Professional Chinese Teachers Rate My “Perfect” Chinese

[@Duncan_Idaho_Potato]

The whole "Yes, I've achieved a relatively high level of skill, but tell me what I can do better, and please be honest" type of attitude is the only way to attain, or at least approach, mastery at any skill. Not just languages, but ANY complex skill. Perseverance, determination, and above all, humility.

[@babytiny5807]

Yeah, and even when you're a master of Chinese you've still gotta say "我妈？没有没有没有，还行吧还行吧"

[@frofrofrofro900]

It is so Asian thing to say and do

[@hector5810]

Well said

[@praetorian3959]

Yes, but if I’m honest, I would like to hear I’m near perfect if I’m THAT good… haha

[@IamThat00]

Exactly. That kind of mindset is important when learning a foreign language or any other skill.

[@baron6797]

Considering that the main criticism of his mandarin language skills is that he'd have been better if he was raised in China, I'd say that's a pretty big compliment!

[@Checkmate1138]

So i suppose the only way to really improve for him now would be to fully integrate into Chinese culture, cold turkey? Study Chinese culture, history, and literature，live for at least 10 years, only speak Chinese language?

[@IronFreee]

@@Checkmate1138 If you are not born Han Chinese you will always be looked down.

[@keymaster430]

@@Checkmate1138 Yes, but a lot less than 10 years. Him already being at the level he's at, shouldn't take too long I wouldn't imagine.

[@justdrop]

@@Checkmate1138 He's already lived there so it wouldn't exactly be cold turkey

[@firerice5650]

@@Checkmate1138 Yes, improving vocabulary isn't that hard and can be learned rather quickly, the main difference that sets him apart from native speakers is just that slight accent. It really isn't that big of a deal, but it is just like a foreigner learning English, you cannot differentiate him in terms of grammar and vocabulary but just that slight accent. Learning a new accent is only achievable by interacting with natives day and night for several years which is why they said that you'd have to live in China to achieve such level

[@RichardSamBera]

When Terry speaks, it's like listening to someone reading a poem. Don't know what the poem means but he just sound soothing

[@Aikman94]

I love how he loves the Chinese language too! He's made such language a piece of him!

[@dsnitely]

I agree Richard, it's the calmness of Terry's voice and his naturally fluid words that make him stand out. It's very soothing to listen too and he is very efficient in his mannerisms, in the tones of his voice, and in his body language

[@Jackmerius_Tacktheritrix5733]

It’s because you’re gay

[@uberduke]

@@dsnitely yeh I've watched quite a few C-dramas, and I think he easily could be an actor with his voice

[@Scorfield]

It's like you're hearing some samurai stories...

[@TinMan445]

I love that the female teacher was so classic Chinese. Telling you it was perfect and amazing at the start. And ended up saying your vocabulary wasn’t even at high school level by the end of the conversation haha always so polite until pressed further

[@scorpiusbalthazar4327]

To be fair, she also said that most Chinese people don't rate at the high school level.

[@demivideos8887]

High school level in china is not like high school level in the US for example. Chinese high school as unbelievably high standards compared to western countries. I mean you heard her, in elementary you write an essay everyday and the teacher corrects you not only with the writing of the words but with better vocabulary.

[@cowbats]

@@demivideos8887 In the US we didn't start writing essays every day until 11th/junior year, and we rarely had corrections with grammar/vocabulary past elementary school. Many of the kids didn't understand the "contextual grammar" (for lack of a better word) like 'to' and 'too', or 'your' and "you're". To be fair, most of the students in my school learned English as their 2nd language, but the teachers not correcting it was truly the main problem. It was completely ignored by all teachers past elementary school because it wasn't in the curriculum anymore.

[@u4tiwasdead]

Tbf vocabulary is probably the thing that takes longest to judge.

[@tenshigomesu2956]

@@cowbats really? We started essays in elementary school for me in the US.

[@Turandot29]

I think that is the first time I’ve seen Xiaoma actually just conversing in Chinese and not just dicking around with shopkeepers.

[@himothaniel]

Yeah, I know it takes more time to make, but longer conversations are so interesting

[@anoobagain5008]

What does dicking around mean

[@Sagitarria]

@@anoobagain5008 "Dicking around" is an informal slang phrase in English that means to waste time, act without a clear purpose, or engage in frivolous or unproductive activities. It's similar to saying "messing around" or "goofing off." For example, if someone is supposed to be working on a project but instead they are just browsing the internet, watching videos, or doing unrelated tasks, you might say they are "dicking around." However, because of its casual and somewhat crude nature, it might not be suitable for all situations, especially formal ones. Instead, you can use alternatives like "wasting time," "procrastinating," or "not focusing on the task at hand." To give an example in a sentence: "If we keep dicking around, we'll never finish this project on time." Remember, the appropriateness of this phrase varies depending on cultural and personal boundaries, so it's always good to gauge your audience when using such idioms.

