The best way to learn to understand spoken Mandarin is to listen as much as you can to engaging content that you can make sense of. But what should you listen to and how?

#learnchinese #beginner #listening #comprehensibleinput

Link to the article this podcast episode is based on: Beginner Chinese listening practice: What to listen to and how: https://www.hackingchinese.com/beginner-chinese-listening-practice-what-to-listen-to-and-how/

Learning Chinese is more like walking a thousand miles than running 100-metre dash: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-is-more-like-walking-a-thousand-miles-than-running-100-metre-dash/

Learning Chinese through comprehensible input: https://www.hackingchinese.com/learning-chinese-comprehensible-input/Is speaking more important than listening when learning Chinese? https://www.hackingchinese.com/is-speaking-more-important-than-listening-when-learning-chinese/7 characteristics of a great Chinese tutor or private teacher: https://www.hackingchinese.com/characteristics-of-a-great-chinese-tutor-or-private-teacher/

Four key principles to improve your Mandarin listening comprehension: https://www.hackingchinese.com/four-key-principles-to-improve-your-mandarin-listening-comprehension/

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/

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/

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

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

Listen more and learn more by building a personal Chinese audio library: https://www.hackingchinese.com/listen-more-and-learn-more-by-building-a-personal-chinese-audio-library/

30 minutes of podcast, 3 minutes of Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com/30-minutes-of-podcast-3-minutes-of-chinese/

The Input Pyramid: Chinese Listening for Any Situation: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-input-pyramid-chinese-listening-for-any-situation/

How much Chinese should you listen to every day? https://www.hackingchinese.com/how-much-chinese-should-you-listen-to-every-day/

The best YouTube channels for learning Chinese in 2026: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-youtube-channels-for-learning-chinese/

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

Training your Chinese teacher, part 3: Listening ability: https://www.hackingchinese.com/training-your-chinese-teacher-part-3-listening-ability/

The best podcasts for learning Chinese in 2026: https://www.hackingchinese.com/the-best-podcasts-for-learning-chinese/Why you should use more than one Chinese textbook: https://www.hackingchinese.com/why-you-should-use-more-than-one-chinese-textbook/

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)