6d ago

Why Your Chinese Sounds Like Translated English

Why Your Chinese Sounds Like Translated English Ever heard yourself say "我是饿" or "关眼睛" and wondered why it sounds off? Your English brain is sneaking into your Chinese. In this episode, I break down the most common mistakes English speakers make when translating directly from English into Chinese, and what those mistakes teach us about how Chinese really works. Mentioned in this episode: Why adjectives don't need 是 in Chinese The "close your eyes" mix-up and what it reveals about Chinese verbs How "if" in English creates confusion in Chinese sentences Want to take lessons with me? Find me on italki:https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4038266?lv=1 Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, leave a review or share it with someone learning Chinese.

Jul 24

Why Do Chinese People Ask Such Personal Questions?

[HSK 4] Why Do Chinese People Ask Such Personal Questions?Three questions that feel rude in the West but are actually a form of care in China — and three magic phrases to answer them.本期关键词：您 (nín) — the polite "you"你猜 (nǐ cāi) — "guess!" Use this when someone asks your age.人生时间表 (rén shēng shí jiān biǎo) — the traditional life timeline. Graduate by 22, married by 30, kids by 32.随缘吧 (suí yuán ba) — "leave it to fate." Use this when someone asks about marriage.隐私 (yǐn sī) — privacy关心 (guān xīn) — care, concern📚 Study Chinese with Dee:Book a trial lesson on italki: https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4038266?lv=1🎙️ Dee's Mandarin TeaSearch on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Jul 17

Your Boss Is Drawing You Cakes: Chinese Office Slang

Your HSK textbook will teach you how to order food and ask for directions. It won't teach you what to say when your boss makes another empty promise, or when your coworker blames you for something you didn't do, or when you're scrolling your phone under your desk looking very busy and very productive. In this episode, I break down three words Chinese office workers use every single day — and none of them are in any textbook. This one goes out to my student in Toronto, who interrupted her lesson to ask me how to say "b******t job" in Chinese. She's an accountant. I understood immediately. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 本期关键词：摸鱼 (mō yú) — to slack off while looking busy. Literally "to touch fish." Comes from the idiom 浑水摸鱼 (hún shuǐ mō yú): fishing in troubled waters. Your boss is the murky water, your phone is the fish. 背锅 (bēi guō) — to be wrongly blamed. Literally "to carry a cooking pot on your back." From a dialect expression: if you accidentally get black soot from the bottom of a wok on yourself, you look dirty and can't clear your name. At work, you're carrying the wok. Everyone sees it. You can't put it down. 甩锅 (shuǎi guō) — to shift the blame, pass the buck. Literally "to throw the pot." The other half of 背锅. If you're carrying the wok, you want to throw it at someone else. An office survival skill. 画饼 (huà bǐng) — empty promises, usually from your boss. Literally "to draw a cake." From the idiom 画饼充饥 (huà bǐng chōng jī): drawing a cake to satisfy your hunger. Your stomach is empty, the cake is just a drawing, you can't eat it. "马上要涨工资了" (you're getting a raise soon) — that's a 画饼. "下个季度肯定给你升职" (you'll definitely get promoted next quarter) — also a 画饼. Chinese young people say 我老板天天画饼，我天天吃饼 — my boss draws a cake every day, I eat cake every day. You stop believing. Five o'clock, you go home. 黑话 (hēi huà) — insider slang, words only understood by people inside a certain group.吐槽 (tǔ cáo) — to vent or complain, usually half-jokingly.冤枉 (yuān wang) — to be wrongly accused.承诺 (chéng nuò) — a promise. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🎧 往期相关：Ep.17 — 班味、内耗、没福硬享 📚 Study Chinese with Dee:Book a trial lesson on italki: https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4038266?lv=1 🎙️ Dee's Mandarin TeaSearch on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Jul 10

Can You Really Learn Chinese by Watching TV?

