ChinesePod - Intermediate

Intermediate | Sheep, Wolves, and Fruit: a Riddle

20 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

True, she’s one of the most downloaded women on the internet, but she also has a wicked sense of humor. In today’s offbeat lesson, Miss Zhu tells ...

Pre-intermediate | 周末你有什么活动？/ What activities are you doing this weekend？

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What are you doing this weekend? Have you made your plans yet? Check out this video and see if you get any ideas! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod...

Upper-intermediate | Drinking Ability

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Due to an extra-smart poddie's recent uber-technical diagnosis of why Asians turn red whilst drinking, there is no need for further racial alcohol-tol...

Intermediate | A Flat Bicycle Tire

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A flat bike tire is like a bad hair day, in that… erm, neither are…. uh, fun. In this podcast, learn how to tell the repairman that you have a fla...

Pre-intermediate | No Bargaining

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this lesson, we learn how to complain that something is too expensive. We also look at words for large numbers including hundreds, thousands, and t...

Upper-intermediate | Calisthenics

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You may be so busy studying Chinese that your exercise program has gone the way of the rickshaw. Don't wait until the situation degenerates to the poi...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 12: The Breakup

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Who knew it could all end up like this? In this podcast, could it really be possible that our friends Lili and Zhang Liang will part ways? Or can they...

Pre-intermediate | Making Comparisons

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this lesson, we're going to learn 4 different ways to make comparisons using the character 比 bi3. The sentence structure can be a little confusin...

Upper-intermediate | The Final Jizhou Pieces

03 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Taking a lesson from the other go-on-forever saga of 'lost' people, we have decided to conclude this story without opening the hatch. Tune in to today...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 11: Confiding in a Conniving Friend

30 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Did you ever pour your heart out to a friend, only to discover you were playing right into that friend’s insidious master plan which would leave you...

Pre-intermediate | He Won't Carry My Handbag

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to one friend complain to another about how her boyfriend refuses to carry her handbag when they're together. Is this something you would do, o...

Upper-intermediate | Election Candidates

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Perhaps the upcoming 2008 presidential race in the United States could be made into the next TV reality show. It's got it all--the drama, the coifed b...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 10: The Other Woman

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Well, well… what do we have here? A modern-day “Harold & Maude,” that’s what. Just as Zhang Liang is having doubts about Lili, he finds hi...

Pre-intermediate | Not Studious Enough

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to two students discuss how playing online computer games is affecting their school grades. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/2707

Upper-intermediate | Pushy Insurance Salesman

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Now, pushy salesmen are an easy target, so today's introduction will not pick on them, even if they do wear tacky suits and cheesy grins. In today's p...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 9: The Come-on

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Call it pheromones, call it female ambitions, call it what you want… but Lili’s friend finally “busts a move” on Zhang Liang one late night at...

Pre-intermediate | The Dolphin Show at SeaWorld

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we visit SeaWorld to watch the dolphin and penguin performances. Listen in as this family discusses the show times. Episode link: https://www.ch...

Upper-intermediate | Jizhou Mental Breakdown

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mental breakdowns are never pretty, in any language. But would a Chinese language learning journey be complete without knowing how to have a mental br...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 8: Scheming Girls

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Meddle, meddle, meddle… It wouldn’t be an office place if it didn’t have girls playing “love doctor.” In the latest installment of our on-go...

Pre-intermediate | The Cycling Holiday

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You've been on a bike trip and come back nice and tanned. Your friends are likely going to comment on your new looks as well as ask to see some of the...

Upper-intermediate | Abducted by Aliens

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You don't know how you got here, everyone seems shorter than you, and they're communicating in ways you just don't understand. No, you're not in some ...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 7: A Guy's Advice on Women

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Will the drama never end? (We secretly hope not, as it makes for great lessons). Catching up with Zhang Liang and Chen Li, this time Zhang’s worried...

Pre-intermediate | Charging your Phone on the Run

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Running out of battery on your phone can be a pain when you're waiting for an important call or you're just really eager to see what Kim Kardashian's ...

Upper-intermediate | Old School Toys

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Though transformers are the flavor of the month, some of us puritans yearn for the simpler days of 'Mother May I' and 'Red Rover.' In this podcast, ta...

Intermediate | Holding a Meeting

25 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We know our ChinesePod listeners are all good-looking and successful people. This means that at some point you’ll be chairing a meeting. So can we h...

