Podcast
Mandarin Shadow Daily
A new Mandarin lesson every day, made for listening with no screen: graded stories to shadow, grammar taken apart, survival phrases for China, listening quizzes, a chat between a learner and a native speaker, a weekly audio drama and slow Chinese news. Every episode is graded to an HSK level and leaves you pauses to speak out loud.
Want to see the words as well as hear them? Every kind of lesson here has an illustrated video version on our YouTube channel, with the characters, pinyin and English on screen, new every day for HSK 1 to 3.
Subscribe in any podcast app with the feed: https://www.mandarinshadow.app/podcast/feed.xml
Every day of the week
Sunday
Slow Chinese News
this week's news from China in simple Mandarin
Monday
Shadow Story
a graded story to listen to and repeat
Tuesday
Grammar in Focus
one grammar pattern, taken apart and practised
Wednesday
Survival Chinese
the phrases for one real situation in China
Thursday
Listen and Answer
a listening quiz with spoken choices
Friday
Two Hosts
an English learner and a native speaker chat about one topic
Saturday
Audio Drama
a graded audio serial, a new episode each week
About one day in five, the day's show is a Learning Burst: a dense five-minute lesson: words, one grammar point, a shadowing drill and quick-fire recall.
Latest episodes
2026-11-13 · 6:01
Learning Burst (HSK 2): Splitting the Bill with Friends 朋友一起付钱 (péngyou yìqǐ fù qián)
Practise words for splitting a restaurant bill, with today's word of the day 记得, and ask either-or questions with 还是.
2026-11-10 · 12:19
Basics 3 (below HSK 1): The Neutral Tone 轻声 (qīng shēng)
Learn the short, light neutral tone of Mandarin. Practise the words for mum and dad, the question word, and the little word that means 'and you?', and train your ear to tell mum apart from 'horse horse'.
2026-11-10 · 5:43
Learning Burst (HSK 1): Seeing a Doctor When You Feel Ill 看医生：我很不舒服 (kàn yīshēng: wǒ hěn bù shūfu)
Practise saying how you feel at the doctor's, with the word of the day 喂 for answering the phone, and the grammar point 很 + adjective (very + adjective).
2026-11-09 · 5:11
Learning Burst (HSK 1): What's Up the Mountain? 山上有什么？ (shān shàng yǒu shénme)
Practise hiking words like entrance (today's word of the day) and the grammar point 有 for "have" and "there is", with friends from Taiwan and Guangzhou on a mountain hike.
2026-11-07 · 19:10
Audio Drama: The Missing Key, Part 3 of 7 (HSK 2): The Man Next Door 隔壁的赵先生 (gébì de zhào xiānsheng)
Continues from Part 2: The Video Call to Guangzhou. Lin and Wei knock next door and meet the very polite, very curious Mr. Zhao. You'll practise 就 for 'right away, already' and 才 for 'not until, only then', plus words like 站住, 关心, 提到 and 加油, and this week's slang 社牛. Next time: Does he know Grandma Chen?
2026-11-06 · 20:13
Listen and Answer (HSK 2): A First Date 第一次约会 (dì yī cì yuēhuì)
Follow a first date between a man from Beijing and a woman from Guangzhou in a blind listening round and eight listening questions. You'll practise verb plus 得 plus complement (说得很好) and words like 留学生, 自由, 不如, 西医 and 超过.
2026-11-05 · 18:11
Survival Chinese (HSK 1): Breakfast at a Coffee Shop 在咖啡馆吃早饭 (zài kāfēi guǎn chī zǎofàn)
Practise four phrases for ordering breakfast in a coffee shop in China: asking for milk tea, asking what something is, eating in and asking the total price. You will also learn the 是 sentence pattern (A 是 B, 'A is B') and a role play set in Chengdu.
