Popup Chinese

We usually hold our Chinese recording sessions on Wednesday evenings. Most of them go pretty smoothly, and even accounting for 9527's periodic laughter flame-outs, recording times have tended downwards over the last year or so. That said, there are always exceptions to a trend and this lesson is all about one of them. We started recording this lesson at seven o'clock in the evening and didn't finish until nearly midnight. Listen up and you'll know who to blame.

Warning: there's some Chinese profanity in this lesson. This language isn't considered particularly strong by northern standards, but you'll...

The infamously reclusive Teddy Wang, tycoon of the Orient and Time Magazine's "China Entrepreneur" five years running, had fallen into seclusion. From his estate on one of the outlying Hong Kong islands, the dashing young businessman had taken to conducting business exclusively through his timid assistant Roger, a meekrat of a man who spent his days shuffling papers for the reclusive industrial magnate. And yet despite their mutual dependence no-one had ever seen the two of them together at the same time....

Join us in today's Chinese lesson as we cover a few useful phrases and pleasantries...

It had taken months of therapy for the patient to share her innermost secret. "You were right to come here," the psychiatrist said as they shared the breakthrough, "and I long suspected that your problem was related to your father." The doctor then paused, pen frozen in mid-air above a black leather notebook. "Of course," she added at last, "at least your case isn't as bad as that of my last patient...."

Are you an intermediate mandarin student? Join us in this podcast for a Chinese lesson all about the shameful secrets that can break family relationships...

Symptoms of excessive caffeine intake include restlessness, insomnia, gastrointestinal discomfort, cardiac arrhythmia and random muscle twitching. Yet insufficient caffeine intake leads directly to mental and physical sluggishness, and is strongly correlated with a tendency among staff to miss project deadlines and blow sales leads.

Employers in the United States typically walk this fine line by promoting self-medication through free soda kitchens. As staff in China are rarely accustomed to this sort of perk, once you've begun hiring you will need to be more proactive about medicating your employees. But how aggressive should you be? Is the drip...

We love our staff and they love us too (especially the children, bless their souls). Which is why we were mystified when the Labor Relations Board approached us with outrageous allegations of unpaid overtime and that old story about us locking staff in the studio while we retreated to our executive yacht. It was lunch people... everyone is supposed to go out for lunch!

In any event, seeing that the government has formally launched an investigation into human rights abuses in the construction of our new office space, we've decided to go on a public relations offensive...

So, you've woken up at some ungodly hour in the morning to start hauling yourself out of bed when a minor epiphany strikes. Why get out of bed at all? Isn't there something better you can do with your day than this car trip to Tongzhou. And whose crazy idea was this anyway? How about just sleeping in past noon? Now there's a capital idea. And maybe in a few hours you could even head downstairs and get some breakfast, or maybe watch a movie. Or maybe just stay in bed all afternoon.

At Popup Chinese we're...

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and without any incriminating evidence linking you to the crime. That's why the heads of major criminal syndicates have to be a bit circumspect in making certain requests, and it's why we return to our mob series today with an update on the dealings of the Beijing demi-monde. In this episode, join us as our mob boss is seized with a terrible hunger which can be sated only through violence.

Our dialogue today is on the easier side for an Intermediate lesson, but don't be deceived. We have some non-obvious...

今天我必须离开，永远离开！

jīntiān wǒ bìxū líkāi ， yǒngyuǎn líkāi ！

I must leave today, and leave forever!

你别走。

nǐ bié zǒu 。

Don't go!

我不走，我不走成天看着你和别的男的勾三搭四吗？

wǒ bù zǒu ， wǒ bù zǒu chéngtiān kàn zhe nǐ hé biéde nánde gōusāndāsì ma ？

Not go? Not go and watch you fool around with those men all day?

我没有那样！你相信我！

wǒ méiyǒu nàyàng ！ nǐ xiāngxìn wǒ ！

I'm not that way! Believe me!

