b o o b o o

[mandarinmoon]

how i'm studying mandarin (in 2024)

as a low-maintenance language learner working a 9-6 office job, i've been muddling around how to improve my mandarin in my free time and keep it fun! And I've found what works for me (thanks to a lot of lurking on here - appreciate all you mandarin langblrs <3), so wanted to share :)

Evening lessons (or italki) - Self studying is great but I do need a kick up the ass sometimes, so these really help. Plus my teacher is great at giving tips here and there which I probably wouldn't pick up on on my own.

ChinesePod - Their podcasts are really well made and accessible, I can't recommend them enough!

HelloChinese - This is my 'I'm bored waiting for my train/bus but I still want to learn Chinese' option that isn't Duolingo. It's not perfect but it has fairly good grammar explanations and native listening segments. You do have to pay a subscription if you're over HSK1 level FYI.

I am an anki hater first and foremost, so here's the vocab learning / dictionary tools I use instead:

TofuLearn - It's straightforward, uses spaced repetition learning AND teaches you stroke order - so ticks all my boxes. Picked it up due to @marilearnsmandarin's posts about it!

Pleco - Obviously, everyone has it downloaded for a reason.

Yabla Chinese Dictionary - Not seen this one talked about so much, but would recommend! It sometimes has video examples of the hanzi in use, which I find helpful.

A big goal for me this year is to consume mandarin content more regularly! It's all well and good watching Peppa Pig, but I need something that I actively want to engage with:

Bilibili Comics - Currently reading 肉店楼上的工作室 and able to understand a fair chunk, so would recommend as a "easier" option.

Mandopop - Not sure how much I'm picking up from listening, especially at my level, but it's fun to jam out to some good tunes. Faves include TIA RAY, Song Qian, Lexie Liu, No Party for Cao Dong & Shi Shi.

Dramas/Movies - Modern chinese dramas are a lot more hit-or-miss for me, especially compared to historical/fantasy. Recent faves include Accidentally in Love & Stay with Me (on Netflix/Viki). Currently watching Reset :) Any other recs, please send my way!

YouTube - I have a separate YT account just to follow Taiwanese/Chinese creators - it takes a bit of searching but you can find some great youtubers who talk about whatever hobby you're into (whether that's cute golden retriever vlogs, travel vlogs or reading vlogs!)

[5-cz]

my Mandarin teacher has been giving us tongue twisters recently to help our pronunciation so I thought I'd share them:

first the classic:

四是四，十是十， 十四是十四， 四十是四十， 他们不是四十四 (sì shì sì , shí shì shí, shí sì shì shí sì, sì shí shì sì shí, tā men bùshì sì shí sì) four is four, ten is ten, fourteen is fourteen, forty is forty, they are not forty-four

and then these two specifically focused on nasal finals:

青青山上一根藤， 青藤底下挂铜铃， 风吹藤动铜铃动， 风停藤停铜铃停 (qīngqīng shān shàng yì gēn téng, qīng téng dǐ xià guà tóng líng, fēng chuī téng dòng tóng líng dòng, fēng tíng téng tíng tóng líng tíng) On a green mountain there is a vine, Under the green vine hang copper bells. The wind blows, the vine moves, the copper bells move. The wind stops, the vine stops, the copper bells stop.

扁担长，板凳宽, 扁担要绑在板凳上， 板凳不让扁担绑在板凳上， 扁担偏要绑在板凳上。 (biǎn dan cháng, bǎn dèng kuān, biǎn dan yào bǎng zài bǎn dèng shàng, bǎn dèng bú ràng biǎn dan bǎng zài bǎn dèng shàng, biǎn dan piān yào bǎng zài bǎn dèng shàng） The bamboo pole is long, and the wooden bench is wide, The bamboo pole wants to be tied to the wooden bench, The wooden bench doesn't let the bamboo pole be tied to it, But the bamboo pole insists on being tied to the wooden bench

[marilearnsmandarin]

These are the apps and links I currently have on my phone to study Chinese:

SuperChinese: my main study resource. There are currently 7 levels, level 7 (still incomplete, they are still slowly adding lessons to it) being HSK 5 stuff. Each lesson has vocabulary, grammar and a short dialogue where those are used in context (I love context). It has a few free lessons in the lower levels but after that you have to buy a subscription. There are many sales though. When I was a beginner I used HelloChinese instead, which has more free content, and switched to SuperChinese when I finished all the free content there. It also has social network features and chat rooms I don't use.

