Learning Chinese through Stories

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

This week, we've got a powerful, satirical story about a young man who is, quite literally, a "testing genius."

He did everything right: top student every single year, culminating in scoring the highest in the province on the college entrance exam—the Zhuangyuan. But his success came at a cost. His ...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

This week, we've got a powerful, satirical story about a young man who is, quite literally, a "testing genius."

He did everything right: top student every single year, culminating in scoring the highest in the province on the college entrance exam—the Zhuangyuan. But his success came at a cost. His ...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

In today's episode, we're sharing a deeply moving and personal account from a factory in Kunshan, Jiangsu in 2014, focusing on the lives of migrant women workers—who are also mothers. down her face as she writes. What she wrote was a heartbreaking, tightly-packed letter exp...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

In today's episode, we're sharing a deeply moving and personal account from a factory in Kunshan, Jiangsu in 2014, focusing on the lives of migrant women workers—who are also mothers. down her face as she writes. What she wrote was a heartbreaking, tightly-packed letter exp...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today, we're sharing the incredible true story of a young man named Tong Haoran. At just 24, he's a photographer who, along with his friends, customized a Ford Mustang race car from scratch and became the first team from mainland China to ever complete the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill ...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today, we're sharing the incredible true story of a young man named Tong Haoran. At just 24, he's a photographer who, along with his friends, customized a Ford Mustang race car from scratch and became the first team from mainland China to ever complete the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill ...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today's episode takes us on a journey that starts with a simple metro station drop-off and spirals into an unexpected encounter with the world of beauty salons.

Our storyteller shares a vivid and relatable experience of being drawn into a sales pitch, navigating the fine line between politeness and...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today's episode takes us on a journey that starts with a simple metro station drop-off and spirals into an unexpected encounter with the world of beauty salons.

Our storyteller shares a vivid and relatable experience of being drawn into a sales pitch, navigating the fine line between politeness and...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today, we bring you the timeless tale of 阿诗玛, a story of love, resilience, and sacrifice set in the breathtaking landscapes of Yunnan. 阿诗玛, a beautiful and talented young woman, grows up in a humble family, her voice and spirit captivating all who meet her. Her love story with the brave and skilled...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today, we bring you the timeless tale of 阿诗玛, a story of love, resilience, and sacrifice set in the breathtaking landscapes of Yunnan. 阿诗玛, a beautiful and talented young woman, grows up in a humble family, her voice and spirit captivating all who meet her. Her love story with the brave and skilled...

宁愿+ option A,  也不 + option B is used to express that someone would rather choose A than B, even if A is not perfect. It highlights a deliberate preference for one option over another. It emphasizes the speaker's strong preference for A while firmly rejecting B. The tone often conveys determination, personal values, or reasoning behind the preference.

Be sure to check out our Conjunction Collection to catch...

不是......就是...... means "If it's not A, then it's B" or "It must be either A or B."It reflects a binary choice, emphasizing that one of the two options will definitely happen or is true.

Be sure to check out our Conjunction Collection to catch up on the previous 8 episodes that focused on Coordination Conjunctions. These episodes are packed with insights and real-life examples to help you master their usage...

是......还是......(shi……haishi…… )

是...还是 is used to ask a question where the speaker is offering two choices. It translates to "Is it... or...?" in English.

还是VS 或者

还是 is used in questions to present choices.

或者 is used in statements to indicate possibilities.

Be sure to check out our Conjunction Collection to catch up on the previous 8 episodes that focused on Coordination Conjunctions. These episodes are packed with insights and r...

The structure "要么...要么..." (yàome... yàome...) is a conjunction in Chinese used to express exclusive choices. It highlights a situation where the speaker must choose one option from two or more possibilities, with the implication that only one choice can be made.


Distinction Between 要么...要么... and 或者...或者...

要么...要么...Exclusive Choices: One must choose between the options. Implies mutual exclusivity: Choosing one excludes the ot...

After our series on Coordination Conjunctions in 2024, we're now diving into additional common conjunctions.

The topic of this episode is 或者huòzhě……，或者huòzhě....... It is used to present alternatives or options. It can be translated as "either... or..." in English. This construction allows speakers to express choices or possibilities in a clear and concise manner.

Be sure to check out our Conjunction Collection to catch up on the...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today, we bring you the story of 王磊, a programmer who came to Beijing three years ago, full of hope and ambition. Like many in the bustling city, his days were a blur of crowded subway rides, late-night work, and a seemingly endless cycle of routine.

But one fateful evening, when his phone unexpec...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today, we bring you the story of 王磊, a programmer who came to Beijing three years ago, full of hope and ambition. Like many in the bustling city, his days were a blur of crowded subway rides, late-night work, and a seemingly endless cycle of routine.

But one fateful evening, when his phone unexpec...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today's episode takes us into the childhood of 巴德·舒尔伯格, a celebrated writer who grew up between the warm encouragement of his mother and the strict criticism of his father. At just eight or nine years old, he wrote his first poem, sparking a moment of pride and excitement. His mother's glowing prai...

Welcome to 听故事说中文, the podcast where stories come alive to help you improve your Chinese language proficiency and cultural competency.

Today's episode takes us into the childhood of 巴德·舒尔伯格, a celebrated writer who grew up between the warm encouragement of his mother and the strict criticism of his father. At just eight or nine years old, he wrote his first poem, sparking a moment of pride and excitement. His mother's glowing prai...