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  • 290 - Spaced repetition: What it is and how to use it to learn Chinese
    Feb 23 2026

    Are you tired of learning Chinese characters and words only to forget them a day, a week or a month later? What if there were a simple method that would allow you to remember almost everything you learn, and that didn't take too much time and energy to use? There is: spaced repetition!

    #learnchinese #srs #vocabulary #flashcards #memory

    Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Spaced repetition: What it is and how to use it to learn Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/an-introduction-to-spaced-repetition-software/

    Cramming vs. spaced repetition: When to use which method to learn Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/cramming-vs-spaced-repetition-when-to-use-which-method-to-learn-chinese/

    The Leitner System: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/study-revision/leitner-system

    Spaced repetition is not limited to flashcards: https://www.hackingchinese.com/spaced-repetition-not-limited-flashcards/

    Reading is a lot like spaced repetition, only better: https://www.hackingchinese.com/reading-is-a-lot-like-spaced-repetition-only-better/

    An introduction to extensive reading for Chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/introduction-extensive-reading-chinese-learners/

    Anki, the best of spaced repetition software: https://www.hackingchinese.com/anki-a-friendly-intelligent-spaced-learning-system/

    Pleco: https://www.pleco.com/

    Skritter review: Boosting your Chinese character learning: https://www.hackingchinese.com/skritter-chinese-review-boosting-your-character-learning/

    Should you learn Chinese vocabulary from lists? https://www.hackingchinese.com/should-you-learn-chinese-vocabulary-from-lists/

    Analyse and balance your Chinese learning with Paul Nation’s four strands: https://www.hackingchinese.com/analyse-and-balance-your-chinese-learning-with-paul-nations-four-strands/

    Cultivate your Chinese flashcard garden… or burn it down and start afresh: https://www.hackingchinese.com/cultivate-your-chinese-flashcard-garden-or-burn-it-down-and-start-afresh/

    Measuring your language learning is a double-edged sword: https://www.hackingchinese.com/measurable-progress-is-a-double-edged-sword/

    More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

    Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

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    14 Min.
  • 289 - Reader and listener survey + Lunar New Year discount
    Feb 15 2026

    I started Hacking Chinese to help people learn Mandarin, and your feedback is essential, so please fill out my listener survey. Also, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, I'm offering a hefty discount on three of my courses.

    #learnchinese #cny #discount #courses #survey

    Hacking Chinese reader and listener survey: https://forms.gle/FNKLcnDbxoBgULpK9

    Chinese New Year and New Semester Course Discount: https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-new-year-and-new-semester-course-discounts/

    Hacking Chinese Pronunciation: Speaking with Confidence: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/mandarin-chinese-pronunciation-course/

    Unlocking Chinese: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/unlocking-chinese-ultimate-guide-beginner/

    Hacking Chinese: A Practical Guide to Learning Mandarin: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/practical-guide-to-learning-mandarin/

    The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water/

    More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at: https://www.hackingchinese.com/

    Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

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    5 Min.
  • 288 - New book: Hacking Chinese: the Dragon Collection
    Feb 9 2026

    I have published a book! It's called Hacking Chinese: the Dragon Collection and contains articles I wrote in 2024, the Year of the Dragon. The articles cover a wide variety of topics, but tones, listening comprehension and motivation are the most prominent.

    #learnchinese #anthology #hackingchinese #dragon

    Link to article on Hacking Chinese: New book: Hacking Chinese: the Dragon Collection: https://www.hackingchinese.com/new-book-hacking-chinese-the-dragon-collection/

    Purchase the book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4aghT6G

    Best of Hacking Chinese 2024: https://www.hackingchinese.com/best-of-hacking-chinese-2024

    The Dragon Collection contents with links to articles and podcast episodes: https://www.hackingchinese.com/dragon

    Courses on Hacking Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses

    More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

    Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

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    5 Min.
  • 287 - Ep 287 - How to get honest feedback to boost your Chinese speaking and writing
    Feb 2 2026

    Feedback is important for learning, because it can show you how to not use the language and highlight things you hadn't noticed before. But getting honest feedback on your Chinese is harder than you might think.