TofuLearn is like a flashcard app with many pre-made decks (you can also create your own on their website and import decks from Anki) and the option to practice writing hanzi. Anki didn't work for me, but I find Tofu very helpful. Practicing writing helps me with character recognition, and it also helps me remember the tones thanks to the audio in the pre-made HSK decks.

Dot is a reading app with new texts being added every day. It used to be completely free, which actually seemed too good to be true, and then they put practically everything behind a paywall and very strict limits for free users. After a couple of months they made it a little less restricted though - we still can't choose the articles but we can read as many as we want as long as we do the vocabulary exercises after each article (plus, during the Spring Festival, they made all articles available for free for 3 days and we could save the ones we were interested in to read later). It follows the new, not-yet-implemented (and harder) HSK levels, so you should start one or two levels below yours and if the texts are too easy move up.

Google Translator: not the best but helpful when I need to translate whole sentences, plus I can point my camera or open an image and it translates writing.

Pleco: best Chinese to English dictionary.

Stroke Order: not an app but a website, does what it says in the tin: shows stroke order for a specific character.

YouGlish: also a website, you can put a word or phrase and it shows videos where people say that word/phrase. Very cool.

Todaii is a graded news app that has only two levels: easy and hard. I'm around level HSK4 and the "easy" level is quite hard though (but I admit reading is my nemesis).

I also use YouTube and Spotify a lot.

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

The 然's

突然，虽然，忽然. and the other 然's can often get mixed up, so here's a quick explanation of some of the most common ones!

突然 (Túrán): This means suddenly or unexpectedly

居然 (Jūrán): This kind of means suddenly, but more in the sense of "surprisingly" or to suggest disbelief at something that happened.

忽然 (Hūrán): This also means suddenly or unexpectedly, but it has a more stronger connotation.

既然 (Jìrán): This is a conjunction meaning "since" or "now that"

既然the weather is great, let's go out!

既然 you aren't busy, let's go watch a movie.

不然 (Bùrán): This means "otherwise" or "or else";

You should study, 不然 you won't do well on the exam.

虽然 (Suīrán): This means although or even though.

虽然 I'm not good at singing, I still like to go to the karaoke.

当然 (Dāngrán): 当然 means certainly or definitely and can be used as a reply:

Can you help me with A? 当然!

自然 (Zìrán): This can mean nature or naturally.

China's 自然 is very beautiful.

She speaks Chinese 得很自然.

仍然 (Réngrán): This can mean "still" or "yet".

I仍然 haven't read that book.

依然 (Yīrán): Similar to 仍然, this also means still" or "yet" but it's usually used in more formal and literary works, whereas 仍然 is more often used in spoken language.

果然 (Guǒrán): 果然 can be used to mean "indeed" or "as expected"

This movie is 果然 interesting.

竟然 (Jìngrán): This is an adverb used to suggest surprise or something unexpected.

He竟然forgot her birthday.

显然 (Xiǎnrán): This means "clearly" or "obviously".

This soup 显然 hot.

偶然 (Ǒurán): This means "accidentally" or "by chance".

We 偶然 met at the same cafe.

How many other 然's do you know about? Drop a comment!

[mandarinmoon]

how i'm studying mandarin (in 2024)

as a low-maintenance language learner working a 9-6 office job, i've been muddling around how to improve my mandarin in my free time and keep it fun! And I've found what works for me (thanks to a lot of lurking on here - appreciate all you mandarin langblrs <3), so wanted to share :)

Evening lessons (or italki) - Self studying is great but I do need a kick up the ass sometimes, so these really help. Plus my teacher is great at giving tips here and there which I probably wouldn't pick up on on my own.

ChinesePod - Their podcasts are really well made and accessible, I can't recommend them enough!

HelloChinese - This is my 'I'm bored waiting for my train/bus but I still want to learn Chinese' option that isn't Duolingo. It's not perfect but it has fairly good grammar explanations and native listening segments. You do have to pay a subscription if you're over HSK1 level FYI.

I am an anki hater first and foremost, so here's the vocab learning / dictionary tools I use instead:

TofuLearn - It's straightforward, uses spaced repetition learning AND teaches you stroke order - so ticks all my boxes. Picked it up due to @marilearnsmandarin's posts about it!

Pleco - Obviously, everyone has it downloaded for a reason.

Yabla Chinese Dictionary - Not seen this one talked about so much, but would recommend! It sometimes has video examples of the hanzi in use, which I find helpful.

