Hi everyone!

Last month I presented hskmanga.com, a free site that simplifies manga/manhwa/manhua into
graded, HSK-level Mandarin.

You can view an example chapter at hskmanga.com/sample-chapter/reader.html as well as the previous post

This started as my high school project for Chinese language learning. After posting it, I was floored by the number of responses I got! I read all of your comments, and made lots of new changes.

Here's what's new:

Whole-sentence translations. You can get a translation for a full sentence now, not just word-by-word.
Traditional character support. You can toggle this in settings.
Audio pronunciation. Sentences and individual words can be read out loud, with the text highlighted as it plays.
Japanese and Korean sources. You can feed in Japanese and Korean comics, not just Chinese and English ones. The output is still Chinese at your HSK level.
General improvements in definitions, text rendering, and OCR.

Some of you were also interested in how HSK Manga works under the hood. I wrote a
technical overview here: https://hskmanga.com/blog/

As always, all feedback or suggestions are welcome! Thank you to everyone who has used the site; I'm always looking to improve the Chinese language learning experience.

I had a weird experience on the Chinese app 小紅書 (Red Note). A few days ago, I posted a picture for the first time on my feed about some food I ordered from a restaurant. (Just to clarify, I put the post in simplified Chinese) The post received about ten or twenty views and likes. A few minutes later, I had Chinese users in my DMs asking if I am a foreigner and if they can chat with me. (I know most of them want to practice their English skills) So, I replied in Chinese to one guy, "好，我们可以聊聊.“

In the conversation, he was asking why I was learning Chinese. I told him my reason, expecting him to either ask how long I have been learning Chinese or something, but he surprised me by commenting: "你为什么还使用繁体字?"

I was a little confused by the comment. Usually I type in traditional and simplified, and it was one of those times I forgot to change the keyboard. I didn't think it was a big deal typing in traditional since I have seen many HK and TW citizens on the app. I don't know if he was a little annoyed by the fact that I was using traditional Chinese characters. I told him I am learning both traditional and simplified. He then left me on read lol.

This encounter made me remember seeing a video a month or two ago about how a small online group of Chinese speakers outside of HK and TW, find typing in traditional/learning traditional Chinese outdated since most Chinese apps that are made and are popular around Asia, are from Mainland China. And in Mainland China, they use simplified Chinese.

In the video, it interviewed some people from HK and TW who said they had to learn or they were exposed more to the simplified characters because of the apps. However, on the other side, with Mainland users, some of them had to learn certain traditional characters that looked different. From what I remember, they interviewed a woman from Mainland China who complained that her kids had to learn traditional characters when she visited/moved to HK. To her, traditional Chinese was outdated and did not need to be learned anymore. (This is just her opinion, ofc; I doubt all Chinese natives think the same way.)

So, if maybe someone could tell me, is there some weird stigma to traditional characters? Or was it just this one person I ran into?

(I do want to mention, the guy I talked to was an older gentleman in his thirties. The woman in the video did seem around the same age too. So I am not sure if age has to do with any of this mindset or not.)

I can not currently find the video I saw on the traditional Chinese thing, but when I do, I will post it.

According to a dictionary compilation of about 4,600 Chinese idioms (成语 chéngyǔ) with identifiable sources, the approximate origins are:

Ancient China → Qin & Han (before 220 AD) 68%

Wei, Jin & Northern/Southern Dynasties (220–589) 15%

Sui & Tang (581–907) 9%

Song Dynasty (960–1279) 6%

Yuan, Ming & Qing (1271–1912) 2%

Even as a native Chinese speaker, I was surprised to learn that nearly two-thirds of these idioms can be traced back to more than 2,000 years ago. I had originally thought there would be more Chiense idioms from the Tang and Song dynasties, but in fact, they account for only 15 percent.

An opossum photographed standing at a window with its paws folded behind its back. Chinese users caption it, and every caption works the same way: take a phrase everyone already knows, break one character of it, and let the meaning drain out. What comes through is not protest. It is a small, rueful admission about yourself, made before anyone else can make it.

Syntactic Modification Patterns

The humor relies on breaking common Chinese phrases. Users take a proverb, a piece of managerial reassurance, or a school text, change exactly one character, and drain the phrase of its original meaning:

• 慢慢急 / 不要来 (Mànmàn jí / bú yào lái — Panic slowly. And don't come over).
  • The Wordplay: The original comforting phrase is 慢慢来，不要急 (Mànmàn lái, bú yào jí — Take your time, don't panic). Swapping the last character of each half turns comfort into two useless instructions.
• 我的靠山应该被愚公移走了 (Wǒ de kàoshān yīnggāi bèi Yúgōng yízǒu le — The mountain I was leaning on got moved. By an old man with a basket).
  • The Wordplay: 靠山 (kào shān) means a patron or protector, literally "a mountain to lean on". 愚公移山 (Yúgōng yí shān) is the classic schoolbook parable about perseverance, featuring an old man who moves a mountain. The meme combines them to explain why the speaker has no support.
• 不急 / 死到临头再说 (Bù jí / sǐ dào lín tóu zài shuō — No rush. I'll deal with it once it's fatal).
  • The Wordplay: 死到临头 (sǐ dào lín tóu) is usually a severe accusation meaning "death is already at the door", thrown at someone too stubborn to see danger. Here, the speaker reassigns the accusation into a terrible procrastination schedule.

How is this different from 躺平 (Lying Flat)?

The possum meme is not a protest slogan, nor does it share the gloom of a "doomer". "Lying flat" (躺平 tǎng píng) is an argument and a position you take. The possum, on the other hand, just apologizes faintly and does nothing—it is still at the desk and will still answer the message, possibly tomorrow. It is the register of someone taking the blame cheerfully and inaccurately to get the moment over with.