Can watching Chinese TV actually teach you Chinese? I asked this on Reddit last week and woke up to 68 replies from learners all over the world. In this episode I break down what they told me: which shows they actually enjoy (not the ones their teachers recommend), why variety shows might work better than dramas for intermediate learners, and the great subtitle debate that nobody seems to agree on. I also came away with a starter pack of shows my students will be hearing about for the next year. Reddit 推荐的 Starter Pack：都挺好 (All Is Well) — A modern family drama about three adult siblings and their difficult father. Real, messy, and painfully relatable. The everyday dialogue is exactly the kind of Chinese people actually speak. 去有风的地方 (Meet Yourself) — A burnt-out Beijing professional moves to a tiny village in Yunnan to heal. Slow, warm, visually beautiful. Think "therapy in the form of rural China." Easy-paced dialogue. 三十而已 (Nothing But Thirty) — Three women approaching 30 in Shanghai, dealing with career pressure, relationships, and the gap between the life they imagined and the one they're living. Sharp, modern, and very quotable. 隐秘的角落 (The Bad Kids) — A tense crime thriller told through the eyes of three children. Only 12 episodes. Tightly written, no filler. Proof that Chinese dramas don't have to be 40 episodes long. 开端 (Reset) — A time-loop thriller set on a bus that's about to explode. Groundhog Day meets a murder mystery. The same conversations keep repeating, which weirdly makes it great for picking up sentence patterns. 创造营 2021 (Produce Camp 2021) — A survival show where international contestants compete to debut in a Chinese boy band. You get non-native speakers using basic Chinese, Chinese contestants simplifying their language for them, and a lot of repeated vocabulary about performing, crying, and chasing your dreams. 本期词汇：- 字幕 (zìmù) — subtitles- 综艺 (zōngyì) — variety show- 古装剧 (gǔzhuāng jù) — historical/costume drama- 现代剧 (xiàndài jù) — modern drama- 狗血 (gǒuxiě) — literally "dog blood," slang for overly melodramatic / soapy plot twists📚 跟我学中文：Book a trial lesson on italki: https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4038266?lv=1🎙️ Dee's Mandarin TeaSearch on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Jul 1

Where Young Chinese Actually Spend Their Money

Jun 25

[HSK4] Episode 19: Why Are Chinese People Obsessed with Hot Water?

📝 Episode Description Why do Chinese people always ask you to "drink hot water" no matter if it's a scorching summer day or a freezing winter night? 🍵 In this episode, Dee unpacks the real history and philosophy behind China's famous hot water obsession. Is it really just about traditional Chinese medicine, or is there a bigger historical secret involving a massive disease outbreak in 1862? We also touch on how the younger generation in 2026 balances their love for iced Americanos with their trust in a good old thermos. Tune in for a fun, story-driven lesson filled with useful, high-frequency HSK 4 vocabulary! 📚 Updated Vocabulary List (最终更新核心词汇表) 1. 简单来说 (Jiǎndān lái shuō) — Phrase (Highly Idiomatic) English Meaning: Simply put / To put it simply. Why it's useful: A perfect transitional phrase for intermediate learners to explain complex cultural concepts in simple terms. Example: 什么是传染病呢？简单来说，就是一种生病的病毒会从一个人传给另一个人。 (What is a contagious disease? Simply put, it's a virus that spreads from one person to another.) 2. 传染 (Chuánrǎn) — Verb / Noun (HSK 5) English Meaning: To infect / To pass on a disease / Contagious. Why it's useful: Crucial for discussing health topics, moving beyond basic words like "生病". Example: 1862年，中国的南方发生了一场非常严重的传染病。 (In 1862, a very severe contagious disease broke out in southern China.) 3. 流行 (Liúxíng) — Adjective / Verb (HSK 4) English Meaning: Popular / Trendy / Prevalent. Why it's useful: Used to talk about modern trends, pop culture, or commonly used slang among young people. Example: 在今天的中国，“多喝热水”已经变成了一句非常有意思的流行语。 (In China today, "drink more hot water" has become a very interesting popular phrase.) 4. 绝对 (Juéduì) — Adjective / Adverb (HSK 4) English Meaning: Absolute / Absolutely. Why it's useful: A powerful adverb for expressing strong opinions, certainty, or making emphasis in spoken Mandarin. Example: 我们刚刚说的这些热水现象，并不是绝对的。 (These hot water phenomena we just mentioned are not absolute.) 5. 真实 (Zhēnshí) — Adjective (HSK 4) English Meaning: Real / True / Authentic. Why it's useful: Perfect for storytelling to assure the audience that the experience shared is genuine. Example: 在这里，我想先和大家分享一个我身边的真实故事。 (Here, I would like to first share a true story from my own life.) 6. 直接 (Zhíjiē) — Adjective / Adverb (HSK 4) English Meaning: Direct / Directly. Why it's useful: Great for describing communication styles, actions, or simple and straightforward attitudes. Example: 对你说一句“多喝热水”，依然是中国人最直接的一种关心。 (Saying "drink more hot water" to you remains the most direct way for Chinese people to show care.) 👩‍🏫 Study with Dee (和 Dee 老师一起学中文) Want to dive deeper into fascinating cultural topics and completely crush your Chinese speaking anxiety? Don't just practice with a textbook—let's practice with real-world Chinese culture! You can book a private 1-on-1 language session with Dee and officially make him your "中文口语学习搭子" (Chinese Speaking Partner). 👉 https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4038266?lv=1 Leave a comment below and let me know: What do people in your country drink to take care of themselves when they are sick or tired? See you next week!