A big goal for me this year is to consume mandarin content more regularly! It's all well and good watching Peppa Pig, but I need something that I actively want to engage with:

Bilibili Comics - Currently reading 肉店楼上的工作室 and able to understand a fair chunk, so would recommend as a "easier" option.

Mandopop - Not sure how much I'm picking up from listening, especially at my level, but it's fun to jam out to some good tunes. Faves include TIA RAY, Song Qian, Lexie Liu, No Party for Cao Dong & Shi Shi.

Dramas/Movies - Modern chinese dramas are a lot more hit-or-miss for me, especially compared to historical/fantasy. Recent faves include Accidentally in Love & Stay with Me (on Netflix/Viki). Currently watching Reset :) Any other recs, please send my way!

YouTube - I have a separate YT account just to follow Taiwanese/Chinese creators - it takes a bit of searching but you can find some great youtubers who talk about whatever hobby you're into (whether that's cute golden retriever vlogs, travel vlogs or reading vlogs!)

[studybooboo]

I feel like I'm trying to fit in too many places and trying to control too many personas at the same time.....

[kxowledge]

“Many young Americans think that to know themselves they need to find themselves, and they hold the naive belief that if they could just strip off everyday life like layers of an onion they would reach their true core, unadulterated by other people’s expectations and the distractions of a fastpaced world. They believe that they have a true core, an essence, and that it sits inside of them waiting to be discovered, and that once they find it they will know whether they ought to be a doctor or a lawyer or a philosophy professor. Sometimes these young people go to Europe and work their way through Mediterranean countries picking grapes, confident that their true self will emerge somewhere en route to Italy. But people who believe that the self is like an onion and their true self is its core have not spent much time in the kitchen. Peel an onion down to its core and all you will find is air. You are not an untouched core. You are and will become the sum of your commitments, your choices—moral, intellectual, and practical—they amount to much the same thing in the end. To find yourself, don’t dig under the surface of your life. Look at what you actually do, at what you come to care for, at what you fight to defend. Look at the small choices you make every day in the classroom, in the way that you read and interpret and argue, and the big choices will sort themselves out by themselves.”

— 2003 - Tanya Luhrmann | Aims of Education | The University of Chicago (via logicandgrace)

[lifeofthegrind]

some people were asking for a actual and i can never pass up an opportunity to procrastinate so here’s just a couple of things i always need to remind myself of…now back to my paper :(

[adelinestudiess]

Handwriting

1. Search for inspirations online.

Type ‘handwriting’ or ‘studyblr’ on Tumblr

Search for studygrams.

Search on Pinterest

2. Incorporate it into my own handwriting style

3. Practiced a lot as well as watch videos on how to improve my handwriting etc, to achieve your ‘neat’ handwriting

How to improve your handwriting by @studyquill

Improve your handwriting by @procrastinatecreate

Improve your handwriting by @studywithinspo

Improve my handwriting quickly by @emmastudies

Tips and tricks for handwriting by @tbhstudying

How to improve your cursive

Taking notes

My notetaking system:

Writes headers in cursive or letter it

Writes the important content in bullet points

Adds diagrams if they are any shown in the textbook

Taking notes

How to take notes by @thatsogerman

How to take notes by @sassy-prefect

How to take notes from a video

How I take notes

How I take notes by @cherstudies

How I take notes by @briellestudies

How I take notes by @academicmind

How I take notes

How I take notes by @parate-regis

My notetaking system

Note outlining method by @studious-annabeth

Eintsein guide to note taking by @eintsein

Effective note taking by @afternaomi

Note taking tips by @studywright

Note taking tips by @b-uwu-ng

Note taking tips by @studyfulltime

From textbook

Pretty and helpful textbook note titles by @ariistides

How to take notes from a textbook

Take notes from a textbook by @rhubarbstudies

Take notes from textbook by @howtosucceedinschool

How I take textbook notes by @stressedestudiante

Taking notes from textbooks by @noteology

Transformed 300 pages into 13 by @study-with-batmicka

From lectures/classes

Copy down what the lecturer is saying instead of the things on the slides because they are often important and not included in the slides. The slides maybe uploaded after the lecture.

