Mandarin Immersion

Some More Resources For Learning Mandarin

2007-03-20T19:13:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd share with you what I've been doing lately to try to learn as much Mandarin as I can by pointing out various resources that I regularly use to help in my learning. At this point, I can read a few common characters (about 50) and I can understand and speak some basic phrases.

I have already learned several songs I like and I will be enrolling in Mandarin classes at the end of March and I have several books and learning material to go through.

Whenever I can and whenever I'm on the computer (either surfing or blogging), I'll usually turn on the Internet radio station that plays Mandarin music. The site I go to connect is at Mandarin Radio and they usually play some current hits along with music that is not too old. This is the place where I get to know the music that's out there.

Unfortunately, like most other Internet radio stations, they are going to have to start paying royalties, which means they'll start limiting access unless you become a paid member. At this point, I'm not sure where I'll go to get up-to-date with Mandarin music.

If there are words or phrases (such as lyrics to songs) that are written in Chinese and I don't understand, what I'll usually do is bring up the Babel Fish page and I'll cut and paste the text I can't read and have it translated. Of course, the translations are 100% understandable, but at least you'd get the literal meaning.

Is there a Chinese word that you'd like to know how to pronounce? Check out the Chinese-English Dictionary where you can copy and paste a Chinese word, do a search, and it will return what it means and how to say it (using PinYin) along with several common uses of the word. To start the dictionary, click on the button "Start Chinese English Dictionary". Unfortunately, you can only do one Chinese character at a time.

Want to watch Mandarin TV? Well now you can! I found this site that has several live streaming TV stations that you can watch through the web - and it's free! They have several TV stations from Beijing, Taiwan, and several other cities. I've been checking out several of these TV stations and I was able to catch some talk shows, some TV dramas, and news. In fact, some of the shows have English subtitles! Check it out at Chinese Internet Television via Multilingual Books (scroll down to the bottom of the page for the list of TV stations).

Another great source of learning is a set of books I got called "Integrated Chinese". In it, it teaches you the basics and how to read and write both traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. I have both the textbook and the workbook and I have just started to explore their online tools they have as well. I have the Level 1, Part 1 textbook and workbook, which will teach you about 350 Chinese words and how to use them. Once I complete this set of books, I may go on to Level 1, Part 2, which will introduce another 600 Chinese words. You can get these books through any online book retailer or bookstore.

Finally, you can always find Mandarin music videos or Mandarin TV shows on YouTube. In fact, you might be able to find complete TV series WITH English subtitles at YouTube, so be on the lookout. If you have trouble searching for that favorite Mandarin song, I find that it sometimes helps if you actually have the Chinese name of the singer and possibly the Chinese name of the song when you are doing your search.

Angela Chang (張韶涵)

2007-03-15T13:20:00.000-04:00

I have to admit that when I first heard some of Angela Chang's (張韶涵) songs, I didn't really like them...at first. After hearing them a couple more times, I started enjoy some of her music somewhat, so I went looking for some of her music videos.

When I listened to some more of her music, again, I didn't really like them at first, but after hearing them a couple of times, I started liking them some more.

When researching a little more about her, I was surprised that she emigrated to Canada for a while and attended school here, but then went back to Taiwan to persue her acting and singing career.

Here are a few songs of her's that I heard and liked the first time I heard it - either because I liked the melody of the lyrics or I liked the opening tune of the song. Keep in mind that YouTube appears to be slowly removing her music videos from the site so the videos below may or may not play. These and other vidoes by Angela Chang can be found at my Mandarin Music Videos group at YouTube

First, here is "Wonderland Flower" (夢裡花) (Meng Li Hua):

Next is "My Favorite" (我的最愛) (Wo De Zui Ai):

Lastly, here is "Journey Of Love" (愛情旅程) (Ai Qing Lu Cheng):

David Tao (陶喆) Concert

2007-03-14T20:23:00.000-04:00

First I want to say that I'm back and I've gotten myself all organized so that I can continue with regular postings. Things have been busy lately as I've been really focusing a lot of my attention to what I do for a living.

But I'm a firm believer in having balance in your life and I think this blog helps balance my own life and I've neglected it for too long.

Anyways, David Tao (陶喆) is coming to Toronto for a concert and I've got tickets! Late last year I started listening to some of his songs and I really like how he doesn't try to be someone he isn't.