你没有那样？孩子都是别人的，你没有那样？

nǐ méiyǒu nàyàng ？ háizi dōu shì biérén de ， nǐ méiyǒu nàyàng ？

You're not that wa...

嗨，Selina！

hāi ， Selina ！

Hi,Selina!

嗨！

hāi ！

Hi!

你这件T恤衫真好看。

nǐ zhè jiàn tīxùshān zhēn hǎokàn 。

Your t-shirt is really good looking.

好看吧？

hǎokàn ba ？

It's good looking?

是什么牌子的呢？

shì shénme páizi de ne ？

What brand is it?

是泡泡中文的。

shì Pàopào Zhōngwén de 。

It's Popup Chinese.

哦，泡泡中文！

ò ，Pàopào Zhōngwén ！

Oh, Popup Chinese.

嗯。

èn 。

Yeah.

没听说过。

méi tīngshuō guo 。

Haven't h

哎，老板说，船撞上冰山了！

āi ， lǎobǎn shuō ， chuán zhuàngshàng bīngshān le ！

Hey, the boss says the boat has hit an iceberg!

哦，怪不得这么多人穿着游泳衣到处乱跑。

o ，guàibude zhème duō rén chuānzhe yóuyǒngyī dàochùluànpǎo。

Oh, no wonder there are so many people running around in their bathing suits.

救生衣！

jiùshēngyī ！

Life jackets!

救生衣。我还一直以为有什么狂欢party呢。

jiùshēngyī 。 wǒ hái yīzhí yǐwéi yǒu shénme kuánghuān party ne 。

Life jackets. I was thinking it was some sort of crazy party.

更不可思议的是，他让我们继续演奏到底！

gèng bùkěsīyì de shì ， tā ràng wǒmen jìxù yǎ...

唉，泡泡中文是我最喜欢的网站了。

Hey, Popup Chinese is my favorite website.

就是，我上个月已经减掉了5斤了。这在以前绝不可能。

You said it. I lost over 2 kilograms last month. Could never have done it without them.

咱俩说的是同一个网站吗？

Are we talking about the same website?

是啊，就是那个有播客的网站。唉，我要是早知道就好了。

Yeah, it's the one with the podcasts. If only I knew of it sooner.

Jack, 快醒醒!泰坦尼克号出事了!

Wake up Jack, Titanic has had an accident!

哦 Rose, 怎么了?

Oh Rose, whatever shall we do?

咱们的地板已经开始渗水了。

Our floor is already covered with water.

那好像是我的洗澡水吧。

Oh, that's just the water from my shower.

哦，不，那一定是海水。我刚才看见窗外有冰川。

Oh no, that's seawater. I just saw an iceberg out the window.

冰川那得多少座啊！好像是冰山啊！

Glacier? How many icebergs do you think it has? I think it's an iceberg!

太可怕了。怎么办？

It's awful. What will we do?

咱们想想怎么能逃生吧。

We've got to think of how to escape with our lives.

头等舱的人。每个房间都有一个救生艇。咱们应该也有 啊。

Everyone in first class has their own lifeboat. We should have one here too.

找找。

Look.

咱们的在哪儿呢？

Whe...

嗓子不舒服我们都用

Is your throat sore, we all use....

咽喉疼痛,嗓子干涩,请用

Sore and dry throat, please use....

金猴子嗓宝

Golden Monkey Throat Lozenge

哪儿有卖的?

Where can I buy it?

全国各大药店均有销售

For sale at all major pharmacies nationwide

电话呢?

and the phone number?

800-820-8820

Learn this vocabulary

给我一听王老吉。

Give me a can of Wanglaoji.

冰的还是常温的?

You want that cold or warm?

冰的。

Cold.

稍等。

Just a moment.

