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.