Taking notes in lectures by @joulesstudies

Take lecture notes by @letsget-downtobusiness

How to take effective class or lecture notes

How to take notes faster

Symbols and abbreviations by @studyquirk

Symbols and abbreviations by @mystudentid

How I take notes in-class

Some tips for lectures by @justanotherpsychmajor

Lecture notes by @studypetals

Lecture notes by @studyrose

Note taking methods

Note taking systems by @kimtented

Cornell notes by @operationpsych

Cornell notetaking system by @jumpahead

When to use by @studytip

How to use sticky notes by @etudiance

Mind maps vs text notes by @engincrd

Mind maps

A mind map about mind mapping

How to mind map by @study-nsp

For Literature

How I annotate my textbook by @studentstoolbox

How to annotate

Annotate and taking notes from Literature

Annotating effectively by @hideandstudy

Annotations and note-taking by @novanovelist

For Biology

How to take Biology notes

For History

How to take History notes

For any history note taking tips by @simply-study

Colour coding

My colour code is usually black and one other colour

How to create an effective colour coding system

Colour code notes tips and tricks

A guide to colour code by @oreo-studies

Aesthetic notes

How to illustrate your notes by @reviseordie

Aesthetic notes

Guide to pretty notes by @theorganisedstudent

Tips for writing prettier notes by @focusign

Banners and fonts

Quick and easy lettering tips by @yellowtonin

App

Microsoft OneNote tutorial

Take notes on my ipad pro by @pridebulletjournal

Digital notes: a how to by @alex-is-on-a-mission

Using Microsoft OneNote by @juliastudies

Printables

Note taking printables

Diy cut out flashcard printable pack

Gradient notes by @ennui-for-me

6 page exam revision printable pack

Study pack

[madeleinejubileesaito]

13&14/30

read all 30

[terhangus]

on the studyblr aesthetic & capitalism (surprise!)

i’m glad once more the hot topic we’re talking about is the studyblr / dark academic / etc “aesthetic” & how they overglorify working yourself to exhaustion, championing a consumerist lifestyle that is at most ignorant to the common reality of students around the world and at worst classist in how it makes its viewers assume & lead to the common POV that in order to be a “good” studyblr / etc you must own muji notebooks, go cafe-hopping, own leatherbound copies of english lit “”classics””. because we HAVE been talking about this since, god, 2015? 

yet as the studyblr space became more capitalized (i’m looking at you, every single popular studyblr who have moved on to ig & do sponsored posts every time they post – circa mid 2016, 2017) this kind of aesthetic has just been entrenched in the community, because the well-known users have that kind of aesthetic. it DEFINES us. bujos that take too much time (literally they’re not even bullet journals theyre just JOURNALS), watercolored notes, all of that. now, i truly can’t blame individuals here bc we’re all victims of the system, but realize how the studyblrs & studygrams that have a big follower count & get sponsors are those who can in the first place afford that kind of aesthetic? that those who have the “grind” lifestyle don’t have anything to worry but their academics (like, they probably have a part time job, but they wont die if they lose it)?

this post is rambly as hell but i’d like to think im making a point that: we must detach ourselves from this line of thinking and continue supporting studyblrs that aren’t flatlay-photo based and instead FORM. A FUCKING. COMMUNITY. that we think we are but aren’t. that actually interacts with each other, as equals. where we don’t focus on pictures instead but actually our growth as individuals in this academic hell – supported by so many others that are in the same journey as us.

(also dark academia ~aesthetic~ is so fucking western-centric it makes my blood boil as an indonesian but that’s another post for another time)

(thank you @blackgrad @idiotacademia @coffeeandpies & numerous others who’ve been talking abt this issue on the dash <3)

[studybooboo]

14.02.2020 ⋆. · ° ·｡

Continued my reviewing, finally estabilished how I want to do it. Grammar review then vocabulary, also learning apps when I don't have enough time. Is being hard, I can't find songs or youtubers to train the listening, but I'll keep trying.

[linastudyblrsblog]

Urinary system :

about anatomy session yesterday

[studybooboo]

11.02.2020 ⋆.·°·｡

Today I started to review what I already learned in German, considering I stopped for almost 7 months. Hope I didn't forget everything and can jump to progressing soon. ♡

[studybooboo]

08.09.2019

· { 13 / 30 days of productivity } ·

So today is a day of old pics again hehe. I woke up with my dog running after the chickens. YES CHICKENS. Yesterday my grandma brought home a rooster and a chicken and my dog is crazy to catch them, so I woke up with screams of horror and dread, both chicken and my grandma. But, I studied for my make up test of tomorrow and was it.

[studybooboo]

07.09.2019

· { 12 / 30 days of productivity } ·

Today I studied for my math exam, but still need to study for organic and geral chemistry. Think I'll have time enough. The day was so humid, my books will suffer.

[studybooboo]

06.09.2019

· { 11 / 30 days od productivity } ·

Did things, went to school.

I'm not doing well so I don't really know if I want to post this weekend.