Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles published in January 2026

  1. Chinese reading practice for beginners: 7 resources to improve your Mandarin

    The best way to learn to read Chinese is to read texts you can understand without constantly using a dictionary. As a beginner, those texts aren’t always easy to find, but let’s look at the best reading resources I know for beginners.

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  2. Chinese subtitles and transcripts: Reading before, while or after listening

    Subtitles and transcripts can help you understand spoken Chinese, but do they also help you become a better listener? Should you read along, read first, or save the text for after you’ve listened?

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  3. Chinese listening, fast and slow: Three ways of slowing down Mandarin speech

    Spoken Mandarin can feel like an onslaught of similar sounds, half-recognised tones and unknown words. To add insult to injury, it’s often too fast! Should you slow it down? If so, how?

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  4. Best of Hacking Chinese 2025

    2025 has come tan end. Which were the most popular articles on Hacking Chinese last year The most popular podcast episodes? It’s time to summarise the year that was and highlight the things you really shouldn’t miss!

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