[@Repstar00]

It's good you provided such explanation. I can imagine myself learning another language and picking up a similar phrase but not being aware of how it should be used properly@@Sagitarria

[@Sagitarria]

@@Repstar00 it would be potentially disastrous to pick up that phrase, and use it in the wrong context

[@suzannerozario3578]

Amazing to think Chinese school children memorize ancient poems so as adults they drop a line or two into ordinary speech. This was fascinating content. Thanks!

[@Ston3dNinja13]

Right, the best we had was "I'm rubber and you're glue..."

[@bcaye]

@@Ston3dNinja13, speak for yourself. I did read and memorize poetry as a child and Shakespeare as a teen. And I do frequently use literary references in everyday conversations, although most people don't understand. One can better theirselves if you're prepared to make the effort, like Xioma has done.

[@Syhlo]

​@@bcaye "speak for yourself" comes off as a bit aggressive lol especially when it's followed by your personal experience that corroborates with the essence of what he was saying anyway ("although most people don't understand"). I agree though, one can better themselves if they're willing; and I think it's something we should all strive to do.

[@ja.935g67]

Schools in Russia do this too starting young

[@randyowens3419]

Americans are not literate anymore and certainly don't write essays.

[@timotheopilus]

As a native English speaker I confirm that the subtitles are grammatically correct.

[@denisemahe8539]

😆😆😆

[@jasonwill5949]

There are a lot of mistakes actually.

[@ibrahimbah1044]

That’s not subtitle but translation

[@shamc8325]

Lol

[@redsun23x]

I LOLed XD

[@BirdPlan]

The second lady was funny,. When he said "if you close your eyes can you tell I'm a foreigner?" She said "no not at all" Then 2 seconds later she told him she could totally tell he's a foreigner by his twang. Bless her heart she just didnt want to hurt his feelings but once she realized he wanted the critique whether good or bad then she felt more comfy telling him.

[@yakuzaprideyamaguchi-gumi2409]

I noticed that too, very sweet woman

[@jasonj5579]

@@yakuzaprideyamaguchi-gumi2409 lol isn't it more like hypocrisy

[@veggieeater763]

@@jasonj5579 Lieing at its finest Lol.

[@frankzappa6391]

@@veggieeater763 no, it’s called being modest and humble. She clearly is a caring person and very energetic, but is very careful about what she says. Hence why the Chinese are pretty accurate and don’t speak unless with purpose.

[@jasonj5579]

@@frankzappa6391 modest and humble my foot

[@samsam2235]

Ally: your Mandarin is perfect. Also Ally: 100 reasons why it's not.

[@dire9619]

she seems like a super good teacher, wish I had her!

[@Instabram108]

Nah she just seems really nice and was being polite cus she might not see many students at his level, so in the context of being a foreigner learning the language hes doing very well and probably better than a large majority of students so she didnt want to unnecessarily nitpick. He then asked her to do exactly that and she started giving him the critiques and information that he was looking for. All she needed was to know what level he was at and what he wanted to do, after that she was good.

[@atherisGAY]

@@Instabram108 I felt the same, if someone were to speak to me in my native language fluently I would absolutely not want to start picking apart their little pronounciation quirks with some vowels, unless they specifically asked me to... she seemed very nice.

[@gilnahnu]

fr lol

[@Siberius-]

That's when you say, "define 'perfect'" lol. Or, "what context are you operating with?". It's "perfect", dependent upon the context. If there is absolutely nothing that you need to improve upon given the context the language will be used in, then yea "perfect" (in a sense). If you now make that context "being indistinguishable from a skilled native Chinese speaker", THEN okay we can address some things.

[@jackychang9148]

Amazing how they all basically said that you're at a great level concerning speaking and the only thing you're truly lacking is cultural knowledge about art and history. Absolutely incredible.

[@Checkmate1138]

How does one learn all that as an adult? You basically have to catch up with all native Chinese who went through childhood, school, and young adulthood and try to keep up. Is the solution taking Chinese classes in history, culture, and language? Living in China for at least 10 years? Only living in Chinese and speaking only Chinese?

[@jackychang9148]

@@Checkmate1138 I'd say its a combination of desire for knowledge, enjoyment of speech and constant practice. Xiaoma says he loves to learn and speak other languages. And he makes an effort to go to countries (or to areas with a heavy cultural population) the language came from to actively communicate with them.

