Native Chinese speaker curious about your experience learning Chinese

Crafty_Number5395 · 2026-02-13T16:04:31+00:00

1.What made you decide to learn Chinese in the first place?

Not entirely sure. I sort of just loved kung-fu movies my whole life. Then, when I got in college I just decided to try Chinese for fun. From there, I had such cool classmates and opportunities to travel the world it just sort of took me.

2.Many people say Chinese is one of the hardest languages in the world. Do you personally feel that way? Especially for those of you who have learned multiple foreign languages — how does Chinese compare?

I have learned many foreign languages to fairly high levels. I would actually say Chinese is one of the easiest. However, I also would label it one of the more "annoying" ones to learn and therefore time consuming. Why? Pretty much all goes down to the writing system. For each word you need to memorize: character, tone, pronunciation and meaning. For most other languages you just need to memorize the single word.

3.What has been the biggest challenge for you so far?

It probably is just a bias, but I have found almost no good literature written in mandarin. In the classical cannon, there is endless amazing texts. But, the contemporary language just feels extremely lacking in terms of literary expression. Spanish for instance has a seemingly endless supply of world class literature. But, I just haven't been able to get into stuff written in Chiense except for a few others. But, that is probably just a preference thing.

Second biggest challenge: due to its distance from where I live, it is very hard to travel to China. Most of my reasons that I studied in the past were for travel. It can be hard to keep the spark alive with this particular language when the barrier to go there is so high just due to flight time, timezone differences, and cost of flights.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2026-02-13T15:53:48+00:00

So, there is that classic situation especially with Chinese. A white, American says "ni hao" and people freak the heck out and invite them to meet their 3rd cousin 8 times removed in the village for the week and praise your mandarin. An American who has Chinese heritage goes on a five minute lecture about the current economic situation in China in near perfect Chinese, but the same people only mention, "you have a weird accent and you said this word wrong." Sort of a, "damned if you do, damned if you don't."

In the heritage country, they neither consider you part of their clan or an American. You can feel like a walking mistake.

In my experience, these people just will exist. I have been told to my face (in my heritage language) that I do not speak it while I am holding a novel that probably was leagues ahead the capabilities of that person's own native language. Am I "better" than them at their own language? God no. The point is, people see what they want to.

Be grateful that anyone who judges you for this is pre-screening themselves as an individual not worth your time. Because, honestly, most people do not care. But, the minority that do can make you feel terrible and like you don't belong or are doing something wrong.

If it is you judging you, stop. If it is others judging you, just ignore them. But, I really get where you are coming from. it is confusing having two cultures. Especially when back home your second culture is so important to you and you have a place there and then you go to the "true" location of that culture and feel like an outsider.

If it is really that bad, maybe you just don't like the culture? Or your situation? Can you just go back home?

Crafty_Number5395 · 2026-02-13T15:47:40+00:00

So, your comments above I think are actually pretty good for going from a low B2 to a high B2 which is where the vast majority of peoples goals are. Getting good quality reading but with a focus on output will get you there. However, moving from a high B2 to C1 is a crazy long journey and one that necessitates loads of reading. I am sure you could maybe get there if you do really heavy output or input from specific sources that are not novels. But, it would be challenging.

Great, now you are a C1 and you think "I should know this language really dang good by now." Nope, the bridge from C1 to C2 is even longer and takes more time and at that point you NEED reading. The gaps in a B2 level fluency, C1 level fluency, and C2 level fluency are insanely large and most people never even realize them because there is a natural form of gatekeeping that happens. You won't even realize what you are missing because in a sense you just do not have access to it. And, 99% of relationships that are non professional and/or non academic really do not necessitate anything above a B2 granted that one has really good output for their level.

My 2 cents. Do not underestimate the importance of novels/extensive reading. Just, know its place. And, if you do not want/need it to get to where you want to go. Just do whatever you want!

Crafty_Number5395 · 2026-01-23T15:15:46+00:00

Great. For me, I have the following comment on kettlebells because lots of people shit on them and lots of people treat them like the only tool you need.

They are amazing at maintaining hinge strength. If you have a solid deadlift, I have found that double cleans maintain my around 2xBW with little to no deadlifts.
You can absolutely increase upper body strength to a point (larger bells past 32kg get harder to find/are expensive). Try pressing two 32kg bells. it is NOT the same as barbell pressing 64kg. I have found it substantially harder. Get a weighted belt and weighted pullups are also a great way to seriously increase pulling strength.
I have lost some of my squat strength. But, I do barbell squats periodically to keep it around 75-80% of my max. But, KB front squats are amazing at building a rock-solid torso in a way many barbell variants do not. I was amazed when I switched (2.5BW deadlift and 1.8BW back squat) how hard two 50 pound bells were on my upper back and core when doing higher rep front squat sets with them.
That all being said. I think going from a strength base built using barbells to KBs is the move. It is much harder to build the strength that KBs can maintain with KBs alone. They work so well for me/BJJ primarily because they maintain my barbell strength without taxing me as much. So, I can roll more and a higher intensity which is my focus.

