It’s that time of year again — back to school season! In this episode, we dive into the popular Chinese expression 神兽归笼 (“the mythical beasts return to their cages”), a humorous way parents describe sending kids back to school after summer break. You’ll learn how this phrase is used in daily conversation and pick up practical Mandarin expressions to talk about the social aspect of this time of year. Perfect for Chinese learners who want to sound more natural and stay up-to-date with trending slang.

对话：

小李：哎，今天开学第一天，家长群都在刷屏。

Xiǎo Lǐ: Āi, jīntiān kāixué dì yī tiān, jiāzhǎng qún dōu zài shuāpíng.

(Sigh, it’s the first day of school, and the parents’ group is blowing up.)

小王：哈哈，是啊，大家都在感叹“神兽归笼”。

Xiǎo Wáng: Hāhā, shì a, dàjiā dōu zài gǎntàn “shénshòu guī lóng.”

(Haha, yeah, everyone is sighing with relief: “the little beasts are back in their cages.”)

小李：终于能安静一点了，不用每天被孩子吵醒。

Xiǎo Lǐ: Zhōngyú néng ānjìng yīdiǎn le, bùyòng měitiān bèi háizi chǎoxǐng.

(Finally some peace and quiet—no more being woken up by the kids every day.)

小王：可不是嘛. 暑假天天陪着我女儿，累得不行。现在上班反而像休息

Xiǎo Wáng: Kě bù shì ma, Shǔjià tiāntiān péizhe wǒ nǚ’ér, lèi de bùxíng. Xiànzài shàngbān fǎn’ér xiàng xiūxi.

(Tell me about it—During summer vacation I was with my daughter every single day — it was exhausting. Now going to work actually feels like taking a break.”)

小李：现在交给老师了，我们也能喘口气。

Xiǎo Lǐ: Xiànzài jiāogěi lǎoshī le, wǒmen yě néng chuǎn kǒuqì.

(Now that the teachers are in charge, we can finally take a breather.)

小王：不过老师才是真正的英雄，得面对几十只“神兽”！

Xiǎo Wáng: Bùguò lǎoshī cái shì zhēnzhèng de yīngxióng, děi miànduì jǐshí zhī “shénshòu”!

(But the teachers are the real heroes—they have to face dozens of these “little beasts”!)

Fall means Pumpkin Spice Latte season! ☕🍂 In this episode, we dive into the phenomenon of the PSL while teaching you how to order it in Mandarin Chinese. Learn essential café vocabulary, practice real-life dialogues, and discover how seasonal drinks are talked about in Chinese. Perfect for language learners who love coffee and culture.

顾客：你好，我要一杯南瓜香料拿铁。

Gùkè: Nǐ hǎo, wǒ yao yì bēi nánguā xiāngliào nátiě.

Customer: Hello, I'd like a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

咖啡师：好的，要多大杯？中杯还是大杯？

Kāfēishī: Hǎo de, yào duō dà bēi? Zhōng bēi háishì dà bēi?

Barista: Okay, what size? Medium or large?

顾客：中杯就好，谢谢。对了，可以少糖吗？

Gùkè: Zhōng bēi jiù hǎo, xièxiè. Duì le, kěyǐ shǎo táng ma?

Customer: Medium is fine, thank you. Oh, and can you make it less sweet?

咖啡师：没问题，请稍等。

Kāfēishī: Méi wèntí, qǐng shāo děng.

Barista: No problem, please wait a moment.

Check out my friend Kapa Zhao's Video on a favorite Shanghai Coffee Spot:

http://xhslink.com/m/3A44hcyH3JV

Want to sound more natural in Mandarin? Learn the Chinese idiom that can mean not only making the kind of mistakes that hurt yourself, but also when your plans to harm someone else backfire.

小李：听说老赵匿名举报同事偷懒。

Xiǎo Lǐ: Tīng shuō Lǎo Zhào nìmíng jǔbào tóngshì tōulǎn.