[@JustLIkerapunzel]

@@Checkmate1138 I'd say that is very realistic actually. It's a big part of the reason just WHY Chinese is SO HARD. Because not only do you need just many hours of speaking and listening only to be able to pick up on tones but also sounds in general. Like sure there are the tones but to differenciate wether it is "qi" or "ji" and so on takes time. Then the writing system. You basically have to learn the meaning, then the pronounciation which comes with both the letters basically AND the tones and then the character. There are so many additional components to memorize just with one new word that you could have learned at least 2 new words in any western language with similar effort. And then there is the huge cultural gap. As he said no one just sais "Ni hao" but it's how we would great. So we need to learn what it the right way of expressing your toughs. Many tell me that grammar is so easy but the more I progress the harder I think it gets to create long sentences, as I need to keep having in mind to first mention the place / time and only after "what was happening". But my German / English thinking brain would lead me to mess up the order of the sentence structure only only let me realize it once I already messed up lol.

[@pletskoo514]

and the vocabulary was also a pretty big point

[@MaxLohMusic]

Nah they all eventually admit you can tell he has an accent in most of his words. Almost 100% of these KZbin celebrities have an accent, just not a strong accent and not enough to affect how intelligible they are. There was another youtube channel of an American blonde woman who *actually* has no accent. I was very impressed by her.

[@mickaelladouglas4373]

Terry’s just chillin and it’s such a vibe

[@turmat01]

I was thinking the same, looks like a chill dude!

[@Keaton.Robert]

Chinese people tend to be really laid back, as opposed to the stereotypes

[@wavematrix]

that nigga terry voice is relaxing where can i get more of bro? idkwhat he would be saying i dont care though its nice to listen to idly

[@gissneric]

Terry is very cute as well.

[@nex7150]

indeed

[@barkyvonschnauzer2188]

You could tell Terry had such a beautiful classic voice. I could listen to him speak all day. That is what you call a voice that could give a speech and people would listen. He is classically trained in vowel articulation.

[@hugannoy4751]

Same. His voice was really nice. So calming but it has your attention. Perfect teacher voice.

[@armoricain]

He has indeed a magnificent voice!

[@user-kx7ls8ds9j]

I don’t even understand a word of Chinese but his voice sounds just very pleasant to listen

[@DevinDTV]

cringe

[@mikejohnson9118]

He also exudes a calm confidence...that is a rare in anybody.

[@bl4841]

thats rad that you are humble enough to open yourself to criticism like this on your channel. amazing content

[@markvanderstelt8999]

thanks

[@word42069]

this is how you learn!

[@moxie806]

thanks mate

[@EricDongh2p]

@Kepler 186-F hi!

[@bfc9467]

I agree, but in a way he can also do it because he knows he is so good that he will get a lot of compliments as well. So doing this proves to all his viewers that he really is as fluent as a native speaker. I do think he genuinely loves languages and is humble enough to be corrected. But in this case, this is more of a flex that a vulnerable video.

[@Azari_D]

Wow, everyone was so nice. They did not want to critique you at first, as they were all very impressed, but when they realized the level of your dedication, they were able to dig in deeper and help you on your journey. Awesome people.

[@mrav8r]

These three tutors were very interesting, each with different perspectives and gifts to give to Xiaoma. My personal favorite is Terry (3rd one). He slowed down and spoke more lyrically than the others, and this gave me a window into artistic mandarin.

[@jimmythechimp2]

The way he spoke just showed he knew how to speak to non natives. When I speak to people in my second language there are people who have great communication skills that I can understand 100% and some that don't know how to relate to someone learning their language and I can understand about 30% to almost 0% of what they say.

[@MoldMantle]

Yes, it reminded me for once of the sort of stylistic Mandarin that is spoken in for example, crouching Tiger hidden Dragon

[@michaelp9061]

For an American speaking Chinese at this level is absolutely rare yet fantastic. I love your channel.

[@nicoleraheem1195]

Well, he has studied for 10 years and he seems to love the culture

[@khusan520]

他中文没那么好，还可以吧，口音很重啊

[@trixOsix]

@kai honan do u just spend ur life grammar checking everyone

[@shakirabvi]

@kai honan your correction was unnecessary, it's fine either way, and it was fine just the way it is 😑

[@michaelp9061]

kai honan Uncalled for this is. Misunderstood me you did.

[@nafizamajid72]

Awesome video! My 11 year old loves your content and is almost through your Chinese course. She is conversational and we now make her do all the talking in our Chinese neighborhood in Brooklyn which is great because she is building meaningful relationships with locals and it is really humbling to see that as her mom. Thank you for being an inspiration for her as love passing your videos to her.

[@EricaGamet]

This is so amazing! Congrats to her and to you, mom!

[@MRedwood82]

I audibly “awwed” when reading this 💗

[@mynewname7830]

That sounds great! Glad for her and you! :)

[@umloucobr4980]

I’m so happy reading this, congratulations :D.

[@f4phantom2500]

that's super cool

[@vinmakesthings]

Lovely video. I love the cadence and timbre of Terry’s voice the most. He has a great energy.

[@mandarinjourneyswithnanno]

I could listen to Terry speaking for hours on end daily and never get tired of it.

