Learn Taiwanese Mandarin With Ben — A Slow Chinese Podcast for Intermediate Learners
A Podcast by Ben Wu
Learn Taiwanese Mandarin With Ben
A Taiwanese Mandarin podcast for intermediate Chinese learners, with real-life stories and free Chinese transcripts.
As a rough guide, try these episodes if you're studying around HSK 4–5 or TOCFL Band B. Difficulty varies by episode.
⭐ Start Here: A Day in Da Nang
EP68 · TRAVEL & REMOTE WORK
A Day in Da Nang: Taiwanese Mandarin Transcript & Vocabulary
Come for a walk along the beach with me after a month of remote work in Vietnam. I talk about daily routines, cafés, swimming, solo travel, and the little cultural differences I noticed.
Study materials for this episode: a Chinese–English transcript, chapter timestamps, and 74 vocabulary items with Zhuyin, pinyin, English, and Vietnamese meanings. The YouTube video includes Traditional Chinese with Zhuyin, English, and Vietnamese subtitles.
🎧 Listen Where You Like
How to Practice With an Episode
- Listen for the main idea. Pick a topic you enjoy and try a short section before reading along.
- Check the Chinese transcript. Replay the parts you missed and choose a few useful expressions. Use the translations or vocabulary notes where the episode provides them.
- Listen again. Try the same section without the transcript, then say a sentence or two about it in your own words.
Each page below has a Chinese transcript. Extra study materials vary; start with EP68 for English and Vietnamese support.
More Episodes With Chinese Transcripts
WORK & CAREERS
Jobs in Taiwan & WFH
Listen as I talk about work, career expectations, and expressions such as 三師, 鐵飯碗, and 條碼師.
HABITS & PERSONAL GROWTH
Procrastination: 拖延症
Why I put off recording, and how making the first step easier helped. Practice talking about habits and getting things done.
JAPAN & TAIWAN
Police Academies in Japan vs. Taiwan
The drama Kyojo (教場) got me curious about police training. Listen as I explore daily schedules and compare what I found with Taiwan.
TRAVEL & HOBBIES
Pokémon GO in Japan & Otters
A day out in Kyushu with Pokémon GO, a park visit, and otters. Everyday Chinese for talking about hobbies, animals, and travel.
HOLIDAYS & DAILY LIFE
Lunar New Year in Japan, Vibe Coding & TV Shows
What I did during the Lunar New Year holiday: life in Japan, writing code, and the shows I've been watching.
🗂 Browse Listening Practice by Topic
- Work & tech: jobs and working from home in Taiwan, or remote work in Da Nang
- Japan life: Lunar New Year, coding, and TV shows
- Taiwan & culture: police academies in Japan and Taiwan
- Travel & hobbies: Pokémon GO and otters in Kyushu
- Personal growth: procrastination and taking the first step
👋 Why I Made This Podcast
I'm Ben, a software engineer from Taiwan. I learned English mostly through American TV shows and tech podcasts, and Japanese through anime and JLPT prep. Listening to native speakers talk about ordinary things helped me a lot.
I made Learn Taiwanese Mandarin With Ben to share that kind of listening practice in my own language. I talk about daily life, work, travel, and Taiwanese culture in natural Taiwanese Mandarin (台灣國語). You'll hear local expressions, pauses, and the way I actually talk.
If you've learned the basics and want to follow personal, unscripted stories, pick an episode that interests you and listen along.
You can also read my travel and life blog or follow me on Twitter.
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