"You should try one," Andy motioned for us to take a cheeze-puff. It was a brand he endorsed, and it was selling better than milk. A ray of sunlight caught a stray tooth mid-gesture, the blinding glare sending a nearby waitress into celebrity swoon. And then the sunglasses were off and he was leaning in, exposing us to the full force of his animal magnetism. "I don't usually endorse digital products, but you guys are the best."

We were floating far above Hong Kong: this was the best dream ever. Visions of the entire mainland subscribing to...

With the Alibaba IPO throwing daytraders worldwide into a frenzed adulation of all things China, and the press going wild over Jack Ma and his Chinese e-commerce engine, this week's show takes a closer look at Taobao - the jewel in the Alibaba crown - with a hard-hitting quiz covering the most important things no-one seems to be able to remember about our favourite shopping site. Also on the show: questions about Beijing and the secrets of Uighur time....

Quiz Night is a regular feature here at Popup Chinese that we've put together for intermediate to upper-intermediate...

Did you ever thumb through a fresh copy of City Weekend and wonder why the Readers' Choice Award for Creepiest Park in Beijing has been awarded to Jingshan Park every year since the mid-1660s? In this episode, Megan squares off with returning champion Zhiqiang to answer this as well as questions on rehab and earth's diminishing dolphin population. Normally, Megan and Joakeem are trapped in a discussion on how to define their relationship but during Quiz Night this week they stay off that topic for 16 uninterrupted minutes of bliss.

Learning Chinese? The Popup Chinese Quiz Night...

One moment Xiao Liu had been suggesting a weekend retreat to Zhongshan Park, and the next his entire office had plunged into a leaden silence. As he would shortly discover, there were feelings that had been hurt, and if he hoped to paper over the situation the only thing to do was to make an apology and mend his ways.

Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:

Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese

Reincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Ca...

Occasionally, we think back on our years in China and look back at our casual brushes with death with the sort of nostalgia other people feel for high school prom. For such were those heady days of SARS, when the streets of Beijing were clean, taxis were readily available, and glaston and woad were part of the everyday lexicon here. Also on this show, what happened to the inventor of the flying car who strapped Cessena wings to a Ford Pinto.

Learning Chinese? Our Popup Chinese quiz show is intended for people who already have pretty good...

After a lengthy hiatus, we're pleased to release another episode of our Chinese Quiz Night. Joining new hosts Joakeem and Grace in our studio are two contestants known and feared by the other residents of Beijing: Martin the Destroyer, famous around Beijing for his mastery on the pub quiz circuit, as well as Ban "the terror from Qinghai" Yan, who is admittedly less intimidating in person that we were expecting.

Not sure what this show is doing in your iTunes feed? Our Chinese Quiz Show at Popup Chinese is a mixed English-Chinese concept show we're developing for...

In our fourth episode of Quiz Night, Tony from New Zealand matches matches his wits against Will from Australia in a battle that covers everything from T.S. Eliot's favorite detective novel, to horrific industrial accidents in Russia. Also up for your enjoyment? David repeatedly mispronounces the word "nuclear" and we learn the best place in Beijing for volleying ammunition into the Forbidden City.

Learning Chinese? Our quiz show is geared for anyone with good listening comprehension also looking for a fun way to expand their vocabulary. This show is a bit heavy on English and we're...

Nazi refreshments, racist stereotypes from the 1980s and boy bands that refuse to die. Such are just a few of the topics you can expect this week on our Popup Quiz Night, along with our usual round of China questions designed to make you absolutely insufferable to friends and family alike.

Learning Chinese? Our Popup Chinese quiz show is intended for people who already have pretty good mandarin but are looking for a fun way to expand their vocabulary. It features nine questions split into three thematic categories, with Chinese-heavy questions and a vocabulary review tucked onto...

After succumbing last episode to Brendan's wide-ranging knowledge of everything save contemporary pop music, Echo has switched sides this week to serve as Chinese quizmaster in a show that pits podcaster Sylvia against voice-legend Andy in a China-vs-China battle of the wits. And with a Chinese Mobile recharge card hanging in the balance, and SMS messages just waiting to be sent, the stakes could not be higher for our contestants.