[@redsun23x]

SAME

[@Mortablunt]

I never thought I would associate the Chinese language with being pretty but when he speaks it it’s like a rocking poem for me.

[@Ворон-р8л]

​@@Mortabluntлнр на аватарке. Наши и тут)

[@fogelmclovin2694]

Listening to how these teachers described your accent, I think in English you’d have what I call an international accent. From my experience with Scandinavians and Singaporeans and also people from the UAE, when they speak really good english, often it doesn’t sound like any accent. I try to place it to a native english speaking country but I can’t. It’s almost like a perfectly equal mix of them all.

[@dycedargselderbrother5353]

I had the same thought. I've spoken with (non-UK) Europeans who ask, "Guess where I'm from?" and it's the same hard-to-place mishmash as you described. English being the lingua franca is in a unique position of not having as much of a proper standard compared to more regional languages. A lot of people are used to hearing variants, so a skilled non-native speaker can more easily pass as native, just from an unfamiliar area. Even if they miss a beat on idioms or expressions, these are also generally understood to be regional. Even routine vocabulary is regional.

[@atherisGAY]

People told me my accent when speaking English is hard to place as well, most often they end up saying "maybe broadly european" but they could also just say that bc I am white... 🥴 many of us just sound neutral with American words sprinkled in bc we europeans watch American content creators lol

[@mynewname7830]

@@atherisGAY That's me just with both UK (extended family) and American (media) dialect mixed in lol

[@unverifiedapk]

That's a really good way to relate it, I can pick Swedish English speakers out of a line up now but it took a very long time to get there and other Nordic English speakers still throw me off. Although it's absolutely perfect English is not quite an actual native accent. And like xiaoma said what usually gives it away is the idioms.

[@smileychess]

Within the US it's similar concept to the northwest accent. It's considered a "generic" accent. Many call centers have locations in Washington, Idaho, Utah, etc. because the accents don't have an immediately identifiable location, and is easy to understand.

[@ronnymanfred]

"On the internet I'm allegedly known for speaking "perfect" chinese" -> referring to his own title...

[@JacobYuanHang]

Haha

[@morgansearle3912]

Gotta be a little sensationalist here, it's the nature of the platform. What made you start watching, after all?

[@mandarinjourneyswithnanno]

@@morgansearle3912 You missed the point. He is the one who created those titles, the status “perfect Chinese” wasn’t given to him.

[@morgansearle3912]

@@mandarinjourneyswithnanno yeah, I'm saying that if he wrote 'man practices conversational Chinese' instead, he'd get less views and might not be able to have this be a supported career. It might be intellectually dishonest, to be fair, but I can see why he does it at least.

[@jonathanvarnado3440]

I'm kind of a big deal. Allegedly.

[@vishnugovindan8550]

We need a collab with Terry asap! Maybe he can teach you some classical sayings or talk about some of his favourite poems?

[@OutNaBoutYallahBiNa]

Yaar yeh ek Chinese channel hai..Chinese seekho aur chinese bolo..nahi toh India wapas jao

[@that_auntceleste5848]

Love this idea.

[@thebeatle2621]

The whole concept of accepting you are not as good as your audience thinks you are and the whole concept of asking for advice on something most people believe you're incredible at is really refreshing. This sort of content has a lot of value for the language community. Thank you, Xiaoma.

[@surfingj-waves648]

The fact that they use the proverbs/classical sayings from their history in their daily life so that the wisdom of their ancestors lives on is beautiful. This really makes me want to learn the language. Sure, my accent will be poor and sure my reading/writing may be lacking but to be able to learn and apply the wisdom of proverbs from hundreds and 1000+ years just seems too great an asset to pass up on.

[@ShrubScotland]

Carpe diem

[@Checkmate1138]

Honestly, it will probably be more valuable than what most foreigners try to do by just "perfecting" the accent. Substance over superficial appearance! Go for it!

[@realtonysolo]

It's no different than an American saying "lemme get your john hancock" it means give me your signature but john hancock made his so grandiose so that king george would see it front and center as an F you. Its an american cultural saying that a foreigner wouldnt understand that recently learned english. Its no different anywhere else in the world.

[@eh2zedd956]

@QueerAssTiefling Our history is not short, it can be tied back easily 2400 years to Plato and Socrates and it is no more vile than Chinese or any other cultural history: Uyghers, Afghani women's rights, Native Americans

[@planetary-rendez-vous]

This is why I find Chinese comments so on point sometimes, they have a way with words and sometimes with roasting someone.

[@bourbon2242]

2:23 In the UK, we study Shakespeare in secondary school. My school made us study Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and Macbeth, although I’m sure other schools cover different plays. No one really memorises Shakespeare quotes and then casually drops them in conversations. It’s just that loads of idioms, phrases, and even words that originate from Shakespeare have gradually become part of everyday speech, and people use them all the time without even knowing that they come from Shakespeare plays.

