How Do I Improve My Spoken Chinese in Six Months or Less?

I get asked all the time by prospective students, new students, or even seasoned students--"How do I improve my spoken Chinese?" And not only do they want to know the answer to that question, they also want to know: "How can I do it fast?" Often if you are a Westerner learning Chinese, you are not able to be around Mandarin 24/7. You are not hearing it in the streets everyday, or at home. You are mostly surrounded by your native language, whether that be English, French, Spanish, etc. So how do you improve your Chinese tones, your natural Chinese speech when you are isolated in a non-Chinese environment? Here are four tips I give and which are guaranteed to work, as long as you use them consistently over a period of six months:

1. Create a Mandarin-Immersed Environment

You can start by creating your own sense of immersion in your daily life. This can be done by watching Chinese-language dramas and movies, listening to music or podcasts.

You can do this by finding some Chinese DVDs or watch Chinese films online. This is an easy, entertaining way to get a feel for the sound and structure of the Mandarin Chinese. Repeat what a TV says, or a recording, read a book out loud or quietly while listening to someone read it to you on CD, talk to mirror. Or you can read Chinese words or short stories aloud to reinforce your memory. Record yourself and play it back later, and ask yourself, "How does it sound?"

2. Find a Language Partner

Make Chinese friends at school: Are there peers who speak Mandarin at your school or university? Then make them your friends! Take every opportunity to speak with Chinese people. You will know you’re doing well when you can make yourself understood by a native speaker.

Do a language exchange: Find a native speaker to help you practice your speaking. Visit some Chinese webs and forums. There are lots of ... Read More

Learning fun Chinese slang which can be applied to, and be used in, a classroom or boardroom setting is one of my favorite things to teach in my Mandarin Chinese classes. One of these Chinese expressions which I find to be very useful is "幺蛾子 (yāo ézi)." Students enjoy the word and we use it sarcastically and jokingly when we want to express that something is a "strange/wicked/bad idea."

The story behind the word "幺蛾子 (yāo ézi)" is an interesting one. "幺蛾子 (yāo ézi)" comes from a Chinese gambling game called Pai Gow, which is also known as make nine or card nine. In this game, each player is given one stack of tiles and must use them to form two "hands" of two tiles each. The maximum score for a hand is nine. One pip (point) is called "幺 (yāo)." Five pips is called "蛾 (é)." Adding these together, we get six pips, which ranks at the medium level, not exactly a "winning hand." It is hard to win with this hand, so the player’s only option is to bluff. That is why "幺蛾子 (yāo ézi)" means unrealized tricks, something like teaching a fish to swim.

Let’s break it down:

幺蛾子 (Yāo ézi) = to create something out of nothing; tricks; wicked ideas.
幺 (Yāo) = one in spoken Chinese; the youngest one in a family, "幺 (yāo)" often follows "老 (lǎo)", i.e."老幺 (lǎo yāo)."
蛾子 (Ézi) = moth.
蛾 (É) = moth.
子 (Zǐ) = a common noun suffix as in "桌子 (zhuōzi) desk" or "椅子 (yǐzi) chair."

Common structure:

Subject + 出 (chū) + 幺蛾子 (yāo ézi)

"幺蛾子 (Yāo ézi)" can be applied to different situations. Below are some examples and their suggested scenarios:

Scenario 1: This is something that a teacher would say to... Read More

Quiz:
1. Choose the correct word to fill in the blank.

Tā cái shì nàgè ài chū ___ ézi de rén.
他 才 是 那 个 爱 出 ___ 蛾子的 人。