[HSK1-4] Nine Things to Do to Master Chinese | If You're Learning Chinese in Real Life, This Episode is for You | Chinese Lea

Hello everyone welcome to Chinese Slow Time Many people ask me Chinese is so difficult how did you manage to keep studying it You have memorized vocabulary you have studied grammar and you have listened to many classes but when it comes to real life you still might suddenly not know how to speak Today's episode I want to talk to you about it It's neither a study method nor a quick-fix technique but rather some very ordinary even somewhat unremarkable little things If you are currently studying Chinese or have already been living in China for some time I'm sure you've felt this before It's not that you didn't learn but that you learned slowly It's not that you can't but that you don't use it much I also prepared a small lecture for this issue which includes some sentences and expressions I just used after you listen to it you'll understand it better when you look back Okay let's start slowly The first thing is that Chinese truly begins with small things Many people think that learning Chinese should start from formal places such as classes exams grammar and vocabulary lists But for me the day Chinese truly began was not in a classroom but in a convenience store That day I was shopping and when I was checking out the clerk asked me "Do you need a bag " This sentence was actually very simple but I stood there at the time My mind is empty I heard a voice but I didn't react because I was translating it in my heart He asked me if I wanted anything By the time I realized he had already started ringing up the next customer At that moment I realized that Chinese doesn't wait for you to be ready it just happens Later after hearing this phrase so often I realized you don't need to think at all just answer with one word "One " or "No thanks " it's such a small thing But it was precisely these small things that made me feel Chinese is not on the book it is in life The second thing don't wait for the whole sentence just speak it out Many people learning Chinese including myself in the past have a habit of Think the sentence through completely in your mind before speaking The problem is you can never think it through completely You'll think did I use the right verb Does this tone sound strange Is this word too formal The result was you didn't say a single word Later I found out actually in real life Chinese They are never complete Chinese people themselves speak in half-sentences pause then add more So I started setting a new rule for myself: say as much as you can I want to say I've been a bit tired from work recently so I want to take a break this weekend but I only know the first half so I'll say I've been a bit tired recently and I want to rest this weekend that's enough They understood and I felt relieved Gradually I found that when I didn't strive for perfect sentences I became braver and spoke more often But Chinese becomes natural in this imperfection Third thing listen to Chinese Do not keep thinking about how to respond This thing is really important for many learners Before when people spoke to me in Chinese I nodded on the surface but was thinking how should I respond which word should I use will what I say sound strange The result was after he finished speaking I became even more nervous Later I tried a different approach I told myself I don't need to respond now just listen Just listen roughly is fine You don't need to understand every word Slowly I discovered something very interesting Chinese people speak in a way that really considers you if you don't understand they will rephrase If you don't respond they will repeat themselves The main points often appear again and again When you really start listening instead of preparing a response you will understand more and more The fourth thing learn to accept taking it slow This was the most important thing I learned in my Chinese language journey At first I would ask myself every day Why haven't I made progress yet Am I learning too slowly Later I realized these questions were of no use because progress in Chinese isn't always visible every day It's more like one day you suddenly realize this sentence I understood it without thinking but you can't pinpoint when it started So I started learning to say to myself "Take it slow " It wasn't a way to comfort myself but rather truly accepting the situation What you don' t understand today you might understand next month You can't say it now but one day it will come out naturally This kind of change is always happening The fifth thing treating learning Chinese as a way to meet people Later I gradually realized that I was learning Chinese not just to speak it but to understand people For example Chinese people tend not to say "no" directly many concerns are expressed through actions A sentence like "dress more warmly" may not be a reminder about the weather but rather an expression of care When you live with Chinese for a long time you will find that behind the language is a way of thinking And when you understand this you will be more patient with the Chinese language Because you know you're not memorizing a language you're slowly entering a way of life The sixth thing never treat Chinese as something that must always be showcased as excellent I want to ask you a question first and you can answer it in your mind Have you ever been in a situation where you know a little Chinese but in certain circumstances you end up being even more hesitant to speak For example when there are a lot of people around For example when it's more formal For example when the other person speaks Chinese very quickly and very fluently I used to be very obvious in front of acquaintances I could still speak freely but once I got to strangers or slightly formal occasions I would start to go into performance mode There was only one voice in my mind I wanted to speak better The result was I didn't say a single thing well Later I gradually discovered a problem I treated Chinese as a performance It seems that speaking up immediately represents one's level and one wrong word means failure But life isn't an exam and Chinese isn't meant to be scored Once I asked for directions by the roadside I was really tired that day and my Chinese was all over the place I only remember myself saying something like how do I get to that subway the wording was incomplete and the word order was very strange But the other person completely understood he didn't even correct me just pointed ahead and said "Go straight then turn left " At that moment I suddenly realized something Life's Chinese is very tolerant it doesn't demand perfection it just asks that you are willing to speak The seventh thing you think you are learning a language but actually you are learning how to not be anxious Learning Chinese can easily bring