[@KevinOnEarth_]

^ this.

[@hilarywoods17]

Macbeth, Hamlet, Julius Caesar and Much Ado about Nothing. I read the merchant ov Venice when I was studying to be a teacher. We memorise a few lines and one soliloquy per play.

[@checkle1]

"Thou doth protest too much" is a classic one to make someone blush. And "Out damned spot!" when you're trying to get rid of evidence of a murder.

[@Doug87969]

We had to memorized Romeo romeo, wherfore art thou romeo lines in english.

[@startledmilk6670]

@@checkle1 yeah because we all casually cover up murders🤣 (being completely humorous)

[@Mana_Thief]

Idk why I like this type of video. Just seeing someone wanting to level up... Missing the boy Laoshu. Your guys' determination is inspiring. Thank you bro.

[@philosophiabme]

Laoshu was a different breed. Truly inspiring. Great legacy.

[@iknowcharley5]

@@philosophiabme Rest In Peace KING!

[@defylektric]

Ally seemed so happy and enthusiastic, like she actually loves and wants to be there.

[@222ritsu]

I thought so too

[@CentralStoriesforboredom]

I feel like these teachers gave some great advice!

[@jaidenmckoy1123]

I like the way terry talks, how he's expressive but keeps flow throughout the whole sentences he produces it gives a very professional and natural feel, maybe it is a result of himself learning classical Chinese culture and poetry throughout school I don't have any other reasonable explanation as to how his Chinese can be so fluid

[@OnePunkMoby]

Terry is so chill. Love that.

[@CalebDais_8554]

You made me study language and culture makes me appreciate the identity of people

[@d.jensen5153]

This is the first Xiaomanyc video in many months that really grabbed my attention. It was fascinating! I was impressed with all three teachers and their well-considered comments. What valuable insight into Chinese culture! We're all about modern cultural references. They're all about traditional and even ancient references. I truly appreciate both customs.

[@Oz__MTG]

This was actually very wholesome. I believe they were being very honest and straight to the point. Love how each one gave you some really good reasons as to why you were either a bit off to them or sounded like a foreigner based on how some words were pronounced. Awesome video❗️

[@gen1c8rs88]

Pronounciation, vocabulary, classical education, and rhythm.

[@PieInTheSky9]

Ally seems like such a sweet lady, I love how enthusiastic she was to help.

[@EduardoOrlandoLizarragaGarcia]

Terry should start a podcast. I could listen to him at all times

[@infidelgames5007]

I like how the first teacher said how we learn Shakespeare In either elementary or middle school… I feel like if the Chinese truly cared for renaissance arts of other countries (and please do correct me if this information is false) they’d be learning it in elementary school. It truly amazes me about Asian countries and their immense requirements and expectations for education. Sometimes I wish I grew up with this style of culture because maybe I would have Been not only be given the motivation to move further in my education and be able to better myself with the vast knowledge taught. I barely passed high school and flunked college to join the military. Don’t get me wrong though, the military has been a great change for my life but I feel if I was taught how other countries are expected to learn then I wouldn’t even need the military.

[@dsmith3614]

Hey dude, I’m a veteran who went from soldier to scientist. I signed up when I was 16, turned 18 in basic, and had life changing experiences over the 8 years active duty, I deployed on both peacekeeping missions and combat missions, was able to tour the US and other countries, and got to experience a bunch of different people and cultures. Used my GI Bill after I ETSd, was able to support my family while getting my BS, then an MS. I’ve got a great job now, and I absolutely love what I’m doing. Looking back, it took the military to prepare me for success in college. There is no doubt in my mind I would have pissed away a ton of time, money, and motivation, if I went to college (even a JC) after high school. Start looking into your benefits so you’ll at least know what your options are when you’re ready to gain a higher level of education. I’m still amazed how my mind blew my mind. Best of luck to you!

[@6thgraderfriends]

I was going to say, I studied Shakespeare in middle school and high school but I didn't memorize it and definitely don't remember most of it today now that I'm an adult.

[@UmiNoOto]

I'd like to say thank you for your service to the both of you. I'm greatful that I've willingly wanted to learn lots of things at a young age, so currently I am learning Chinese. It's great to hear your success stories.

[@breezeh1127]

Shakespeare does not a scholar make. It really doesn't matter for most college majors or future careers.

[@jimmyhan2329]

Shakespeare is really old English that nobody uses really. Ye Olde who the funk says that

[@Kitticane]

They gave you such great advice. You’re obviously very fluent but need tweaks here and there. Love your videos, hope to see a follow up after this vid and what advise you took

[@Darkace1769]

its always great to get advice but if he said something in fuzhounese none but ally would maybe understand. i wish he did an afterwards like he used to do. but i enjoyed and he did want to learn how to talk advice in this video

[@luf4rall]

After fluency comes context and history.

