PMW Listening #26: Mount Everest

Hello Mandarin Enthusiasts! 🌟

I hope you’re ready for some listening practice today! I’ve caught a cold, so my voice might sound a bit off in the recording—sorry about that! But I hope you’ll still enjoy the practice and find it helpful.

Here’s what’s in store for you today:

• Normal Speed Audio: Experience the mini-podcast as it’s naturally spoken and test your comprehension.

Paid subscribers enjoy all of the following benefits:

• Slow Speed Audio: Listen carefully to each phrase, perfect for breaking down tougher parts.

• Chinese Transcript: Match what you heard with the transcript to see how you did.

• Pinyin Transcript: Sharpen your pronunciation as you follow along.

• Translation: Understand every detail of the conversation.

• Vocabulary List: Expand your Mandarin vocabulary with key terms from today’s lesson.

• Grammar Points: Unpack the structure and usage of the key grammatical element.

🎧✍️ From Listening to Writing: Mini-Podcast 听写

Kicking off this week’s Pearl of Mandarin: Listening, let’s dive into the Mini-Podcast 听写 exercise. It’s all about turning what you hear into what you write, and here’s how to do it:

First up, hit play on the recording.

You'll hear it first at normal speed and then at a slower speed.

Listen to the normal speed recording a few times until you start catching the words.

If some parts still feel like a puzzle, no stress! When you hear it again at the slower speed, it’ll give you a clearer picture.

And hey, even if it’s tough, just trying boosts your listening skills—kudos for giving it your all!

Now, with the slower speed version as your guide, grab your pen and:

• Write down the characters to get your handwriting flowing and brush up on those characters.

• Scribble down the pinyin with tones, tuning your ear to pronunciation and getting those tones right.

Next, closely review the transcription, translation, and vocabulary list. Spot any unfamiliar words? This is your moment to learn them.

To wrap it up, read the transcript out loud (yep, characters only, leave the pinyin for now). This isn’t just about sounding good; it’s about making those new words stick and smoothing out your pronunciation.

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Give the exercise a try before peeking at the transcripts and explanations below.

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🀄 Chinese Transcript