📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 38 - Foundations: Ordering Food What do you like to eat? In this beginner-level episode, Christine teaches you how to order food naturally in Mandarin — from asking for a menu to saying how sweet, cold, or big you w...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 37 - Intermediate: My Best Friend From College Do you still remember how you met your best friend? In this intermediate-level episode, Christine shares a warm and relatable story about meeting her friend Xiaomei in ...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 36 - Basic: My Favorite Leisure Activities What do you like to do in your free time? In this beginner-level story, Christine shares a student’s favorite hobbies — jogging, listening to music, and reading at a café. Throu...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 35 - Foundations: How I Go to School Every Day How do you get to school or work each day — walk, ride, or take the bus? In this beginner-friendly story, Christine follows a student’s simple morning routine: walking to sc...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 34 - Intermediate: Travel Lets Me See a Different Way Of Life When you travel, do you chase famous landmarks—or wander the quiet streets of a small town? In this intermediate-level episode, Christine shares a three-day e...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 33 - Basic: 成語：一箭雙鵰 | 成语：一箭双雕 yī jiàn shuāng diāo Have you ever gone out to do just one task…and came home having finished two? In this beginner-level story, Christine takes a simple Sunday errand and turns it into a les...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts 🎙️ Episode 32 - Mastery: Practicing Walking with the Seasons Some moments aren’t recorded by calendars, but by the body — the angle of afternoon light, the touch of wind, the scent of pomelo. In this advanced-level episode, Christine ...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode — plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 31 - Intermediate: 成語：水滴石穿 Shuǐ dī shí chuān We often use the idiom 「水滴石穿」(shuǐ dī shí chuān) to encourage perseverance and hard work. But have you ever thought about how it also applies to human relationships? In this heart...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode—plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 30 – Basic: A Special Travel Experience Short trip, big memories. In this beginner-level episode, a student recounts a simple beach day with friends—train ride, cool water, building a giant sandcastle, fresh seafood, and an orange ...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode—plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 29 – Advanced: 一箭雙鵰 (One Arrow, Two Eagles) Sometimes you aim at one target…and another door opens. In this advanced-level episode, Christine shares a quiet but powerful story: quitting a steady job to “rest,” then unexpectedly red...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode—plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 28 – Advanced: A Graduation Trip That Brought Change If travel is a mirror, then graduation trips are often the mirror where we first see that we’ve grown up. In this advanced-level episode, Christine shares a reflective story abou...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode—plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 27 - Intermediate: Different Seasons Bring Different Feelings About The Weather Different Seasons Bring Different Feelings About the Weather Weather might seem like just a small part of life, but it actually influences what we wear...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode—plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 26 – Basic: First Time Cooking A warm, everyday story: Mom’s on a trip, so Dad and I make dinner—opening the fridge, chopping onions, beating eggs, heating the pan, and frying rice together. The aroma hits, and so does a quiet sense ...

📖 Want the transcript (and more)? Join our free Outlier Mandarin Community to get full transcripts of every episode—plus a space to ask questions and connect with other learners. 👉 https://start.outlier-linguistics.com/join-community-podcast-transcripts Episode 25 – Mastery: Chinese Idiom 成語：水滴石穿 Not every change is loud. Some are so quiet you only notice them months later. In this mastery-level episode, Christine explores the idiom 水滴石穿—how steady, right-direction effort creates re...

Episode 24 – Advanced: Taking Care of Myself by Starting to Cook Big life changes don’t always start with big decisions. Sometimes they begin with a pot of soup after work. In this advanced-level episode, Christine reflects on rebuilding her rhythms through cooking: slowing down after long days, choosing seasonal ingredients, inviting friends over to share simple meals, and discovering how food can reconnect us—to our bodies, to our emotions, and to other people. You’ll lear...

Episode 23 – Intermediate: Traveling is a way of observing life Why do you travel? For photos, for food—or to see the world with new eyes? In this intermediate-level episode, Christine shares a reflective story from her trip to Chiayi (嘉义), a quiet yet culturally rich city in southern Taiwan. Instead of rushing through tourist spots, she slows down—listening to the sounds of the market, chatting with locals, and discovering beauty in small details like an old train station or a hidden c...

Episode 22 – Basic: 春天的天气 (The Weather in Spring) Warm sunshine, soft breezes, and flowers beginning to bloom—spring is finally here! In this beginner-level episode, Christine shares a light story about noticing the changes of spring: putting away winter clothes, hearing birds outside, and enjoying a walk under blue skies. You’ll learn and practice: 🌸 Seasonal vocabulary: 春天 (spring), 花 (flower), 草 (grass), 暖和 (warm), 下雨 (to rain) 🌤 Useful phrases: “今天的天气很好。” (The weather is nice toda...

Episode 21 – Mastery We eat every day—but what if eating could also be a doorway to understanding ourselves? In this mastery-level episode, Christine reflects on relearning how to eat: from rushed coffee-as-a-meal to cooking at set times, noticing seasonal ingredients, and letting dinner become a quiet dialogue with the self. Along the way, food becomes connection—to body, to rhythm, and to other people (the silent warmth of a homestay couple’s breakfast, the gentle intimacy of co...

Episode 20 – Advanced: 水滴石穿 (Dripping Water Penetrates Stone) Have you ever wondered whether your small daily efforts actually make a difference? In this advanced-level episode, Christine shares a reflective story about quiet perseverance—journaling a few words a day during the pandemic, and realizing later how those scattered thoughts formed a deeper picture of personal growth. You’ll explore the classical idiom 「水滴石穿」 (shuǐ dī shí chuān)—literally “dripping water wears through stone”—...

Episode 19 – Intermediate: The Feeling of Spring（春天的氣息） Sometimes we love a season not just for the weather, but for how it makes life feel. In this intermediate episode, Christine reflects on spring as a fresh start—morning walks, new notebooks, gentle sunlight, and the quiet motivation to reset goals and habits. Beyond blooming flowers, spring becomes a reminder: I still have time to try again. You’ll learn and practice: 🌱 Key vocabulary & phrases 春天的氣息 / 气息 (the breath/feel of s...