Xiao Li: I heard Old Zhao anonymously reported a coworker for slacking off.

小王：结果呢？

Xiǎo Wáng: Jiéguǒ ne?

Xiao Wang: And what happened?

小李：结果调查时才发现，他自己摸鱼更严重。

Xiǎo Lǐ: Jiéguǒ diàochá shí cái fāxiàn, tā zìjǐ mōyú gèng yánzhòng.

Xiao Li: Turns out, when they investigated, they found he was slacking off even worse.

小王：哈哈，这不就是搬起石头砸自己的脚嘛！

Xiǎo Wáng: Hāhā, zhè bú jiù shì bān qǐ shítou zá zìjǐ de jiǎo ma!

Xiao Wang: Haha, isn’t that just “lifting a rock only to drop it on your own foot”? (Chinese idiom meaning “to shoot yourself in the foot”)

不得已："不得已" is typically used to express that an action or decision was made out of necessity rather than desire, usually because of circumstances that leave no alternative. It's often used in situations where one is reluctantly forced to make a choice.

小明: 你怎么突然辞职了？不是说好要坚持下去的吗？

(Xiǎo Míng): Nǐ zěnme túrán cí zhí le? Bù shì shuō hǎo yào jiānchí xiàqù de ma?

小李: 其实我也很不想辞职，可是公司最近的变化让我不得已做出了这个决定。

(Xiǎo Lǐ): Qíshí wǒ yě hěn bù xiǎng cí zhí, kěshì gōngsī zuìjìn de biànhuà ràng wǒ bù dé yǐ zuò chū le zhège juédìng.

小明: 哦，原来是这样。你打算做什么？

(Xiǎo Míng): Ó, yuánlái shì zhèyàng. Nǐ dǎsuàn zuò shénme?

小李: 我还没想好，但总不能一直这样下去，我得找到更适合自己的工作。

(Xiǎo Lǐ): Wǒ hái méi xiǎng hǎo, dàn zǒng bù néng yīzhí zhèyàng xiàqù, wǒ děi zhǎodào gèng shìhé zìjǐ de gōngzuò.

Translation:

Xiao Ming: Why did you suddenly resign? Didn’t you say you were going to stick it out?

Xiao Li: Actually, I really didn’t want to quit, but the recent changes at the company left me no choice but to make this decision.

Xiao Ming: Oh, I see. So what are you planning to do?

Xiao Li: I haven’t figured it out yet, but I can’t go on like this forever. I need to find a job that suits me better.

Dialogue #2:

小杰: 你为什么不参加今晚的聚会？大家都很期待你来！

(Xiǎo Jié): Nǐ wèishéme bù cānjiā jīn wǎn de jùhuì? Dàjiā dōu hěn qīdài nǐ lái!

小芳: 我本来很想去，但我得照顾生病的妈妈，实在是不得已。

(Xiǎo Fāng): Wǒ běnlái hěn xiǎng qù, dàn wǒ děi zhàogù shēngbìng de māmā, shízài shì bù dé yǐ.

小杰: 哦，那就没办法了，家人最重要。

(Xiǎo Jié): Ó, nà jiù méi bànfǎ le, jiārén zuì zhòngyào.

Translation:

Xiaojie: Why aren’t you coming to the gathering tonight? Everyone’s looking forward to seeing you!

Xiaofang: I really wanted to go, but I have to take care of my sick mom. I really have no choice.

Xiaojie: Oh, then there’s nothing we can do. Family is the most important.

Example Sentences:

1. 他们这样做是出于不得已。(Tāmen zhèyàng zuò shì chū yú bùdéyǐ.) They did it that way b/c they had no choice.

2. 不到万不得已，他不亲自出马。(Bù dào wànbùdéyǐ, tā bù qīnzì chūmǎ) Unless absolutely necessary, he never appears in person.