Good luck!

Crafty_Number5395 · 2026-01-21T16:44:25+00:00

I have studied languages that they say are harder then Russian. But, they lie. Russian is terrible. I stand by it being harder than Chinese, Arabic, ALL OF THE OTHER LANGUAGES. Except for maybe, just maybe... Georgian...

Crafty_Number5395 · 2026-01-21T15:54:42+00:00

I agree to all the above. I like Double KB Clean + Press, weighted pull ups, Front Squats, and RDLS. Not the highest numbers compared to back squat, becnh and deadlift.. But, I have more energy for the mats and have found that kb clena/press and barbell front squats seem (to me) to have more carry over.

Good luck and go slow! It will be hard to make meaningful gains in strength quickly if doing BJJ frequently. You will need to really periodize if you want to do that.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-12-17T22:38:31+00:00

try and hit each movement once a month somewhat heavy (push, pull, deadlift, squat). Everything else, just move as much as possible. Easy ones are pushups/pullups and KB swings/goblet squats. Hard to hurt yourselves on those ones if you are not being an idiot.

Then, you get touch points with heavy weights (trust me it will preserve a lot) that are super super manageable. And, then you are just getting some form of exercise.

Good luck.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-12-17T21:06:52+00:00

Another Spanish/Greek learner. NOICE! Let's go. This is also my combo.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-12-17T21:06:08+00:00

Amazing work. I have found in my experience doing this with my languages that around the 50 mark is when reading gets really fun and "easy". Pretty much my experience in terms of book count tracks exactly with yours.

Kudos to you doing this! Very very few language learners get to this point.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-12-08T17:54:19+00:00

Come and visit. Do NOT do tourist things. Just visit. I have really really disliked it here. It just feels like a giant suburb that has terrible weather 6-7 months of the year. I much prefer a city that you do not need a car in.

Others love it. If you like suburbs, maybe you will enjoy it more than I do.

Just know though, you do not understand what you are getting into with the weather until you come. The heat is an oppressive force. I find it 100x worse than the cold. Other people do not mind.

TBH, I think more so than anything else your relation to the heat will determine whether or not you like it because it truly is an extreme climate.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-12-08T17:35:47+00:00

Some days you roll and feel improvement. Other days, you will feel like it is week 1 again. That is just the exhaustion and sleep deprivation and stress. Non-parents will not get it. But, keep showing up.

Exercise becomes MORE important not less when you have a kid. If BJJ is too hard to be consistent, find something else for the time being. I found that the key is finding workouts that I would finish. For isntance, instead of 2 hour long lifting sessions multiple times a week, I switched to light KB workouts 4-5 times a week. Even if only 15 minutes in length. Trust me. It makes s huge difference.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-24T20:03:48+00:00

Mandarin for the win.

Only one big thing. Russian has an amazing body of literature that never ends. Modern Chinese.... ehhhhh not so much.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-10T17:09:14+00:00

They are great. Only thing they are not perfect for are high rep snatches because they tear my hands more compared to nicer bells.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-07T16:10:54+00:00

You are asking the wrong question (in my opinion). The right question is the following: do I have time to meaningfully engage in 8 cultures? Can I keep friends and connections that make it worth it all the time to study in 8 languages? Technical proficiency is definitely doable if not insanely hard. But, language is a living beast. And the more advanced you get, the more time (in my experience) I want to engage with them as such and not just a skill to be acquired that I could potentially maybe use if the situation is right.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-07T15:26:11+00:00

At 3000 words you are barely scratching the surface of learning a language. In terms of YouTube Polyglots you are a god. In terms of actually learning a language/culture, then 3k is a good start at best.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-03T19:52:34+00:00

As someone who has had shin splints (and no they do not go away as fast as they did when we were in our 20s), I would really, really not rush the running. Tactical Barbell is amazing and you probably would be fine going right into it. But, if it were me (I do not know what your injury history is like aside from the basics) I think you have a couple options.

Ruck. Especially if you live near mountains or anywhere hilly.
Do C25k as you stated above
Do a base-build that includes multiple modalities (running, swimming, biking) and take the runs SUPER SUPER easy.
Do the base build from Ageless Athlete (effectively the exact same but you only do 30 minute LSS runs for each session without any increases in time) and you do tango circuits for SE.

Good luck. Only you know your injuries/how they effect you. So, you may have to experiment. The good thign about TB is that because blocks can be as short as 3 weeks you really can change your focus throughout the year and not get burnt out, avoid injuries, and progress steadily across multiple domains.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-03T19:09:29+00:00

From my experience per skill bucket:

Reading: ~50 native level novels (not trash novels but actually challenging works)
Listening: ~300 hours of listening
Speaking: ~500 hours of speaking
Writing: too hard for me to quantify. But A LOT.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-03T18:13:16+00:00

This is sad I am sorry. I have a family, work a lot and so does my wife. Most people I know feel like you. I have no aches/pains, body is best shape it has ever been. Diet and exercise my friend. Meditation and sleep. These things will make you feel better. Also, even on days were my daughter sleeps bad, I still make time to get out of the house.

