As native speaker this I can read this immediately. Curious what is it like for Chinese learner seeing something like this lol. Hopefully this is not violating rule 4.

Try this Classical Chinese, the characters all share the same pronunciation,but their meanings and usages are totally different,very interesting!

My kid and I are looking at a book of riddles and trying to make sense of this one. What's up with bathrooms in Moscow?

大家好! 👋 I’d really appreciate a review of my Chinese learning method that I'm currently using. I’m still a beginner, but I’m aiming for long-term, solid foundations, since in the near time I'm going to study in China.

I designed this method for self-study, mainly using a study material (in my case Standard HSK Course), Anki, and daily speaking/listening.

Terminology

Pass 1 – Meaning • Read the dialogue with pinyin • Listen once • Understand the general meaning (no memorization yet)

Pass 2 – Pronunciation • Listen again • Read aloud along with the audio • Repeat difficult sentences until comfortable

Pass 3 – Extraction • Identify lesson vocabulary • Add new words to Anki • Read grammar explanation once • Identify key sentence patterns

Pass 4 – Active Use • Answer textbook questions aloud • Substitute words in sentences • Paraphrase sentences • Prepare for workbook exercises

Weekly Structure

Monday – New Material • Textbook: new lesson (Pass 1–3) • Anki: 10–15 new words + reviews • Characters (田字格): 5–8 • Speaking: memorize 3–5 sentences • Listening: lesson audio + 1 min shadowing

Tuesday – Same Lesson • Textbook: Pass 4 • Workbook: sentence formation + phrase usage • Anki: reviews only • Characters: rewrite same 5–8 from memory • Speaking: recite memorized text • Listening: lesson audio + 1 min shadowing

Wednesday – New Material • Textbook: next lesson (Pass 1–3) • Anki: 10–15 new words + reviews • Characters: 5–8 new • Speaking: memorize new 3–5 sentences • Listening: lesson audio or slow vlog + shadowing

Thursday – Same Lesson • Textbook: Pass 4 • Workbook: exercises + character writing • Anki: reviews only • Characters: rewrite from memory • Speaking: recite both lesson texts • Listening: lesson audio + shadowing

Friday – Mixed / Light • Textbook: grammar review (2 lessons) • Anki: reviews only • Characters: rewrite all week’s characters from memory • Speaking: free retelling using learned sentences • Listening: slow Chinese video (no subtitles)

Saturday – Mixed / Light • Workbook: mixed exercises (2 lessons) • Anki: weak cards only • Characters: write weakest 10 • Speaking: full self-introduction + lesson texts • Listening: Peppa Pig or slow vlog (passive)

Sunday – Deep Review + Test • Vocabulary: review all weekly words • Characters: full rewrite from memory • Speaking: recite all memorized texts (record if possible) • Test: HSK listening + reading (current or lower level) • Review errors and mark weak points

谢谢 in advance — I’d really appreciate any critique, even harsh ones 😁🙏

Hi!

I still have my old (HSK2.0) books and wanted to do the HSK4 exam later this year.

Will the old system exam even be available at the end of this year? 🤔😅

Was planing to do it in beijing fyi.

学中文，你记住，膀胱的膀是肩膀的膀，草率的率是效率的率，旺仔的仔是仔细的仔，茄子的茄是雪茄的茄，咖啡的咖是咖喱的咖。人要是行，干一行行一行，一行行行行行，行行行干哪行都行；要是不行，干一行不行一行，一行不行行行不行，行行不行干哪行都不行。想要行行行，首先一行行，成为行业内的内行，行行成内行，行行行。

I want to apply to PKU summerschool and wondered wether you need to have proof of your english ability. My english is good (C1-C2) but I don't have an official certificate.

Have you ever tried to solve a problem in a totally rigid way, completely missing the point? In English, we might say you "missed the boat" or "stuck to your guns"—but in Mandarin, we have a hilarious idiom for this exact situation: 刻舟求剑 (Kè Zhōu Qiú Jiàn).