3. 他知道这只是万不得已的办法。(Tā zhīdào zhè zhǐshì wànbùdéyǐ de bànfǎ.) He knew it was the last resort.

In our most recent short video, Vicky takes us to explore some of the highlights of New York City. Come along with us as we take in the sights of The Big Apple, all in Chinese.

"见怪不怪" (Upper Intermediate)—a dialogue about adapting to unusual phenomena, such as colleagues wearing slippers in the office. Includes example sentences for practice.

Dialogue:

A：你看，那个新同事居然在办公室里穿拖鞋！

(A: Nǐ kàn, nàgè xīn tóngshì jūrán zài bàngōngshì lǐ chuān tuōxié! )

A: Look, the new guy is wearing slippers in the office!

B：哎，见怪不怪了，现在很多人工作时都喜欢随意些。

(B: Āi, jiàn guài bù guàile, xiànzài hěnduō rén gōngzuò shí dōu xǐhuān suíyì xiē.)

B: Oh, I no longer even notice that. Now many people like to be casual at work.

A：也是，越来越多公司不再强调穿着了。

(A: Yěshì, yuè lái yuè duō gōngsī bù zài qiángdiào chuānzhuóle.)

A: That’s true, more and more companies no longer emphasize dressing.

B：对，毕竟大家更重视工作成果，穿得舒服也有助于放松心情。

(B: Duì, bìjìng dàjiā gèng zhòngshì gōngzuò chéngguǒ, chuān dé shūfú yěyǒu zhù yú fàngsōng xīnqíng )

B: Right, after all, everyone pays more attention to work results, and wearing comfortable clothes can also help people relax.

Example Sentences:

1. 他刚开始觉得公司里的规矩很奇怪，但工作久了也就见怪不怪了。

( Tā gāng kāishǐ juédé gōngsī lǐ de guījǔ hěn qíguài, dàn gōngzuò jiǔle yě jiù jiàn guài bù guàile.)

He thought the rules in the company were strange at first, but he got used to it after working for a long time.

2. 这个地方交通混乱，行人和车辆争道，但当地人似乎都见怪不怪。

(Zhège dìfāng jiāotōng hǔnluàn, xíngrén hé chēliàng zhēng dào, dàn dāngdì rén sìhū dōu jiàn guài bù guài.)

The traffic in this place is chaotic, with pedestrians and vehicles competing for the road, but the locals seem to be used to it.

3. 作为老师，面对学生的各种小聪明，她早已见怪不怪。

(Zuòwéi lǎoshī, miàn duì xuéshēng de gè zhǒng xiǎocōngmíng, tā zǎoyǐ jiàn guài bù guài.)

As a teacher, she is no longer surprised by all kinds of cleverness of students.

4.在网络上，每天都有新鲜的热点和事件，网友们早已见怪不怪。

(Zài wǎngluò shàng, měitiān doū yǒu xīnxiān de rèdiǎn hé shìjiàn, wǎngyǒumen zǎoyǐ jiàn guài bù guài.)

There are new hot topics and events on the Internet every day, and netizens have long been accustomed to them.

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You can also send us a message at: Chineseconvoclub@gmail.com

Dialogue: #1

小明 (Xiǎo Míng): 今天我准备去跑步，天气很好。(Jīntiān wǒ zhǔnbèi qù pǎobù, tiānqì hěn hǎo.)

小丽 (Xiǎo Lì): 可是偏偏下雨了，真不巧。(Kěshì piānpiān xiàyǔle, zhēn bù qiǎo.)

小明 (Xiǎo Míng): 我也没想到，真是的！(Wǒ yě méi xiǎngdào, zhēn shì de!)

小丽 (Xiǎo Lì): 偏偏遇到这种情况，真是倒霉。(Piānpiān yù dào zhè zhǒng qíngkuàng, zhēn shì dǎoméi.)