Jun 18

🌈 [HSK4 ]| Episode 18: Pride Month Special — 30 Years Growing Up Gay in China

Happy Pride Month! 💅🍵 In this very special and personal episode, Dee shares his own story of growing up gay in China. Many people outside of China have stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community's life there. But did you know that Chongqing is widely celebrated as one of the most welcoming and open-minded cities in the country? From "coming out" to his entire high school class to the emotional moment he told his mother at age 21, Dee takes us through his 30-year journey. He also shares a heartwarming cultural insight into how his parents secretly protect him from the traditional Chinese societal pressure of marriage. Tune in for an authentic, moving story filled with real, modern Chinese vocabulary. 📚 Key Vocabulary List (本期核心词汇表) 1. 出柜 (Chūguì) — Verb / Slang Literal Meaning: To come out of the closet. Real Meaning: To publicly or privately disclose one's sexual orientation or gender identity to family, friends, or society. Example: 在大学二年级的时候，我决定向我的妈妈出柜。 (During my sophomore year of college, I decided to come out to my mother.) 2. 做自己 (Zuò zìjǐ) — Phrase / Attitude Literal Meaning: To be oneself. Real Meaning: A prominent modern Chinese youth mindset emphasizing living authentically and staying true to one's identity despite traditional family expectations or societal norms. Example: 家人和朋友都觉得，你可以勇敢地做自己。 (Both family and friends feel that you can bravely be yourself.) 3. 催婚 (Cuīhūn) — Noun / Verb Literal Meaning: Hurrying or pressing into marriage. Real Meaning: The immense parental and societal pressure young adults in China face to get married and have children once they reach their late 20s or 30s. Example: 在我的家里，我的爸爸妈妈总是帮我挡住亲戚的催婚。 (In my family, my parents always shield me from my relatives' marriage pressure.) 4. 隐藏 (Yǐncáng) — Verb (HSK 4) Literal Meaning: To hide / To conceal. Real Meaning: To keep one's true identity, feelings, or orientation secret from others. Example: 大学毕业开始工作以后，我从来没有隐藏过我的同志身份。 (After graduating and starting work, I never concealed my identity as a gay man.) 👩‍🏫 Study with Dee (和 Dee 老师一起学中文) Ready to move past boring textbooks and practice authentic, conversational Mandarin using real-world societal topics? Let's chat, practice, and level up your Chinese fluency together! You can officially book Dee as your personal "中文口语学习搭子" (Chinese Speaking Partner). 👉 https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4038266?lv=1 If you loved this Pride Special, please leave a comment below and tell me: How does your family handle the pressure of marriage in your culture? Have you ever visited the beautiful city of Chongqing? See you next week! 🌈🍵

