life test situation, you will have 12:45 to complete fifteen questions of this type.

Elementary - Unsuccessful Branding

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

On occasion, our shameless sense of self-promotion here at Popup Chinese rubs up against unforgiving reality. This is a podcast about one of these occasions. More importantly, it is also a lesson on how to talk about clothing. The words we'll cover are critical to know whether you're buying clothes, selling clothes, or telling the naked kid running around outside to go and put some on for a change.

Intermediate - Locked in the Studio

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Whenever someone visits our office and asks how we get such natural dialogues we just smile. The truth is that podcasting in China is a ruthless business and the use of force is occasionally necessary. And so we bring you this podcast in the spirit of sharing some advanced podcasting tips. Listen in for a great Chinese lesson, along with practical suggestions on coaxing productivity from a recalcitrant recording crew when you're seriously behind schedule and need the next six months of material finished by sundown.

Film Friday - Tales from Old Henan

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

In this episode of Film Friday we're joined by a special guest fresh from the hinterlands of Zhengzhou. In addition to giving us the lowdown on the Henan squat, Anthony helps us introduce a film we're pretty sure you've seen. And there's more reason than ever to write echo@popupchinese.com with your guess. In addition to the international accolades that come from winning Film Friday, our prize this week includes a sleek, black and very, very sexy Popup Chinese t-shirt, mailed right to your doorstep.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #24

Thu, 28 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In a quiet section in our office, Gail and Echo lay sprawled out on the sofa, knocked comatose by the richness of some Swiss chocolate we'd been gifted. Customer service had ground to a halt, at least temporarily. "It's so good," Echo was still moaning, dreams of milk chocolate rivers bubbling up through her subconscious. The crumpled wrappers just lay where they had fallen on the floor....

Elementary - Death by Appliance

Wed, 27 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In this podcast we hear a tragic tale of a homicidal non-cooling appliance. This lesson also marks another experiment with our recording format: rather than focus on the dialogue here we focus on the theme: heating and air conditioning. As such, we review the core nouns, adjectives and verbs related to this central theme. If you learn well by practicing grouped words together, this is the podcast for you. Take a listen and let us know if we should produce more of these.

HSK Advanced - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #10

Tue, 26 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

If you've pushed yourself through our earlier HSK Advanced tests you should find these exercises easy. They have mostly two rather than three blanks. Bear in mind that you still have only about 45 seconds per question however, so don't take it too easy.

In other news, while we've got an Elementary podcast lined up for release later tonight or early tomorrow morning, we've also just released a funky new lesson on how to write Chinese characters. If you're interested in polishing your writing skills and don't mind helping us test drive our new Writing Pad, we'd encourage you to check out the lesson and let us know of any problems you run into. Once the kinks are worked out and we've incorporated your feedback we'll be launching a short lesson series on the proper ways to write Chinese characters.

Intermediate - How to Swear in Chinese

Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Ever smashed your finger in a car door and found yourself at a loss for words? In this podcast we'll teach you how to swear in Chinese using a relatively low-level Chinese swear word. If you haven't run into it before, the word we'll introduce is basically the equivalent of damn in English. If you or your conversation partners are offended easily you may want to skip this one for one of our more family friendly podcasts.

Swearing is a sensitive topic, but it's critical to know how socially appropriate various expressions really are, and understand when escalating is considered crude. Many second language learners have real problems expressing their anger in socially appropriate ways, and jump to extremely offensive language in response to slight provocation. If you are one of them, this podcast is for you. And since proper escalation is key, we also cover some alternate ways to sound more forceful without crossing the line to explicit obscenity.

Writing - How to Write Chinese Characters

Sat, 23 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Today, we're pleased to introduce the Popup Chinese Writing Pad, an exciting new tool that will help you master the art of writing characters. Like a ruthless taskmaster, it will force you to write and rewrite hanzi until you're writing them in the proper stroke order and with the correct proportion.

As with every feature on Popup Chinese, our Writing Pad offers full support for the traditional script. In the coming days we'll be publishing a series of lessons that cover the general rules for writing Chinese. We've included a list of these rules below for the convenience of advanced students. Everyone else should consider this lesson a warm-up: eight simple characters to test yourself on to evaluate how well you've internalized the logic of the Chinese writing system. This is a new feature and is under active development, so please let us know what you think, and let us know if you run into technical difficulties as well. We will continue to improve and develop this tool based largely on the feedback we get from you!

1. 先横后竖：十、干、丰、下、丁、于、开、井、

2. 先撇后捺：人、八、入、木、夫、未、从、

3. 从上到下：二、三、工、土、本、个、王、天、分、全、子、立、它、李、兄、今、奇、春、

4. 从左到右：川、儿、旧、你、好、他、从、姐、妹、引、泡、件、对、坏、吃、饭、洗、叫、劝、秋、林

5. 从外到内：月、风、内、肉、用、周、网、同、义、床、厅、闲、闭、问、闻、闯、病、疼、房、局、句、勾、勺

6. 先中间后两边：小、水、永、少、业、亚、办、亦、燕、兜（注意：“火”不是先中间后两边）

7. 先外后里再封口：（先进入后关门）日、四、田、回、国、目、由、且、曲、困、因、园、圆、团、图、圈、囚、围

8. 先写左上点：为、门、问、闲、闷、问、闲、闩、闭、

9. 后写右上点：犬、术、书、发、弋、戈、龙、尤、成、咸、求、代、械、找、我、或、伏、甫、

10. 后写内部点：叉、凡、为、勺、瓦、丽、兔、雨、执、热、熟、玉

11. 先内后外：（"下包上"结构的字，先写上内，后写外。）山、凶、画、幽、这、边、过、迟、远、近、*医、巨、匹、匡

Update: we've ported the application to flash and banished Java completely, so it shouldn't be necessary to install any addition software to use the Writing Pad. Reports of problems with any particular browsers/operating systems are very welcome at service@popupchinese.com.

Film Friday - Mind Games

Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

In today's episode of Film Friday we showcase yet another Hollywood blockbuster as it ended up dubbed in Chinese. Those of you who've been asking for harder clips will like this one. The language is more difficult all-around, while Echo and Brendan clam up almost completely on the clue front. So good luck with our guessing game and be sure to write Echo at echo@popupchinese.com if you think you know which film this is.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #18

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

The captain paced the deck, his salty whip lashing over the heads of the galley slaves, who hunched bent-backed row on row, chained to their desks and scribbling furiously. They may have been cogs in a floating, industrial engine of Dickensian horror, but they sure produced some great test questions....

Gail frowned and paused for a moment before returning to read the introduction again. "I'm not sure I like the way these are developing," she finally said, weighing her words carefully. "Perhaps we can just tell everyone that we have more Intermediate HSK questions for them? And that taking these tests will help them get better at Chinese?"

KTV Wednesday - Andy Lau - Loving You Forever

Wed, 20 May 2009 20:00:00 +0800

Known on the mainland as Liu Dehua, Andy Lau is one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Hong Kong media circuit. And while a renegade faction in our office considers him more horseman of the apocalypse, said faction has yet to see him in the spectacular "Cat and Mouse" which also stars Cecilia Cheung and is probably the closest Hong Kong has ever come to replicating Citizen Kane.

All that said, seeing as this is a KTV lesson we're obliged to move on from film to music, which brings us to our selection for today: Love You Forever. If you haven't heard this song yet, we can only conclude you're a total KTV Newbie, since the proper way to do this seems to involve screaming the chorus at the top of your lungs, which is something you'll tend to notice when your KTV partner does it sitting on the sofa next to you while you're eating peanuts.

On a closing note, because Youtube continues to experience on-again-off-again blocking in China we're linking to a copy on Youku.com. If you're outside China you'll probably have better download speeds with this version.

Short Stories - Autumn in the Ancient Capital

Wed, 20 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our selection for today is "Autumn in the Ancient Capital" (故都的秋) a short piece of non-fiction written by Yu Dafu (郁达夫, 1895-1945) that describes the author's love for autumn in Beijing. This story is often taught in creative writing classes, and what's notable about it is the way it describes Beijing in intimate detail. Part of the story's seduction might be due to its wonderful use of adjectives, particularly as verb complements. Internalize this and watch the quality of your own writing spike upwards.

As for the subject matter? A quick office poll confirms that late autumn is our preferred time of year around here. There's something special about a quiet walk through the hutongs on those near-winter days when your breath almost hangs in the air and Beijing becomes like a city out of time.

HSK Beginner - Listening Exercise #4

Tue, 19 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

The general sentiment among the crew was turning sour as the HSK infestation wormed its way into the Enterprise's fourth warp engine. The latest estimates predicted the starship's last containment field would breach within the hour, an engineering failure which promised to expose the ship's increasingly sullen crew to an unpleasant dose of rapid decompression.

Had their years of adventuring truly come down to this, this quiet death by ideograph? Spock stared glumly at the ceiling trying to recall the difference between an aspectual and modal particle. After his attempts to find a Chinese speaking member of the crew had failed, the Vulcan had turned philosophical. Others were less complacent. "We need to prepare a solid defense to this blood-sucking test," Kirk muttered, firing up his laptop.

Announcements - A New Launch

Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Today's an exciting day for all of us here, as we get to announce the official launch of ChineseClass101.com. This is a joint project between all of us at Popup Chinese and the folks at Innovative Language Learning, who run nine of the world's best language learning companies teaching everything from Japanese and Korean to Arabic and French.

If you're familiar with the Innovative Languages approach to teaching, you'll know the strength of their materials has always been tight, step-by-step progressive lessons for beginners. At Popup Chinese we've historically geared towards more advanced students, so when the opportunity arose to cooperate with the Innovative team and work together to build something we leapt at the chance, and began work designing a focused and stepwise program for Mandarin instruction. The format and focus of the resulting materials are slightly different than what we have here, and we suspect will attract a different kind of student. The content is still excellent though.

Although a few hints leaked out (*ahem*), for the past few months we've worked somewhat stealthily to build the best team possible for the task. You'll find our progressive beginner lessons hosted by none other than the famous Frank Fradella. Our roster also includes the always-fantastic Amber Scorah and of course Echo Yao, Brendan O'Kane and myself. This is a great team and I can say with confidence I've never worked with a stronger one. With more than 100 lessons for beginners on the new site, our content is off to a good start. We're still squashing bugs post launch, but as Frank said once after a marathon recording session, "our first twenty lessons here teach more than I learned in a whole year studying elsewhere."

Sounds great, you say, but what does this mean for Popup Chinese? The shortest answer: a brighter future. We've just had our best month ever are continuing to grow as more people find out about us. In the coming weeks and months we're going to be continuing to push the boundaries of what it means to learn mandarin online, and release some exciting features and programs that aren't available anywhere else. We're going to continue to push our platform in new directions, and are excited at the opportunity this partnership gives us to take more risks and be bolder in what we do. I hope you'll stick around for the ride.

We think this is a great step forward and look forward to hearing your feedback and thoughts. It is definitely a major step forward for Chinese language education online: there's never been a better time to learn Chinese or a better way to learn it online. For everyone who has helped us come this far, we're grateful for your support and won't let you down.

Best from Beijing,

The Popup Team

Absolute Beginners - Pinyin Practice: zi

Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our podcast for today is our second show in a new series we're launching to teach proper Chinese pronunciation. Our focus today is on a common problem a lot of learners have when they're new to mandarin: differentiating the sound "zi" from its aspirated rival "ci". Today we're going to clear this up once and for all.

And attention listeners: management is fully aware that Brendan's pronunciation of the letter zed in this podcast does not conform to international Canadian phonetic standards. We apologize for this oversight, and wish to assure you we have already commenced mandatory remedial training. Even if the continued references to "zee" (zed) may confuse, we hope you still find this a useful podcast for mastering proper pronunciation in Chinese.

Advanced - The Band's Perspective

Sat, 16 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Today we bring you yet another overlooked perspective on a great historical event. We don't want to say too much more because this is a listening test and part of the goal here is for you to figure out what is going on yourself. So give this podcast a listen and then click through to our online quiz to test your listening comprehension. It may not be as easy as you think.

Intermediate - A New Home

Thu, 14 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In this age of Global Warming, our imperiled avian friends from the deep south are crying out for succor. And no-where is their plight getting a warmer reception than with our very own Tiansen.

