Mandarin Blueprint

By Luke & Phil from Mandarin Blueprint

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Episodes: 295

Description

Mandarin Blueprint is the most ambitious online Chinese learning curriculum ever attempted. Not only because it integrates pronunciation, characters, vocabulary & grammar acquisition materials, but more importantly because it teaches how to relate everything you need to know about Chinese to your personal lived experience. Everything about your past is a potential connection you can make to Mandarin, and we're experts at helping you find them. Not to mention, Chinese is a super cool language! Once you get several characters under your belt, you're going to have a paradigm shift about language. Meaning is expressed using entirely different component parts, and we've only become more fascinated by it the deeper we've delved into it. Join Luke Neale & Phil Crimmins as we explore not only Chinese but how connecting Mandarin to our past lived experiences helped us learn in a fraction of the time.

Episode Date
Why Chinese Is More Logical Than English
Aug 08, 2026
What Efficient Chinese Study Looks Like
Aug 05, 2026
This Habit Is Sabotaging Your Chinese 
Jul 24, 2026
Stop Watching Chinese Shows (Do this first)
Jul 21, 2026
The 4-8 Hours of Chinese You’re Already Wasting Every Day
Jul 10, 2026
Why Do Chinese Words All Sound the SAME
Jun 26, 2026
25 Sentence Patterns Every Chinese Learner Needs
Jun 21, 2026
Chinese Learning Advice That Will Waste Years of Your Life
Jun 19, 2026
5 stages of learning Chinese
May 29, 2026
7 Warning Signs You’re Learning Chinese Wrong
May 22, 2026
How I Got Fluency in Chinese (As an American Adult)
May 20, 2026
This Pronunciation Mistake is Ruining Your Chinese
May 17, 2026
How To Use Chinese Tutors For Fast Fluency
May 16, 2026
What Happens Inside a 30,000+ Person Chinese Learning Community
May 07, 2026
The 6 Highest Impact Activities For Learning Chinese
May 04, 2026
The Hidden Advantage of Learning Chinese After 30
Apr 30, 2026
What Does -FLUENT- Chinese Actually Mean
Apr 27, 2026
How to Build Speaking Confidence in Chinese
Apr 23, 2026
How I’d Learn Chinese If I Only Had 30 Minutes a Day
Apr 20, 2026
How to Memorize Any Chinese Word in Seconds
Apr 16, 2026
The 80/20 Rule of Chinese
Apr 10, 2026
The Math Behind Chinese Fluency (It’s Not What You Think)
Apr 08, 2026
Why Smart People Struggle Learning Chinese
Apr 05, 2026
Why the Best Chinese Learning Methods Feel Hard
Apr 03, 2026
The Secret to Understanding Chinese
Mar 23, 2026
How to Start Learning Chinese The Right Way
Mar 18, 2026
How To Fix Your Broken Mandarin Pronunciation
Mar 16, 2026
We Guaranteed Mandarin Fluency for $10k
Mar 11, 2026
How to Use AI To CRUSH Chinese
Mar 09, 2026
The 80/20 Rule of Chinese
Feb 18, 2026
The Math Behind Chinese Fluency (It’s Not What You Think)
Feb 16, 2026
How To Use Flashcards to CRUSH Chinese
Dec 31, 2025
The ONE Thing That Guarantees Fluency
Dec 29, 2025
8 Beliefs of Successful Chinese Learners
Dec 26, 2025
Chinese Learning Experiments
Dec 23, 2025
Does Fluent Chinese Feel Impossible?
Dec 18, 2025
The Perfect Chinese Study Routine
Dec 11, 2025
How to Learn Fluent Chinese Without Native Speakers
Dec 09, 2025
Know Chinese Words But Can’t Speak?