Most of his music is of a slower variety - some R&B mixed in with some slow rock so I'm looking forward to the concert which is being held here in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday March 29 for his "Love Can World Tour".

And like I said, I'll be back with regular postings so this blog can get moving again. One thing to note - I've noticed more and more Mandarin music videos being removed from YouTube and it's making things very difficult to either post them in this blog (for fear of video removal) and for the Music Video Group I have going on at YouTube.

Needless to say, it's making my source of Mandarin music a little more hard to come by.

Like I said, this blog is back up and running, so stay tuned for more posts!

My New Favorite Singer - Elva Hsiao (蕭亞軒)

2007-01-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

I only recently started listening to some of Elva Hsiao's (蕭亞軒) songs and I found that I really liked most of her songs (which is hard to say these days). Usually with most artists I've heard, I'd like one or two songs, but then I find I don't like any of their other songs...not so with Elva.

I must have heard 10 of Elva's songs back to back and I was surprised that I like each and every one of them!

Her albums are now at the top of my "Must Have" list.

Here are three of her songs that I simply can't stop listening to.

The first has a great funky vibe that I love - here is "Suddenly Thinking Of You" (突然想起你):

Next is "His & Her Story" (他和她的故事):

Lastly, this is "Kiss" (吻):

Remember, all videos I post up on this blogsite can be found in the YouTube group I created and can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/group/mandarin

I am constantly adding more and more Mandarin music videos that I like to the group, so be sure to visit often!

New YouTube Music Video Group

2007-01-18T16:38:00.000-05:00

Hey folks. I've been real busy lately, but I just wanted to let you folks know that I've just set up a new group in YouTube where I have collected over 100 Mandarin music videos. The group can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/group/mandarin

I've collected music videos by Jay Chou, Jolin Tsai, S.H.E., F.I.R., Nan Quan Mama, Elva Hsiao, Angela Chang, Chen Lin, Angela An, Tank, Vicki Zhao, and Fish Leong. I'll continue to add more music videos to music I like over time.

Please let me know what you think via comments either here or at the group message board at YouTube. If you have a song suggestion or an artist suggestion, let me know and I'll have a listen and if I like it, then I'll add it to the group as well.

Some Sad Songs By Jolin Tsai (蔡依林)

2007-01-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the absence...I've just been real busy trying to get my act together for the New Year.

Anyways, lately I've been listening to more and more of Jolin Tsai's (蔡依林) music and I've been starting to like her more and more.

Here are a couple of sad songs from her album J-Game. So if you've just broken up, miss someone, or you have a crush on someone you can't have, here are some songs for you...

Here is "Repeat Note" (反覆記號) (Fan Fu Ji Hao):

And here is "Missing You" (好想你) (Hao Xiang Ni):

This is "Sky" (天空) (Tian Kong):

Finally, a song not on the J-Game album, but from her Dancing Diva album - it's "Pretence" or "Pretending" (假装) (Jia Zhuang):

Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) - Exclusive Myth (獨佔神話)

2006-12-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Here's the music video for one of the songs I really like off of her J-Game album (which I recently bought). For some reason, I really like any song that sounds "Chinesey" (I don't think that's a word!). What I mean by that is that I like songs that use classical Chinese instruments...and this song uses them a lot.

I've seen a lot of other Jolin's music videos and I didn't really think she was that hot or pretty (I know, some of you are probably asking me if I'm blind), but after watching the video for this song, I'd have to say that my opinion has changed...all I can say is that she looks real pretty in pink!

Here's the video for Exclusive Myth (獨佔神話):

Teaser Trailers For Protege (門徒) And The Door (門)

2006-12-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

I was browsing around and I happen to come across two teaser trailers for two movies...the interesting thing about it was that both happened to have the word "door" in it (門) and I was inspired to look for and post.

The first trailer is for Derek Yee's new film Protege (門徒). It stars Andy Lau, Daniel Wu, Louis Koo and Anita Yuen. This movie has a sort of "Infernal Affairs" feel to it, though you can't really get much out of the trailer. This movie is due out for release in February 2007.

The second trailer is for Li Shaohong's horror flick "The Door" (門). This movie finished filming earlier this year and was released December 1, 2006. There was a fairly hefty budget for this film, but knowing the kind of horror movies that have been coming out of late, I'm not going to be expecting much from this film.