If you're an old hand at Popup Chinese, you might consider this dialogue simpler than our usual intermediate fare. But it really isn't. What you should be listening for are the departures we take from technically correct pronunciation and grammar. You may not have internalized or even noticed these tricks to date, but if you start using them you'll come across as much more fluent than your peers. Because part of sounding like a native speaker is knowing exactly when and how to bend the rules....

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #17

Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

As the remains of the German tank division exploded in the canyon below, Indiana hauled himself back over the precipice. Despite his close brush with death, the aging archeologist couldn't help but grin: there on the sand before him lay the famed Sceptre of Huapu, the most renowned of the lost Oriental antiquities. Muscles aching, he collected his fedora from where it had fallen and mopped his brow with dusty sleeve. "Compared to the HSK, that was a piece of cake."

Intermediate - The Advertising Age

Tue, 12 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

While the usual suspects spend billions on branding campaigns in China, it's often smaller companies with more forceful sales messages that capture our hard-earned yuan. In our lesson for today Popup Chinese is proud to present a short advert for no-name cola that mascarades as instructional dialogue. And for extra inundate-the-listener goodness, we're pleased to introduce our latest jingle too. We hope you like them both.

Elementary - Mother's Day

Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Assuming your mother doesn't speak mandarin, our podcast is not going to help you cope with the fallout of having forgotten to call her yesterday. But maybe you also forgot to say something nice to your mother-in-law and your significant other is busy doing damage control. So bear with us here. In this podcast we teach you the easiest way to tell someone you simply forgot. And since that's pretty easy, we also cover the basics of using Chinese prepositions.

Film Friday - Radio Communications

Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

After a couple of you commented that our previous graphic for Film Friday looked unintelligible, we've swapped it out for our sexy new graphic. And with it we have a sexy new film as well. The language here is a bit more technical than usual, but if you understand it we think you've got an excellent shot at guessing the film. Get your answers in to echo@popupchinese.com as usual for a chance to win big.

On a side note, if you're in Beijing this Sunday afternoon and are looking for some conversational practice, we'll be hosting a free practice session at the Three Trees cafe on Nanluoguxiang from 1:00pm to 3:00pm starting this Sunday. You are cordially invited to drop by. For questions or to get more specific directions, email Echo or call us at 13581709309.

HSK Beginner - Reading Comprehension Exercise #8

Thu, 07 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

The questions in our Beginner HSK exam for today fall at the upper end of the difficulty spectrum for this level. If you don't find these questions particularly challenging we'd recommend you consider taking the Intermediate exam instead. As with all exercises of this type, the challenge here is simple: the correct answer is the option which best approximates the meaning of the word selected from the sentence provided. Good luck!

KTV Wednesday - Jay Chow - Seven Mile Fragrance

Wed, 06 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Jay Chow is famous for a singing style that falls halfway between mumbling and muttering. Unlike many performers, he's also distinguished by writing his own vocals and music. And he's an excellent musician as well. This is the second song of his we've showcased, and while the lyrics in our previous song were actually fairly well enunciated, in this one Jay's full vocal talents are on display. We suspect you'll need the annotated lyrics to figure it out.

And we quite like this song too. All of us except for Gail, who finds it somewhat strange. "What's up with Taiwanese singers," she suddenly asked while preparing this lesson for publication. "I mean... why do they use such strange metaphors? Is it supposed to be romantic to tell someone their cheeks are like tomatoes?" Some people overanalyze music. You be the judge.

Intermediate - Safari

Tue, 05 May 2009 10:00:00 +0800

Harold's obsession with the veldt had become all-consuming. For weeks it had even crept into his dreams, the images so real they would linger after he woke, tinting his waking life with their savage beauty. He could see it now: the wild African grasses, the giraffes, zebras, hippopotami and then the lion, the most majestic game of all. And soon it would all be his. Soon he would be on safari.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #16

Tue, 05 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our Intermediate HSK test for today will quiz you on the difference between words with nearly identical meanings. As always, only one of the four answers is proper given either the grammatical structure of the sentence or its context. These type of fill-in-the-blank questions constitute a major portion of the HSK exam at the intermediate level, so you should get good at them. And - as always - if you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment or contact us by email at echo@popupchinese.com.

Announcements - Popup Chinese Lesson Creation Process

Mon, 04 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

We've just put this video into circulation on the right-hand column of our front page, where it should show up intermittently for everyone. It's all about our lesson creation process, and stars the ever-wonderful Echo. We've received a lot of questions from some of you who've been in Beijing about how we produce our material. If you've ever been curious why our dialogues sound so genuine you'll find our biggest secret tucked away in here. And the secret? They really are genuine....

Just looking for the beauty shots? Those of you in the Apple and Echo fan brigades should be happy with the plentiful footage of our two female stars, while Andy and Tiansen have lots of screen time too for those of you who like your podcasters sexy and hunky. It's a great team: we're really lucky to have everyone involved.

Absolute Beginners - Watership Down

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

When Hazel returned hours later, he found Fiver, Bigwig and the rest of his lagomorphic comrades shivering in the dew-drenched gulley at meadow's edge. "I've never seen anything quite like it," he finally offered, suddenly aware of exactly how much time had passed since he left to scout out the new warren. "I don't think they're dangerous," he added with a small belch, "although they're not much like the folks back home...."

In our podcast for today Popup Chinese offers yet another take on a Western literary classic. In this case we Sinocize Richard Adams' Watership Down. Listen in if you're curious what life is like for Chinese rabbits, or just want to learn how to use simple adjectives in conversation.

HSK Advanced - Fill in the Blanks Exercise #11

Sun, 03 May 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"Blistering barnacles," the Captain grumbled from deep under his beard, smoke rising from his pipe in thick sheets as he puffed away in frustration. Tintin looked over from two desks away. He was the more patient of the two, but even he had reached the point of despair. Their adventures had brought them to many lands, but never before had they faced a challenge as apparently insurmountable as this. Both were only half-way through the test with a mere ten minutes left.

Announcements - May Newsletter

Sun, 03 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

We're just past the May 1st holidays, so our first order of business is wishing you all a Happy Chinese Labor Day. We've got a lot of news to share this month though including details on upcoming FREE lessons in Beijing and our new $49.99/year Basic PLUS subscription, so we'll get right to it.

* Basic PLUS Subscription ($49.99 / year)

For a limited time this month, we're offering an experimental Basic PLUS subscription. For only $49.99, this provides a full year of download access to all lesson MP3s, transcripts and review files like The Fix. If you don't mind printing out our transcripts and tests instead of studying them online, this is a great way to get the best Chinese learning materials out there while saving some cash. Place your order before the end of the month by visiting http://popupchinese.com/users/account, or contact us at orders@popupchinese.com if you have any questions about this special offer. And yes, it is available for a limited time only.

* Free Face-to-Face Lessons in Beijing

Starting May 10th, we'll be hosting free face-to-face language lessons on Sunday afternoons from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the San Ke Shu (三棵树) cafe on Nanluoguxiang (南锣鼓巷). If you're in Beijing and looking for an opportunity to practice your spoken Chinese, consider yourself invited to come out and join us. We'll be announcing more details on this as we get closer to Sunday. You can also get more information by calling us here in Beijing at 13581709309.

* Firefox Plugin (importing vocabulary)

Do you know that you can add words to your Popup Chinese vocabulary lists using our Firefox plugin? Just hit the letter "A" when the dictionary popup is open and the word in question will be added to your online vocabulary list automatically. This little trick is especially useful if you live in China and deal with digital documents on a daily basis. If you haven't installed the plugin yet just fire up Firefox and visit http://popupchinese.com/tools/plugin.

OUR POPULAR LESSONS:

As always, we have some favorite lessons from the past month. Here they are::

* Absolute Beginners: Pinyin Practice (ri)

The word for sun (or day) is one of the hardest to pronounce properly. Are you saying it right? With this podcast, we introduce a new show designed to get everyone speaking difficult-to-pronounce words properly. Short, to-the-point and packed with lots of example words and sentences, this is *the* podcast you need to hear if you're struggling with pronunciation. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/absolute-beginners/pinyin-practice-ri]

* Elementary: The Missing Plunger

There are some words you really don't want to be learning "on-the-spot". Because when your toilet starts fighting back you'll have a lot more pressing concerns than looking for your dictionary. In this lesson we delve into absolute filth (literally). Listen to this podcast and you'll never forget the word for plunger. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/elementary/the-missing-plunger]

* Intermediate: They Called Me Mad, The Fools!

If you're going to be a scientist, you may as well be a mad scientist. Join us in this lesson as we resurrect Tom Hanks in our basement lab. Our dialogue isn't terribly long, but it's packed with punchy language and a great closing couplet. If you don't know how to say, "they called me mad, the fools!", you owe it to yourself to give this listen, and then practice by mumbling the phrase repeatedly out in public. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/intermediate/they-called-me-mad-the-fools]

* Advanced: The Art World

Although our sixth edition of the Dream of the Red Chamber was lovely, we're also very fond of the dialogue in this listening test at the Advanced level. The scenario is simple enough: what happens when the Chinese nouveau riche meet Jackson Pollack. Still, it can be tough to catch all of the details on first hearing. If you consider yourself fluent, check out our test and see how you do. [http://popupchinese.com/lessons/archive/advanced/the-art-world]

Special thanks as always to everyone who's supporting our work with a paid subscription. We love you guys. Regardless of whether you're a paying member though, we want to remind you that if you have any questions, comments please feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment on the site. We're always happy to hear from you guys.

祝好,

The Popup Chinese Team

Film Friday - Time to Head Home

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 +0800

A smart man knows which way the wind is blowing. In today's podcast, we cover an idiom that will blow the socks off your Chinese conversation partners guaranteed. And we'll also spill the beans about who exactly is the villain in our weekly Film Friday sessions. It's not who you think! So join us for our weekly film-guessing game, and if you think you know which movie this is, write us at echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese.

Elementary - A Visit to the Dry Cleaners

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:00:00 +0800

Dating a fashion designer, or just want your shirt starched? Consider yourself in luck: our lesson for today takes place in a dry cleaning store and goes over all the vocab you'll need to start scintillating conversations about pants with anyone who will listen. Designed for early elementary students, this podcast will teach you how to get your dry cleaning done in mandarin, and share a critical trick you can use to avoid being given someone else's clothing.

Advanced - The Art World

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Later this evening we'll be publishing an Elementary podcast that will help some of us figure out how to get our clothes back from the dry cleaners. In the meantime, more advanced students are encouraged to check out our latest advanced listening test. In this short dialogue, learn what happens when art meets commerce, Beijing-style. Listen once, and then test your comprehension by clicking through to our quiz section. The entire dialogue is annotated on our text page in case you need help deciphering it.

KTV Wednesday - Spring and Autumn Band - Between the Mountains and the Sea

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our selection for today is, if we can be forgiven for gushing, totally awesome. The Spring and Autumn Band was started by veteran rocker and native-American Kaiser Kuo who plays guitar on this piece and earlier founded China's first heavy metal group: Tang Dynasty. "Between the Mountains and the Sea" stretches away from conventional metal and achieves a feeling of almost unworldly loss. We hope you like it as much as we do.

Those in China should know that Kaiser and the band are still regularly on tour. If you're in Beijing you may also be familiar with Kaiser's regular column "Ich Bin Ein Beijiner" which appears monthly on the last page of the city magazine That's Beijing. It rocks in a different way.

* Note: We've embedded this version from Chinese video site Tudou as it has the best sound quality. All of you outside China might want to check out this live version available on Youtube.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #23

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"Measure words, adverbs and directional complements, oh my," cried Dorothy.

Frank L. Baum pounded back another fistful of whiskey and flung his manuscript to the floor. Weeks of writer's block had taken its tool on the veteran author, whose fingers trembled as he refilled his glass, his eyes pale and haggard. "It just ain't the same Maud," he cried in a broken voice. "Ever since I took that gosh darn HSK all I can think about is Chinese grammar."

HSK Tip 734: do not let the HSK dominate your life. Let Popup Chinese dominate your life instead.