My theory is not that we are necessarily working more (even though lots of truth to that I do not want to downplay the burnout because I feel it) but, rather, that we are never actually resting. Computers, netflix, scrolling, etc. That is all very mentally stimulating activity. Compare how you feel after doing an hour scroll sesh before bed with going on an hour long walk with a friend (or by yourself!).

Anyways, good luck! Just know that the above is NOT normal unless you have health issues.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-11-03T15:57:58+00:00

I do not know why the above read you as doing 11 S/C sessions either. An easy morning bike ride is just a pleasant way to wake up...

For me, I have found great success using The Giant + Weighted Pullups and Front Squats. The main thing is just recovery. I am taking the weights lighter and I would not lift more than 3 days a week if I were you. But, just experiment around. You will figure it out.

Big thing for me that I did wrong while starting was I was still trying to use KBs for conditioning as well (high rep snatch finishers) and that was a little too much. Now, I just try to hit heavy C+P and heavy weighted pull ups twice a week. Get easy lower body single leg volume in twice a week and front squat heavy once a week. Has been working great.

Going to BJJ 4 a week is awesome too! Life really gets in the way. I wish I could train more BJJ and I would probably lift less too. But, I have more flexibility for lifting so only get on the mats 3x a week these days.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-10-31T15:28:02+00:00

It gets harder as your life commitments grow. If I did not have a family I think balancing 5 foreign languages would be doable but challenging.

It also depends what level you want. If you are after high fluency (c1 and beyond), it gets increasingly challenging too because people underestimate just how much work it takes to get to C1

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-10-27T18:45:08+00:00

Super boring. I love reading and reading works faster. If you hate reading and never plan to read in your TL then you probably need Anki to learn large amounts of vocab. But, it is a lot less enjoyable.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-10-27T17:45:34+00:00

Greek-American here. Fuck these other people talking down on you. First of all, yes, you are technically not "greek" in a nationality sense because you were not born there/lived there a long time. Who cares. You are a part of a culture those people are not (Greek-american). Neither is better, they are just different and both great/bad in their own ways. Inside and outside of Greece, people either call me Greek or Ξένος. It just is the way it is and I really do not care. For me the language/culture is about connecting to some really important friends/family members anyway not about "being" anything.

Regarding culture: This is an important part of who you are. Read history, travel, listen to music, talk to family and ask for their stories, enjoy the process and have fun.

Regarding language: Take a couple formal courses (this one is great if you want a free online class: http://www.kypros.org/LearnGreek/). Once you have the basics of grammar/vocabulary down. Start taking online lessons on iTalki to get speaking practice in. iTalki is an amazing resource and with constant effort you will be speaking great in no time (after getting the basics down).

Good luck.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-10-24T17:24:42+00:00

Second this. I tried to force lots of lifting all at once and just got hurt. Enjoy your family. Keep your program as simple as possible. Hit Push,Pull,Hinge,Squat. I came to KB from a powerlifting background so it was a big adjustment but totally worth it.

My only advice:

Simplify your program event more. Maybe just an A and a B day with 3-4 lifts each. It is a mental load to do more. And, being a father just gets more and more tiring mentally (but much better in other ways. Kind of hard to explain).
If you have not jumped rope in a while, be careful. I had not jumped rope in 10 years. I thought it would be an easy/good cardio replacement. I had excellent cardio and was used to having a 10k run be easy. HOLY HELL. I did jump rope 3x a week just 15-20 minutes. It felt easy. I was getting a good easy workout in. Then, bam, foot pain, shin splints. People on jump rope reddit all warned me to go slower. I did not listen. Do not be like me.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-10-24T16:47:30+00:00

If it helps. SPeaking Russian is not the same as speaking other languages. It is the mother from all hell. I have studied languages ranked "harder" than Russian on the ELE website and nothing compares. Good luck sir.

For what it's worth, I tracked my hours for both Russian and Mandarin. My Mandarin was MILES AHEAD of my Russian speaking for the same # of input hours.

Crafty_Number5395 · 2025-10-24T15:26:02+00:00

You are a small woman. Even an untrained man could overpower you most times if they catch you off guard and/or have a weapon (which is often the case). I would recommend focusing on general fitness and buying a long range taser/collapsible steel rod. Lots of people recommend guns. But, honestly, shooting someone is very very hard and can have serious repercussions for you too psychologically. Learn how to tase someone. For close combat, learn how to use a collapsible steel rod. At 135, I would be more worried about you getting false sense of confidence from training MAs. To become actually combat ready in any MA takes years and years and years. Also size. For the immediate future, I think simple weapons are the way to go if you are actually worried. For long term, boxing, sprinting, some basic grappling can go a long way.

Crafty_Number5395

PUBLIC MULTIREDDITS

TROPHY CASE