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126 published lessons

Slow monologuesBeginner · L2

去超市

Grocery Shopping at a Chinese Supermarket 🛒 | 去超市 | Simply Natural Chinese

Come grocery shopping with me in slow, simple Chinese! In this beginner-friendly episode, Xiao Yue walks you through a whole supermarket trip — making a list, picking vegetables and fruit, weighing the produce, grabbing milk and eggs, spotting a 'buy two get one free' deal, and paying with her phone at the checkout. Everything is spoken slowly and clearly, with Chinese, Pinyin, and English on screen the whole time. Just relax, listen, and read along — real, useful Mandarin for HSK 1-2 beginners.

Slow monologuesBeginner · L2

我的早晨

A Slow & Easy Chinese Morning Routine 🌅 | 我的早晨 | Simply Natural Chinese

Want to understand real Chinese from day one? In this slow, beginner-friendly episode, Xiao Yue walks you through her whole morning — from waking up and opening the window, to making breakfast, getting dressed, and heading out the door. Everything is spoken slowly and clearly, with Chinese characters, Pinyin, and English on screen the whole time. Just relax, listen, and read along — this is comprehensible input made for HSK 1-2 beginners.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L4

讨价还价

How Chinese Grandmas Haggle Like Pros 🛒 | 讨价还价 | Simply Natural Chinese

Ever watched a Chinese grandma bargain at a wet market? In this episode of Simply Natural Chinese, Leo tags along with his grandma to the 菜市场 and is completely stunned by her 砍价 (haggling) skills. Xiao Yue then breaks down the whole playbook — from the opening line "太贵了，便宜点吧", to "抹零头" (dropping the small change), to scoring a free bunch of scallions as a "添头" (freebie), all the way to grandma's legendary "以退为进" move (pretending to walk away). This is everything you need to bargain like a local.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L4

周末计划

How Do You Spend Your Weekend? 🛋️ | 周末怎么过 | Simply Natural Chinese

How do you spend your weekend — do you recharge at home, or run around the whole city? In this episode, Tian Tian (a die-hard go-getter) and A-Jie (a proud homebody) compare their totally opposite weekends. Along the way you'll pick up the slang Chinese people actually use to talk about days off: "回血" (recharging your HP), "报复性熬夜" (revenge bedtime procrastination), plus the painful office-worker reality of "调休" and "补班". Whether you're a couch person or an adventure person, this is everything you need to chat about weekends in natural Chinese.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L5

婚礼

Invited to a Chinese Wedding! How Much "份子钱"?! 💒 | 喝喜酒 | Simply Natural Chinese

Got invited to a Chinese wedding and have absolutely no idea what to do? In this episode of Simply Natural Chinese, Leo receives a red invitation stamped with a golden "囍" and instantly panics — "I'm not even the groom, why am I more nervous than him?" — so Xiao Yue walks him through the whole thing, step by step. From why going to a wedding is called "喝喜酒" (hē xǐ jiǔ, literally "drinking wedding wine"), to exactly how much "份子钱" (fèn zi qián, cash gift) to tuck into the red envelope — and why the number has to be lucky (六 and 八 good, anything with 四 absolutely forbidden) — to the toast blessings "百年好合" and "白头偕老" that will instantly win over the whole table, this is everything you need to know to show up at a Chinese wedding and look like a pro. 💒

Conversation podcastsBeginner · L3

儿童节

Why Do Grown-Ups Celebrate Children's Day? 🎈 | 童心未泯 | Simply Natural Chinese

Why is a grown woman this excited about Children's Day? In this episode of Simply Natural Chinese, Xiao Yue and Leo dig into a fun trend in China — young adults celebrating 六一 (Children's Day, June 1st) as their very own holiday. Along the way you'll pick up three gems: 童心未泯 (tóng xīn wèi mǐn), being young at heart; 怀念 (huái niàn), to miss the past; and the playful 我也是宝宝 (I'm a baby too). From blind boxes (盲盒) to old cartoons and Leo's childhood dog Max, this is everything you need to talk about childhood and growing up in natural Mandarin.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L4

