Hey fellow Mandarin learners, today I’m breaking down this joke in Chinese I saw on IG.
Native speakers see posts like this every day. If you want to be like them, read what they read.
Below is the 4-step method I use to remember what I study. I’ve modified it a bit to make it more accessible for beginners. I recommend going through each step for maximum benefit.
Lets get started.
Step 0: First Pass
Try reading the original text (above) without help and check how much you understand.
Identify any new words you don’t know.
Step 1: Read with Translations
Go through the transcribed characters, pinyin, translations and vocabulary list below.
Take a minute to understand what the sentence means.
jiù sān jù
就三句
就三句Just three words brother.
xiōngdì, tīngshuō nǐ zuìjìn zhuàn le yì bǐyì wài zhī cái shì ma?
兄弟，聽說你最近賺了一筆意外之財是嗎？
兄弟，听说你最近赚了一笔意外之财是吗？I heard you made a fortune recently, didn't you?
hāhā hāhā, duì ā
哈哈哈哈，對啊
哈哈哈哈，对啊Hahahahaha, yeah
jiù jiǎng sān jù huà ràng yīgè mòshēng nǚrén gěi wǒ huā le sānshí duō wàn
就講三句話讓一個陌生女人給我花了三十多萬
就讲三句话让一个陌生女人给我花了三十多万I just said three sentences that made a stranger woman spend over $300,000 on me.
nǎ sān jù,
哪三句
哪三句which three phrases
xiǎojie
小姐
小姐Miss
nǐ tāmā chē zěnme kāi de
你他媽車怎麼開的
你他妈车怎么开的How the heck did you drive your car?
bǎ wǒ zhuàng fēi nàme yuǎn
把我撞飛那麼遠
把我撞飞那么远It knocked me so far away
Step 2: Study Vocabulary
Dive deeper and study the individual characters and words below.
Vocabulary List
*Get full access to detailed vocab list, audio pronunciation, real-life examples, flashcards and more here.
Step 3: Active Recall (Don't skip)
Most people stop at the second step.
This third step is the most important step and will help you consolidate your knowledge using the power of active recall.
Read the characters out loud without the pinyin. Focus on getting the right tones.
就三句
就三句Just three words brother.
兄弟，聽說你最近賺了一筆意外之財是嗎？
兄弟，听说你最近赚了一笔意外之财是吗？I heard you made a fortune recently, didn't you?
哈哈哈哈，對啊
哈哈哈哈，对啊Hahahahaha, yeah
就講三句話讓一個陌生女人給我花了三十多萬
就讲三句话让一个陌生女人给我花了三十多万I just said three sentences that made a stranger woman spend over $300,000 on me.
哪三句
哪三句which three phrases
小姐
小姐Miss
你他媽車怎麼開的
你他妈车怎么开的How the hell did you drive your car?
把我撞飛那麼遠
把我撞飞那么远It knocked me so far away
Step 4: Final Pass
To bring things full circle, read the original text (above) again and check your comprehension.
How does it feel compared to when you first read it?
Congrats! You just read a real-world Chinese sign!
Learning to read real-world material drastically improved my confidence and ability to interact with native speakers.
Within a year of study using this simple 4-step method with everything I studied, I was having conversations, making friends, and much more all in Mandarin.
There's no reason you can't do it too.
See you again next week for another real-life example.
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