out someone's personality I used to be a very anxious person If you want to learn something quickly you want to see the results immediately but Chinese is not like that there are many words that you don't understand the first time you hear them the second time you hear them they seem a bit familiar After the third time listening you can guess roughly after the fourth time you truly understand it's not learned it's just become familiar For a period of time I would put pressure on myself every day I learned a few words today did I make any progress Later I realized that this way of thinking only made me more tired instead my Chinese improved the most when I wasn't trying to learn on purpose For example walking on the street and listening to people chat for example taking the subway and listening to the radio randomly watching videos and hearing a familiar expression that feeling is not that I have learned something But ah I understand this sentence Gradually I began to accept a fact Chinese is not about force but about time The eighth thing repetition is actually a gift life has given you Many people say Chinese is hard with too much repetition but later I found that it was exactly these repetitions that saved me You will find that the Chinese in daily life actually keeps repeating the same set of phrases the few sentences used when buying things the few sentences used when seeing a doctor The few lines for asking directions the few lines for small talk When you first start you think why is it always this line Later you'll find out it's good that it's still this line Because it's these repetitions that gradually make you not need to translate You don't have to think anymore about what this sentence means You just react directly When you reach this stage you'll suddenly realize something you're no longer so afraid of Chinese The ninth thing Chinese improves often happens when you're not paying attention I remember one day when a friend was chatting with me quickly After the conversation ended I suddenly realized I hadn't used a single word of English And more importantly I didn't feel tired At that moment I wasn't excited nor did I feel successful I just suddenly realized that I had already come this far The most strange thing about learning Chinese is that you rarely feel a sense of accomplishment It's more like you're walking along and then look back only to realize you've come a long way If you're currently studying Chinese and feel it's slow confusing or without direction I really want to tell you that your current state is perfectly fine You are not stopping you are accumulating Language is not something that gives feedback every day but it is changing every day within your body Even if you just understand one sentence today or dare to speak one sentence and don't avoid one sentence all of these count If you ask me what is the most important thing about learning Chinese in life I would say it's not efficiency it's consistency Listen a little every day use it a little every day spend some time with Chinese every day These small things eventually all come together Chinese isn't learned in a day life isn't either So for me learning Chinese in life isn't about me learning something When did I stop being so tense When did I start being willing to slow down When did I start considering Chinese as part of my life If you're willing you can continue to accompany me in using Chinese Record life understand Chinese through life This is Chinese Slow Time we don't rush If you're learning Chinese this issue I've also prepared a small lecture which includes some sentences and expressions I've actually used in my podcast You can first listen to the entire episode When looking back at this lecture notes many parts will suddenly become very clear This is not a lecture notes for memorizing words But rather help you gradually understand and use Chinese in everyday life 1 What will you learn this time Through this episode about a few things to learn Chinese in daily life You can learn to speak about the process of learning a language in Chinese rather than just stating the results It is very common to understand and use expressions found in daily life but these are rarely systematically taught in books Speak in a more natural way about confusion adaptation change and habit and understand why life itself is the best Chinese textbook 2 Core vocabulary that often appears in life 1 Learning related Learn Chinese Practice leads to progress Method: Example: I don 't learn a lot every day but I use Chinese every day The most important thing about learning a language is developing a habit 2 Life scenarios: Life: Scene Communication Can't understand I can't say Examples: Chinese in real life is more authentic than in textbooks Sometimes I can understand but can't speak 3 Feelings and Process: Slowly At first Later Tensio I was very nervous at first but I got used to it Chinese does not become natural all at once 3 Important sentence patterns that frequently appear in podcasts These sentences are not grammar focuses but they appear very often in real Chinese Pattern 1 At first later At first I always wanted to translate later I didn't translate much Used to express the learning process and changes very lifelike Pattern 2 Life is the best Chinese class for me To express personal feelings it is more natural than "I think " It is not that I did not try but that I used the wrong approach Common structure used to explain reasons Pattern 4 Gradually realizing I gradually realized I began to think in Chinese Very suitable for summarizing an experience 4 Podcast listening guidance When listening to a podcast you can try to pay attention 1 What small daily things did he mention 2 Where are they He said it's not because of learning Chinese 3 When did he start feeling that Chinese became natural Don't need to understand everything understanding part of it is already good 5 Shadow Reading and Oral Practice Try saying it out loud 1 In which daily situations do you use Chinese 2 What was the hardest thing to adapt to when you started learning Chinese 3 Have you ever had a moment where you suddenly realized you had improved Tip don't aim for complexity just say a complete sentence 6 Expressions for applying what you have learned Try to make the following sentence more conversational I study Chinese I study Chinese in my life I don't understand Sometimes I really don't understand much My Chinese is not good My Chinese is slowly improving 7 The main idea of this issue is that in this issue you don't need to remember many new words You really need to remember that Chinese is not only in books Progress is not always visible every day Life itself is teaching you Chinese As Pokri said you are not waiting for Chinese to get better but gradually moving towards it through life Chinese Slow Time together with Chinese take it slow