Entertainment News For Week Of Dec 2 - Dec 8

2006-12-09T10:06:00.000-05:00

Gigi Leung Releases New Album

Gigi Leung has released a new album and some cover shots can be found at the link below. The album was released on December 3, 2006.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Gigi Leung Releases New Album

"The Banquet" Will Not Compete At Golden Globe Awards

Zhang Ziyi will not be a nominee for best actress for her role in "The Banquet" for the Golden Globe Awards because the film did not participate in the competition. The distributors for the film were asked why they didn't want to be included in the Golden Globes, but refused to answer. With "The Banquet" out of the running, it makes "Curse Of The Golden Flower" a stronger competitor.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Zhang Ziyi Will Not Compete For Golden Globe

The #1 Chinese Celebrity Mansion

The #1 Chinese celebrity mansion belongs to Jet Li. The mansion is being built near Shanghai, near Jet Li's wife's family and took two years to construct. The mammoth mansion consists of three separate buildings and is close to 54,000 square feet! The property will have underground passages.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Jet Li's Mansion The Number One In Celebrity World

Top 10 Hottest Females In China

This list was compiled by a newspaper in China. Click on the link to view the complete list. The list includes familiar names such as Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, and Zhao Wei. Also check out what the Chinese people in China have to say about the women on this list.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Uniqueness Of 10 Hot Female Stars In China

Joey Yung Nearly Injured On Set

Joey Yung almost had a large lighting pole strike her on her face while filming an advertisement. While filming on a glass surface, the light pole started coming down and almost hit her face - fortunately crew members were able to catch the pole before any damage was done. Joey shook it off and stated "Before I was tired, but now I'm wide awake!"

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Joey Yung Nearly Disfigured In Accident

Cathy Tsui & Lee Ka Shing To Marry

Actress/model Cathy Tsui will be marrying wealth heir Lee Ka Shing in Australia this year. Not to be confused with Li Ka Shing, Lee Ka Shing will be the successor to the Henderson Land Developement Company. Their relationship has been a high profile one in an on again, off again relationship for the past two years.

Story courtesy:
JayneStars: Celebrity Weddings: Cathy Tsui & Lee Ka Shing

Chow Yun-Fat To Play A Role In Upcoming Pirates Of The Caribbean III

Next year in May, the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End will be released. Be on the lookout for Chow Yun-Fat, who will play a Chinese pirate Captain Sao Feng. Keith Richards (from the band Rolling Stones) will also make an appearance in the film.

Story courtesy:
CriEnglish: Chow Yun-Fat Plays Chinese Pirate In Pirates Of The Caribbean III

Fiona Leung In Serious Car Accident

While filming in Australia, Fiona Leung was injured in a serious car accident that sent her to the ICU. She was in a van carrying film equipment and several of the crew, who were also injured in the accident. As of this writing, Fiona's condition has stabilized.

Story courtesy:
JayneStars: Fiona Leung Ngai Ling in Car Accident; Sent to Hospital Intensive Care Unit

Lydia Sum Flies Back To Canada To Celebrate Mother's Birthday, Christmas

Lydia Sum has flown back to Canada to be with her mother on her birthday and to celebrate Christmas. Lydia's daughter did not accompany her. Lydia Sum, who is recovering from a serious illness, responded to questions only from TVB's official crew members.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Lydia Sum Flies Back To Canada For Mother's Birthday

Tony Leung Trying To Pick Up Mandarin For Ang Lee's New Movie

Tony Leung said that he spent 2 months trying to learn the script for Ang Lee's new movie "Lust, Caution", which is all in Mandarin. Tony's native tongue is Cantonese, so he had to spend a significant amount of time trying to memorize and learn Mandarin in the script.

Story courtesy:
AsianFanatics: Tony Leung says he spent 2 months memorizing script for new Ang Lee movie

The First Song I Learned Lyrics For

2006-12-04T20:38:00.000-05:00

The very first song I learned the lyrics to was S.H.E.'s song 戀人未滿 (Not Yet Lovers) (Lian Ren Wei Man) and it was off of their album "Together" (album cover is at left).

The reason I learned the lyrics to the song was because after hearing this song many times, I just felt compelled to learn what they were singing. I managed to find their lyrics from S.H.E Angelic Fansite. That site has everything you need to know about the group, including lyrics to all of their songs in Chinese, Pin Yin, and English!