Learning Chinese? Our quiz show is intended for people who already have pretty good mandarin but are looking for a fun way to expand their vocabulary. And...

This is the pilot episode of a new concept show we're developing for upper-intermediate students: a quiz game featuring mostly Chinese questions with just enough bilingual discussion thrown in to keep things intelligible. We had a good time producing this, and if you're stretching past the intermediate level we think you'll like it too -- our topics range from ancient Rome to 19th century English literature and there is plenty of useful vocab here you won't find elsewhere, if only because dialogues about malaria are generally considered to be a bummer.

And what exactly is at stake...

Our clip today has it all: useful language for subverting the local establishment while showcasing the amazing vocal diversity in mainland film-dubbing circles. And for fun, we're happy to offer useful advice on pronouncing Colin Firth's name at no extra charge. So take a listen: Dead Poets Society (1989)

Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:

Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese

Reincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese

In our inaugural episode of the Popup Chinese movie show, opinions split over Let the Bullets Fly, the Chinese western directed by Jiang Wen and starring train-robbing, gun-shooting and horse-riding versions of himself and Chow Yun-Fat. This is the film that broke the Chinese box-office record shortly after its release, but considering that its competition that year included possibly the worst Chinese film ever made, we thought it about time for a discussion of whether the film is actually any good.

Learning Chinese? We're pitching this show at the intermediate to upper-intermediate level and aiming for a...

"The princess goes to sleep and wakes up again," Gail told us, making the fairy tale sound about as pedestrian as Echo's nightly routine. When pressed about this, our faithful podcaster paused, and then added mention of glass slippers and singing furniture, with the caveat that these were not "central to the plot" and may have been "made up by Disney".

Regardless of how well you remember the classics yourself, once you're in China you're in uncharted waters. Which is why we've taken a few liberties ourselves this lesson. So join us for an enjoyable look at...

If you ask most foreigners for random trivia about Tianjin, they'll probably mention the foreign concessions, or Herbert Hoover fighting in the streets during the Boxer Rebellion, or the pivotal role the city played in the student protests during the May Fourth Movement. What you won't hear is anyone rave about the pizza....
So let's note that if you've stumbled into Tianjin and are looking for a nice place to have lunch, this lesson is going to be totally useless to you unless you've "gone native" and have a thing for fruit and pak-choi smothered in a loving...

When the Harvard Crimson called the job market depressed, it may as well have been describing its readership. Browsing through the classifieds, Susan was shocked to see so few opportunities for summer employment. Her uncle had been urging her to take a break from academia and "get her hands dirty" at the family business, and she had avoided the thought at first, but -- and then she noticed Michael leafing through the paper a few seats away. Hadn't he been the first in her cohort to land a good position?

First things first, calm down. Our advanced...

You may have heard the slanderous rumours about our brand circulated by that other Golden Monkey pharmaceutical company. Don't believe the lies! Golden Monkey Throat Lozenges offer soothing relief from a range of symptoms with minimal side effects and a great orange taste. If you are suffering from any number of ailments or body image problems, call our telephone hotline and get medical relief with next-day delivery!

The old-timers among you may remember our first part to the world-famous Golden Monkey saga. That podcast dates back almost two years now, but is as great-tasting today as it...

You may have heard the slanderous rumours about our brand circulated by that other Golden Monkey pharmaceutical company. Don't believe the lies! Golden Monkey Throat Lozenges offer soothing relief from a range of symptoms with minimal side effects and a great orange taste. If you are suffering from any number of ailments or body image problems, call our telephone hotline and get medical relief with next-day delivery!

The old-timers among you may remember our first part to the world-famous Golden Monkey saga. That podcast dates back almost two years now, but is as great-tasting today as it...

