Listener Mailbag is back. This week your stories cover first Mandarin wins, night market fails, and everything in between. We read your emails about dreaming in tones, KTV redemption songs, taxi mistakes, and the joy of ordering food without pointing. You’ll hear how small slips turn into lasting lessons, why confidence matters more than beer bravery, and how to keep learning when tests and tones trip you up.

Send your story: chat@mandarinmonkey.com

Lessons, hangouts, and intensives: mandarinmonkey.com

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Learn Mandarin through real conversations. Episode 422 covers wild camping, from rain and wind in the UK to snakes and bears in Taiwan. Pick up camping words in Chinese, hear how to talk about fishing and food, and enjoy bilingual chat in English and Mandarin.

Key Mandarin words from this episode:

野营 (yě yíng) – wild camping

帐篷 (zhàng péng) – tent

篝火 (gōu huǒ) – campfire

蚊子 (wén zi) – mosquito

獾 (huān) – badger

蛇 (shé) – snake

熊 (xióng) – bear

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Your emails, your questions, your Mandarin struggles.

In this first Listener Mailbag, we tackle:

• Tone panic ordering 牛肉麵

• How to pronounce 出去 without tripping

• ü vs u, and why “iu” sounds like “yo”

• Zhuyin vs Pinyin — which works in Taiwan

• Why HSK tests don’t prepare you for street speed

• Training your ears to real Mandarin

• Karaoke learning, flashcard guilt, and more

Email your questions to chat@mandarinmonkey.com and we might answer them next time.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Mandarin really that hard to learn? How long does it take? Should you learn simplified or traditional characters? In this episode, we answer the most-searched questions about learning Mandarin and share real tips from our own experience.

You’ll learn:

How to start learning Mandarin

Whether tones really matter

The fastest way to get conversational

Free and paid tools that work

How to stay motivated and avoid the plateau

Grab your free Mandarin lesson at MandarinMonkey.com and join a global community of learners.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most Chinese learners start with “nǐ hǎo” — but no one actually says that. We break down how native speakers really greet each other, and why using the right phrases makes you sound less like a tourist.

We also go deeper on:

• Why we might flip our podcast intro to help beginners stay engaged

• Life priorities — health, family, work, rest — and how they keep changing

• When to push kids into learning skills (like piano, languages, or acting)

• Confidence, stage fright, and how to stay brave even when you’re scared

This episode mixes Mandarin and English, perfect if you’re learning Chinese and want natural conversation plus real-life topics that make you think.

Listen, learn, and share your thoughts with us at mandarinmonkey.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Learn Mandarin while you live your life. Bilingual Mandarin-English. Easy listening. Real topics.

Today you get 10 positive stories, quick takes, and daily Mandarin input.

What you hear

• How to use this podcast while commuting, working out, or doing chores

• UK vs Taiwan buses, commuting, and remote work social energy

• Good news stories with simple Chinese and English context

Good news highlights

• The Red Dress Project, 14 years, 51 countries, Guinness record embroidery

• A free compliment stand by a 9-year-old in Illinois

• A nurse revives a drunk raccoon that ate fermented fruit

• Saving Somerset’s eels with community action

• A casque-headed iguana’s rare virgin birth

• Australia’s new marine reserve to protect sea life

• Viral road-sign cleaning

• Saturn’s 128 newly confirmed moons, total now 206

Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Practice with our teachers or join Hangouts at mandarinmonkey.com.

Leave a review. It helps others find the show.

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In this episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast, we chat in Mandarin and English about the safest countries to move to in 2025. Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Taiwan, which one would you choose?

This is a bilingual Mandarin and English conversation. You’ll hear natural Mandarin phrases mixed with English, perfect for learners who want to practice listening, pick up everyday vocabulary, and get a feel for real spoken Chinese.

What we cover in this episode:

• Phones listening and targeted ads
• Our youngest starting school
• Global Peace Index 2025 and safe countries
• Iceland, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Taiwan
• Travel stories, turbulence, and long flights
• Our final shortlist of countries to live
• A closing poem in English and Mandarin

If you want to learn Mandarin in a fun, real way through English and Chinese conversation, this podcast is for you.

Try a free Mandarin lesson and more at: www.mandarinmonkey.com

Subscribe for more episodes and tell your friends if you enjoy the show.

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Learn upper-beginner Mandarin with real stories from UK life. We talk about meeting Hong Kong neighbors, Cantonese vs Mandarin, Center Parcs, bikes, bowling, mini golf, and family costs. You get natural conversation, clear vocab, and usable phrases.

What you learn today

• Meeting neighbors in Chinese

• Cantonese vs Mandarin basics, Traditional vs Simplified

• Family, school, and community vocabulary

• Activities vocab: bikes, boats, bowling, mini golf, swimming

• Money talk: prices, renting, mortgages, daily costs

• Travel talk: Center Parcs pros, cons, and tips

Who this helps

• Upper-beginner to intermediate learners

• HSK 2–4

• Learners who want comprehensible input and real topics

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.