The expression 偏偏 is used to express something happening contrary to what was expected, often with a sense of irony or frustration.

Dialogue #2:

小明 (Xiǎo Míng): 我今天准备好好休息。(Wǒ jīntiān zhǔnbèi hǎo hǎo xiūxí.)

小丽 (Xiǎo Lì): 那你为什么还在工作呢？(Nà nǐ wèishéme hái zài gōngzuò ne?)

小明 (Xiǎo Míng): 对啊，老板偏偏在最后一刻才给我任务。(Duì a, lǎobǎn piānpiān zài zuìhòu yī kè cái gěi wǒ rènwù.)

小丽 (Xiǎo Lì): 真是太倒霉了！(Zhēn shì tài dǎoméi le!)

In this context, 偏偏 expresses the idea that something happened in a frustrating or unexpected way, as the boss gave the task at the last moment.

This week, my friend Giacobbe joins me all the from Bangkok, Thailand to discuss practical ways to master a new language. A great lesson for anyone needing a little inspiration to persevere on your language learning journey while hopefully getting a few fresh ideas. Btw, this is my first attempt at speaking only Chinese so please forgive the potential roughness of this episode (I did cheat here and there, fyi) and I'd love to hear if this is something I should do more often. Let me know what you think!

• 有效 (yǒuxiào) – effective

• 技巧 (jìqiǎo) – skill; technique

• 已知 (yǐzhī) – known

• 事物 (shìwù) – thing; object

• 有助于 (yǒu zhù yú) – is helpful for...

• 加深 (jiāshēn) – to deepen

• 记忆 (jìyì) – memory

• 定期 (dìngqī) – regularly; periodically

• 间隔 (jiàngé) – interval; spaced

• 巩固 (gǒnggù) – to consolidate

• 吸收 (xīshōu) – to absorb

• 目标语言(mùbiāo yǔyán) – The target language

• 沉浸 (chénjìn) – to immerse

• 显著 (xiǎnzhù) - significant

学习语言时，有一些有效的小技巧能帮助你提高。首先，尝试把新单词和已知事物联系起来，这样有助于加深记忆。其次，定期复习学过的内容，利用间隔复习法巩固记忆。第三，睡前复习重要知识点，可以帮助大脑更好地吸收信息。第四，尽量用目标语言进行思考，避免翻译。最后，沉浸在语言环境中，多听、多看，能加速语言学习的过程。掌握这些方法，学习效果会更显著。

Xuéxí yǔyán shí, yǒu yīxiē yǒuxiào de xiǎo jìqiǎo néng bāngzhù nǐ tígāo. Shǒuxiān, chángshì ba xīn dāncí he yǐ zhīshì wù liánxì qǐlái, zhèyàng yǒu zhù yú jiāshēn jìyì. Qícì, dìngqí fùxí xuéguò de nèiróng, lìyòng jiàngé fùxí fǎ gǒnggù jìyì. Dì sān, shuì qián fùxí zhòngyào zhīshì diǎn, kěyǐ bāngzhù dànǎo gèng hǎo de xīshōu xìnxī. Dì sì, jǐnliàng yòng mùbiāo yǔyán jìnxíng sīkǎo, bìmiǎn fānyì. Zuìhòu, chénjìn zài yǔyán huánjìng zhōng, duō tīng, duō kàn, néng jiāsù yǔyán xuéxí de guòchéng. Zhǎngwò zhèxiē fāngfǎ, xuéxí xiàoguǒ huì gèng xiǎnzhù.

When learning a language, there are some effective techniques that can help improve your skills. First, try to associate new words with things you already know, as this helps deepen your memory. Second, regularly review what you've learned and use spaced repetition to reinforce your memory. Third, reviewing important points before sleep can help your brain absorb the information better. Fourth, try to think in the target language instead of translating. Finally, immerse yourself in the language environment by listening and watching more, which can speed up your learning process. Mastering these methods will lead to more significant learning results.