Dec 02, 2025
5 Ways EGO Destroys Your Progress
Nov 27, 2025
How to Make Mandarin FUN
Nov 25, 2025
How To Stop Wasting Time Learning Chinese
Nov 20, 2025
How I Speak Mandarin With (Almost) Perfect Tones
Nov 18, 2025
Not Sure How to Make Progress with Mandarin?
Nov 14, 2025
Why You Keep Forgetting The Chinese You Learn
Nov 12, 2025
Why Chinese Listening Is So Hard (And How to Fix It)
Nov 05, 2025
8 Mindset Shifts That Make Mandarin Fluency Inevitable
Oct 29, 2025
This ONE Skill Makes Chinese Learning 10X Easier
Oct 27, 2025
6 Myths About Learning Chinese
Oct 22, 2025
4 Techniques To Improve Your Spoken Chinese FAST
Oct 20, 2025
Learning Chinese Is Simple, Actually
Oct 15, 2025
How to Make Chinese Learning Addictive
Oct 13, 2025
Read Chinese In 85 Minutes (Without Pinyin)
Oct 08, 2025
Why You Keep Quitting Chinese (And How To Fix It)
Oct 06, 2025
Why Most Chinese Learners Fail
Oct 01, 2025
Saying Sorry in Chinese: Essential Phrases
Jun 20, 2023
202. A Homeschooler’s Experience of Mandarin Blueprint
May 16, 2023
201. “I Need a Dictionary to Understand Myself!”
May 02, 2023
200. Play the Understanding Game & Win Fluency
Apr 18, 2023
199. How AI Can Make Learning Chinese Easier
Apr 04, 2023
198. The Dastardly Deed of Decoding Grammar
Mar 21, 2023
197. Master 3000+ Chinese Characters in Just One Year (part-time)
Mar 07, 2023
196. Two Weeks to Basic Literacy in Chinese
Feb 21, 2023
195. How To Find the Time For Learning Chinese
Feb 07, 2023
194. The Great Environment 伟大的环境
Jan 24, 2023
193. Let’s Set Some 2023 Goals For Learning Chinese
Jan 10, 2023
192. Immersing in Love
Dec 27, 2022
191. 8 Mistakes Chinese Learners Make
Dec 13, 2022
190. Traversing Awe
Dec 02, 2022
189. An Enlightening Progress Update from an MB Member
Nov 15, 2022
188. 铺床 Making the Bed in Chinese
Nov 01, 2022
187. How To Set Daily Goals for Long-Term Success With Chinese
Oct 17, 2022
186. What You NEED to BELIEVE to Learn Chinese
Oct 04, 2022
185. Shadowing: Deep Not Broad
Sep 20, 2022
184. The MB Inner Circle
Aug 16, 2022
183. Find Your “Why”
Aug 02, 2022
182. 3050 Characters Learned & Goodbye China!
Jul 18, 2022
181. Acquisition “习得 xídé”
Jul 05, 2022
180. “Standing Ovation” for The Mandarin Immersion Masterclass
Jun 21, 2022
179. Legends of Language Learning is Available (Free)
Jun 07, 2022
178. NEW COURSE – Mandarin Immersion Masterclass
May 24, 2022
177. “Achieving What I Once Found Impossible”
May 10, 2022
176. Struggling to Recall What You Learn? Focus Is Key
Apr 26, 2022
175. Legends of Language Learning
Apr 12, 2022
174. Consume Enough Chinese and You WILL Be Able to Produce It
Mar 29, 2022
Andrew Methven – Founder of Slow Chinese 每周漫闻
Mar 17, 2022
173. Making Immersion Automatic
Mar 15, 2022
172. See Yourself as a “Mandarin Chinese Fanatic”