Intermediate - The Future Tense

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

After the Great Internet collapse of 2020, a weary world will turn back to the technology of a simpler age: pneumatic tubes. Large tubes and small tubes will snake across the continents and even unto the depths of the oceans. Information will travel across our world at the speed of compressed air, soaring even to the heavens themselves through a special pneumatic tube China will build to connect earth with its first geosynchronous space colony.

Not exactly what you expected of the Future? In this podcast we review five of the most common ways to put your sentences and thoughts in the future tense. Because you can't change the future unless you know how to express it properly. Or maybe you can, but you should still know this stuff by now.

Advanced - Buying a House in Beijing

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

It's been a while since we've forced our podcasters into the studio for a Chinese-only recording. That drought ends today as our resident Beijing-expert Baifan returns to share news of his decision to purchase a home, a revelation that sparks an in-depth discussion about real estate with Echo and Apple. If you're an advanced student looking for listening practice, join us for a revealing look at the local housing market. Our executive summary: location is key and the best time to purchase may be late this year or early next.

Film Friday - Back to School

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Your collective success with the space dog film made a deep impression on us, which is why you're getting today's relic. We were amazed to find this on Youku in the first place, and then doubly surprised to discover the Chinese soundtrack. One additional hint: the section of the dialogue we've bleeped out contains the actual name of the film. So good luck, and if you recognize our mystery movie get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win big.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #22

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Kevin scowled in frustration at the paper before him. In sharp contrast to his university program, which seemed happy just to have foreign students and blindly passed them through the ranks, this test was proving to be a real challenge. The gaps in his knowledge of Chinese grammar and his poor vocabulary were being exposed one after the other. The next time, Kevin told himself, he would come more prepared.

Regardless whether you need the HSK to attend university in China like Kevin, or to get a job with a major employer in Asia, you should take the test seriously as a signpost for your competence in Chinese. HSK questions measure comprehension on a wide range of grammar and vocabulary points. There are many questions of language usage that others may never correct you on in conversation, but that signal poor language acquisition. Using these tests to identify your weak points and correct them is a convenient and easy way to avoid plateauing in your language studies.

Announcements - Announcements!

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Hello everyone! Welcome to the new Announcement feed on Popup Chinese! We wanted a way to be able to stay in touch with you during all the fast-breaking changes around here, and waiting a whole month for our newsletter was just plain crazy talk.

In case you haven't noticed, we've got a shiny new logo, some great, irreverent new lessons, and a few rotating banners to help you learn more about the services we offer. We haven't always done the best job of making you aware of all the great features that come with a Premium subscription, and we're working to change that. No sense in hiding our light under a bushel, eh?

If you're not a Premium subscriber already (and we love you anyway), we'd like you to take a moment to ask yourself why. If the answer is price point or you just don't think you’d use all the features of a Premium subscription, then we've got great news for you! Starting May 1st, we'll be offering a Basic PLUS Account that gets you some of our goodies for a much lower price point. It's a limited-time offer, so make sure you're here when it goes live!

There's a ton of great innovations coming down the pike and this is where you'll hear about them first. New users to the site will be automatically subscribed to the Announcement feed, but if you're an old timer you can subscribe with a single click on your Account page if you’d like. Once you're subscribed our announcements will show up on your home page like all the rest of our lessons.

We're excited about what comes next here and hope you are, too. And, as always, we love to hear your thoughts, so drop in a word or two in the comment section and we'll respond in kind.

KTV Wednesday - Fan Fan - Your Earliest Dream

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:00:00 +0800

Among all mainland Chinese singers, Fan Fan has what is possibly the strangest nickname for a celebrity, being widely referred to as 第二眼美女 or "second-sight beauty". And while the 美女 there might make that sound pretty flattering, it's actually a savage backhand compliment, suggesting that Fan Fan will grow on you over time as you listen to her music. Sexism and double standards are clearly alive and well in China.

Our selection for this week is a cover of a Japanese song. The popularity of this version has far eclipsed the original in the mainland however. The music breaks the verse-chorus structure that dominates mandopop, although the lyrics are fairly conventional. We hope you like it.

Absolute Beginners - Pinyin Practice: ri

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our podcast for today is the first show in a new series we're launching to teach proper Chinese pronunciation. In these podcasts we will review sounds that many non-native speakers have trouble with, and share some hard-learned tips and tricks on how to make yourself sound more like a native speaker. And our target for this first show is one of the most commonly mispronounced words in the Chinese language.

We've intentionally designed this podcast to be short and tightly focused with maximum word and phrase repetition. If you're new to Chinese, we'd encourage you to be an active participant in the recording, and speak along with Echo and Brendan (you will learn faster!). And, as always, we'd love to have your thoughts and feedback on the new show. If you've got ideas on the new show, why not let Echo know what you think by sending her an email at echo@popupchinese.com?

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #15

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

A bit later today we'll be publishing a special podcast for Absolute Beginners looking to improve their pronunciation. In the meantime, we're happy to release a new HSK test at the intermediate level. This one focuses on telling the difference between words with similar meanings. Your dictionary will not help you - this test is all about context!

Also worth mentioning, our friend Elyse at Cheeky Monkey Theatre is putting on a play this weekend at the Peng Hao theatre on Nanluoguxiang. It is called "Green Eyes on China" and it will be playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening. A Popup crew of at least Echo and David will be heading down for the Saturday show. If you're in Beijing this weekend and feeling restless, you might want to check it out as well. Ping us if you're interested in coming and we can all meet up after the show for a drink.

Elementary - Technical Assistance

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

We've seen things you people wouldn't believe. An infestation of QQ chat programs so thick and furious they set a motherboard on fire, download managers that corrupt all they touch like the grim reapers of the software world. We have seen virii blossom across networks like flowers of death. And if ye still be so foolhardy as to bring your Windows laptop to China knowing this we will just suggest a simple rule: never let anyone else touch it. The taskbar you save may be your own.

Film Friday - The Accident

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Several of you did it, and we feel both proud and slightly discomfited at your success identifying our clip from Space Buddies last week. That was a hardball - a mandarin dub of a film about puppies in space. And so while congratulations are definitely in order, you'll understand why we went with a more conventional selection this week. If you've seen the film this clip is from, we're betting you enjoyed it. Because everyone loves a heartwarming family comedy....

Short Stories - Dream: chapter one, part six

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In our last installment of Dream of the Red Chamber, Zhen Shiyin received an ominous prophecy warning him of onrushing calamity but was promptly distracted by the arrival of Jia Yucun, an itinerant scholar whom he invited to his private study for an afternoon of leisure. Today our story continues as Zhen Shiyin is called away to see an important guest. He leaves Jia Yucun in his study, where the impoverished scholar shortly falls in love with one of the serving girls in the Zhen household.

This sixth section of China's greatest literary masterpiece is an interlude of sorts. The text is easier to read and is essentially narrative. Nonetheless, we learn a great deal about Jia Yucun and his fierce ambition, especially from the analogies and metaphors in the poems he writes, which are dense and literary and filled with classical allusions. Subscribers should be sure to enable the extra notes section in your popups and more detailed explanations of these references will magically appear in your popups.

And so our passage closes with the advent of the Mid-Autumn festival, a happy occasion when friends and family gather for wine and song, but also a date we have been told will bring down a terrible calamity of fire and death. But how and for whom? You'll have to read on to discover more....

HSK Beginner - Positioning Exercise #1

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

We'll be publishing the next chapter in our annotated edition of Dream of the Red Chamber a bit later today, but are throwing this softball quiz at you first. If you haven't run into these positioning questions yet, you can think of them a bit like those toys for toddlers where they have to fit the square peg in the square hole. The challenge is to complete the sentence by picking the only position where the word provided makes grammatical sense.

Even if you're not ready to tackle Qing dynasty literature yet, you can relax in the confidence we're going to get you there and that when you do everything will be glorious. These exercises focus on basic grammar relationships and are usually hardest for casual learners who haven't developed a solid understanding of the logic underlying Chinese grammar. Once you learn the basic rules they should become trivial, which is why they target the beginner and early intermediate levels of the HSK. Good luck!

HSK Advanced - Find-the-Mistake Exercise #4

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

With today's Advanced HSK exam we're pleased to introduce a new feature that makes preparing for the HSK easier than ever before: the errors in our find-the-mistake questions will now be highlighted in red on the answers page to make it clearer what exactly the problem is. To make life even more convenient, if you enable "on-click answers" on the quiz page, we'll highlight the problems for you in real-time as you take the test.

We've made these changes in response to requests we provide more detail in some cases on why answers are correct and incorrect. And so we'd like to hear what you think. If you have any thoughts or suggestions on this feature or on ways we can further improve please let us know. We'd love to hear your ideas anytime at service@popupchinese.com.

Absolute Beginners - A Strange Telephone Call

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

As far as Chinese learning podcasts go, our lesson for today is special even by our admittedly awesome standards for insanely creative and non-boring content. Just be warned that if you ever used China Telecom's PHS service, listening to this might be enough to induce traumatic flashbacks. What's that you say? You don't remember that striking advance in mobile technology? Count yourself lucky.

Intermediate - The Bank Heist

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In today's podcast we teach you everything you need to know to make a sizable withdrawal from a Chinese bank.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #14

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Looking for reading material packed with corporate skulduggery, cutting-edge science and the apocalyptic specter of financial collapse and population overgrowth? All this and more is yours to be had in our latest Intermediate HSK exam. Intended for those preparing to take China's standardized test of foreign mandarin proficiency, this exam should take no more than 12 minutes to complete. Good luck!

Film Friday - A High-Flying Adventure

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 +0800

None of us had heard of this film until last night. After just a few minutes though, we were positive it was the perfect selection for this week's Hollywood guessing game. So listen in and see if you can guess our surprise film from nothing more than its Chinese soundtrack. And if you can, get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a free month-long premium subscription to Popup Chinese, where we make learning mandarin fun and easy.

Elementary - Apple's New Laptop

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"How do you say, 'the Woz' in Chinese?" Brendan asked. Inspiration had struck and he was sitting in the corner scribbling away furiously at an idea for a dialogue. "I don't think that's Elementary," Dave chimed in, but I'd guess it would be Wo-ze or something. Check the dictionary."

And so it began. In this Elementary lesson we'll teach you how to say Apple computer in Chinese, and review a number of adjectives that are useful for describing laptop computers like the Mac Air. Then Brendan spends some valuable on-air time prostrating himself before the mighty Gods of Cupertino. Because revolutionizing the user interface is worth a podcast, right?

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #21

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Victor's hopes were deflating as fast as his front bicycle tire. He would never make it to the exam on time now, and that in turn would ruin his chance to get an official government scholarship and spend his next year at Peking University. And all because of a bit of shattered glass. The randomness of it all pressed down on him like the morning summer heat.

That was when he heard a familiar voice. "Lock it up and get on," it said. And when he looked up Cindy was hovering there on her flying pigeon, a vintage steel bike that dated back to the late 80's. Her find predated the aluminum bikes that dominated the market these days, and could carry both of them without complaint. As Victor climbed on the back - a new experience - he couldn't help but reflect on how quickly fortunes twisted and turned in China. Life just moved faster here.

Intermediate - They Called Me Mad, the Fools!

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

At Popup Chinese we are strong supporters of science. Which is why our Intermediate podcast for today teaches a turn of phrase we think you'll find particularly useful the next time you're writing an academic grant proposal, updating colleagues on your post-doc, or reanimating Tom Hanks in your secret basement lab.

Elementary - The Missing Plunger

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

There are some words you'll never learn in a traditional classroom, and plunger is one of them. Which is where Popup Chinese comes in. Because when the day comes you have a genuine sewage emergency, the last thing you're going to want to do is bring your dictionary into the fray. So join us in this podcast as we plumb the depths of toilet humor with a podcast that is quite literally the filthiest thing we've ever recorded.

HSK Advanced - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #9

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Are you serious about becoming fluent in mandarin? Our sample exam for today is suitable for students preparing to take the highest level of the HSK: China's standard test for mandarin proficiency. As such, these questions are as challenging as they get. If you are an advanced learner we encourage you to subscribe to Popup Chinese where you will have full access to all of our great materials, online support, and the ability to explore our massive archive of test prep content at your leisure.