[@kassiedomino]

Really interesting video! I’d love to see you take that test the middle teacher recommended.

[@ariconsul]

Love this - every one of them was so positive, thoughtful and supportive.

[@AKHalex]

I love how Ally was like "your Chinese is very authentic! I can't tell you are a foreigner at all", and then over time slowly started admitting that, well, maaaybe there are a few things that sound a liiitle off.. And in the case of both Achi and Ally, when prompted to provide examples of Xiaoma's foreigner accent, they both brought up the most recent sentence he spoke. Which would at least make me think: Maybe I make a LOT of mistakes since they don't even have to go back more than a few seconds to find an example of my incorrect accent? In a way, this reminds me of my own English. I like to think of myself as being more or less indistinguishable from native speakers, but I keep discovering new mistakes in my pronunciation.

[@echodff]

You are not a native speaker???? You even used "like" naturally. I'm shocked. I rarely get to see colon : used in my day to day life, outside of where you expect it like from books and articles. It's good to see. In the context of your comment all my homies would use "that" instead, even if it's incorrect. By "my homies" I mean the dumb portion of Americans that somehow get through life with terrible grammar and writing, myself included. I'm sure some social circles use it. Is "that" the new "like"? And how do I end a sentence with a quoted word?

[@kalamight4309]

I think both bringing up the most recent sentence is a sign that before that sentence there was nothing so terribly off that would have stayed in their minds and furthermore I think they all didn't know how serious this guy is about the "real" Native level and of course complimented him greatly before - because he's excellent - but once they realized his true goal then they actually started giving him critical feedback and informing him about how he could get to the "real" Native level.

[@danilopablo9848]

I find myself making many pronunciations mistake as well that would definitely tip off I'm not a native English speaker, but well, it is what it is. If my Mandarin was as good as my English, I would be one of the happiest people in the world :D

[@Big-guy1981]

Mm sorry but you seem to be stuck at C1 level.

[@gregoryschmidt1233]

Chinese students are rewarded for being able to integrate classical poetry into their vocabulary. An American student would be beaten up for "sounding smart".

[@Dalt21]

Mah Ree and look who’s laughing now because I’m sure you’re doing better then those bullies. Glad you persevered.

[@Okk681]

I would love if someone was talking to me and starting inserting smart shit lol that would make them more interesting

[@greenamogus]

Doth mother know you wereth her drapes

[@vbps3]

I memorized "the raven" in 10th grade and subsequently got made fun of. It's sad that any degree of 'smartness' or even 'trying' academically is ammunition for bullies.

[@JustS0meK1dd]

@@vbps3 It's only out of insecurity. They don't want intelligence to be rewarded because they feel it is a trait they will never have. Making naivety and laziness "cool" through intimidation is the only way the bullies manage to feel a sense of accomplishment in life before the crushing realities of the real world catch up with them after graduation. I would have been impressed if I was in your class back in high school!

[@saintnick]

I love how the second lady was like, you speak really well, I can't tell you apart from a native and then puts on her surgical gloves 💀

[@CrimsonHeart3]

It's a social skills thing, you first mention the positives of something to lift them up - then you can feel more comfortable to critique so they don't take it the worst way and feel down about it.

[@c.j.mcleod]

@@Jess-737 i think its the same as english. You can get basic english but also high quality english. I think her point was mainly to use more advanced descriptive words. If that makes sense.

[@FleshGolem420]

@@c.j.mcleod Absolutely. "You sound like a native English speaker... with a sixth grade education. From Alabama." OK, it's a start, how do I get from there to "Professor of English Literature at Harvard."

[@lyhthegreat]

what she meant was that if she really has to nitpick then there are certain areas she has to try very hard in order to distinguish him from a native

[@kevinkanter2537]

@@FleshGolem420 i think you hit the nail on the head

[@MichaelSuperbacker]

Xiaoma this is one of my favorite videos! You need to give yourself more credit! Even though there is always room for improvement, what you have accomplished so far is nothing but amazing!

[@mtc7598]

When they gave you their critique, I immediately had to think of Laoshu. He used classical poems a lot and the chinese people were impressed when he quoted Confucius & Co. I think it would be really interesting if you would learn some poems and see the reactions of the chinese people you're speaking to. RIP Laoshu

[@BadmintonLogic]

Yes he’s also the first person I think of. He also learns traditional songs in Chinese and other languages as well. RIP Laoshu

[@TYGVlogger]

i love how they loved hearing you speaking their language and even gave constructive feedback and suggestions with respect and happiness they were all impressed by your speaking skills

[@argonwheatbelly637]

Your Chinese speaking and understanding is brilliant. That said, if I close my eyes, even I can hear certain subtleties in the cadence of your speech and even the sentence intonation that would make me presume you are not a native speaker. It's all about immersion and practice. However, if you wish to perfect this one language, go for it. As it is, you can communicate wonderfully, and without an accent that would make people say, "What??" You're an inspiration, so keep it up!!!