Mar 01, 2022
171. New Course: Habit Building Bootcamp
Feb 15, 2022
What if You’re Way More Capable Than You Think at Learning Mandarin? Interview with Keith Travis
Feb 09, 2022
170. Inspiring Progress Reports From MB Members
Feb 01, 2022
169. Mandarin Blueprint Advanced Course Released
Jan 17, 2022
168. The Many Mandarin Milestones
Jan 04, 2022
167. A Pep Talk for Intermediate Mandarin Learners
Dec 21, 2021
166. “The Beginning is More Than Half of the Whole”
Dec 14, 2021
165. Chinese Listening Immersion
Dec 07, 2021
164. The Community Makes Mandarin Blueprint Work
Nov 16, 2021
163. Explaining Subtle Differences Between Some Common Mandarin Words
Nov 09, 2021
162. “I Passed!” A Mandarin Blueprint Success Story
Oct 26, 2021
161. The Mandarin Blueprint Upper-Intermediate Course
Oct 19, 2021
160. Your Life Raft for Mandarin Chinese
Oct 12, 2021
159. ‘Bordering on Witchcraft’ Chinese Memory Techniques
Oct 05, 2021
158. Reading Chinese Unlocks Your True Potential
Sep 28, 2021
Anne Giles – The Enlightened Way to Learn Mandarin
Sep 23, 2021
157. Intermediate Chinese Learning Plateau
Sep 21, 2021
156. Advanced Comparisons, Rote Learning, Shadowing, and More
Sep 14, 2021
155. Habits for Chinese, Habits for Life
Sep 07, 2021
154. Saving You From Chinese Insanity
Aug 31, 2021
153. New Graded Readers Coming
Aug 24, 2021
Unlocking the Mandarin World with Alex Heslop
Aug 18, 2021
152. How to say receive and regularly in chinese
Aug 17, 2021
Study Buddies Christine & Rebecca Share their Stories
Aug 14, 2021
151. Chinese Characters Are the Most Important
Aug 10, 2021
Interview with Peter Kopp – “Your teaching is the best I’ve seen”
Aug 04, 2021
150. Learning 100 Chinese Characters a Day
Aug 03, 2021
HSK 3 Level in 9 Weeks Using The Mandarin Blueprint Method – Keith Travis Interview
Jul 28, 2021
149. You Never Thought This Was Possible
Jul 27, 2021
Rebecca Wheble – Thoughts On Completing The Mandarin Blueprint Method Intermediate Course
Jul 21, 2021
148. 1000 Characters in One Week (Holy Smokes)
Jul 20, 2021
147. What Does Your Study Schedule Look Like?
Jul 13, 2021
146. You’re Not Good Enough to Learn Chinese
Jul 06, 2021
Chad’s New Success with Mandarin Chinese
Jul 04, 2021
145. Consume Chinese
Jun 29, 2021
144. Spy-level Chinese
Jun 22, 2021
143. Dawning Familiarity with Mandarin
Jun 15, 2021
Yann’s 4th Language is Mandarin, How Is It Learning the MB Way?
Jun 09, 2021
Learning Mandarin for Hip-Hop? James’ Chinese Journey
Jun 04, 2021
142. Am I Doomed to Fail at Chinese?
Jun 01, 2021
141. Progressing Too Slowly?
May 25, 2021
140. The Mandarin Blueprint – Go Fund Me
May 18, 2021
Andrew Coleshill Interview No. 2 – Acquiring 80% of Mandarin in 6 Months
May 16, 2021
139. How “Face” Works in China
May 11, 2021
138. “I spoke Chinese today!”