高考

Could You Survive China's GAOKAO? 📚 | 高考 | Simply Natural Chinese

Could you survive China's gaokao? Every June, over 10 million Chinese students sit the single most important exam of their lives. In this episode of Simply Natural Chinese, Tian Tian and A-Jie — who both lived through it — walk you through the whole journey: the brutal final year of 高三 (gāo sān), the lucky red outfits and 粽子 on exam morning, the heart-stopping moment of 查分 (chá fēn, checking your score) when the servers crash, and the impossible choice of 报志愿 (bào zhì yuàn, picking your university). They even tackle the big question — does one exam really decide your whole life? This is everything you need to know about the gaokao, told in natural, everyday Chinese.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L5

面试

Go Home and Wait for Our Call 😅 | 面试 | Simply Natural Chinese

Summer's almost here, and Tian Tian needs to find an internship — but she has NO idea where to start. From writing a resume with zero experience, to those dreaded "What's your biggest weakness?" questions, to the soul-crushing "回去等通知" (huí qù děng tōng zhī) — China's most polite way of saying "you didn't get the job." A-Jie shares his interview horror stories and hard-won wisdom so Tian Tian (and you!) can survive your next job interview.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L4

用中文思考

Think in Chinese — Stop Translating! 🧠 | 翻译思维 fān yì sī wéi | Simply Natural Chinese

Ever order coffee in Chinese and your brain thinks "iced americano" first, then scrambles to translate? You're stuck in "translation mode" — and it's slowing your Chinese down. In this episode, Xiao Yue and Leo break down WHY your brain keeps translating, and share 6 simple methods to start thinking directly in Chinese. Leo even discovers his "language personality" — turns out he's a completely different person in Chinese!

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L5

大学生活

Surviving Chinese College: 军训, Roommates & Cramming 📚 | 大学生活 | Simply Natural Chinese

Military training at sunrise, gaming roommates at 2 AM, and cramming an entire semester into one desperate week — sound familiar? In this episode of Simply Natural Chinese, Tian Tian (a current sophomore) and A-Jie (a recent graduate) swap stories about everything that makes Chinese college unforgettable. From the dreaded "站军姿" (standing at attention until you pass out), to the art of complimenting the cafeteria lady for bigger portions, to the gut-wrenching moment you score 58 out of 60 to pass — this is the real, unfiltered college experience in China.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L4

下饭神器

Why Chinese People Need a Video to Eat | 下饭神器 🍜 | Simply Natural Chinese

Why do so many young Chinese need a video playing to get through a meal alone? In this episode of Simply Natural Chinese, Xiao Yue and Leo unpack the colloquial phrase "下饭" (xià fàn) — literally "goes with rice," now extended to mean "the perfect thing to watch while eating." From "下饭剧" and the holy-grail "下饭神器," to the warrior-style "干饭" and "干饭人," to why solo dining + variety shows + 外卖 culture all click together — this is a deep-dive into a tiny phrase that quietly reveals how modern Chinese people handle the loneliness of eating alone.

Conversation podcastsIntermediate · L4

理发

Don't Ever Say "随便剪剪" at a Chinese Salon ✂️ | 翻车 | Simply Natural Chinese

Tian Tian just walked out of the salon and she's not happy. She told her stylist "随便剪剪" (suí biàn jiǎn jiǎn) — just cut however — and now her hair is way too short. In this episode of Simply Natural Chinese, Tian Tian and A-Jie unpack why that one tiny phrase is the most dangerous thing you can say in a Chinese hair salon, and what to say instead. Along the way you'll learn 翻车 (the internet slang for everything going sideways), 套路 (the salon "playbook"), 洗剪吹 (the wash-cut-blow-dry combo), 办卡 (membership card upsells), 总监 vs regular stylists, and why every hairdresser in China is now called "托尼老师" (Teacher Tony). Plus a few life lessons that apply far beyond your haircut.