[@pranavi1949]

He had a Beijing accent before he moved back and I couldn’t tell he was a foreigner than, wish he could keep that accent its beautiful

[@holliswilliams8426]

I have only watched for a few seconds and can tell he is foreign without knowing much Mandarin.

[@KazuLanguages]

You always inspire me a lot!!! I'm Japanese and learn many languages, but one thing I notice is that I also have to master one particular language. So I would like to try to speak 'perfectly'. I'll continue studying! Thank you for your amazing content!

[@riwoof]

This last few weeks you have truly been on a roll. The content of your videos has really been interesting and unique. I look forward to see what things you might read to assist your higher level of speaking and Chinese culture awareness.

[@jiggitydazzle84]

never knew integrating classical cultural things into your natural speech was of such importance in mandarin, that is really cool tbh

[@lookoutforchris]

Any educated American does the same thing when speaking intimately with someone.

[@GateFather]

Found the importance of art weaved through the language fascinating. They don't want to just speak for the obvious communication benefit that language brings alone. The culture seems to collectively want to elevate their language into an artform while also retaining the communicative benefits. Awesome.

[@joelcrow]

Most Chinese people I've spoken to in real life sound just like the first guy, his use of his throat and sort of a flat tongue is what "native" Chinese sounds like to me. And it makes me smile because they are all such nice people and I wish I could speak to them in Chinese too!!

[@FDE-fw1hd]

As someone who spent way too much time on pronounciation I can tell you 1, his tones aren't right. 2 his vowels are off. Wrong position or too much dipthong like English. His j q x zh ch sh is sounds like the English one. J q x is tounge behind bottom teeth and the blade is on the top making the sound. Zh ch sh is the tip on the top.

[@Achi567]

Hey Joel. 我是Achi K，我知道我的普通话讲的不算完美。谢谢您的肯定和友善的态度。我非常乐意和您交流沟通，您可以在italki给我发信息。您对中文的理解很深，希望向您学习。

[@Achi567]

@@FDE-fw1hd 我是Achi K. 哇，您对中文发音的研究很到位，看得出来是一个很专业的普通话学习者。 我知道我的中文讲的不完美，谢谢指正。 期待在italki见到你。😄

[@Achi567]

🤝 谢谢 很高兴认识您。

[@FDE-fw1hd]

@@Achi567 hhhh 没有啦。italki是什么呢

[@maxivy]

All great people. I hope one day Terry will appear on your videos again! He’s so cool

[@supernoodles908]

His Chinese is beautiful as well

[@harthenry]

That was really great -- i wish you would have provided a wrap up at the end comparing and contrasting the things you learned, and possibly the next steps you would take.

[@eukarika1512]

This was a year old content but I can attest to elementary students write essays everyday. My students in China write a poem or an essay everyday and they will always groan about reading so many poems and literature. The culture in China is very rich and so the government wants the children to also remember it but some students are over fatigued due to homework and reading which is 5 pages long for only one subject.

[@Immortal_BP]

I was lucky in that my school system focused heavily on English writing from elementary school onwards. Even though English was my least favorite subject in school I would always score high when testing came around. It was due to writing atleast 1 full page a day. It paid off heavily because now I can type youtube comments with perfect grammar and win my keyboard warrior battles.

[@Vitorruy1]

I didnt learn that in school, I learned to write English purely by arguing with people on the internet, no joke.

[@lookoutforchris]

Odd that you brag about this. You have several grammatical errors in your comment. For example, score highly, not score high. You used a noun where an adverb is required. My English could be better, yours is pretty poor.

[@UrMum-tp8dg]

@@lookoutforchris I hate that you are being very flamboyant and at the same time you are being right about something. And I also dislike the fact that you are using double spaces after every sentence :( definitely not a native speaker. You still have a long way to go and your English could definitely be a lot better than what it is currently. B+ at best.

[@abbemai]

@@lookoutforchris one tiny mistake is definitely not 'pretty poor' mate

[@echodff]

Sagan writes so natural that I didn't even read the comment in English, I read it in American.

[@totahsam8293]

I could listen to Terry all day. He has such a pleasing cadence.

[@celticcheetah6371]

Mellifluous

[@totahsam8293]

@@celticcheetah6371 exactly. Perfect word for it. 💖💖💖

[@KryticalmindRises]

I speak portuguese, english and now studying japanese. Your videos motivate me a lot. Thanks

[@tiagopires5713]

Portuguese, Spanish and English here

[@trevoncampbell5589]

This is really a great video. I found it extremely fascinating to hear truly honest opinions of native speakers.