Pre-intermediate | Using a VPN

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A VPN in Western countries can be useful for hiding your less-than-savory browsing history at work, but in China it's an absolute necessity if you hav...

Upper-intermediate | Buddhism and Taoism

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you thought incense was for creating a mood and that orange robes were a fashion statement... that vegetarianism was just a California fad and nuns...

Intermediate | Child-Parent Fight

18 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You wanted more drama so more drama it is. In this podcast, you’ll learn what a parent-child argument sounds like in Mandarin Chinese. We’ll give ...

Pre-intermediate | A Disgusting Man

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's safe to say that everyone has been on an awful date before. Whether it was that it was horribly awkward, a terrible clash of personalities, or th...

Upper-intermediate | Extreme Tourism

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We like to think of learning Mandarin as "extreme language learning." It's no wonder, then, that "extreme tourism" would go hand-in-hand. What about a...

Intermediate | The Olympic Mascots

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An overview of the “Fuwa,” the 5 official mascots for the Beijing Olympics. They’re everywhere…as in: can’t-get-away-wake-up-in-cold-sweats-...

Pre-intermediate | Visiting the Aquarium

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone loves the aquarium: brightly-colored tropical fish, massive sharks, cute otters, and even beluga whales (if you're lucky enough to be in Shan...

Upper-intermediate | Social Networking

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The web that social networks weave is intricate. To some, an essential socializing tool. To others, perhaps, a time waster. And yet others... a stalke...

Intermediate | Ordering Office Supplies

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You’re dealing with four tones, thousands upon thousands of words, and you’re going to try and shop for your own office supplies? Listen in to thi...

Pre-intermediate | A Simple Tour of the Office

03 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We love getting visitors at the ChinesePod office here in Shanghai. Thankfully, no matter if you speak Chinese or not, our bilingual staff can offer y...

Upper-intermediate | Sudoku

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There is a rage sweeping the number geeks of the nation, and it's called Sudoku. ChinesePod, confident that all Chinese-learners are mental gymnasts b...

Intermediate | Tailor-made Clothing

28 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some do it because nowhere else in the world could you get a tailor-made suit for under $100. Some do it because everywhere else in the world laughs a...

Pre-intermediate | Hospitality Series 5: Searching for Shopping

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shopping is an integral part of many a tourist's experience travelling. But what do you do when you don't know where to go to get your shopping fix, b...

Upper-intermediate | Interview with the Boss

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The clammy handshake... the subsequent perspiring flush of sweat, the blank mind run through the wringer as the suit across the desk shoots out a mach...

Intermediate | Receiving a Package for a Friend

21 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

E-commerce is big in China. Not a day goes by at offices throughout the Middle Kingdom without someone receiving a package of something that they've b...

Pre-intermediate | Let's Go to a Movie

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this lesson, we discuss going to see a SCARY movie and what other alternatives there may be. Join Jenny and Grace as they discuss going to see the ...

Upper-intermediate | Interviews: Obama or Romney?

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today people across America will be going to the polls to decide on a new president for the next four years. Will it be Obama or Romney? Only time wil...

Intermediate | Asking to Be Paid Back

14 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lending money to friends can be a risky business. They might be a good friend, but are they good with money? What's worse, how can you put pressure on...

Pre-intermediate | Can I Borrow a Charger?

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do when your phone is dying and you don't have a charger? You have to ask to borrow one. Listen to Grace and Jenny as they search for a ch...

Upper-intermediate | The Price of Marriage

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Marriage in China is a serious business that involves more than just the complexities of love and interpersonal relationships. In a culture where fami...

Intermediate | This is outrageous!

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There's nothing like a little bait and switch to get those customers coming. This tactic works the world over, and China is no exception. Make sure yo...

Pre-intermediate | Characters - The New Co-Worker

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writing Chinese Characters shouldn't be overwhelming! In this video, we break down the key characters found in the intermediate lesson The New Co-Work...

Upper-intermediate | Experiencing Agricultural Life

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A special podcast today. We listen in on an interview about a very interesting aspect of coming of age in China--going on the school field trip to the...

Intermediate | Import/Export

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Likely many a laowai has dreamed about how much dosh one could make taking chicken feet from the States and importing them to China--but just how does...

Pre-intermediate | Asking About the New Job

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While chatting with your friends in Chinese, job discussion will surely be a popular topic, especially if someone has just changed jobs. Learn how to ...

