#pinyin

[xiaokuer-schmetterling]

documenting my journey to really actually making podfic!

EDIT!!! 2026.02.11 we are at 13 MONTHS OF BEDTIME STORIES ~~ despite the horrors, we persist (ʘᴗʘ✿)

this post is gonna be an ongoing series of links (in the replies) for blog posts that inspired me to DO THE THING! it's like tracking what bits of tumblr i was interacting with almost in real time.

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EDIT: 2025.03.10--i've also been making updates of podfic resources and personal stories in the replies!

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to everyone i have reblogged with the xk_s_reads tag, and especially those who replied to me: i just want to tell you that your post was part of the inspiration & motivation that led me to making & posting my very first podfics!!! tysvm!!!

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follow my podfic tag — xk_s_reads !!!

what's possibly coming up next for recording??? 🔮 podfic teaser (...used veeeery sporadically lol)

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my self-aimed ao3 work notes / instruction guide so i remember how i do the podfic thing (CONSTANTLY UNDER REVISION lol)

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BABY'S FIRST AO3 POSTED WORK !!!

[podfic] Just One More by MaelstromOfEmotions

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baby's first podfic experiment

https://www.tumblr.com/xiaokuer-schmetterling/772445948782821376/hope-poem

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tyvm for the support & encouragement in chats

@ferntasie @maelstrom-of-emotions @travelingneuritis @keriarentikai @geck-motj

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ao3 resources

the list prev in this section compiled into the 'references' chapter of my podficcing notes to self/instruction guide: https://archiveofourown.org/works/62233522/chapters/160984369

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pinyin pronunciation resources (bc i make a lot of danmei-origin podfic)

i took a semester of mandarin chinese in community college forever ago and this is something i found that is catchy and quirky and funny and memorable. it's part 1 of a 4 video playlist. actually really helpful if you pay attention to the shape of the mouse's mouth. the grouped consonants all have the same mouth shape with sequentially further back positioning of the tip of the tongue on the roof of your mouth fyi

this is a pinyin guide by user @pumpkinpaix and it has an accompanying transcript with tone markers and embedded audio!

https://pumpkinpaix.tumblr.com/post/619038202237452288/hello-cyan-you-have-the-cutest-voice-one-thing

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btw this is the image in my mind anytime i say I DID THE THING or similar

motivational art by @thelatestkate

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end post

[rigelmejo]

Mandarin Pinyin Pronunciation Resources

In English:

dong-chinese's pinyin guide and tone trainer: https://www.dong-chinese.com/learn/sounds/pinyin 

Yoyo Chinese's pinyin chart: https://yoyochinese.com/chinese-learning-tools/Mandarin-Chinese-pronunciation-lesson/pinyin-chart-table 

Yoyo Chinese's tone pairs chart https://yoyochinese.com/chinese-learning-tools/tone-pairs

In Mandarin:

This video is a Mandarin speaker going through the pronunciation of all the initials and finals : https://youtu.be/qKep0hxW_hE?si=xTEEIOj05_pRfRBV 

This Mandarin video playlist that goes through pinyin pronunciation too: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJGfzjcr6g7hC2uptvrKYncItJ9La_dwU

Contains Cantonese:

This 03粤语音标录播课程（粤语拼音）13节课 playlist is a Mandarin speaker explaining Cantonese I think, but the comparison between the pronunciations might be useful: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF9R18laHAEWYcgiwLkLFXQrBG2S3Zr3-&si=nwAR100nV2Q4LTRd

In Cantonese:

This 普通話教學（成人版）playlist may be a Cantonese speaker teaching Mandarin pinyin, but I am not sure how Cantonese sounds so I'm not sure it's Cantonese: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkcEKTxdjHdQ5fWw8_imZXoJjkheMvWtD&si=cDSH-6l_cCcnr0mD

[checkyourasianbias]

Hi! Is it okay to ask for help with pinyin here? I'm not sure which way I should write my characters name but Idk if this is the right blog to ask about it.

Hello, and yes of course! I don't know what your character's name is yet, but I added three links that felt helpful for me just in case <3

Learn how to pronounce Mandarin Chinese with audio demonstrations and video explanations for every possible sound combination in the languag

Learn Pinyin | Learn to Pronounce Chinese with the Yoyo Chinese Pinyin Lesson Series

Pinyin isn't just a way of writing Chinese using the alphabet. It's your guide to learning how to pronounce Mandarin Chinese! After you watc

Translate your English name to Chinese with our free name generator. Get accurate Chinese name translations with proper pronunciation and cu

^ This one I am not 100% sure on? If you generate a name with it as a starting point, I would still check to make sure it sounds authentic with other naming sources (I do like the other general names they provide and list with pronunciations!)