This is basically how I'm learning Mandarin - I find songs I like, find the lyrics and try to learn the song. By doing this, I can slowly pick up how to read Chinese characters, learn how to say them (well, sort of), and know the meaning of the words.

And so, below is the video for the song 戀人未滿 (Not Yet Lovers) (Lian Ren Wei Man), which by the way, still remains my favorite Mandarin song. I've also included the lyrics (which can be found at S.H.E. Angelic Fansite) below. These lyrics are part of my big collection of lyrics that I'm constantly adding to.

So go ahead and play the video and follow along with the lyrics below (and hopefully you'll see how I'm learning Mandarin!).

Here is 戀人未滿 (Not Yet Lovers) (Lian Ren Wei Man):

為什麼只和你能聊一整夜
wei shen me zhi he ni neng liao yi zheng ye
Why is it that I only can talk to you for the whole night

為什麼才道別就又想再見面
wei shen me cai dao bie jiu you xiang zai jian mian
why is it that after we leave I feel like meeting you again

在朋友裡面就數你最特別
zai peng you li mian, jiu shu ni zui te bie
Out of all my friends, you're the most special

總讓我覺得很親很貼
zong rang wo jue de hen qin hen tian
I feel that you're the closest to me

為什麼你在意誰陪我逛街
we shen me ni zai yi shuo pei wo guang jie,
Why do you care who I go shopping with,

為什麼你擔心誰對我放電
wei shen me ni dan xin shui dui wo fang dian
why are you worried that someone would try to seduce me

你說你對我比別人多一些
ni shuo ni dui wo, bi bie ren duo yi xie,
You said you treat me more than others,

卻又不說是多哪一些
que you bu shuo shi duo na yi xie
but as to where the "more" is, you wouldn't say

友達以上戀人未滿甜蜜心煩
you da yi shang, lian ren wei man, tian mi xin fan,
We're more than friends, but not yet lovers,

愉悅混亂我們以後
yu yue hun luan, wo men yi hou
our hearts are sweet and happy. In future,

會變怎樣
hui bian zen yang,
What will happen to us,

我迫不及待想知道答案再靠近一點點
wo po bu ji dai xiang zhi dao da an, zai kao jin yi dian dian
I can't wait for find out the answer. Come closer a little

就讓你牽手再勇敢一點點
jiu rang ni qian shou, zai yong gan yi dian dian,
Then I'll let you hold my hand.

我就跟你走你還等什麼
wo jiu gen ni zou, ni hai deng shen me
Be braver a little and I'll go with you. What are you waiting for

時間已經不多再下去
shi jian yi jing bu duo, zai xia qu,
There isn't much time left, if we continue like this

只好只做朋友再向前一點點
zhi hao zhi zuo peng you, zai xiang qian yi dian dian
we can only be friends. Come forward a little

我就會點頭再衝動一點點
wo jiu hui dian tou, zai cong dong yi dian dian,
And I'll nod my head, be more pro-active and

我就不閃躲不過三個字
wo jiu bu shan duo, bu guo san ge zi
I won't hide, it's only three words

別猶豫這麼久只要你說出口
bie you yu zhe me jiu, zhi yao ni shuo chu kou,
Don't hesitate too long, as long as you can say it,

你就能擁有我為什麼
ni jiu neng yong you wo, wei shen me
you'll have me. Why is it

你寂寞只想要我陪
ni ji mo zhi xiang yao wo pei,
That when you're lonely you only want my companion?

為什麼我難過只肯讓你安慰
wei shen me wo nan guo zhi ken rang ni an wei,
Why is it that when I'm sad I'm only willing to have you console me?

我們心裡面
wo men xin li mian
In our hearts

明明都有感覺
ming ming dou you gan jue,
There's definitely a feeling,

為什麼不敢面對為什麼
wei shen me bu gan mian dui, wei shen me
why don't we face it. Why is it

你寂寞只想要我陪
ni ji mo zhi xiang yao wo pei,
That when you're lonely you only want my companion?

為什麼我難過只肯讓你安慰
wei shen me wo nan guo zhi ken rang ni an wei,
Why is it that when I'm sad I'm only willing to have you console me?

我們心裡面
wo men xin li mian
In our hearts

明明都有感覺
ming ming dou you gan jue,
There's definitely a feeling,

為什麼不敢面對
wei shen me bu gan mian dui
why don't we face it.