May 04, 2021
137. Starting Over With Mandarin Chinese
Apr 27, 2021
136. Finishing Your Foundation & Trusting Your Brain
Apr 20, 2021
135. Trust the Chinese Character Process
Apr 13, 2021
134. The Inspiring Achievements of Our Members
Apr 06, 2021
133. SEAHORSE Memory Technique
Mar 30, 2021
132. The Rollercoaster of Mandarin Acquisition
Mar 23, 2021
131. Pushing & Pulling Toward Fluency
Mar 16, 2021
Kairi Shikari – Interview No. 2
Mar 12, 2021
Interview with Benjamin Pence
Mar 10, 2021
130. Using Memory Palaces to Make Tones Unforgettable
Mar 09, 2021
129. Learn Chinese Grammar By Yourself
Mar 02, 2021
128. How to Master Any Mandarin Sound
Feb 23, 2021
Adam DiFrisco – Bilingual Tour Guide on How He Mastered Mandarin
Feb 17, 2021
127. What’s Special About Mandarin & Happy CNY!
Feb 16, 2021
Gyms, GTD & Mandarin Blueprint – An Interview w/ Nathan Holiday
Feb 10, 2021
126. Mr. T Loans His Hook Swords to Janet Jackson
Feb 09, 2021
Interview with John Nomura – University Learning vs. Mandarin Blueprint
Feb 03, 2021
125. Translating the Untranslatable
Feb 02, 2021
A Pro User’s Pro Tips – Interview with Christine Anderssen
Jan 27, 2021
124. Analyzing Chinese vs. Acquiring Chinese
Jan 26, 2021
Betting on Fluency – a Chat with Robert Toms
Jan 20, 2021
123. Learning Goals for 2021
Jan 19, 2021
Interview with Chris Young on Study Techniques, Motivation & Understanding China
Jan 13, 2021
122. How to Use 把 bǎ in Chinese
Jan 12, 2021
The DRAGON Lady! Becca’s Business Benefits from Chinese
Jan 06, 2021
121. The Two-headed (Friendly) Monster of Chinese Fluency
Jan 05, 2021
120. Layers of Chinese Success
Dec 29, 2020
119. Gamify your learning & Who has the best Chinese?
Dec 22, 2020
Brennan’s Company Asked Him to Learn Chinese
Dec 16, 2020
118. Shocking Native Mandarin Speakers
Dec 15, 2020
117. Chinese Idioms
Dec 08, 2020
Oscar Haglund shares his awesome progress with Mandarin Blueprint
Dec 07, 2020
Peter Byrd Finally Found Success In Mandarin After 20 Years Of Trying
Dec 01, 2020
116. Beginner Or Intermediate?
Dec 01, 2020
115. A New Chinese Learning Landscape
Nov 24, 2020
114. When to Speak & Foundation Building
Nov 17, 2020
113. Chinese Vocab Mnemonics
Nov 10, 2020
112. Two Types of Expat Life in China
Nov 03, 2020
111. But WHY, though?
Oct 27, 2020
Nick Sims on Balancing Family, Career & Learning Chinese
Oct 21, 2020
110. Language Mastery
Oct 20, 2020
109. Making Mnemonics for Memorizing Chinese Words
Oct 13, 2020
108. Grinding vs. Gear-Shifting
Oct 06, 2020
Interview with Kairi Shikari
Oct 01, 2020
107. Noticing Language Patterns Through Consistent Exposure
Sep 29, 2020
Interview with Paul Schutz
Sep 24, 2020
106. Learning Grammar vs. Acquiring Grammar
Sep 22, 2020
Interview with Joe Sutcliffe
Sep 17, 2020
105. Patience and Consistency in Learning Mandarin
Sep 15, 2020
Interview with TJ Chernick
Sep 10, 2020
104. Softening Tone of Voice with 呢 ne
Sep 08, 2020
103. Saying “Not this, but that” in Mandarin
Sep 01, 2020
102. Traveling China Speaking Mandarin
Aug 25, 2020
“I would recommend your system to absolutely anybody who’s learning Chinese” – Jonathan Glazier
Aug 21, 2020
“When you speak to a person in their own language, it goes to their heart” – Roger Milford