[blackpointgame]

aabon35

[literaryvein-reblogs]

A List of "Beautiful" Chinese Words

for your next poem/story

Pinyin - English

Àn - dark

Ān quán - safe

Bēi cǎn - tragic

Dú tè - unique

Fàng sōng - relaxed

Hài xiū - shy

Huā shào - flowery

Jiāo - burnt

Jiāo ruò - delicate

Jīng diǎn - timeless

Jīng zhì - exquisite

Kǔ tián - bittersweet

Měi (lì) - beautiful

Méng lóng - misty, hazy

Mó hu - vague

Nài xīn - patient

Qí guài - strange

Róu hé - soft

Sī huá - silky

Tián - sweet

Xī yǒu - rare

Xiāng - fragrant, aromatic

Yǒu jià zhí - valuable

Yù - rich, strong

Zì xìn - confident

Hanyu pinyin

The phonetic symbols for Chinese characters.

The system to transcribe Mandarin Chinese sounds into a Latin alphabet.

It was invented in the 50s, and adopted officially in mainland China in 1958.

Pinyin is used for several purposes:

It can help learners of Chinese (including native speakers) to read Chinese characters and/or words.

To transcribe names and places into words accessible to Romanized language speakers, and it can be used as an input method for typing Chinese characters.

If any of these words make their way into your next poem/story, please tag me, or send me a link. I would love to read them!

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ More: Word Lists

[passions-and-pupils]

When I first listened to the SVSSS audio book the only other Chinese medias I had consumed were all Journey to the west related, where most of the names were just descriptions (demon bull king, Red Boy, Jade emperor) and all of the main characters were mostly referred to the same way (pig, monkey, monk)

So I had no idea how bad I was at remembering Chinese names or why it was so difficult for me until I actually started learning the language and realized Chinese names use very different sounds in comparison to English ones and my brain wasn’t registering them as names or even words because I couldn’t recreate them in my head.

Sadly the only real solution to this was getting used to the way pinyin works and mandarin sounds, which just takes practice. I’m still not great at it but, I’m getting better as I learn the language.

I am very proud of myself for learning Shi Qingxuan’s name, which was very difficult for me because English only uses like- one of those syllables and would not spell it like that. They were my favorite character in TGCF tho so I actually managed to learn it after the Black Water Arc

[ruhua-langblr]

I’ve wanted to learn mandarin for a while but the language feels really overwhelming. do you have any absolute beginner tips? also is learning to write/read pinyin a good starting point or should that wait till later?

Hi! Sorry for getting back a little late, I've been a bit busy!

I totally get how it feels really overwhelming because it genuinely can be at times! If you want to start, you don't start with learning characters and vocab, but learning pinyin and tones. Training your pronunciation and listening skills is so fundamental, so it is always the first thing anyone learning this language learns—even native speakers! Pinyin uses the alphabet and tone markers to express the sounds of the language. The way they are pronounced can be different than what you may be used to, so remember that it is just a guide and not a totally phonetic equivalent.

I really recommend this video series since it's free and very comprehensive. It also links to their pinyin chart which will give you every single pronunciation you could ever hear. Chinese pronunciation is very consistent, so you can learn every possible combination of sounds relatively easily! After you finish that, then move on to learning vocabulary and grammar like any other language.

If you specifically want to learn Taiwanese Mandarin, they do not use pinyin, but zhuyin. It works the same way and teaches the same sounds, but does not use the alphabet, but it's own system of symbols. I'd recommend learning both pinyin and zhuyin in that case. Here is a video series on Zhuyin!

It can be a lot to take in at the beginning, but you've got this!

加油！

[ngocngadotnet]

🌸😢📅 Will April still be kind to me? It started off by lying to me on the very first day. // 四月还会对我好吗？它第一天就在骗我。 Sì yuè hái huì duì wǒ hǎo ma? Tā dì yī tiān jiù zài piàn wǒ.

Check out Vietnamese and Chinese versions: https://ngocnga.net/april-feels/?utm_source=tumblr&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=quote