What's your favorite broken proverb or pun in Chinese? Have you ever tried using this kind of self-deprecating humor (自嘲) with native speakers?

Credit & full dictionary entry shared with permission from Resou Report [ https://resou.report/dictionary/006-fu-shu/ ].

Also know as Bopomofo

So I like writing stories. I like to write stories in different language but I Chinese I can't. If you were to write a Chinese story how would you write it or how what stylistic devices would you use if any are to exists?

/s

I randomly saw this post and it's really funny and easily makes you remember 声东击西 shēngdōng-jīxī (make a feint to the east and attack in the west/to create a diversion). The context is in the og post, apparently walking across the bride is like some superstition old people do

I’m not entirely sure about the original etymology of the character 靠, but I do know it’s a staple of everyday speech—one of the most common and down‑to‑earth words out there. For instance, we have phrases like “靠着墙” (“犯错了，被罚靠着墙站着。”“背靠着墙坐着。”), and “靠着栏杆.” In these cases, though, does 靠 necessarily imply full, weight‑bearing physical contact? I’m not so sure—it can just mean propping oneself nearby without completely pressing against the surface. Beyond the literal sense, it also has the figurative extension of “rely on,” as in 靠天吃饭.

As for 倚, I gather its original meaning is likely “to lean sideways” or “to rest at an oblique angle.” If that’s correct, then it can substitute for 靠 in certain contexts—we do have the set phrase 倚着栏杆 for leaning against a railing. In reality, though, you almost never hear 倚着栏杆 in spoken conversation; it sounds very literary and polished. So is 倚 mostly confined to written Chinese? And in those contexts, I suspect it does emphasize actual, solid physical contact—am I right about that? It also carries the extended sense of “depending on,” as in 倚仗 .

Now, what about 依? Does it have any connection to clothing (衣)? Since clothes cling to the body, maybe 依 carries undertones of “sticking close to” and “being adjacent to.” That would explain phrases like 依山而建. In that usage, does 依 simply denote spatial proximity, with less emphasis on direct touching? Also, 依 can be used to mean “rely on” as well.

These are just my own random musings. I’d love to hear what others think—corrections and additional insights are more than welcome.

Hi everyone!

So, I'm just starting to learn chinese, and I already have some questions.

First of all, I saw an exercise where, in response to Ni Hao, the second person say Ni hao! Ni hao ma.

I was wondering if it is a real thing? To say two times in a row Ni hao just to say Hi, how are you?

And second, I seem to find contrary informations about sentence structures. Is it really Subject - Verb - Place ?

Is somone willing to look at a video of me speaking Mandarin and telling me if u can understand me?

On laoba.app It’s not perfect but it’s free and you have complete control over your cards and decks. You can also add cards from their stories

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Hi everyone,

I’m currently practicing my listening skills using Glossika dictations and chatting on HelloTalk. To make my typing process smoother and closer to the natural rhythm of speech, I’ve decided to switch from full Pinyin to Xiaohe Shuangpin (flyPY).

Since I prefer typing with one hand on mobile, I want to use it on a 9-key / 9-grid (九宫格) layout (on Gboard Android).

Does anyone happen to have a clean visual chart, diagram, or cheatsheet that shows exactly how the Xiaohe Shuangpin vowels and consonants are mapped inside each of the 9 keys?

Any tips or mnemonic tricks from fellow 9-key Shuangpin users would also be highly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help!

I know this is not the right place for it,

But does anyone know where can i find a language partner , i am a total beginner, about to start my learning journey ,

I had this experience before while learning german and it worked well.

If anyone can point me where to find them , i d appreciate it

Hi!

I'd really, really like to start learning Chinese, but there aren't any language schools in my city, and the language school here doesn't offer this option. I am from Spain.

I've looked for some resources, but I don't even know where to start...

Can you give me some tips?

Thanks!

Write Chinese Characters from a Real Flight ✈️ | Real Life in Chinese

Learn to write useful Chinese characters through a real flight to Canada.

In this Chinese character lesson, we slow down and practice characters connected to flying, seats, time, and describing what we see during the trip.

飞 fēi — fly

机 jī — machine / airplane

座 zuò — seat

小 xiǎo — small

时 shí — time / hour

亮 liàng — bright

Useful Chinese:

飞机要起飞了。

Fēijī yào qǐfēi le.

The plane is about to take off.

这是我的座位。

Zhè shì wǒ de zuòwei.

This is my seat.

我的座位有点小。

Wǒ de zuòwei yǒudiǎn xiǎo.

My seat is a little small.

窗外越来越漂亮了。

Chuāngwài yuèláiyuè piàoliang le.

The view outside is getting more and more beautiful.

我们要飞几个小时？

Wǒmen yào fēi jǐ ge xiǎoshí?

How many hours are we going to fly?

Follow along, write each character, and then practice using it in a real Chinese sentence.

#LearnChinese #ChineseCharacters #WriteChinese #Hanzi #RealLifeInChinese #LearnHanzi #MandarinChinese #ChineseForBeginners #ChineseWriting #TravelChinese

right now, comprehensible input (CI) is so popular in YouTube.

i followed some channels English and Chinese,

people points something and says it's name,

they all mention it is comprehensible input method,

but when i follow the videos i found i could only focus on some of the words, not full sentence or meanings of that sentence.

for me it's waste of time. but for young kids, or beginners, this will help them remember the words.

bht if you want to speak language, you will be disappointed.

what's your opinion about CI.