Where Chinese Words Come From

In a mildly confusing bit of podcast naming, Jared Turner sits down with comedian Turner Sparks. Turner moved to China in 2004 to teach English, planning to stay for just one year. He ended up staying for twelve.In this episode of You Can Learn Chinese, Turner talks about learnin ... Show More

Jared and John discuss the frustrations faced by a learner who came to John for help—particularly with pinyin and distinguishing similar sounds in Chinese. They explore why learners often misapply English pronunciation rules to pinyin and how comprehensible input can help ease th ... Show More

What does it mean to walk in the footsteps of an ancestor whose life connected China and America more than a century ago?In this episode, Ben Lee shares how moving to Wuhan in 1992 pushed him to learn Chinese for survival—and eventually led him back to a remarkable family legacy. ... Show More

Chinese culture is steeped in history, going back thousands of years. The written form of the language even originated from pictograms. ShaoLan and Transition drummer Josh discuss the word for “Chinese literature.” ✨ BIG NEWS ✨ Our brand new Talk Chineasy App, is now live on the ... Show More

Chinese culture is steeped in history, going back thousands of years. The written form of the language even originated from pictograms. ShaoLan and Transition drummer Josh discuss the word for “Chinese literature.” 🔥 Download the Chineasy app for free and dive deeper into Chines ... Show More

Learn about how languages get invented 

“Where” and “There” in Chinese are very similar words. Learn how to distinguish between the two and where to use them in this entertaining episode with Transition singer Jesse Edbrooke and Chineasy creator, ShaoLan. 🔥 Download the Chineasy app for free and dive deeper into Chine ... Show More

“This and that” in Chinese are two of the most useful words you can learn! Transition singer Jesse Edbrooke chats with ShaoLan about the possible ways of using the word and how it is not as offensive in Chinese culture as it can sometimes sound! 🔥 Download the Chineasy app for f ... Show More

Where did language come from? Is it possible to know without traveling back in time? And how do babies learn to speak? Plus: We’ll hear how the word “silly” has evolved over the last several hundred years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.