Jun 12

[HSK 3] Ep.17 | New Lifestyle of Young Chinese in 2026

Tired of boring textbooks? Let's dive into the real, vibrant China of 2026. In this episode, Dee shares how young Chinese people are fighting back against high workplace stress and long hours. If you are working hard and feeling exhausted, you probably have "班味" (Bānwèi - the aura of burnout). Discover the three most popular lifestyle trends young Chinese use to shake off the "banwei", heal themselves, and protect their mental energy without spending a fortune. 📚 Key Vocabulary List (本期核心词汇表)1. 班味 (Bānwèi) — Noun / Slang Literal Meaning: "Work flavor" / "Shift smell" Real Meaning: The visible aura of professional burnout, exhaustion, and fatigue that staying at a stressful job leaves on a person. Example: 去公园躺20分钟，感觉身上的班味都被洗干净了。 (Sitting in the park for 20 minutes feels like washing all the burnout off my body.) Literal Meaning: Internal consumption / Draining oneself from within Real Meaning: Mental friction, overthinking, or unnecessary anxiety caused by psychological self-abuse and worrying about things out of one's control. Example: 别再内耗了，今天就要对自己好一点。 (Stop overthinking and draining yourself; treat yourself better today.) Literal Meaning: "Forced enjoyment when there is no fortune" Real Meaning: Forced indulgence/enjoyment. A rebellious mindset against the older generation's habit of "enduring unnecessary hardships" (没苦硬吃). It means treating oneself immediately amidst stress rather than waiting for some perfect future context. Example: 虽然今天不是我生日，但我高低得买个大蛋糕，没福硬享一下！ (Even though it's not my birthday, I'm absolutely buying a huge cake today to force some indulgence!) Literal Meaning: Private secrets Real Meaning: Privacy. Personal matters or background details that modern young Chinese prefer to guard strictly in casual social settings to avoid psychological drain. Example: 我们只在一起吃火锅，互不打扰，也不聊隐私。 (We just eat hotpot together, leave each other alone, and don't talk about privacy.) Literal Meaning: A card-playing partner / Companion Real Meaning: Specific activity partner. A lightweight, modular social relationship based on a single shared interest (e.g., hotpot companion, hiking buddy). It emphasizes companionship without emotional burdens, social obligations, or privacy invasion. Example: 我想找个周末一起练口语的“中文学习搭子”。 (I want to find a Chinese learning partner to practice speaking over the weekend.) 2. 内耗 (Nèihào) — Noun / Verb3. 没福硬享 (Méi fú yìng xiǎng) — Idiom / Slang4. 隐私 (Yǐnsī) — Noun5. 搭子 (Dāzi) — Noun 👩‍🏫 Study with Dee (和 Dee 老师一起学中文) Want to break free from boring standard textbooks and practice地道的 (authentic) Chinese with real-world topics? Let's hang out and level up your speaking skills! You can choose Dee as your official "中文学习搭子" (Chinese Learning Partner). 👉 https://www.italki.com/en/teacher/4038266?lv=1 If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review, drop a comment below, and tell me: Do you feel the "banwei" at your job? How do you mentally recharge in your country? See you next week! 💅🍵

Dee's Mandarin Tea

Why Your Chinese Sounds Like Translated English

Why Do Chinese People Ask Such Personal Questions?

Your Boss Is Drawing You Cakes: Chinese Office Slang

Can You Really Learn Chinese by Watching TV?

Where Young Chinese Actually Spend Their Money

[HSK4] Episode 19: Why Are Chinese People Obsessed with Hot Water?

🌈 [HSK4 ]| Episode 18: Pride Month Special — 30 Years Growing Up Gay in China

[HSK 3] Ep.17 | New Lifestyle of Young Chinese in 2026

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Dee's Mandarin Tea

Episodes

Why Your Chinese Sounds Like Translated English

Why Do Chinese People Ask Such Personal Questions?

Your Boss Is Drawing You Cakes: Chinese Office Slang

Can You Really Learn Chinese by Watching TV?

Where Young Chinese Actually Spend Their Money

[HSK4] Episode 19: Why Are Chinese People Obsessed with Hot Water?

🌈 [HSK4 ]| Episode 18: Pride Month Special — 30 Years Growing Up Gay in China

[HSK 3] Ep.17 | New Lifestyle of Young Chinese in 2026

About

Information