Absolute Beginners - Happy Birthday

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In this podcast we'll teach you how to say happy birthday. That said, this isn't a lesson so much as an excuse to crow about the birthday of our very own superstar podcaster Echo. Later this evening those of us here in Beijing will stagger out and celebrate in true Chinese style with unholy amounts of cake, KTV, liquor and Xinjiang food, not necessarily in that order. We'll also be force-feeding Apple cake as well, since it was her birthday recently too. Happy Birthday!

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #13

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

By the time their supervisor from the Ministry of Education arrived, the HSK police had already settled on their subject. It sat strapped to a chair in one of their interrogation vans, blinking in mute terror as the murder investigation swirled around it. Outside, the victim lay cold in the gutter as the police catalogued the remains of the crime scene. "We found it not far from the body," the head detective explained with a sidewards sneer. "This one was easy."

"Then you've bungled this badly," the man from the Ministry announced, walking over and unstrapping the suspect. "This conjunction could never have been anywhere near the murder weapon. His presence in that context would be grammatically impossible." The man's voice was filled with the weary resignation which comes from seeing the worst of the worst in test-prep butchery. "You guys flubbed this badly tonight. I'd suggest you show better smarts with your other leads before I send you back to the HSK Beginner level for this screw-up."

Absolute Beginners - Buried Under Work

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

With less than 24 hours before the deadline, Susan drifted in a bubble of lightheaded fatigue as she continued pecking away at her two-hundred page manuscript. She had been working sixteen hour days for the last week and was starting to despair of ever finishing this project, let alone finishing it on time. And her condition must have been obvious, because when she looked up Bryan had materialized over her looking seriously concerned.

In today's podcast, listen to a conversation between Susan and Bryan and learn how to form simple questions in Chinese using adjectives. Are you busy? Are you tired? Then answer these questions. The sentence patterns and vocabulary we teach are core building blocks for mandarin fluency, so listen up, practice our dialogue as it plays along, and you'll be speaking better Chinese in about five minutes.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #20

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:00:00 +0800

When you hit the big two-zero, it's reasonable to stop and look back at all you've accomplished in life. And from our perspective it looks pretty good. Today marks the publication of our twentieth fill-in-the-blanks exercise, and the fiftieth sample test we've produced for students preparing for the first level of China's standard test in mandarin proficiency. That's more than 700 questions on the finer points of Chinese grammar and word usage at the beginner level alone. All available 24/7 from the comfort of your WiFi-enabled bathroom.

Our test for today focuses on verb complements. If you've been following us from the beginning and have already gone through our massive test archive, you've seen these before and shouldn't find this too challenging. If you haven't brace yourself though. Take a deep breathe, click through to the quiz section and ace this puppy. In the meanwhile I'll go chase those kids off my lawn again. They've taken to congregating there in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Apple and Echo.

Intermediate - A Terrible Hunger

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and without any incriminating evidence linking you to the crime. That's why the heads of major criminal syndicates have to be a bit circumspect in making certain requests, and it's why we return to our mob series today with an update on the dealings of the Beijing demi-monde. In this episode, join us as our mob boss is seized with a terrible hunger which can be sated only through violence.

Our dialogue today is on the easier side for an Intermediate lesson, but don't be deceived. We have some non-obvious and non-trivial grammar tucked away here that you really need to know. So listen in and soon you'll be adept at turning adjectives into verbs, and at asking for people's heads on plates. But only figuratively, of course.

toneandcolor - Tonal Cousins #5

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

These lessons examine "tonal cousins": groups of semi-homophone characters that have the same pronunciation, but may or may not have the same tone. Simply click on the appropriate tone for each character and improve your tonal production and recognition.

Absolute Beginners - Ordering Under Pressure

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

If you've ever been through the gauntlet of ordering dinner in China, you'll know that picking your way through a menu (while avoiding the tripe) can be a challenge at the best of times. What you may not have been expecting is the added pressure of having nearly half the serving staff hover over your shoulder while you decide.

This podcast goes out to all those Chinese learners among us who prefer the sullen and unresponsive service of the average American diner. You can use the words and phrases we'll teach today whenever you want the waitress to leave you alone for a few minutes while you figure out what you want to eat. This is very useful stuff. And when you're done listening, you've got a great excuse to head out for dinner and put it all into practice. Bon appétit!

Intermediate - Chinese Love in a Time of War

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Apple's college romances were something of a secret when she started working with us here at Popup Chinese. Like many who've been through the ups and downs of perilous love affairs, she'd just sigh philosophically when asked. "They didn't work out," was all we would get. And then she'd be back at her work after a moment of wistful introspection.

Suffice it to say, we were all in the dark about her turbulent wartime record until earlier this week when we stumbled across this recording, left accidentally on an office computer. Although fragmentary and incomplete, this recording hints at some of the veiled emotional pain we've seen flash across her face on occasion. The end of some relationships, it seems, is more painful than those of others.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #12

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

At the Intermediate level of the HSK, more advanced conjunctions and prepositions begin slipping into questions. They are joined by proper nouns and names students are unlikely to have encountered in Chinese before, but that you'll be expected to understand in order to answer correctly (see question four). One consequent difference between the HSK Beginner and HSK Intermediate exams is that the former focuses largely on word-level knowledge, while the latter requires more sophisticated knowledge of underlying character components.

Elementary - The Wandering Eye

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Thailand was warm, hospitable and overrun with brazen hussies. It was the perfect destination for her deadbeat lout of a spouse, thought Mary Lincoln, as the two of them rolled slowly towards Wat Mahathat wrapped in the sort of stifling heat that can only be experienced in a low-end tourist bus on a hot summer day. Sitting by her right shoulder, her husband was eagerly snapping photographs of the passing scenery.

Over the last four days the prospect of a divorce had assumed a looming certainty in her mind. For it had been a terrible vacation. First there was the airport attendant, then the cleaning staff at the hotel. Then the tour guide, the lawyer they had met over brunch, and finally the woman who ran the juice-press outside their hotel. All told, Mark was like a man out of control. Things were severalfold worse than they had been on their last disastrous trip to Canada, Mary decided. She had had enough.

KTV Wednesday - Wang Fei - Passenger

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Does your knowledge of Swedish music start and end with ABBA? If so you're probably not aware of Sweden's growing reputation as an international music powerhouse. That's our conclusion, at least, after finding out that our selection for this week is the second Swedish cover to achieve widespread popularity in the mainland. The song is "Passenger", a cover by Wang Fei of an original composition by Sophie Zelmani.

Using the metaphor of life as a journey, Passenger voices doubt about the ability of women to find fulfillment in relationships dominated by men. It's unclear if the song is angry, wistful or simply honest in its gradually blossoming disappointment. A lot depends on how you read the strange inversion of the lyrics in the final two choruses. Consult our transcript, as it can be hard to pick up the small but meaningful change Wang Fei makes without reference to a written text.

* note: Youtube was blocked in China earlier this week. If you are in North America a faster version of this song is online here.

HSK Beginner - Reading Comprehension Exercise #7

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"Are you sure these are beginner questions," John asked timidly, his ego bruised from its severe tutoring moments earlier. Gail answered with a soft cackle. Her voice came out muffled, emerging from deep within the fog-wreathed corner of our office she had converted into her HSK Fortress of Doom. "I'm just not sure a beginner is really going to need to know 不鄙视."

At the opposite end of our office, Echo and the rest of the team were holding an impromptu party in the recording studio. "The questions are a bit tough," she admitted over the steady beat of the Bossa nova. "But the words we're testing for are still fairly basic. So even if people don't know what some of the answers mean, they should be able to guess the correct one." Another burst of cackling emerged from Gail's shrouded domain. "That's the idea at least," Echo added. "The HSK is difficult though, people can't expect the multiple choice section to be nothing but hello and goodbye."

Intermediate - A Parasitic Relationship

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Life in China is tough for recent university graduates, especially those seeking work in major cities like Shanghai. While living expenses keep rising and housing prices are off-the-charts compared to local wages, pressure from China's rural labor force has kept compensation low, especially for women. It isn't uncommon for recent graduates to find themselves earning just over 2000 RMB a month in positions that fail to provide social insurance or other forms of support like subsidized housing.

Consequently, it isn't surprising that so many single children with working parents have simply shunned the job market. And while not needing to work makes life easier in the short run, it puts a huge strain on their relationships and long-term independence. In our listening test for today we look at the toll this sort of thing takes on a previously healthy relationship. So listen up, take our quiz to measure your listening comprehension and then consult our annotated transcript in case you missed any details. We think you'll learn something now.

Short Stories - Dream: chapter one, part five

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our fifth selection from Dream of the Red Chamber brings us more than halfway through the first chapter of this stunning masterpiece. If you're new to the story, catch up from the very beginning. As with our previous annotated passages, our goal is to let you read and understand the original and unedited Qing-era story. Just roll your mouse over the text for manually-edited popups that explain the exact meaning of each word along with commentary on the finer points of the novel itself.

In this passage we leave the mystical world and return to Suzhou where we find Zhen Shiyin waking from a strange dream on a hot summer's afternoon. With the Lantern Festival approaching, Zhen carries his baby daughter to the gates of his compound to see the festivities in the streets. He there encounters two crazy monks who deliver a tragic prophecy in the form of a four-line poem. A warning about the vanity of the human world, their message is laden with images of destruction and death. Read it carefully, for the passage also contains clues about the fates of both father and daughter.

Although Zhen Shiyin is jarred by the encounter, his mood turns for the better on meeting Jia Yucun, an itinerant scholar on his way to Beijing where he plans to sit for the Imperial Exam. Zhen invites Jia into his study for an afternoon of leisure, before the arrival of a more prominent guest demands his attention and he departs. And thus is our story set in motion, as the narrative shifts away from the fantastic and dreamlike prologue and turns towards social issues of power, politics and wealth in Qing-era China.

There are a few things of significance in this section. Our first prophetic poem is noteworthy on its own (read with our extra notes enabled for more detailed commentary). Also pay attention to the class issues hinted at in Jia Yucun's family background. In case you haven't noticed yet, the first chapter of Dream of the Red Chamber is in many ways a microcosm of the novel as a whole. We see the transience of the mortal world reflected in the stories of ruined families which ascend to wealth and power, and wealthy ones whose fortunes quite literally go up in smoke. In all of these small details author Cao Xueqin is setting the stage for the tragic story of our protagonist in the chapters still to come.

Film Friday - A Film for Champions

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:00:00 +0800

Our selection for this week is an institution of a film, especially if you're from anywhere near the area Brendan grew up. Sadly, despite its critical and popular acclaim, not even this surprising gem can survive the onslaught of Star Wars anecdotes that begins shortly into the second half of this podcast, which includes Echo confusing Jedi muppets with Chinese breakfast foods among other things. If you stay on topic and recognize our mystery film, though, get your guess in to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a free premium subscription to the best Chinese learning site: Popup Chinese.

Elementary - The Break-Up

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Today we delve into the messy end of a typical Chinese break-up. Despite the fact that it sounds a lot like one of Echo's Korean soap operas, this podcast has been inspired by real-life events. We have stories involving Hong Kong art smugglers, knifed fruit and death threats. We're sure you've got stories too: when you come to Beijing look us up and we'll swap them over a beer or two.

All that said, we were a bit torn about how to classify today's lesson. The Chinese in this podcast is more difficult than in our typical Elementary lesson, but also easier than our average Intermediate. We finally settled on Elementary as the vocabulary covers family relationships, pets and children. This is relatively basic stuff, but don't worry if you find it a bit challenging given the emotions involved, and the fact that plates are probably being flung through the air during the dialogue.

KTV Wednesday - Li Shengjie - Absolute Foolish Heart

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Gail hummed merrily to herself as she put the finishing touches on our annotated transcript for KTV Wednesday. "I love this song," she burbled as the the final chords faded to silence. Her statement met no reaction however. Huddled in the deepest recesses of our recording studio, David and Brendan lay comatose, their limbs misshaped by panic and faces glazed with pain. The effort at flight had failed and more natural defenses had taken over. They would wake soon with headaches to rule the world.

So listen to this one at your own peril, and don't say you haven't been warned.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #19

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our HSK test for today measures your understanding of verb complements. Don't be put off by the terminology here, these are simply the common endings to many verbs which help describe or explain what exactly they mean. While we expect you can work out the answers to some questions with simple logic, getting others will require more familiarity with Chinese customs. So take our test and see how you do. And if you have any questions or problems, just leave a note in the comments section below. Our trained teachers will do their best to get back to you promptly.