Upper-intermediate | Studying Japanese

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Are you pouring over your accumulated mountain of Chinese-learning books, now wearing a set of prescription glasses due to Chinese character eye-strai...

Intermediate | A Convenient Misunderstanding

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For foreigners, the road of Chinese learning is paved with mistakes and misinterpretations. In this lesson, we hear the tragically funny story of a fo...

Pre-intermediate | Birthday on the Lunar Calendar

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The lunar calendar is decidedly important in China as it determines the date of various holidays like Chinese New Year and the Dragon Boat Festival, b...

Upper-intermediate | Traveling on the Cheap

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The experienced traveler knows that planning is everything. In this lesson, someone plans a trip to Yunnan and asks for advice on how to find informat...

Intermediate | A Trip to the Dry Cleaner's

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Not that your ayi is a bad ayi, but her opinion that towels can be thrown in with your suit is one that will not change. We highly suggest being able ...

Pre-intermediate | Cell Phone Connectivity Issues

14 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know how to express that you can't get through to someone's cell phone? Or that someone's cell phone appears to be off? Learn the Chinese for t...

Upper-intermediate | Global Warming

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some contacts of ours (ex-girlfriends and cops) are writing with reports of unseasonably hot weather in Beijing. We like getting these emails, partly ...

Intermediate | Parent/Teacher Meeting

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John was emphatic when he claimed that “someone being naughty” was a listener suggestion. So we’ll (roll our eyes) trust him, just this once, an...

Pre-intermediate | What's That Website?

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this day and age, you won't be studying Chinese for long at all before you need to start talking about websites. In this basic lesson, learn the wo...

Upper-intermediate | The Scene of the Accident

04 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It is a dark and stormy night. You see a woman kneeling on asphalt, her tears staining a rusted hulk of twisted metal. A man stands to one side, head ...

Intermediate | Adoption

02 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2005, Americans adopted 7,906 children from China (highest of any country). So a conversation between a Chinese lady and a “laowai” who recentl...

Pre-intermediate | I'm Gonna Be Late

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We've all been in this situation... two people agree to meet at a certain time, but one person calls to say she'll be late. And then calls again to sa...

Upper-intermediate | Resisting Relocation

30 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's been a bad day: a misfiled report at work, a burgeoning head cold, and a drawn out fight with the missus that ended only when the phone line went...

Intermediate | Tai Chi

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Admit it – you feel bad walking by the park every morning and seeing them twist and turn with the grace of a Beijing acrobat. So how about we teach ...

Pre-intermediate | Didn't you get my email?

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There are many reasons to believe that someone may not have received your email. Whether you're a conspiracy theorist or simply need to remind a techn...

Upper-intermediate | Playing the Stock Market

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It has been said that gambling in China is a bit of a, shall we say, national pastime. Is the stock market is a form of gambling? The Chinese stock ma...

Intermediate | Bank Transactions

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You can change it to RMB, but not back unless you have a form and oh, by the way… where’s your red book, visa, and passport? Wrong line – it’s...

Pre-intermediate | Take Some Medicine

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Now, we all know when we get the flu, there’s nothing we like more than to do a little whining about it. In this podcast you will learn how to tell ...

Upper-intermediate | Paying Child Support

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Divorce and child custody is becoming a more common topic of conversation in China in recent years. In this podcast, listen in as one divorcé talks a...

Intermediate | Airport Announcements

12 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ken and co. can tell you all about their Shanghai (tarmac for 3 hours) to Beijing (except that they never actually touched down) back to Shanghai (tar...

Pre-intermediate | Dining and Dropping

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dropping a utensil at dinner is normal, right? Knocking pretty much everything onto the floor, though, one by one, doesn't normally happen unless ther...

Upper-intermediate | When the Taxi Takes the Long Way

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Though it’s hard to imagine ever completely getting your bearings in a massive Chinese city, you may from time to time get an inkling that something...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 6: An Old Flame

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Will the drama never end (let’s hope not, as we like crafting these lessons)? Catching up with Lili, who recently ran into an old “friend” (doin...

Pre-intermediate | Switching Language Input Methods

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us need to use both Chinese and English input methods when we are working on our computer. Here is another extremely useful lesson to help you...

Upper-intermediate | A Jizhou Identity Revealed

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Somebody is up to some deceitful tricks in this eerie Jizhou episode. Listen in to this podcast, and learn in Mandarin about the strange goings-on of ...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 5: Love Letter

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Catching back up with Zhang Liang and Chen Li, we find them in a much better position, romantic-wise… as someone wrote someone else a love letter. S...