    #learnchinese #feedback #correction #speaking #writing

    Link to article on Hacking Chinese: How to get honest feedback to boost your Chinese speaking and writing: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-art-of-being-corrected/

    The 10 best free Chinese reading resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-10-best-free-listening-resource-collections-for-learning-chinese

    The 10 best free reading resource collections for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-10-best-free-reading-resource-collections-for-learning-chinese

    How to learn from your mistakes and errors when learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/about-the-importance-of-separating-various-kinds-of-mistakes

    16 myths about learning Chinese that are holding you back: https://www.hackingchinese.com/tone-errors-in-mandarin-that-actually-can-cause-confusion

    Two reasons why pronunciation matters more than you think: https://www.hackingchinese.com/two-reasons-why-pronunciation-matters-more-than-you-think

    Making progress in Chinese in spite of praise: https://www.hackingchinese.com/advancing-in-spite-of-praise

    Making mistakes in Chinese is necessary to adjust your mental models: https://www.hackingchinese.com/making-mistakes-and-correcting-models

    Chinese listening, fast and slow: Three ways of slowing down Mandarin speech: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-the-third-tone

    A smart method to discover problems with Mandarin sounds and tones: https://www.hackingchinese.com/a-smart-method-to-discover-problems-with-tones

    Don’t try to improve everything at once when learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/dont-try-to-improve-everything-at-once-limit-your-focus

    More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

    Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

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    12 Min.
  • 286 - Chinese reading practice for beginners: 7 resources to improve your Mandarin
    Jan 26 2026

    The best way to learn to read Chinese is to read texts you can understand without constantly using a dictionary. As a beginner, those texts aren’t always easy to find, but let’s look at the best reading resources I know for beginners.

    #learnchinese #beginner #reading #resources

    Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Chinese reading practice for beginners: 7 resources to improve your Mandarin: https://www.hackingchinese.com/best-chinese-reading-practice-for-beginners/

    The 10 best free Chinese reading resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/10-best-free-chinese-reading-resources-beginner-intermediate-advanced

    6 challenges students face when learning to read Chinese and how to overcome them: https://www.hackingchinese.com/6-challenges-students-face-when-learning-to-read-chinese-and-how-to-overcome-them

    Introduction extensive reading chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/introduction-extensive-reading-chinese-learners

    8 great ways to scaffold your Chinese listening and reading: https://www.hackingchinese.com/8-great-ways-scaffold-chinese-learning

    Why you should use more than one Chinese textbook: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-use-more-than-one-chinese-textbook

    Review: Mandarin Companion: Easy to read novels in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/review-mandarin-companion-easy-to-read-novels-in-chinese

    Escape: A text adventure game for Chinese learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/escape-text-adventure-game-chinese-learners

    Free and easy audio flashcards for Chinese dictation practice with Anki: https://www.hackingchinese.com/free-and-easy-audio-flashcards-for-chinese-dictation-practice-with-anki

    The 10 best free Chinese listening resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-10-best-free-chinese-listening-resources-for-beginner-intermediate-and-advanced-learners

    12 ways chatting online will improve your Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/chat-your-way-to-better-chinese

    The virtues of language exchanges: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-virtues-of-language-exchanges

    Beginner Chinese listening practice: what to listen to and how: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beginner-chinese-listening-practice-what-to-listen-to-and-how

    More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

    Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

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    17 Min.
  • 285 - Chinese subtitles and transcripts: Reading before, while or after listening
    Jan 19 2026

    Subtitles and transcripts can help you understand spoken Chinese, but do they also help you become a better listener? Should you read along, read first, or save the text for after you’ve listened?

    #learnchinese #listening #reading #subtitles #transcripts

    Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Chinese subtitles and transcripts: Reading before, while or after listening: https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-subtitles-and-transcripts-reading-before-while-or-after-listening/

    The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water

    Listen more than once: How the replay button can help you learn more Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/listen-more-than-once-how-the-replay-button-can-help-you-learn-more-chinese

    Listen before you read: Improve your listening ability: https://www.hackingchinese.com/listen-before-you-read-improve-your-listening-ability

    The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese

    The best podcasts for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-podcasts-for-learning-chinese

    More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

    Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

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    21 Min.
  • 284 - Chinese listening, fast and slow: Three ways of slowing down Mandarin speech
    Jan 12 2026

    Spoken Mandarin can feel like an onslaught of similar sounds, half-recognised tones and unknown words. To add insult to injury, it's often too fast! Should you slow it down? If so, how?