2026-11-04 · 5:44
Learning Burst (HSK 2): Joining a Painting Club 从周一到周五都学画画 (cóng zhōu yī dào zhōu wǔ dōu xué huà huà)
Practise words for joining a hobby club, plus today's word of the day, 出国, and the pattern 从……到…… for "from ... to ...".
2026-11-03 · 12:36
Basics 2 (below HSK 1): The Four Tones 四个声调 (sì gè shēng diào)
Hear and say the four Mandarin tones on one syllable, using mum, hemp, horse and to scold, with listening drills to tell the tones apart.
2026-11-02 · 16:32
Grammar in Focus (HSK 2): Because and So at the Market 因为……所以……：在市场买东西 (yīnwèi…… Suǒyǐ……: Zài shìchǎng mǎi dōngxi)
Practise the pattern 因为……所以…… (because… so…) to give reasons and results while shopping at a busy market in Beijing, with a ladder for saying "I'm so happy" and the word of the day 相信.
2026-10-31 · 15:45
Audio Drama: The Missing Key, Part 2 of 7 (HSK 2): The Video Call to Guangzhou 视频电话 (shìpín diànhuà)
Continues from Part 1: The Missing Key. Lin and Wei video call Grandma Chen, the old neighbour who may own the strange key. You will practise 正在 and 在 for actions in progress, plus words for video calls, a lake, a zoo and a camera.
2026-10-30 · 14:01
Two Hosts (HSK 2): Joining a Hobby Club 加入爱好俱乐部 (jiārù àihào jùlèbù)
Chat with a native speaker about joining a music or painting club in Shanghai, and practise saying what you have done before with 过, plus useful club phrases. Also: a level ladder for "I miss you" and today's word of the day.
2026-10-29 · 16:21
Listen and Answer (HSK 2): Opening a Bank Account 在银行开户 (zài yínháng kāi hù)
A listening quiz set in a Guangzhou bank, where you hear a sentence, choose its meaning from three options and learn 过 for things you have done before. Along the way you pick up words like 合适, 经常, 接受 and 感动.
2026-10-28 · 16:38
Survival Chinese (HSK 1): Talking About a Bad Day 今天不是我的好日子 (jīntiān bú shì wǒ de hǎo rìzi)
Practise four simple phrases for telling a friend you've had a bad day: that you're tired, that you're not happy, that today just isn't your day, and that you don't want to talk. You'll also learn the A 是 B pattern and what a caring friend might say back.
2026-10-27 · 14:09
Basics 1 (below HSK 1): How Mandarin Works 中文是什么 (zhōngwén shì shénme)
Start Mandarin from zero. Learn what Mandarin is, how characters and the letter spelling system work, why tones matter, and say your first words: Chinese, Chinese characters, the spelling system, and hello.
2026-10-27 · 15:41
Shadow Story (HSK 3): Chen Yu Chooses Her Major 陈雨选专业 (chén yǔ xuǎn zhuānyè)
Follow Chen Yu, a university student from Guangzhou studying in Beijing, as she argues with her father about studying film and TV. You'll practise the 把 construction, plus words like 不得不, 当中, 否定, 其次 and 美元.
2026-10-26 · 20:16
Shadow Story (HSK 1): Li Na's Bad Day 李娜不好的一天 (lǐ nà bù hǎo de yì tiān)
Shadow a short story about a young woman from Chengdu whose Sunday in Shanghai goes wrong, and practise simple A-is-B sentences, talking about feelings, prices and times at HSK 1.
2026-10-26 · 20:13
Listen and Answer (HSK 1): Bus and Metro Rides 听一听：坐车去城里 (tīng yi tīng: zuò chē qù chénglǐ)
A listening quiz that follows two friends from Guangzhou and Taiwan as they ride the bus and metro and head out for the evening. You'll practise the linking word for 'is', plus words for brother, outside, date, meeting place, daughter, going out, buns, foreign and TV set.