Elementary - Diet-Popup

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

The medical establishment is slowly coming around to an incontrovertible fact: Popup Chinese subscribers are better looking, smarter, thinner and generally cooler people than the rest of the population. That's what our recent t-shirt promotion suggested at least, and while correlation isn't exactly causation, it's close enough that we can all feel good about ourselves.

Which is why in this podcast we engage in some experimental and entirely unapologetic brand promotion. "I don't get it," Gail said after listening to this podcast, mere seconds before pulling out her credit card and ordering a subscription. If you also like what you hear and are looking to mix-up your own workout routine, we'd encourage you to take out one as well. Cutting the fat and keeping the Popup is healthy advice. Just ask your doctor.

Intermediate - Killing the Mole

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Interested in a career with the Triads? Join us today as we teach the core vocabulary you'll need to launch your career with the Chinese mob. Whether you're rooting out moles, sending people to sleep with the fishes, smuggling opium or managing a gang of surly enforcers from Guangzhou, Popup Chinese is committed to helping you communicate ambiguous hit orders in fluent mandarin without awkward pauses, malapropisms or other linguistic gaffes.

toneandcolor - Homophonic Hanzi #2

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

For each question, choose the character that has the same pronunciation (both syllable and tone) from the four given options. Learning characters in groups may help with retention.

HSK Intermediate - Reading Comprehension Exercise #6

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In our sample test for today, we present you with 15 questions which measure your knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar points tested for at the Intermediate level of China's standard test for mandarin acquisition for non-native speakers. And don't expect to be treated with kid gloves. These questions are trickier than you might expect, and while you may be familiar with the individual words themselves, you'll need to know them well enough to select their most accurate synonym given the actual context provided.

In a real test environment, these fifteen questions should take no more than 12.5 minutes. But don't worry if you don't have a watch handy. Our system will track your time automatically, so you can see the improvement in your test-taking skills over time as you work through our vast archive of test-prep materials.

Film Friday - Empire of Smurf

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Join us this week for a special edition of Film Friday starring our friend and special guest star Frank Fradella. We had a great time in the studio recording this and think you'll enjoy it too. And in addition to great podcasters, our movie this week is also top-notch: a cross between the Smurfs and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. So listen up, and if you think you can identify the movie get your guess in to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese.

Absolute Beginners - Taking a Photo

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

It is our fate at Popup Chinese to be surrounded by beautiful and talented men and women. So it isn't any surprise that our camera gets whipped out on occasion and we all indulge in The Deuce. You want in the picture too? Join us today as we learn the basics of telling left from right and counting to three. Because you're a beautiful person and we're glad to have you around.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #18

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Zaroff paused in mid-bite, leaving Rainsford's question dangling mid-air like the steak skewered on his ivory-handled fork. It was the moment of truth. "You are wrong, sir," he exhaled, "the Cape buffalo is not the most dangerous game." He sipped his port. "Here in my preserve on this island, " he added ominously, "I hunt more dangerous game yet."

Rainsford paused in astonishment. Could the rumors among the seafaring class be true? "You have hunted the HSK? The Black Spectre? Tyrant of the Orient and destroyer of Men?" Zaroff nodded quietly. "You've faced off against the Peking Guillotine, and risked the death of a thousand strokes?"" Again Zaroff offered his grim and silent confirmation, and the scale of his island retreat was clear at last. In the wilds outside the sumptuous mansion in which they dined, the woods teemed with the most savage of characters. In the days to come they would hunt and hunt and hunt. There would be no end to the hanzi.

Advanced - An Unexpected Surprise

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our advanced listening test for today is entirely spontaneous: something we caught on tape almost accidentally when Apple and Kang were fooling around in the studio. While the vocabulary itself is not terribly demanding, the recording is fast-paced and somewhat unforgiving. There's a lot here: if you can keep up try paying attention to the way emotions are expressed, especially exasperation.

There are a few things worth noting grammatically, such as the repeated, instinctive reliance on 然后 when stringing together complex sentences. Also the phrasing for expressing insistence in the first sentence. As with our other listening tests, we recommend listening to the recording once through before taking our quiz. Once you know what you've missed you can listen again while reading our annotated transcript for instant enlightenment.

Elementary - A Date with Sichuan

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"How hot do you like it," he had asked, which was how they ended up in the latest Sichuan restaurant to open in downtown Paris. The setting was a coy pairing of Continental elegance and Oriental exoticism. And it would have made for a perfect date except for some unspoken fear that flitted in the air around them, like the shadow from a bird of prey circling far above.

When the waiter appeared with the menu, her date had simply passed it to her and turned his attention to the nearby Seine, the last rays of the setting sun disappearing over the Île de la Cité, and the few couples winding their ways home through the cobbled streets. Had something in their relationship changed? Was he disinterested, or simply distracted? Deborah was on the verge of broaching the question when their server reappeared and her date snapped to attention. It was time to order.

HSK Advanced - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #8

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

With five days until her report was due, Laurie stared glumly at her monitor. She was gathering financial data from the Shanghai composite, trying to make sense of the reported assets of a large Chinese telecom firm. The opacity of corporate finances in China was a real challenge to investors. How long could companies disguise losing money? For some of them, the answer was quite some time.

Fortunately, the major foreign consulting companies were effectively incompetent when it came to this sort of work. They simply couldn't hire capable staff in the field, which is why they farmed out their business to smaller China-based companies like the one which which employed her. Now that she knew the industry, she knew she would never work in a large firm again. The inefficiencies in the system were mind-boggling. All she needed to set out on her own was better reading skills. And she would get there soon.

Film Friday - On Deception and Strategems

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0800

His Youku mug spurned by the masses, Brendan showed up at our studios last night with this clip brimming with chengyu, historical allusions and entirely inappropriate airport terminology. Listen up and we think you'll be enlightened. We suspect Imron will get this from the first character, but for the rest of you, if you think you can identify our mystery film get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. No more mugs though.

Absolute Beginners - Thanks But No Thanks

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our title isn't meant to be cruel, but running the poverty gauntlet gets old fast, which might be why some of the harshest comments we've heard about the homeless have come from Chinese friends and students. Nonetheless, while we recommend ignoring the professional beggars, it's a good habit to keep some change in your pocket and dispense with it liberally when you meet someone in real need. It's also important to keep the pickpockets at bay, so in this podcast we teach you how.

KTV Wednesday - Joanna Wang - Now

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Joanna Wang is a up-and-coming Taiwanese-American artist whose first album has garnered rave reviews and provoked innumerable comparisons to Norah Jones. Our selection is the Chinese language version of a song that was released on her debut album in both English and Chinese.

Did we mention that the song is also controversial? If you dropped by our office last week, you'd have witnessed a raging debate over whether Joanna even counts as Chinese and is deserving of a place in our KTV pantheon. "It's not Chinese music," Echo insisted, before storming off to watch Korean soap operas. And while she has a point - there's very little that is traditionally Chinese about the music or singing style - if Chinese jazz is a novelty, we expect to hear a lot more of it in the future. So you be the judge.

* Youtube refuses to embed this video so we're linking to Youku. If you're in the United States you may find it faster to load the Youtube version .

Intermediate - Porn for Panda

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

The creak of the door stirred Tuan Tuan from the depths of his slumber. It was eleven o'clock, and Yuan Yuan, who had been sleeping peacefully in the thicket beside him, growled quietly at the disruption. On this they could agree: what fools they had for keepers! The great beast briefly entertained the thought of shifting to express his displeasure at the intrusion, but natural lethargy and his ongoing digestive battle with the the previous evening's bamboo won out. He remained prone.

Nonetheless, the giant panda did keep a groggy eye on the two figures who had emerged into his dwelling, huffing and puffing in their white gowns as they wheeled in what appeared to be a giant black box. Disappointment settled in his heart at seeing this most unimaginative of gifts, until it occurred to him that perhaps this too would be filled with bamboo. There was always room for more bamboo.

HSK Beginner - Reading Comprehension Exercise #6

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

He had appeared out of nowhere to hover at her elbow, a graduate student from the look of things. Somewhat disheveled, but cute, bilingual, and possessed with an air of self-confidence which seemed quite rare in these parts. "No-one really knows what's in here," he had said, a sweep of the hand taking in the card catalog she was exploring, but also the library more generally. "Your best bet is to get on good terms with the archivists. They don't really know either, but they'll look harder if they like you."

Could he be flirting with her? In the National Library of China? A world of romantic possibilities seemed to open for a moment, swelling up to include Beijing in all its ancient Imperial glory. And then he was gone, and her thoughts of fancy gone with him. The romance would have to wait. If she was to get this paper done Aline would have to focus less on her love life and more on her Chinese.

Elementary - Ski Accident

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:01:00 +0800

Look on the bright side of being bedridden: you'll have a lot more time to study Chinese. The doctors say the scars will probably heal too. In a few years you probably won't even notice them yourself. The important thing is really keeping this sort of thing in perspective.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #11

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Today's intermediate HSK test consists of 15 fill-in-the-blank questions which are just like those on the real HSK. These cover the exact same critical grammar and vocabulary points that you will be subjected to on the real exam.

As a reminder to those of you new to Popup Chinese, once you've answered our questions and submitted them, look on the right-hand sidebar of the results page for a button that will let you save your scores. If you save your results you can review the questions you got wrong anytime by visiting your progress tracking page. Good luck.

HSK Advanced - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #7

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Evan Welsh stared in disbelief at the development manual he had found on his desk that morning. The Beijing office had photocopied the master document and couriered it overnight after his own team had run into difficulty assembling the modulator. With trans-Pacific communications clumsy at the best of times, Evan had found his minor in Chinese studies a surprisingly valuable asset: he had unwittingly become a critical link driving the success of the project.

But now his head was spinning. For although the manual was printed in English, on the crucial question of proper torque, several large exclamations points capped a space above a nest of hostile grass script. The handwritten notes spilled over the margins and had a feeling of both urgency and danger. It was safe to say the ascent of China was proving a challenge in a large number of ways. Interesting times, indeed.

Film Friday - Looks Like Inner Mongolia

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

One of the nice things about the Chinese film industry is that it makes you a lot more tolerant of films that plummeted off track abroad after being panned by critics. Our selection for today is one of these: hardly the sort of film you write home about, but still an entertaining two hours with some gorgeous cinematography. Or that's David's opinion at least. Neither Echo nor Brendan have seen this one, which might be why they spend a lot of time talking about anything but the film: China's environmental problems, how to get your online video fix and much more.

As always, we're offering a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese to one lucky listener. If you can guess our mystery film from the short clip presented here, get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com. Good luck.

Intermediate - My Life as a Writer

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

The Lusitania story was my thing. I pitched it to Warner Brothers with a star-crossed lovers theme back in the day when Internet access was still dial-up. They signed on for financing but the project sank when Brad and Julia bailed. Which is really too bad because it would have been a smash at the box office. There was even a subplot about a secret treasure - that's why the Germans sunk the boat, didn't you know?

Anyway, I moved to Britain after the dot-com bust and started writing this book. Mostly for my kids, but maybe other people will like it. I don't usually share details about my work with strangers, but the plot is brilliant - the sort of thing that'll get kids excited about reading again. Why don't you take a look at the first few chapters? Then we can grab coffee and go over the whole thing later.

Note: Today we are pleased to bring you an intermediate listening exercise. Listen to the podcast and then test your listening comprehension with our quick quiz. If you have any questions, ask them below or check out annotated transcript on the text tab.

KTV Wednesday - Wang Rong - Father, Mother

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our selection for KTV Wednesday today is "Father, Mother" by a girl named Wang Fei. What's that you say? We've already done Wang Fei? Not this one. Facing the prospect of being completely overshadowed by her superstar namesake, this Wang Fei adopted the stage name Wang Rong, a homophonic play on the name of a famous female protagonist from a classic Wushu novel. In case we missed the connection, she even sings about it.

In person Wang Rong is smart and funny. She's also one of the mainland's more anonymous music stars in the sense that while everyone has heard her music, only a small minority could probably link it to her name. That is changing.