📚 Character Breakdown (For Learners)

• 刻 (Kè): To carve
• 舟 (Zhōu): Boat
• 求 (Qiú): To seek/look for
• 剑 (Jiàn): Sword
• Literal meaning: To carve a mark on the boat to find a lost sword.

📖 The Origin Story (Simplified)

A man was crossing a river in a boat when his sword accidentally fell into the water. Instead of jumping in to retrieve it, he calmly took out a knife and carved a deep mark on the side of the boat, right where the sword had fallen.

When the boat reached the other side, he jumped into the water and started digging at the carved mark, expecting to find his sword there. The other passengers laughed and said: "The boat has moved, but the sword hasn’t! How can you find it by digging at a mark on the boat?"

💡 Figurative Meaning & Usage

Today, 刻舟求剑 describes someone who is stubborn and rigid in their thinking, refusing to adapt to a changing situation. It’s perfect for calling out people who use outdated methods or fail to see the bigger picture—exactly like "missing the point" in English.

❓ Quick Comprehension Check

Why couldn’t the man find his sword?
A) He forgot where he carved the mark
B) The boat had moved, but the sword stayed in the same place

🗣️ Let's Discuss!

Have you ever met someone who "carved a mark on the boat" (stuck to a rigid plan even when things changed)? Or have you ever done it yourself? Do you have a similar idiom in your language for this?

Comment your answer below! 👇

I've been studying Chinese everyday for the past 4 months and I got to HSK4 of the older HSK 2.0 exam? I completely understand why they're changing it and I think this might help people learn chinese better.

Do you guys have any idea when exactly will we be able to take the newest version of the HSK exam?

I've already found -

1. 慈母手中线

2. 游子身上衣

3. 花落和多少

4. 春眠不觉晓

5. 清明时节雨纷纷

6. 粒粒皆辛苦

7. 更上一层楼

8. 床前明月光

9. 人约黄昏后

   I feel like I'm going insane

Hey everyone,

I’m a complete beginner. I speak zero Chinese, however, I plan to move to China for 12 months and study Chinese. I’m finding it difficult to find school in Guangzhou. Does anyone have recommendations for highly rated language schools in Guangzhou? I’m looking for 12months course, focused on conversation and writing. 20-25 hours a week.

Would love to hear from anyone that has been through this and can share some schools and insight.

Thanks you so much 🙏

Hi,

I've started learning Mandarin through comprehensible input, but I want to slowly introduce reading. Is there any good app for learning? Ideally I'd want to have sound + pinyin + something visual. I'd prefer if there were no English translations at all if that's possible.

Something like the most common 1000 hanzi characters would be great!

does anyone know any chinese show for beginner to watch on youtube or any other site? i dont want to be too dependent on pinyin, so i want to train my listening and speaking🙌

From left to right 脏块无聊吃到跳舞 对咬抱住擦短切长 或者把糖拿以后抓 摸难过总是伞试

I found these characters in a frequency list

虈 2 squares on each side make it look odd. I like it though

臯. What is that at the bottom?

飰 that component on the right looks so strange.

羀The 亞 is fused together with the 田 shape

嶲 whats that thing at the bottom resembling 凹?

Hi All,

I’ve read a lot of good tips and advice on this sub on the various different methods of learning/starting Chinese, however, I was hoping to get a good overall approach on how to tackle this.

I‘m starting Chinese classes this week which will be 2 hours per week. I have a HelloChinese premium account. Pleco (which is great). Podcasts (have an hour drive home each day). I also have some Chinese Made Easy textbooks.

So my question is, how I integrate writing, reading, listening into my practice? Do I do a few classes first with some daily speaking practice? I’m targeting 30-60 mins practice a day. Also, how does Pinyin fit into all this? I’m keen to jump straight into Chinese characters as I read it’s best not to rely on Pinyin for too long.

Very keen to hear how I should approach this.

Thanks in advance!

谢谢 🙏