2026-10-25 · 16:22
Slow Chinese News (HSK 2 & 3): Zhengzhou Marathon and Chinese Culture 郑州马拉松里的中国文化 (zhèngzhōu mǎ lā sōng lǐ de zhōngguó wénhuà)
Practise simple Mandarin about a marathon in Zhengzhou that mixed running with poetry, surnames, Henan Opera and kung fu. You will repeat short news sentences and learn key words step by step.
2026-10-25 · 28:52
Shadow Story (HSK 2): Splitting the Bill with Colleagues 谁来付钱？ (shuí lái fù qián)
Shadow a short story about six colleagues in Guangzhou dividing a dinner bill, and practise saying what you have done before with the experience particle, plus words for queuing, raising your hand and running into people.
2026-10-24 · 11:02
Audio Drama: The Missing Key, Part 1 of 7 (HSK 2): The Missing Key 消失的钥匙 (xiāoshī de yàoshi)
Part 1 begins the story. Meet flatmates Lin and Wei in a short audio drama. You will practise 过 for experience, 比 comparisons, 因为……所以……, and 就 / 才 with everyday lines.
2026-10-24 · 14:32
Listen and Answer (HSK 2): Weather, Shopping and Work 听和答:天气、购物和工作 (tīng hé dá: tiānqì, gòuwù hé gōngzuò)
A listening quiz with twelve short Mandarin sentences and three English choices each. You will practise 比, 过, 因为所以, 从到, 正在, 得, 就 and 才 by ear.
2026-10-23 · 10:21
Two Hosts (HSK 2): Hotpot on the Weekend 周末吃火锅 (zhōumò chī huǒguō)
Chat with a native speaker about weekend food and hotpot. You will practise talking about experience, comparing foods, and ordering with simple, natural phrases.
2026-10-23 · 10:14
Survival Chinese (HSK 3): Taking a Taxi in China 打车:出租车常用语 (dǎchē: chūzūchē chángyòng yǔ)
You will learn five phrases for taking a taxi in China, practise them in a role play with a driver, and learn the sentences a driver is likely to say to you.
2026-10-22 · 9:10
Listen and Answer (HSK 1): Daily Life Quiz 听和回答 (tīng hé huídá)
A listening quiz for HSK 1 learners. Hear a short Chinese sentence, pick its meaning from three choices, and then repeat the hardest sentences out loud.
2026-10-22 · 8:58
Grammar in Focus (HSK 2): Comparing Things with Bi 用“比”来比较 (yòng “bǐ” lái bǐjiào)
Today you will practise the Mandarin comparison pattern with bi, learning how to say that one thing is more something than another. You will finish by saying five sentences of your own out loud.
2026-10-22 · 14:59
Shadow Story (HSK 2): Taking the Subway to a Friend's House 坐地铁去朋友家 (zuò dìtiě qù péngyou jiā)
Follow a short story about riding the subway across town to see a friend. You will practise 从……到……, 才, 着 and 因为……所以……, plus useful travel phrases.
2026-10-20 · 6:56
Grammar in Focus (HSK 1): Using Le for Completed Actions 用「了」说做完了 (yòng「 liǎo」 shuō zuò wánle)
Today you will practise the particle le after a verb to say that something has been done. You will hear it taken apart, repeat many examples, and answer five prompts yourself.
2026-10-20 · 7:11
Survival Chinese (HSK 1): At the Pharmacy: Asking for Medicine 在药店:我不舒服 (zài yàodiàn: wǒ bù shūfu)
You will practise saying you feel sick, naming a few symptoms and asking for medicine at a Chinese pharmacy. You will also learn what the pharmacist is likely to say back.
2026-10-20 · 17:22
Shadow Story (HSK 2): Buying an Umbrella on a Rainy Day 下雨天买雨伞 (xiàyǔ tiān mǎi yǔ sǎn)
Follow Xiaohong as she buys a red umbrella in the rain. You will practise because and so, walking slowly with the de pattern, comparisons with bi, and the words jiu and cai.