Learning alongside you
James 杰
Exchange Student嘿，大家好！我叫James，从美国来的。我两年前到北京留学，刚来的时候只会说两百个词，现在好多了，但是声调还是会搞错。我觉得学中文最好的方法就是多说多练，不要怕犯错！
Hēi, dàjiā hǎo! Wǒ jiào James, cóng Měiguó lái de. Wǒ liǎng nián qián dào Běijīng liúxué, gāng lái de shíhou zhǐ huì shuō liǎng bǎi gè cí, xiànzài hǎo duō le, dànshì shēngdiào háishì huì gǎocuò. Wǒ juéde xué Zhōngwén zuì hǎo de fāngfǎ jiùshì duō shuō duō liàn, bùyào pà fàncuò!
"Hey, everyone! I'm James, from the US. I came to Beijing to study two years ago — when I first arrived I only knew about two hundred words. It's much better now, but I still mess up the tones. I think the best way to learn Chinese is to speak as much as you can and not be afraid of making mistakes!"
犯错误是学习的一部分。
Making mistakes is part of learning.
About James
James arrived in Beijing from Portland, Oregon, with two suitcases and roughly 200 vocabulary words. Two years later his Mandarin is fluent enough to argue with taxi drivers about shortcuts, but he still occasionally confuses second and third tones — and he is honest about it. He studies International Relations at Peking University and runs a bilingual podcast where he interviews street food vendors about their life stories. His perspective as a learner who has been where you are makes his dialogues feel like studying with a friend who is just a few steps ahead.
Personality
Hobbies
- Street food hunting
- Podcasting
- Basketball at the campus court
- Photographing hutong alleys
- Language exchange meetups
Goals
- Pass HSK 6 by year-end
- Document 100 street food stories
- Prove that tones can be learned with enough practice
He once accidentally ordered 40 dumplings instead of 4 because he mixed up 四十 and 四.
Featured In
Saying Goodbye
告别用语Greetings & Introductions
问候与自我介绍
Asking for Directions
问路
Shopping for Clothes
买衣服Gift Shopping
买礼物Online Shopping Help
网购咨询Saying Goodbye
告别用语Greetings & Introductions
问候与自我介绍Asking for Directions
问路Shopping for Clothes
买衣服Gift Shopping
买礼物Online Shopping Help
网购咨询Saying Goodbye
告别用语Greetings & Introductions
问候与自我介绍Asking for Directions
问路Shopping for Clothes
买衣服Gift Shopping
买礼物Online Shopping Help
网购咨询Saying Goodbye
告别用语Greetings & Introductions
问候与自我介绍Asking for Directions
问路Shopping for Clothes
买衣服Gift Shopping
买礼物Online Shopping Help
网购咨询James's Picks from Mandarin Temple
Content James recommends based on their experience and expertise.
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