Pre-intermediate | Shut Down By Pimples

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Don't you hate it when your internal heat is too high, and you break out? In this Chinese lesson, our tragic heroine suffers that fate and is forced t...

Upper-intermediate | An Anonymous Tip in Jizhou

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Previously on Jizhou series... missing persons, freaked out girlfriend and weird townspeople. This week on Jizhou... missing persons, freaked out girl...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 4: Lovers' Spat

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Granted, it’s difficult (even for us) to differentiate a “normal talk” from an “upset talk,” but we can tell you that an occasional spat tak...

Pre-intermediate | Changing Your Profile Picture

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When was the last time you updated your profile picture? A few days ago or has it been awhile? For the father in this lesson, getting help changing hi...

Upper-intermediate | A Jizhou Child's Warning

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you find yourself perplexed, fear not that your Chinese comprehension is going down. Rather, this series is just messing with your mind. In this my...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 3: The Jealous Friend

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The “lucky color” red doesn’t go well with green--especially when the latter is brought on by a fit of jealousy. Catching up with girlfriend/boy...

Pre-intermediate | Interested in Chinese Medicine

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What are you interested in? Even if it's not traditional Chinese medicine, you're going to want to know how to ask that question and how to answer it....

Upper-intermediate | Familiar Face in Jizhou

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Lost meets Fantasy Island, missing person sighting. Follow along with Wentao and Zhao Lu as the mystery thickens in Jizhou. Yes, it...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 2: Growing Affections

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

No matter where/who you are, the “laying it on thick” stage of the (almost) relationship is the same in any language. So how does boyfriend-to-be ...

Pre-intermediate | Favorites

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Do you keep track of your preferred websites by putting them in your Favorites? Listen in as a daughter teaches her father how to bookmark his favorit...

Upper-intermediate | Missing Persons in Jizhou

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Though they haven't found the 'hatch' yet, the secrets of Jizhou are starting to reveal themselves to our mystified loved-one seekers. In this podcast...

Intermediate | Lili and Zhang Liang 1: A Fated Meeting

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the classic (21st century, Chinese) love tale: a couple meets online (QQ, most likely), start talking (BBS, no doubt) and then meet in person f...

Pre-intermediate | What does she look like?

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

So that friend that could never get a girlfriend finally got one. The immediate question is, "what does she look like?" Of course, it's a useful quest...

Upper-intermediate | Arrival in Jizhou

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You've heard of 'Lost', 'The Twilight Zone', and ChinesePod's famous 'Alien Abduction'... but, have you heard of Jizhou? The place where eerie flutes ...

Intermediate | Rome

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When in China... learn about Rome! Today's podcast takes us on a tour of this famous Italian city. Come along on our trip as we hit the Coliseum... bu...

Pre-intermediate | No Tampons?!

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This is a situation you girls living in China will be able to relate to: trying to find a place that sells tampons! Since tampons are generally not re...

Upper-intermediate | Rating Restaurants on Dianping

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Zagat? Fodors? Frommers? Michelin? No, no, and no. Trust the most food-centric culture there is. Every holiday, gathering, birthday, birth, death, and...

Intermediate | Using A Dictionary

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With 80,000 total characters (and the majority of words needing at least 2), you might enlist some help along the way. Yes, ChinesePod will be with yo...

Pre-intermediate | Practicing Kung Fu

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You don't have to know much Chinese to get started with your all-Chinese kung fu lessons; in fact, you don't have to know any. A little language prep ...

Upper-intermediate | Buying On Taobao

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You've developed Enochiophobia from your last venture into a Saturday department store. However, your underwear has holes and your jean supply is non-...

Intermediate | Public Speaking Tips

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A foreigner who speaks Chinese is sometimes a circus side show. Be prepared for the hoopla that may follow you when you become the second Dashan. Prep...

Pre-intermediate | Changing the Plate

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What should you do with the plate when it is full? Have you ever been stuck not knowing how to ask for a new one in Mandarin? In this lesson, get equi...

Upper-intermediate | Getting a Driver's License

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This lesson does not constitute in any way, shape or form any advocation, promotion, condoning of, nor in any way comprehension of the notion of forei...

Intermediate | Cooking Wings

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Granted, it goes against everything we stand for (at least the Southern boy Granted, it goes against everything we stand for (at least the Southern bo...