We're back with Angela's "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course co-creator and Taiwan-based Mandarin teacher, Jane Liu - this time, talking about taboo topics and common mistakes in Mandarin.

We dive into 3 specific terms: 1. "舒服 (shū fú)" vs "自在 (zì zài)", 2. "要不要約 / 要不要约 (yào bú yào yuē)" vs. "要不要約出去玩 / 要不要约出去玩 (yào bú yào yuē chū qù wán)", and 3. the concept of "報喜不報憂 / 报喜不报忧 (bào xǐ bú bào yōu)" (only reporting good news, not bad). Let's just say the first two, if used incorrectly, could be mistaken for... *intimate* meanings.

Let us know in the comments or on social media what you thought about the episode and/or what surprised you the most!

If you want to learn other taboo topics and common mistakes, we have an entire module dedicated to this in our "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course. If you haven't already, try the free preview lesson on dating apps & describing your type, and check out the full syllabus to see if the course format is right for you. Head to ⁠https://www.realyoumandarin.com⁠ to access the free preview lesson and check out the full course.

Follow Jane on Instagram at ⁠@janesmandarin⁠ to explore working with her 1:1 and to stay up-to-date on her other Mandarin offerings.

Follow us on Instagram at ⁠@realyoumandarin⁠ and on TikTok at ⁠@realyoumandarin

In this episode, we're joined by Angela's "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course co-creator and Taiwan-based Mandarin teacher, Jane Liu.

We're talking about dating culture! What does it look like in contemporary Taiwan and how does that differ from our dating culture in the US?

Although the apps are prevalent in both parts of the world, Taiwanese culture still tends to be more conservative - for example, many people still have expectations around "告白 (gào bái)" or "confessing" your feelings towards the other person and formally asking to be in a relationship with them, vs. in the US we have a similar though different practice of "defining the relationship."

Let us know in the comments or on social media what you thought about the episode and/or your favorite new vocab word you learned!

If you want to learn more practical vocabulary around dating and relationships, try out the free preview lesson about dating apps & describing your type in the "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course. Head to https://www.realyoumandarin.com to access the free preview lesson and check out the full course.

Follow Jane on Instagram at @janesmandarin to explore working with her 1:1 and to stay up-to-date on her other Mandarin offerings.

Follow us on Instagram at @realyoumandarin and on TikTok at @realyoumandarin

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Editor's Note: We made a mistake with the vocabulary word referenced between 11:23-11:25 - the correct phrase is: 掙扎 zhēng zhá, which means "to struggle (with)"

Crystal Hsia (an LA-based Taiwanese born and raised Mandarin teacher) joins us again to cover the second half of our conversation around culture shocks. This time, we're going in reverse!

After living in the U.S. for 10 years, what reverse culture shocks does Crystal experience when she visits Taiwan? We talk about how much more self-conscious she is of both her external appearance and the way she acts when she's back, and feeling like she needs to code-switch between "Taiwanese" Crystal and "Taiwanese-American" Crystal. Listen in to learn useful new Mandarin vocabulary from this conversation!

If you want to find Crystal and/or work with her as your teacher, you can head over to https://crystalmandarin.com

Deepen your Mandarin learning through the transcript of this episode, which includes Traditional & Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, English translations, and the highlighted vocabulary -- find it at: https://transcripts.realyoumandarin.com

If you like learning new vocabulary through real-life conversational formats like this, preview a free lesson of the Real You Mandarin: Beginnings course at https://www.realyoumandarin.com -- the course covers a whole swath of topics from everyday ones like dating & pop culture to deeper ones like mental health and media representation.

Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realyoumandarinTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realyoumandarin

Los Angeles-based Crystal Hsia, a Taiwanese born and raised Mandarin teacher, joins us as our first guest on the podcast!

In this episode, we talk about culture shocks/differences she experienced after moving to the U.S. ten years ago. As a student, Crystal was confused by the need to ask questions in graduate school just to prove she had read the class material, and now by the work culture that requires speaking up for yourself and advocating for what you deserve. Listen in to learn useful new Mandarin vocabulary from this conversation!

If you want to find Crystal and/or work with her as your teacher, you can head over to https://crystalmandarin.com

Deepen your Mandarin learning through the transcript of this episode, which includes Traditional & Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, English translations, and the highlighted vocabulary -- find it at: https://transcripts.realyoumandarin.com

If you like learning new vocabulary through real-life conversational formats like this, preview a free lesson of the Real You Mandarin: Beginnings course at https://www.realyoumandarin.com -- the course covers a whole swath of topics from everyday ones like dating & pop culture to deeper ones like mental health and media representation.

Meet your American-Born Taiwanese (ABT) host, Angela Lin. In this podcast premiere episode, Angela uses Mandarin to explain what you can expect from the show when she is joined by Mandarin teacher guests in future episodes, why she wanted to start this podcast, how it will help both you and her improve your "grown-up" vocabularies by discussing these real life topics with her guests, why she thinks this podcast format is special considering the rarity with which we hear other ABCs/ABTs actually talking exclusively in Mandarin, why she was motivated to start her company Real You Mandarin to help other ABCs/ABTs improve their Mandarin, and more.

P.S. If you watch the video episode, you'll see vocabulary highlighted on screen in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English.

Head over to www.realyoumandarin.com to:

• Preview a free lesson from the "Real You Mandarin: Beginnings" course to see if the course is right for you.

• Download this episode's transcript for free and explore options to receive future episode transcripts. Transcripts include Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English.