Here’s how to stop forgetting Chinese phrases that you wrote down.

You wrote down a cool Chinese phrase you learnt, but no matter how many times you revise it or revisit it, it always ends up slipping out of your mind.

Aghhh, it’s a pain in the ass, but don’t worry this isn’t exactly your fault!

The thing is, the logic of Chinese phrases is structured rather differently to English.

Therefore you cannot rely on simply writing the English translation next to the Chinese and expecting your brain to memorise it from that moment onwards.

Here’s one thing we realised that totally changed the way we teach at Sinosphere.

A lot of phrases in Chinese are just very literal/vivid descriptions of some kind of action or command.

and it’s very logical when you think about it.

The way you should learn these phrases is by FIRST: writing out its literal translation and THEN: following up with its figurative meaning.

That way your brain has a way to trace the steps from the Chinese logic into the English logic.

Here are some examples:

进一步 Literally: advance 1 step | Figuratively: Further

”我们要进一步了解你的业务”
We want to further understand your work.

以后再说 Literally: afterwards, speak again | Figuratively: Let’s see later

Question: 你要跟我们一起参加展览吗？
Do you want to go to the exhibition with us?
Answer: 我还没下好决心，我们以后再说吧！
I haven’t decided yet, let’s see later…

等一下 Literally: wait a second | Figuratively: In a second/in a moment

“等一下我们要开始期末考试”
”In a moment we will start the mid-term exam”

慢慢来 Literally: slowly slowly come | Figuratively: take your time

“别着急！慢慢来“

Don’t rush, take your time!

Try this hack whenever you make a note of new phrases you learn from your favourite Chinese tv show or film!

PS) If you struggle to speak Chinese and find yourself constantly translating in your head from English to Chinese, we’ve got you covered!

At Sinosphere we offer 2 ,4 or 6 month blocks of speaking sessions that are based entirely on native Chinese media.

No boring or impractical HSK texts/dialogues.

Our learning material is based on modern day vlogs, tv series, film excerpts and commercials, stuff that Chinese people consume themselves!

It’s this kind of material that helps students to switch from speaking overly formal, textbook sounding Chinese, to a more natural and conversational style of Chinese filled with slang and modern day cultural references.

Curious on how to join? Start your journey to fluency by booking in for a free consultation! 👇👇

sinosphere.co.uk