Aug 20, 2020
101. Expressing “only” in Mandarin with 才 cái
Aug 18, 2020
100. The MB Podcast Turns 100! A Special Message From Luke & Phil
Aug 11, 2020
Dr. Chris Thompson: “Fundamentally unique and more correct than most language courses”
Aug 06, 2020
99. And in Chinese and With in Chinese
Aug 04, 2020
98. Expressing “not only…but also” in Mandarin
Jul 28, 2020
Jason Pon: Mandarin Blueprint Kept Me Disciplined
Jul 22, 2020
97. Two Ways to Say “Or” in Mandarin Chinese
Jul 21, 2020
Interview with John Morrison
Jul 15, 2020
96. Using “zai” in Chinese
Jul 14, 2020
Interview with William Digby
Jul 09, 2020
95. Despite 虽然 in Mandarin Chinese
Jul 07, 2020
Interview with Chris Boyd
Jul 03, 2020
94. How to Say “If” in Chinese
Jun 30, 2020
Interview with Darren Reger
Jun 24, 2020
93. Reasons & Actions in Mandarin Chinese
Jun 23, 2020
Trey’s using Mandarin to enhance his life
Jun 18, 2020
Heath’s Found His “Language Kit” at Mandarin Blueprint
Jun 17, 2020
【CASE STUDY】Rosan Bishwakarma: Our Star Student
Jun 17, 2020
92. How to Say “But” in Chinese
Jun 16, 2020
Eleanor is Impressing Her Chinese Colleagues
Jun 10, 2020
91. How ‘Far Away’ Are You? Chinese Character 离 lí
Jun 09, 2020
90. How to Say “And” & “With” in Mandarin
Jun 02, 2020
89. 对 duì Isn’t Always ‘Correct’
May 26, 2020
88. The Thrill of Reading (and Understanding) Chinese
May 19, 2020
87. Changes, Omissions & Wigwams in Chinese
May 12, 2020
86. How to Say “Towards” in Chinese
May 05, 2020
【Case Study】Rick’s Mandarin Success
May 04, 2020
85. Mastering Mandarin in the Modern World
Apr 28, 2020
“The Best Part About MB is That It’s Fun” – Faraz
Apr 27, 2020
84. How to Use 从 cóng “From”
Apr 21, 2020
83. How to Use 为 wèi in Mandarin Chinese
Apr 14, 2020
“You Don’t Need to Look Elsewhere for a Chinese Course” – Rudolf
Apr 13, 2020
82. How to Use 地
Apr 07, 2020
81. How to Become Literate in Mandarin in Less Than a Year
Mar 31, 2020
80. Emphasizing Details In Mandarin
Mar 24, 2020
【CASE STUDY】Dom Loves Recommending MB
Mar 18, 2020
Neil’s Improving His Life in Taiwan with Mandarin Blueprint
Mar 18, 2020
79. How to Change Your Tone of Voice in Chinese
Mar 17, 2020
78. Mandarin Adverbs of Time
Mar 10, 2020
77. Always? Sometimes? Often? Seldom?
Mar 03, 2020
【CASE STUDY】Howard Goes From Skeptic to Believer in Mandarin Blueprint
Feb 27, 2020
【CASE STUDY】Kika Learns About Her Chinese Grandfather by Using Mandarin Blueprint
Feb 26, 2020
76. Mandarin Adverbs of Range
Feb 25, 2020
75. How Much Do You Love Me on Valentine’s Day?
Feb 18, 2020
74. How to say “No” in Mandarin
Feb 11, 2020
73. Coronavirus Update from Mandarin Blueprint
Feb 04, 2020
72. Expansion Complete!
Jan 28, 2020
71. How to Use The Most Common Character in Chinese 的
Jan 21, 2020
70. Learn Chinese Grammar
Jan 14, 2020
69. 1000s of Brains Are Better Than One
Jan 07, 2020
68. How to Maintain a Positive Mindset When Learning Chinese
Dec 31, 2019
67. Learning, Reviewing & Acquiring Mandarin Chinese
Dec 24, 2019
66. How to Achieve Mandarin Fluency in Six Months
Dec 17, 2019
65. Zero Days Off – Ben Metcalf Case Study
Dec 11, 2019
64. Turning Water Into Juice
Dec 10, 2019
63. Characters: Gotta Catch ’em All!
Dec 03, 2019
62. ‘Today is the Day I Die!’