Absolute Beginners - Looking for Apple

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:00:00 +0800

Trapped on the roof and under fire from the encroaching Triads, our intrepid hero whips out his Hello Moto and speed dials our leading lady, who guns her Porche faster down the Second Ring Road in answer. "I'll be down in a minute," he says cooly before stepping off the parapet and plunging a few stories in a matter of seconds.

We will be the first to admit that life in Beijing is much like the movies. Except in real life our leading lady is Apple, and she's a bit more difficult to contact than you'd expect. In this podcast, culled from our real-life experience, we'll teach you the basics of telephone etiquette. Or the basics of repeatedly asking for someone until either you or they hang up in frustration.

HSK Beginner - Sentence Order Exercise #2

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

By the time he reached the second page, Michael knew the previous evening's hotpot excursion had been a mistake. What had begun with ominous grumbling sounds during the listening exercises was morphing now into an internal offensive of a entirely different nature. The characters on the paper before him began to dissolve and swim around each other as his concentration wavered. Who could focus on grammar at a time like this?

HSK Tip #192: avoid Sichuan food the night before the exam.

Film Friday - A Long and Boring Film

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

At Popup Chinese we call films as we see them. And in this podcast that means a split down gender lines. You can side with Echo and consider this a stirring tale of individualism. Or you can side with the rest of us. Whichever way you lean, if you recognize the film from our mystery clip be sure to get your guess in to echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a free month of premium access to Popup Chinese.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #10

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

They found the exam over the second hill, milling listlessly in the brown grass that spread across the valley under the noonday sun. The man in black boots crouched in the mulberry copse, glassed his target, then raised his weapon and sent its buckshot tearing across the veldt. And then the thunderous crack of the rifle was resounding between the hills and the rocks behind the HSK were splatter-stained with a crimson decoupage.

I kindly reckon we just killed the HSK, the man in the boots said. Let's move in to get a better look, the second said. And they went forward and found the exam - once so terrifying - just a pretty little thing. A little pretty sad little thing.

Absolute Beginners - Point and Eat

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

We have good news for gourmands. When it comes to ordering food in China, you're on a level playing field with the most famous Sinologists. Want to know how John Fairbank and John DeFrancis ordered beef noodles back in the day, or how Victor Mair gets his chicken and peanuts to this very day?

The secret is that no matter how high-class the restaurant, China is a country where you can still get away with pointing at the menu and grunting. Chinese menus actually encourage this. And while grunting may be frowned upon in some finer establishments, we can replace those with a few choice words and you'll be good to go, charming serving staff throughout the Orient and blending in with the locals. Listen up and learn how.

toneandcolor - Tonal Cousins #4

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

KTV Wednesday - Andy Lau - Infernal Affairs

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our selection for today is the title song from the 2002 Hong Kong gangster film "Infernal Affairs". This is the movie that rejuvenated the Hong Kong film scene and ended up inspiring "The Departed" with an absolutely brilliantly structured double-mole plot. In addition to a great looking cast, the film also has an inspired English translation. The original Chinese title literally translates as "the never-ending road". That is a Buddhist reference to hell and the overall theme of this song as well.

If you've been around Popup Chinese for a while you'll know we're huge fans of Andy Lau and Tony Leung. Which gives us another reason to like this song. In addition to starring in the film both of these great actors are contributing lead vocals here. So grab your headphone and listen up.

Intermediate - Unconventional Child Rearing

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

You've read the usual books on parenting. You may have even purchased a DVD or two filled with helpful tips. Now it is time to listen to our podcast. In our intermediate lesson for today, Popup Chinese gives you the lowdown on an unconventional but surprisingly effective way of managing a particularly rambunctious child. And we also teach a bunch of Chinese in the process. What more could you want?

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #17

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Zoe ticked the appropriate box and moved her pencil down the page. "Of course the answer is B," she muttered to herself, puzzled to find yet another question that seemed improperly easy. Wasn't the HSK supposed to be difficult? And that was when she found herself staring at blank paper and had the stunning realization she had finished the entire test, and done so with twenty minutes to spare.

Could it be true? Zoe's first year of Chinese had been exhausting - it had demanded several times the effort of her other classes. But where her classmates dropped out Zoe had simply redoubled her focus. And her diligence had paid off. Once a forest of strange and intemperate beasts, the Chinese language had dissolved in her mind into a garden of pictures and words, playful figures with their own private histories and logic. And she was comfortable in conversation with them.

Zoe resolved to take the intermediate test the next year.

Advanced - Remarkable Leadership

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:44:09 +0800

As the Western world lurches to the brink of financial Armageddon, people worldwide are searching for leaders who can chart a course through the wreckage. Who will define the next generation of Asian leadership? In this podcast we are proud to present our own candidate for the role, along with a healthy dose of advanced but useful contemporary vocabulary.

Film Friday - The Unsettling Hobo

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Our selection for this week has a great script and a lead actor playing somewhat against type. It's harder than our selection for last week as well: the dialogue moves faster and there are fewer environmental clues. But it's a fair challenge. So listen in and if you think you know our mystery film fire off an email to us at echo@popupchinese.com.

Incidentally, while the bit in this podcast about us treating our podcasters like homeless vagrants is not true, we are looking for extra voice talent.... So get in touch if you are or if you know a suitable candidate. The catch is that they've got to already be in Beijing.

HSK Advanced - Find-the-Mistake Exercise #3

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our test today has questions that are among the hardest you will ever face while studying for the Advanced HSK. They are also a routine part of the Chinese proficiency exam.

In our opinion these find-the-mistake questions are challenging because they're open-ended. Each question consists of a simple sentence that contains a single error. This error might be grammatical, or maybe it involves a matter of word choice. All you need to do is find it. Then select the passage which contains it and move on. Good luck.

KTV Wednesday - Jolin - Sun Never Sets

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"Sunshine in the Rain" by Swedish group Bodies without Organs began propagating through Chinese BBS communities in 2006. After conquering northern China Internet cafe by Internet cafe, the song broke mainstream with this Chinese-language cover by Taiwanese megastar Jolin. And while the cover is now an Asian blockbuster, very few westerners have ever heard of the original.

As part of our research for today's lesson we conducted a casual survey of Popup Chinese listeners, to whom we submitted the two videos along with a request for feedback. None of our respondents had ever heard of the Swedish band, and responses ranged from "everyone will hate it," to "really addictive." Interestingly though, when asked which video was better, our poll came overwhelmingly down on the side of Jolin. And we have to agree. Enjoy.

Elementary - Corporate Intrigue

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

As she left the board meeting, Lili Wang furrowed her brow and cursed under her breath at Zhang Ping. He had advanced in the company at a meteoric pace since starting as an intern in her department, commandeering project after project to carve out a niche of his own and secure praise and promotion outside the normal career channels. And now even as he was ingratiating himself with her supervisors he was skipping meetings or arriving late, blowing off her assignments or altering them according to his own whim. Her patience had run its course.

And so with a ruthlessness that surprised even herself, Lili ordered her secretary to arrange for a meeting that afternoon. It would be their last. His last attempt to circumvent her with the budget office had made him a marked man. She would not tolerate his presence any longer.

Intermediate - Pet Sitting

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Outside her plane window, the Inner Mongolian grasslands stretched unending to the horizon. The stewardess rolled by with a drink, but Xiao Wei waved it off and continued to gaze at the northern Chinese landscape. Her company had sent her to investigate a drought-resistant agricultural experiment in one of the more parched areas of the country, mere miles from the Gobi desert. Now she was on her way back to Beijing.

The full trip had taken only a week, but Wei hadn't expected the travel to be so physically demanding. Nor had she imagined how she would miss Xiao Wang, her new puppy and destroyer of worlds. It had only been two months since she carried him out of the pound, but he had already become a big part of her life. And as much as she complained about his chaotic energy, she couldn't wait to get home and take him for a walk.

Film Friday - An Exciting Vacation

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

A number of you guessed our film from last week (it was The Shawshank Redemption), so this week we're changing pace with a film that targets a totally different demographic. We think you'll find the difficulty at the early intermediate level, but that doesn't mean the film itself will be easy to guess. If you think you've got it though, be sure to get your guess in to echo@popupchinese.com for your chance to win a free month of premium access here at Popup Chinese.

Absolute Beginners - Where is the Washroom

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

You can stop holding it in now, because in this lesson we're going to teach you the magical phrase "where is the washroom". Combine this with general agitation and hopping from foot to foot for best effect. And when when it works you can get started learning directions the hard way.

For those of you who are new to Popup Chinese, we encourage you to approach our lessons as bite-sized units you can learn at the pace of one a day: listen to our podcast first and see if you can understand our simple dialogue. When you're done, fire up The Fix to test your memory and speaking skills. Pay special attention to the tones. And in a day or two, review the materials with our customizable PDFs and transcripts. And let us know if you have any questions - we're always here to answer them.

HSK Intermediate - Reading Comprehension Exercise #5

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

You may have missed the news, but while the rest of the world implodes, China continues to do better than expected on the economic front. While annual growth is down to somewhere over 6 percent, the manufacturing industry is rebounding from its lows late last year.

Glad you're learning mandarin? We are too. It is an excellent career choice and so to help you out we've got another 15 questions designed for students preparing for the intermediate HSK. Whether you're planning on taking the test or not, these questions focus on common errors with word usage and meaning, and will put you in good stead for professional work in China.

KTV Wednesday - Stefanie Sun - The Encounter

Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

We've had a lot of singers here on KTV Wednesday who hail from mainland China and Taiwan. Stefanie Sun is our first megastar from the tiny island of Singapore. And if you don't know her, you should: she is among the most popular female singers in Asia and has produced a least ten albums to date. Even if you've never heard of her, you've probably heard many of her songs without knowing it:

Stefanie has produced so many hits it is hard to pick a single one. In the end we chose this for a completely shallow reason: in addition to Stefanie Sun this video stars a younger Takeshi Kaneshiro. Between the two of them here is enough eye candy to keep the most discriminating language student happy for days.

Intermediate - Chocolate Cake

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Apple lifted the cake from its white cardboard box and placed it carefully in her fridge with a smile. It had taken her half the afternoon to get it - crossing Beijing twice in peak traffic, the last time cradling the box gingerly upright as she pushed her way through the churning crowds. But the rich chocolate smell filling the room made it all worthwhile. When her boyfriend came home that evening they would celebrate in style.

Closing the fridge door, Apple decided to freshen up and take a nap before her boyfriend arrived home. She had barely taken two steps towards the washroom when a familiar chime caught her ears, causing her heart to skip a beat - could he have taken the afternoon off to come home early? Her heart in her throat, Apple bounced over to the door and opened it to find 9527 kicking the snow off her boots....

HSK Beginner - Listening Exercise #3

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Today we're pleased to present another listening exercise for all of you gearing up to take the HSK for the first time. These fifteen questions are all call-and-answer exercises appropriate for students with about a year of language study. The challenge is to select the most logical reply to the statement provided.

In a real test environment you'll only have one shot at answering these questions. So to best simulate the real thing we recommend either downloading our MP3 or listening to the recording through the flash player on this page. In addition to taking the test online you can download the questions as part of your custom PDF transcript and take the test away from your computer.

Absolute Beginners - The Numbers

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Trust us on this: nothing will kill that prospective career in Chinese finance faster than an inability to count to ten. Gesticulation just isn't what it used to be, and given that mandarin is a language where the numbers for four and ten are almost as easy to mix up as the Beijing Olympic Mascots, we think you've got a recipe for disaster on your hands if you don't have a solid grasp of the fundamentals.

So in this lesson we cover the absolute basics of numbers: how to pronounce them, what tones to use and how to string single digits together to make bigger numbers that sound more impressive. This isn't groundbreaking stuff unless you don't already know it, in which case it is groundbreaking stuff. So listen in and let's put this counting thing behind us.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #9

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"This dictionary is useless," Steven slammed shut the heavy tome and fought an atavistic urge to throw his chair through the nearest window. "How can all these words mean the same thing?"

"That's what you get for trusting Cihai," Bill replied. He was the more fastidious of the pair, but there was still an edge of annoyance to his voice. "I believe they eliminated some definitions when they simplified the language. I told you to buy the latest version of the Xinhua dictionary so we wouldn't have this problem." His pencil was wavering back and forth between 一刹那 and 一下子 when the sound of smashing glass interrupted their study session for good.