The rumbling explosion in the lower hold and increasingly acrid smoke on deck sent the captain's assistant scurrying into her master's cabin. But after closing and barring the door behind her, the young woman turned to the captain and froze in astonishment. Expecting to see him prepared for a fight in defense of command, the girl was shocked to find the man bent calmly over his desk examining the nautical charts with a pocket glass, his sword lying sheathed by the nightstand.

Avast mateys! Our Chinese lesson for today is an advanced listening test designed for near-native...

This lesson is a bit different from what we normally do. Instead of a dialogue, we've got a short story to share with you. But this is not just any short story. It's actually a homework assignment written by Chris, one of our students who is studying one-on-one with Echo as part of our university program. And it is fantastic. Chris wrote this absolutely lovely tale about an overworked kitten, and when we read it we knew we had to share it with you.On a related note, if this sounds like the sort of thing you'd be interested...

We're taking a new approach to our Advanced series with this lesson, so let us know what you think. Instead of a Chinese-only discussion on a more general topic, we've got an in-depth bilingual discussion about what everyone in Beijing is talking about: the new television series of Dream of the Red Chamber. If you're not up on the latest gossip surrounding this production, join us as we complain about the bad casting, director scandals, atrocius haircuts and everything else your coworkers are griping about around the watercooler.

In addition to the regular gossip though, we also...

It was strange that the headmaster had arranged their tour for the weekend. While it hadn't struck Monica as odd previously, now that they were walking through campus, the choice of days seemed peculiar. For despite the fact it was a sunny October afternoon, the school grounds were almost deserted. Save for the occasional schoolboy slouching home in the distance, there was nothing to be seen suggesting she and her husband were touring the most renowned international school in Beijing. Or any other school for that matter. And then they entered the buttery....
If you're living the expat...

There are plenty of Chinese textbooks that claim to teach basic Chinese but are in fact utterly useless in everyday situations like the one we found ourselves in about a month ago, when our new colleague Nicole arrived back from lunch slightly the worse for the wear....

Nicole had just crossed the threshold and was bending over to take off her shoes when Echo, having successfully maneuvered herself behind the coffee table, finally broke the ice. "Did you have a good lunch," she asked? "Oh lunch," Nicole faltered. "I almost forgot all about that in the excitement...."<...

We know what you're thinking: how did I ever get to such an advanced level in Chinese without learning the words for narcolepsy or hangglider? This is admittedly an oversight on your part, but it's also one no-one need ever know about. Unlike many of our other advanced podcasts, today's lesson is built around a dialogue. And this dialogue will drill these words so deeply into your inner cortex you'll forget there was ever a day you weren't comfortable talking about neural disorders and extreme sports in Chinese.

Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original...

Our lesson for today is an advanced listening test. And while it's quite difficult, if you've seen Reservoir Dogs, the setup should be familiar. Minutes after a botched and bloddy robbery, the gang regroups in an abandoned warehouse outside town. But who is responsible for the carnage, and how do their tensions play out? Find out the answers in our action-packed listening test for today. Just listen to our test recording a single time and then head over to our quiz section to test your comprehension.

Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word...

This is not a lesson about the disappointment we felt on buying a copy of The Matrix Reloaded at our local DVD store back in 2003 only to end up watching a pirated copy of Johnny Mnemonic (the dolphin scene was especially excruciating the second time around). But it's pretty close. Because sometimes you'll find a good movie, only to find it completely unwatchable because the subtitles are all in Russian.

So our Chinese lesson for today is about living with disappointment, but only in part. It's also about learning different ways to ask simple questions, so if...

We asked for an elementary lesson filled with drama and terror. "Picture yourselves at the epicenter of a massive earthquake," David requested. "Give us something with tension and danger," Echo added, "with lots of buildings shaking and all that jazz." Our voice actors nodded gravely. Then they gave us this....

Navigate the reincarnated Popup Chinese archives, including the original customized word-to-word transcripts for this and every other lesson as PDF files:

Reincarnated Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese — Popup Chinese

Reincarnated Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese — Popup Cantonese