Popup Chinese

Sore throat? Dry, hacking cough? Golden Monkey Throat lozenges offer soothing relief from pain and a great orange taste! Listen to today's podcast for a lesson in the power of sheer repetition as a marketing technique. In no time you'll be asking for them by name!

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What's that plummeting to the ground? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Our confidence? The stock market? No... this time it's the fourth tone, the eldest and most bitter of the four tones in mandarin, Chinese.
If you noticed our earlier lessons on the first three tones you probably saw this coming a mile away. For those who haven't, today we're continuing our series on the four tones with a lesson dedicated exclusively to the fourth tone. If you're trying to get your head around this wonderful tonal language, listen to this podcast for a brief introduction to both the fourth tone as well as some common examples. Then head to the vocabulary section to practice your own pronunciation against our recordings. If you're feeling confident you can then check out our real-world examples which combine today's new vocabulary with words we've learned earlier on. With progressive lessons like this, you'll be fluent in no time.

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Five years ago there wasn't a single cafe in this old hutong district a mere ten minutes east of Houhai and the Drum Tower. Despite the explosion of small bars and coffee shops since, Nanluoguxiang remains one of Beijing's most pleasant areas. The neighborhood's older and more traditional architecture offers a welcome break from the oppressive vastness of other parts of Beijing, while the noise here is generally under control and aggressive peddlers have yet to descend on the area.
This has made Nanluoguxiang less of a party street and more of a community for Chinese and foreign translators, writers, photographers and artists. The sense of community on the street is palpable, and it doesn't take long to learn people's names and find a favorite cafe. Whether you want some coffee or are just looking for a quiet place to grab a drink and tackle some work, Nanluoguxiang is a good choice.
Join us in today's podcast as we learn a bit more about this street, see its gradual commercialization through the eyes of Echo, Apple and 9527. Although this recording is much more Chinese podcast than explicit lesson, we've highlighted some of the more difficult words and names on the vocab page. If you have trouble listening to Chinese at speed, you'll probably want to check it out before hitting the podcast. Enjoy.

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If you're anything like our own bedraggled staff, getting out of bed in the morning is one of the more vicious challenges of the day. Combine natural lethargy with the reality of doing business in China (let's just admit that adventurous jobs often require extended hours), and you've got a recipe for exactly the situation we run into today.
Of course, being the merciless corporate flacks we are, we're on the other side of the table. So listen in to our podcast today to find out what happens when Kang arrives late for work, yet again. This is hardly the first time it's happened, and we'll see how well his apologies go over with Apple, who has somehow ingratiated herself into a management position.

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Today's selection takes us back once more to the halcyon days of the 1980s. Most of us in the office were too young to have seen this film in theaters at the time, but can only imagine what a good time must have been had by everyone lucky enough to have caught this on the big screen. A thinking person's action piece, this film is as much a commentary on social gender inequality as it is about flamethrowers. So listen to our clip, see if you can spot the film: Aliens (1986)

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More than a social lubricant, the apology is a survival skill, because even when you're right, you often risk getting beaten by your significant other. Join us in today's listening test as we eavesdrop on a not-atypical conversation. As with our other listening tests, we recommend listening once, and then testing your comprehension in our quiz section. Use the mouseover version in the text section to check your comprehension after the fact.
Despite witnessing a few savage public beatings, our crew here has never heard of anyone actually hospitalized after a handbag assault. That is still no reason to throw caution to the wind. As murky as they are out West, the rules of the apology are even less clear in China. A good rule of thumb is to follow local custom: apologize early and often.

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Now that we've spent a few days practicing the first two tones it's time we intercede before you give everyone the impression mandarin is spoken in falsetto. Like other languages, mandarin has its dark side too. But before we plummet to the depths for good with our podcast on the fourth tone, we'll take an exploratory jaunt there first. The third tone is just like snorkeling: a brief trip down and then right back up.
As an aside, while we mentioned we wouldn't get into detail on tone sandhi in the podcast, there is a grammar mutiny brewing here in the office so we feel obliged to make at least quick mention of it. The tricky thing about the third tone is that the pronunciation changes depending on context. Specifically, characters in the third tone are usually pronounced in the second tone when they precede other third tone characters. This actually makes it easier to speak and keeps listeners from getting seasick, but is difficult to remember all the time. Our advice is to focus on getting "hello" down properly and using it as a model for the pitch changes in other words and phrases. As a beginning student, you should be aware of this, but don't pull your hair out over it.

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This week we present you with a Hollywood classic based loosely on a book based loosely on reality. In the process, we have to deal with incomprehensible Greek names, an uncommon measure word and some impressive Chinese chengyu useful for debasing your gutless foes: The Guns of Navarone (1961)

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Mainlander tip: assuming you can get it back home in one piece (Air Canada considers guitar strings weapons....), a guitar is one of the best purchases you can make over here. Domestic manufacturers are still struggling with quality control, making it possible to find truly excellent instruments at every price level. The caveat is that there are more bad ones out there than good ones: you'll need an eye and ear for a good instrument to find a great deal.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's listen in on today's lesson: the story of a lovesick troubadour and his admirer. In a scant nine minutes this podcast will throw a lot of Chinese your way, including details on how to sound uncertain, and an easy way to negate questions. We also give Xiao Liu a round of applause for his solid E-minor plucking: surprisingly listenable considering that was his first time ever touching a guitar.

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It's early Friday afternoon and you've just spent two exhausting hours checking your email, catching up on the latest blogs and thinking of how to start that twenty-page China Telecom report due Monday. Before putting pen to paper however, perhaps you should brush up on your Chinese with a quick test at Popup Chinese, and get a cup of coffee from the kitchen.
Slacking off is an art form. So grab your headphones and listen in to this podcast to learn how to pull it off in China. In our discussion of Oriental slackfu, Brendan, David and Echo touch on effective techniques for promoting collective slacking as well as useful grammar points for steering your colleagues out of the office.

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