HSK Tip #6834: to excel at the HSK you need to know the differences in usage between words with similar definitions.

Film Friday - Hammer Time

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In the event you're new to this Chinese New Years madness, we want to assure you our studios have not plunged into a state of war, because towards the end of this podcast, you can hear Beijing going up in smoke outside our studio. Nothing to worry about - just children celebrating the holidays by lobbing fireworks at passing cars (and each other). Our sound insulation is reasonably good, but even it has limits when faced with the explosive awesomeness of the Year of the Bull.

Moving on, our film for today is to China as Bon Jovi is to Hong Kong: something the locals continue to enjoy long after the world has moved on. This is an intermediate-level recording, but our prize makes it worth puzzling over: one lucky winner will get a month of free premium access to Popup Chinese. So listen up and get your guesses in to echo@popupchinese.com. You can't win if you don't play.

Short Stories - Serve the People

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

"Though death befalls all men alike, it may be weightier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather." -- Sima Qian

A soldier in the People's Liberation Army, Zhang Side served as Mao Zedong's bodyguard and survived the Long March only to die making charcoal on September 5, 1944. Our selection for today is the report Mao delivered to commemorate his life three days later. As with his eulogy of Norman Bethune, Mao spent little time on the substance of the man and passed quickly to the significance of his life's work. The result was a political call to action as much as a call to grief.

The principle of Serve the People, enshrined as a Communist principle for the first time here, would later become one of the core ideological pillars of the Chinese Communist Party. It was championed by Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong and remains a prominent political slogan today.

Elementary - Do You Speak Chinese

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Stop rolling those eyeballs! We know you already speak Chinese. And we know that those of you living here have probably fielded this question a few hundred times by now. You may even have started answering back in classical couplets, because nothing establishes street smarts like tossing out a Tang Dynasty smack-down on your way for Korean food in Wangjing.

But while Beijing's Korean district may be a great place for soju and kimchi, the Wangjing district is an urban lobster trap: easy to enter, impossible to leave. Which poses a double challenge for non-Korean visitors: not only do you have to ask for directions frequently, but you've also got to figure out if you're speaking to someone who even speaks Chinese.

In this podcast, we cover the basics of figuring this last bit out. The material is pretty basic, but there are some complexities here which elevate it above true beginner stuff. And even if you're an old hand in China we think you'll find something of value: our secrets on how to use this sort of innocuous chit-chat to break the ice with the man or woman of your dreams.

KTV Wednesday - S.H.E. - Superstar

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

The girl band S.H.E. has been noticeably absent from KTV Wednesday to date. The Taiwanese group takes its name from the leading initials of its three founding singers: Selina Ren, Hebe Tian and Ella Chen, all of whom have been fixtures of the Taiwan pop scene since the start of the decade.

Superstar, our selection for today, was the first rock anthem produced by the group, and a smash hit in its own right. The song is incredibly popular in Asia, and we think it deserves to be. The lyrics are upbeat and the music is focused and driven. It's the perfect song to put on your MP3 player for all those workouts at the gym. We hope you enjoy it.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #16

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

The Phantom turned from the pages of his Don Juan Triumphant with a sigh, his eyes falling again on the curious brown parchment that had mysteriously appeared in his lair overnight. Erik was unnerved by the unannounced intrusion into his sanctuary (had they navigated the catacombs?), and the quiet confidence of the small note he had found attached to the thin Oriental paper. "Your attention to this is required --The New Management".

It would be fair to say that the Paris Opera House had grown busier since its purchase by that Shenzhen electronics conglomerate. Christine Daae had been whisked away to Hong Kong for a series of television adverts, while the first mandarin-only version of Roi de Lahore was set to debut next month. Mandarin training for the entire staff had begun, something which now apparently extended to Erik himself. There was truly no place to hide: he had better get started.

HSK Tip #4812: Mandarin is the language of the 21st century, whatever your profession.

toneandcolor - Homophonic Hanzi #1

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

For each question, choose the character that has the same pronunciation (both syllable and tone) from the four given options. Learning characters in groups may help with retention.

Intermediate - Year-End Bonus

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Barely a minute into your performance evaluation your boss loses his composure completely. Between his hoarse sobs you hear again how much the company is honored to have you - a genuine hero - in its ranks. "The board is so pleased that it's decided to double your salary, and also your vacation time." A thick brown envelope stuffed with cash suddenly materializes on the desk before you. "We also took up a collection for your orphanage work...."

We can always dream about getting this kind of review. In the meantime, check out this Intermediate listening test find out what happens when things go the other way. Listen to our podcast once and then click over to the quiz section to see how much you understand. Our popup-annotated copy of the entire transcript is available on the text page if you have any questions. Good luck!

HSK Advanced - Listening Exercise #2

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our second advanced HSK listening exercise is more challenging than our first: the vocabulary more specialized while the answers are more nuanced in their differences. Nonetheless, you are expected to complete this section at the speed it is read: about three minutes.

Because of the length of the passage, we recommend listening to the test through our downloadable MP3 file rather than by using the flash players on the quiz page. This will also give a better sense of the timing on the HSK itself.

Film Friday - A French Allegory

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

After several weeks of Brendan enjoying an American Yuletide, we drag him back into the studio for a jaunt through this modern classic. In addition to setting a new standard for films of its kind, our selection this week is also fairly easy to understand: the dialogue is around the elementary level so we think you've got a good shot at guessing it even if you're relatively new to Chinese. If you know the film, get your guesses into echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win a free month of premium access here at Popup Chinese.

HSK Intermediate - Positioning Exercise #5

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our sample HSK test for today involves a series of 15 positioning exercises. The challenge is simple: place the given words in the correct position in the given sentence. If you get the answer right everyone is happy. If you don't we assure you that no-one will have the slightest clue what you're trying to communicate.

Positioning exercises constitute a minority of the overall HSK as they test knowledge of grammatical structure without measuring true comprehension. Those of you with a good feeling for Chinese grammar should do well even if much of the specific vocabulary is above your level. So good luck, and we'll see you on the other side.

KTV Wednesday - Dao Lang - Why are the Flowers So Red

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our selection for this week is an old revolutionary song that has become a popular staple, covered by bands ranging from the heavy metal Tang Dynasty rockers to the pop-centric The Flowers. Why are the flowers so red, it asks? We think you'll figure it out before too long.

Dao Lang is a Sichuan-born singer who spent his formative years playing and performing in Western China. Much of his music bears the imprint of Xinjiang. We will cover some of his own music later in this series, but in the meantime, hope you enjoy this cover.

Absolute Beginners - Beer and Measure Words

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Things that melt in this heat include chocolate, small children and your will-to-live. That's why you've collapsed on a sofa at one of the small bars that crowd the waterways behind Jingshan Park. You've just decided you like this neighborhood when your waitress appears wearing an outfit made entirely of plastic. "What would you like," she asks with a genuine smile.

"Whatever you're selling," is the correct answer, but you don't say that because you're not at the Elementary level yet and haven't mastered the art of casual chit-chat. Thankfully, as a faithful listener of our Absolute Beginner lessons here at Popup Chinese, you know enough Chinese to rummage through your vocabulary in search for the measure word for bottle and the noun for beer. These you string together: one + bottle + beer. Instant Chinese sentence.

You actually want about ten bottles of beer. But why rush it. Just keep ordering them one by one. And keep smiling too. You'll be at the Elementary level soon enough, which is when these conversations get a lot more complex and interesting too. So get studying and don't look back.

Short Stories - Dream: chapter one, part four

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:20:00 +0800

Our fourth installment of Dream of the Red Chamber finds Zhen Shiyin, a middle-aged official in Suzhou, reading in his study on a hot summer day. As the afternoon passes, Zhen slips into a strange dream in which he sees two familiar monks. As they approach, the monks discuss the Stone's affection for a flower it watered on the banks of a mystical river, and how this flower gained consciousness and assumed a womanly form as a result. This is our first encounter with Lin Daiyu, the destined lover of the Stone in the mortal realm She vows to become human herself to pay back its affection with her own earthly tears.

Somewhat confused about what is happening, Zhen introduces himself to the mystics and asks for clarification. "Funny you should ask," they reply, "because you've got a role to play in this story as well." And so they show him the piece of jade. Yet he doesn't have long to look, for they soon arrive at the gates of the Jinghuan Fairy's palace, the Stone's final destination on his passage to the mortal world, and on which is written an ingenious and cautionary couplet: when life becomes a dream, dreams become life.

HSK Beginner - Reading Comprehension Exercise #5

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Joanna woke to find the Confucius Institute standing grimly at the foot of her bed. It was shaking its head and clucking softly, its bony hands wrapped lightly around a dragon-shaped scyth. She had hardly remembered that today was the date of her appointment with the HSK when a booming voice sounded deep within the gowned figure's black hood.

"Hurry a bit. Unless you will be late to." The creature paused, and Joanna couldn't help but feel it was at a loss for words. "Shalt shower?" It finally asked, unseen bones rattling slightly as it pivoted to point the tip of its scyth towards her bathroom door. The faint humming coming from inside suggested it had already started the water heater.

The fog of sleep was lifting and Joanna's mind raced. This level of service was admittedly unprecedented. But part of her couldn't shake the feeling that this - too - was part of some greater test. Should she take a shower or just head straight to the exam?

HSK Tip #95: don't over-analyze things. Just wake up early, and be on time for the exam.

toneandcolor - Tonal Cousins #3

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Advanced - The 90's Generation

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

"When we were kids we didn't have any of these fancy electronic games, or the Internet," Echo grumbles, setting off aftershocks of agreement from Apple and Baifan. "And then there are the body piercings and PSPs." Handheld Japanese gaming devices, once a sign of social progress, now portend spiraling moral decay. Gyres are widening, and things are falling apart. Except in the market for high-end cellphones.

While the 70s generation bashes the 80s generation for being impractical dreamers in print magazines nationwide, our studio cohort carries on the proud tradition of inter-generational strife by slagging their own followers. To hear them tell it, the future is shiftless, pampered, and consists almost-entirely of the unemployed offspring of wealthy Party cadres. We're not sure how accurate this is as a description of modern youth, but it's worth a listen if only for all the Chinese you'll ever need to know the next time you're throwing your boot at one of those upstart ingrates and yelling at them to get off your lawn.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #8

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our HSK exercise for today involves a series of Associated Word questions. These questions have two blanks that need to be filled rather than one and crop up mostly at the intermediate and advanced levels of the HSK, as they test a deeper knowledge of sentence logic. It is the relationship between the two words which is critical to understanding the sentence and selecting the correct answer.

Looking for more advanced reading materials? The next installment in our serialized edition of Dream of the Red Chamber is coming up soon.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #15

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:00:00 +0800

Some tests are so good they don't need no fancy introduction in grammatical english. The HSK rarely hits this level of excellence, but our sample exam for today offers the very epitome of test-prep exceptionality. It is easy yet difficult. Simple yet labyrinthine. Cruel yet fair. And as modest about its virtues as we are not.

We hope you do really well since that is a sign you're making real progress. But we don't think you need to fear failure either: wrong answers are more instructive here than anything else. So good luck, take the test, and we'll see you on the other side.

KTV Wednesday - Wang Fei - Struggle to be Free

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

We think you'll be surprised by our selection for KTV Wednesday this week. Our singer is once again Wang Fei, a brilliant Beijinger best known abroad for her roles in Wang Kar-wei's various films. We don't know quite how to explain the swan outfit, but anyone who complains will be tossed out of class. And we think you'll recognize the melody.

Caught it? Yup. This is the mandarin cover of her cantonese cover of Dreams by the Cranberries. And we wouldn't be terribly surprised if more people end up listening to this version than paid attention to the original. That's the law of statistics when you've got one fifth of the world's population on your side. Not to mention such a gorgeous and talented singer.

toneandcolor - Tonal Cousins #2

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Absolute Beginners - Ordering the Bill

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

We know you're serious about a career in China, so let us share a professional secret: fight to pay for the bill. Like going over the top in World War I, the struggle to pay for lunch is a doomed but valorous effort that commands respect and gives you face. So pull out your wallet, shake off the objections of your colleagues and try to flag down that waiter.

