I started learning Chinese in 2018 to impress my girlfriend (now wife's) parents. They live in Singapore.
I spent a year or so learning a few phrases, perfecting my Singlish, only to discover her family barely speaks Mandarin at all. My wife's Mandarin is passable at best (womp womp).
But since then I've enjoyed watching years of Chinese dramas with my wife.
The result is that I have a really good ear for the language and can read decently too thanks to pandemic era character study. However, my speaking still sucks.
So in 2026, I'm working to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. Given where I live and through family connections, Mandarin is the most common language I hear outside of English. Plus with the rise of Chinese soft power in media and online, I feel like I'm hearing it more and more passively wherever I go. There's never been a better time to become more familiar with this ancient and fascinating language.
My tools (Feb 2026)
Here are the main tools I'm using to beef up my Mandarin.
Chinese dramas
Most nights I watch at least one episode of one with my wife. Great listening practice
Google Gemini
I use this for grammar explanations and context when reading.
Hack Chinese
A very powerful Spaced Repetition System (SRS) specifically designed for Mandarin. Great for reviewing and learning new vocab.
Clozemaster
I got the lifetime deal for this one in 2025. Really good for gamified vocab practice.
Pimsleur - Mandarin
Recently, I got back to using Pimsleur because it's just so damn good at getting you to produce the language fluently and on demand, a key skill in real time conversation.
Log
2026-04-04
NEW IDIOM FOUND!
Sentence (Hanzi)
大吃一驚 (Simplified: 大吃一惊)
Sentence (EN)
To be greatly startled / taken aback.
Grammar
- Key Grammar Points: Verb-Object Idiom (动宾成语). Structure: Adverb (大 - greatly) + Verb (吃 - to absorb/suffer) + Number (一 - a burst of) + Noun/Object (驚 - shock). HSK Level 4.
Vocabulary
- 大吃一惊 → dà chī yī jīng → To be greatly shocked or astonished (HSK Level 4).
- Chengyu/Idiom Check:
- Literal: Big eat one shock.
- Figurative: To be completely taken aback or highly alarmed by a sudden, unexpected event.
Hanzi & Origins
- 吃 → chī → To eat; to passively receive or suffer.
- 惊 (驚) → jīng → To be frightened; to startle.
- Mini-Etymology & Idiom Origin: The phrase cemented itself as a standard idiom during the Ming Dynasty, appearing in vernacular fiction like Feng Menglong's collection Jingshi Tongyan (警世通言), Volume 28 (The tale of Madame White Snake): “则一张那员外大吃一惊...” (Then Member Zhang suffered a massive shock...).
- Semantic Shift of "吃": Why "eat" a shock? In Chinese, "吃" (eat) historically expanded to mean "to passively endure, suffer, or absorb" something intangible—usually negative. Just as one physically consumes food, one physically internalizes a psychological impact (similar to 吃苦 to bear hardship, or 吃虧 to suffer a loss). The radical for 驚 is 忄(heart/mind), emphasizing the internal, emotional nature of the shock, with 京 (jīng) acting as the phonetic component.
Nuance & POV
- Tone/Implication: Conveys a sudden, visceral, and involuntary physical reaction to something abruptly unexpected or alarming.
- Register: Highly versatile. Used fluidly in both colloquial speech (口語) and standard written text (書面語).
- Character POV: The subject's expectations have just been completely shattered, revealing a momentary state of vulnerability, disorientation, or lost composure.
In-the-Wild Examples
- “我大吃一驚之後，也就忽而記得，這就是所謂福橘。”
- Wǒ dà chī yī jīng zhī hòu, yě jiù hū'ér jìde, zhè jiù shì suǒwèi fújú.
- After recovering from my great shock, I suddenly remembered that these were the so-called 'lucky tangerines'.
- Source: Lu Xun (魯迅), Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk (《朝花夕拾》)
- “那個朋友和他再次見面，不禁大吃一驚。”
- Nà ge péngyou hé tā zàicì jiànmiàn, bùjīn dà chī yī jīng.
- When that friend met him again, he couldn't help but be completely taken aback.
- Source: Ba Jin (巴金), Waiting and Hoping (《等著盼著》)
2026-02-14
Completed Pimsleur Chinese Lesson 2 (First time)
2026-02-13
Completed Pimsleur Chinese Lesson 1 (Two listens)
Watch episode of "Legend of Fei"