    #learnchinese #listening #speed #rateofspeech #fast #slow

    Link to article on Hacking Chinese: Chinese listening, fast and slow: Three ways of slowing down Mandarin speech: https://www.hackingchinese.com/chinese-listening-fast-and-slow-three-ways-of-slowing-down-mandarin-speech/

    Beyond tīng bu dǒng, part 4: Learning to process spoken Mandarin quickly and effortlessly: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beyond-ting-bu-dong-part-4-learning-to-process-spoken-mandarin-quickly-and-effortlessly

    The Fluent Listener: Navigating Spoken Mandarin Like a Fish in Water: https://www.hackingchinese.com/courses/the-fluent-listener-navigating-mandarin-like-a-fish-in-water

    Learning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-input

    Learning the third tone in Mandarin Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-the-third-tone-mandarin-chinese

    Learning the neutral tone in Mandarin: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-the-neutral-tone-in-mandarin

    Listen more than once: How the replay button can help you learn more Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/listen-more-than-once-how-the-replay-button-can-help-you-learn-more-chinese

    Using Audacity to learn Chinese (speaking and listening): https://www.hackingchinese.com/using-audacity-to-learn-chinese-speaking-and-listening

    The 10 best free C listening resources for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-10-best-free-chinese-listening-resources-for-beginner-intermediate-and-advanced-learners

    Beginner Chinese listening practice: what to listen to and how: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beginner-chinese-listening-practice-what-to-listen-to-and-how

    The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese

    More information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.com

    Music: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)

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    19 Min.
  • 283 - Best of Hacking Chinese 2025
    Jan 5 2026
    2025 has come to an end. Which were the most popular articles on Hacking Chinese last year? The most popular podcast episodes? It's time to summarise the year that was and highlight the things you really shouldn’t miss!#learnchinese #2025 #bestof #hackingchineseLink to article on Hacking Chinese: Best of Hacking Chinese 2025: https://www.hackingchinese.com/best-of-hacking-chinese-2025/All articles on Hacking Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/archive-2Hacking Chinese Resources: http://resources.hackingchinese.com/Hacking Chinese Challenges: https://challenges.hackingchinese.com/Zi.Tools: A powerful free resource for exploring Chinese characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/zi-tools-a-powerful-free-resource-for-exploring-chinese-charactersClassroom Mandarin: Essential expressions for learning Chinese in Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/classroom-mandarin-essential-expressions-for-learning-chinese-in-chineseUsing AI chatbots for low-stress Mandarin speaking practice: https://www.hackingchinese.com/using-ai-chatbots-for-low-stress-mandarin-speaking-practiceLearning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-inputThe best YouTube channels for learning Chinese in 2025: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chineseLove and language: Challenges and opportunities in learning Chinese with a partner: https://www.hackingchinese.com/language-learning-with-a-chinese-girlfriend-or-boyfriend16 reasons to learn to write Chinese characters by hand: https://www.hackingchinese.com/reasons-to-learn-to-write-chinese-characters-by-hand7 characteristics of a great chinese tutor or private teacher: https://www.hackingchinese.com/characteristics-of-a-great-chinese-tutor-or-private-teacher16 myths about learning Chinese that are holding you back: https://www.hackingchinese.com/myths-about-learning-chinese-that-are-holding-you-backWhat a big Rubik’s Cube taught me about Chinese characters: https://www.hackingchinese.com/what-a-big-rubiks-cube-taught-me-about-chinese-characters4, 3, 2, 1: Fluency! A great technique to boost your Mandarin speaking ability: https://www.hackingchinese.com/4-3-2-1-fluency-a-great-technique-for-boost-your-mandarin-speaking-abilityHow to improve your Mandarin speaking skills with a tutor: https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-to-improve-your-mandarin-speaking-skills-with-a-tutorThe three roads to mastering Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-three-roads-to-mastering-chineseThe Input Pyramid: Chinese Listening for Any Situation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-input-pyramid-chinese-listening-for-any-situationCourses on Hacking Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/coursesMore information and inspiration about learning and teaching Chinese can be found at https://www.hackingchinese.comMusic: "Traxis 1 ~ F. Benjamin" by Traxis, 2020 - Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (3.0)
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    18 Min.