This being easier said than done, in this podcast we give you a leg-up by teaching the two magic words you'll need to dazzle the waiter into taking money from your outstretched palm. Combined with the physical act of thrusting funds into his or her hands, this is a surprisingly effective method of resolving the who-gets-to-pay dispute. But sometimes your business partner might be physically restraining you, so it's still critical to get the verbal part down.

Elementary - Buying a Train Ticket

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

One of the not-so-secret secrets about China is how great the train system is. Especially when compared to air travel (here's looking at you, Shenzhen airport), the train system is reliable, clean and inexpensive. And the Harmony line is making it extremely fast as well. Combine that with the convenience of showing up 15 minutes before departure at a downtown terminal and we think you'll agree: the train is the best way to travel domestically.

That said, China Rail workers are not exactly known for their command of the English language. So to take advantage of the rail system you really need to know mandarin. Which is where this podcast comes in. So listen up and then practice, practice, practice with weekend trips. And with all of the money you save on air travel, buy a subscription and accelerate your learning even more.

HSK Advanced - Listening Exercise #1

Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

At the advanced level, HSK listening exercises transition towards longer passages which place a greater emphasis on memory. Not only does the exam give you much more to absorb before it asks its first question, but it also requires greater independent thought: the correct answer is as often inferred as stated directly.

In order to ease you into the challenge, we've picked a relatively colloquial recording to get started. Our future recordings at the advanced level will tend to have more specialized vocabulary, chengyu and formal diction. But there is still the occasional colloquial discussion as follows. So if we haven't scared you off, just open up our online quiz in a new window, start playing the test recording, and good luck.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #7

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

A mere six questions in and Kathy was already exhausted. Like its preceding brethren, the seventh question had adopted an attitude of hostility. It squirmed under the tip of her pencil, distorting the entire page and biting and snapping at the lead tip whenever she came within striking distance of the answer.

The HSK was exhausting, proving as much a physical challenge as any measure of grammatical and linguistic knowledge. It was also a test of will: one hand to force the question down on the page, and hold it flat there while the other answered it into submission. Only then would it lie tranquil and defeated, drained of its mystery and magic, and she could move on to the next.

Intermediate - A Visit to the Doctor

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Occasionally, when one grows weary of the medical superstitions of Chinese friends and family, it is useful to head to a major hospital and hear the same platitudes from the professionals. It helps put things in perspective.

In this podcast we follow Apple on a trip to the hospital after a freak boating pile-up on Houhai. What you'll hear is what happened before consensus opinion settled on the drip. So listen in as we teach some general medical terminology and also share some secrets on how to sound like a native speaker. Oh yeah, and don't move that arm for at least 100 days so the bone has time to knit. You heard it from us first.

KTV Wednesday - A Niu - Peach Blossoms

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Ever wondered who was responsible for 对面的女孩, 浪花一朵朵 and pretty much every other song in Richie Jen's repertoire? Or wondered where the theoretical limits on infectiousness in Chinese music lie? We are pleased to answer all of these critical questions with our selection for KTV Wednesday this week: Peace Blossoms by A Niu.

A Niu is the pen name of Chen Qingxiang, a Malaysian Chinese who got his start writing songs for others before eventually taking the stage himself. He is considered irresistibly cute by some of us in the office, and irresistibly dorky by others.

And as for his music? We can confidently say that careful study will pay handsome dividends in KTV sessions for years on end. While the singers might - and regularly do - change, these songs are going to stay around for a long time.

Elementary - Give me a glass of warm sugar

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

Unless you're legally blind and picked it up by mistake when trying to buy a Coke, you probably haven't run into the Chinese superbrand that is Wanglaoji. A potent mix of crystal and liquid sugar, artificial sweetener, syrup, and a little bit of tea and water, this drink is distinctive and perhaps unique in the annals of beverage history.

Never tried it? Rest assured that your state of ignorance will pass. In this podcast we'll learn to demand the concoction by name. And for bonus points, we'll even tell you how to take the plunge and order it at room temperature. Because the only thing that refreshes better than a glass of cold water on a hot summer day is a nice cup of lukewarm sugar. Welcome to China!

HSK Beginner - Listening Exercise #2

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

In this listening exercise you will hear someone make a statement in Chinese. Your challenge is to pick the most suitable answer from the four options given.

If you listen very carefully, you can occasionally hear the sounds of someone suppressing laughter in the background. This is because our recording team kept falling into laughter recording this. Some of the possible answers are not only wrong, they are daft. And also fun. So good luck, and enjoy!

toneandcolor - Tonal Cousins #1

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Absolute Beginners - What's Your Number?

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Our alternate lesson title for today is "how to pickup Chinese girls or guys". So those of you who are single pay attention as our site designer and veteran clubber Baifan delves into the art of the chase with its first step: the fearless, persistent and somewhat oblivious pursuit of the ever-critical telephone number.

We'd say we hope it works out smoothly for you, but who are we kidding? China is to romance as the Hindenburg is to air travel. Once you've got the number you're on your own.

HSK Beginner - Reading Comprehension Exercise #4

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:00:00 +0800

Our HSK test for today is still at the beginner level, but is at the upper end of the difficulty spectrum. As with other reading comprehension questions, the challenge is quite simple: pick the answer from the options given which best match the meaning of the word selected from the original sentence.

Film Friday - Nuclear Annihilation

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 09:00:00 +0800

Film Friday rolls into 2009 with a very difficult clip from a movie that may or may not star Ed Harris. Not only is our selection quite short, it's exceedingly challenging: there are no proper names and the exchange is close to a cinematic cliche. While we think there are still enough clues to peg the film, this is much more of a challenge than we've offered up in past weeks. So listen in, and if you think you can identify the film send us an email at echo@popupchinese.com.

Intermediate - The Art of the Move

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0800

First there is your furniture, including the cast-iron futon you picked up in college. And then your clothing, packed neatly in the solid-oak antique chesterfield you got from your great aunt. And then there are your books, boxes upon boxes of them, your 1970s vinyl collection, and the entire kitchen.

Packing everything and lugging it across town can be a real hassle. Fortunately, moving is a lot less trouble when you have lots of friends willing to lend a hand. There is something strange about this move though. Listen to our intermediate listening test for today and see if you can pick up on it.

KTV Wednesday - Pan Weibo - Have to Love

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0800

If you're living in China you've probably heard our selection for this week already (it tends to burrow into your head). What you may not know is that the singer is American.

Born in West Virginia, Wilber Pan moved to Taiwan at the age of seven. He started working as a DJ with the Channel V music channel there, and has produced a number of popular albums, many of which have songs which are highly imitative of others. As with the Flowers' Xi Shua Shua, allegations of copycatting have not stopped his music from dominating mainland charts.

On a more academic note, it's worth commenting that Wilber pronounces one of the words in this song... wrong. We don't point this out to harp about it and don't think it has anything to do with his being a non-mainlander. It's an instructive mistake though as the error involves confusing two words that look practically identical and have similar meanings. If you're feeling up to the challenge, see if you can find it by just listening. We've pointed out the mistake in the notes section of our annotated popups.

Elementary - Going to a Movie

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 16:00:00 +0800

"That was a great movie," Echo blurted out halfway up the escalator. We had all just left the theater after watching Feng Xiaogang's latest New Years film "If You are the One". That's the one where Shu Qi plays a clinically depressed stewardess looking for a rich husband. A love story with Chinese characteristics.

Echo's enthusiasm was met with a curious silence at first. "I guess it was ok," Zhang Wei finally replied, "but I wouldn't call it great. And it was a good thing we had those discount tickets." Another pause. "Actually, I'm not sure it was even ok. The first half hour was funny, but then it got boring pretty quickly."

Not surprisingly, even good friends have different taste in film. But since everyone likes getting asked to a movie, here is a lesson on how to get a date in mandarin, Chinese.

HSK Intermediate - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #6

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0800

"What exactly do you mean 'out of money'?" Regis Philbin's eyes stared uncomprehendingly at the red digits on the financial statement before him. His show's ratings were through the roof and advertisers were clambering over each other to sell soap and toothpaste to his audience. How could they be losing money?

"Too many people are winning," the accountant stammered. He was fairly sure breaking this news was technically someone else's responsibility. "We've already given away four million dollars this week alone. The questions are just too easy." He shifted nervously in place. "But maybe it's not that bad. Jim says we've hired some top talent from Beijing. The Chinese government assures us he's one of their best, and our test team couldn't answer a single question of his."

Incredulity gave way to thoughtful consideration. It was a brilliant plan, Regis finally decided. Give them seven English questions, and then the eighth in Chinese. His show would be back in the black in no time.

Elementary - Questions about Sex

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0800

In this podcast we push the boundaries of social propriety with our first lesson all about sex. Broadcast from our street-smart and sexy hutong studio in downtown Beijing, this podcast goes where others fear to tread. Don't thank us, it's just another day in our mission to help you learn everything you always wanted to know about animal sexing, but were afraid to ask.

HSK Beginner - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #14

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0800

As school bells knelled classes to a close, Laura looked down once more at her test paper. She had managed to answer perhaps half of the questions. And who was to say how many of her guesses would be correct? Tears of despair filled her eyes. She stared at the stubborn blanks that remained, and they stared back into her, monstrous beasts swollen beyond all reasonable proportion.

And thus it was that her soul approached that region where dwell the vast hosts of the HSK dead. It swooned slowly as she heard the invigilator calling faintly through the dim recesses of her consciousness, and the exam period closed like the descent of their last end upon all the students in the hall.

HSK Tip #4212: Be sure to answer all of the questions. You've got a 25% chance of being right.

Film Friday - A City Under Siege

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0800

"They're going to destroy Xi'an," one of the characters in our clip this week says, sparking exclamations of disbelief from fellow actors and audience alike. What if anything does this week's film have to do with that ancient Chinese capital? If you think you know, be sure to write echo@popupchinese.com for a chance to win free premium access to Popup Chinese.

Intermediate - Merry Christmas

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0800

Christmas is a time for gift-giving, and so we are happy to present you with this podcast to help you make the most of the Yuletide season. And there's no reason for thanks. Just listen to it sometime in the next seven days, the sooner the better.

KTV Wednesday - Rene Liu - Afterwards

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0800

Despite her undergraduate training in classical music, Rene Liu slipped into the Taiwan entertainment scene in 1995 as an actress with her breakout performance in the American-Taiwanese film 少女小漁. Her musical career took flight shortly afterwards, and she is probably best known these days as a singer, with a steady stream of popular hits to her name including our selection for this week:

We've never been to Taipei and cannot report if this song is there - as in Beijing - permanently etched into the popular consciousness. We think the fatalism of the lyrics is one reason for its popularity, but they're also a touching look back on first love and so we hope you enjoy them.

Absolute Beginners - Ordering Take Out

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0800

Put down that frying pan and get out of your apartment's absurdly-narrow kitchenette. And don't even think of heading outside in this weather. You are in China and cooking for yourself is more expensive than ordering take-out anyway. You've got the restaurant's phone number right there on that card. All you need to do is overcome your fear of the woman who answers the phone and fends off your ting-bu-dong with shrieks of impatience.

This podcast is like the parable of the man who teaches another man to fish. Except that we're teaching you how to order roast duck. So take a deep breath. Then listen to the podcast. Then pick up the phone and get yourself some cooked bird. When the hunger pangs subside you can put your savings into a Popup Chinese subscription so we have the cash to order some duck ourselves. Hunger is a two-way street.

HSK Advanced - Fill-in-the-Blanks Exercise #6

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:00:00 +0800

Let us be completely honest: the advanced HSK is a very difficult test, and in many ways it holds you to a higher standard of proficiency than needed for conversational fluency. That is bad news if you're here simply to get a piece of paper that says you can speak Chinese.

The good news is that if you have come this far, you are already a winner. One of our pedagogical goals with our advanced materials at Popup Chinese is to help push you past the intermediate plateau that can develop should you communicate largely in your comfort zone. We embrace the HSK for the same reason we embrace film, literature and music: it is an excellent tool for pushing yourself forward. And with that in mind, we hope you find the following fifteen questions challenging and rewarding.