Nov 26, 2019
61. Lesley Nearly Quit Learning Mandarin Before Mandarin Blueprint!
Nov 20, 2019
60. How To Build & Maintain A Study Habit
Nov 19, 2019
59. Don’t Over-think!
Nov 12, 2019
58. How to Stop Struggling With Mandarin
Nov 05, 2019
57. Zero Days Off
Oct 29, 2019
56. The Intermediate Struggle
Oct 22, 2019
55. Pinnochio Revives Sinéad O’Connor
Oct 15, 2019
54. Imaginer Discretion is Advised
Oct 10, 2019
53. Zoolander And His Siamese Twins
Oct 03, 2019
52. 【CASE STUDY】Ken’s Mission to Master Mandarin
Sep 28, 2019
51. The Children of the Corn Sing Beatles Songs
Sep 26, 2019
50. 600 Characters in Six Weeks – Sino-Star Sandy!
Sep 21, 2019
49. Ricky Gervais Bathes His Ducklings
Sep 18, 2019
48. 1500 Characters Coming Soon!
Sep 12, 2019
47. Yoko Ono Discovers The Meaning Of Life
Sep 04, 2019
46. Foundational Chinese
Aug 28, 2019
45. Chuck Norris Starts World War Two
Aug 21, 2019
44. 【CASE STUDY】William Edmeades Part 2 – Progress!!!
Aug 19, 2019
43. Show Us What You Got 头
Aug 14, 2019
42. 【CASE STUDY】Ija Amrahi & Mastering the Memory Palace
Aug 10, 2019
41. Shrek & Spock Play Ice Hockey
Aug 06, 2019
40. Paul Rudd Got Fat
Jul 30, 2019
39. “Shamefully” Bad Mandarin
Jul 23, 2019
38. Funerals In China
Jul 17, 2019
37. Mario’s Miraculous Mushroom
Jul 15, 2019
36. The Cultural Memory of Your Personal Life
Jul 09, 2019
35. Mastering Mandarin & Music With Murray James
Jun 28, 2019
34. Beyoncé Does Pringle Puns
Jun 28, 2019
33. Morgan Freeman Got the Golden Ticket
Jun 25, 2019
32. Trump Gets a Loan from Batman & Robin
Jun 18, 2019
31. Super Mario & Friends with Benefits
Jun 11, 2019
30. 【CASE STUDY】- Harry Ching Wants to Talk to His Chinese Patients
Jun 07, 2019
29. [CASE STUDY] – William Edmeades
Jun 06, 2019
28. Julian Laffey’s Success With MB
Jun 05, 2019
27. Shakespeare Advises Tina Turner On Pencils
May 29, 2019
26. Flashcard Management
May 28, 2019
25. The Resilient Chinese Culture That Survived a Revolution
May 21, 2019
24. [CASE STUDY] – How Eric Brown Fits TMBM Into His Busy Schedule
May 18, 2019
23. [CASE STUDY] – How Ryan Smith Went From “I Can’t Visualize” to SMASHING It!
May 17, 2019
22. The MB Community
May 16, 2019
21. Abigail Case Study
May 14, 2019
20. Big Brothers, Fathers, & Headmasters
May 07, 2019
19. Sidney Green Case Study
May 07, 2019
18. The Godfather, Mr. Meeseeks & A Gardening Scorpion
Apr 30, 2019
17. Skin in the Chinese Game
Apr 23, 2019
16. Should You Rely on Translation to Learn Chinese?
Apr 16, 2019
15. Chewbacca & Mufasa
Apr 09, 2019
14. Can Chinese Change the Way You Think?
Apr 02, 2019
13. Case Study – Chad Ressler
Apr 01, 2019
12. Breaking Bad’s Jesse & Kung Fu Panda
Mar 29, 2019