[@masterleatel]

This is definitely one of your most informative videos, to learn that knowing traditional Chinese poems and idioms as such will most improve your Chinese to high level gave me a sense that history and tradition is intertwined in their language. Many thanks 🙏

[@01Chris02]

I love that you have achieved a really high level of an already difficult language and want to improve even more! Very inspiring.

[@Leonaza7]

I will rate you A. You’re a very smart man. I’m trilingual (fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and English). I admire you man. Because of you I want to learn more languages.

[@blaze5688]

How can you rate him if you don't know Chinese

[@somerandomperson4143]

@@blaze5688 yes

[@somerandomperson4143]

Also u won’t say fluent in English but you still do have good English

[@themoongoddess1190]

@Leonaza Oh great, it's the multiple poster on Xiaomanyc channel. ugh, great.

[@matheushenriqueandrade1396]

@@blaze5688 I think she meant he's a good language learner, but Idk I also got confused.

[@bradmossman3537]

WOW !! loved hearing you converse in Chinese fluently with the teachers, very impressive!

[@lowland1450]

I liked the last tutor Terry. I don't know Chinese, but the way he speaks sounds very wise, soothing and expressive.

[@naowaratyooktanun2068]

Being a teacher of any kind in Chinese culture is a serious act and every Chinese takes the responsibility seriously and the student knows he has to behave in a certain way as well. It's a Confucian thing and you'd see it in Japan, Korea, Thailand as well.

[@lowland1450]

@@naowaratyooktanun2068 Then why China is not doing that great when it comes to human rights?

[@KaizenB]

I loved Terrys admiration and body language. The dude seemed so kind

[@justprodigyx5341]

The second teacher was just sooo happy and bubbly and sweet lol

[@williamrobinson6824]

Terry, the last guy in the orange shirt, is a boss. Notice how as the conversation progressed, he slowed his speech down. When the basic exchange of information was over, he went into "teacher mode," slowed down and made sure not only the words but the implication was understood.

[@mariazippy233]

You being able to speak Chinese like this alone is amazing. I can't imagine myself ever learning the language fully but I know it takes a lot of immersion and practice

[@dasein12345]

This is super cool. As an anthropologist, we teach about what you discovered about yourself in attempts to show how we don't learn a rote language, but a way of life that ties into it in all manner of ways. Linguistic Identity is very important for what we perceive as languages or dialects, etc. It is very refreshing to see you exploring it in a real life, participatory way. I love using your vids in my classes. cheers! che che

[@cu7695]

Terry is giving great advice. I love how he's passionate about the poetic aspect of the Chinese language

[@Dan5819]

You are one of the bravest guys I've seen! I don't think I'd have the guts to ask someone to be brutally honest on something I've been working on for so long. Gotta hand it to you! You know the 'secret' to really improving yourself.

[@joshbridge7979]

I'm so impressed by you, makes me proud that you take so much effort to bring the world together. I hope my son who is practicing Japanese has it in him to devote his soul to something like this. When I notice he isn't practicing as often I slyly watch one of your videos with him. Like magic he is back to work learning his chosen language. Bless you 🙏

[@pablouribe1522]

Ally is the teacher we all need. Very exhaustive and tries to make you better in each step

[@VioletJoy]

It's interesting how they all recommended learning classic Chinese literature. Boy, that Ally sure likes to talk. Lol. Love your channel!!

[@triune_blades]

I just discovered this guy's channel an hour ago and I love it. I gotta get back to work.😅 👍👍

[@JackzYT]

2:23 I’m a British Secondary school (high school) student, and I’ve just completed my GCSE’s (English equivalent of SAT’s - but there’s a lot more exams). I can confirm we *do* have to memorise Shakespeare. Although, it depends on the school. Different exam boards require different books, but in my school, we’re required to learn ‘MacBeth’ by Shakespeare, ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens, and ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J.B Priestley. We learn these books for the English exams as part of the GCSE’s. We are also required to learn poems, just like in China (although the poems we have to remember aren’t in Chinese). For my English exams, we had to memorise around 20 poems ranging from 200-1000 words.

[@CalTexTech]

Howdy from TEXAS, that's hello in English, love what you do

[@Exentity]

This is why I love this channel. Even after a decade of perfecting his Chinese, he still wants to learn more and has the humility to get rated like this

[@kenc30]

I love the Chinese culture. My wife was born and raised in Shanghai, and I've been able to pick up little bits of Chinese over the years. I find your channel impressive. This one in particular is pretty cool to hear each person speak about historical knowledge being part of the current language. That is something I would have never picked up on. Great video. Love your content.

[@thecampbellfamily4878]

I really loved this, absolutely brutally honest and that is what you need sometimes to get and do better.

[@lucasm4299]

Wow they’re all really knowledgeable and kind. I love them

[@juliandeveaux2848]

Remember when everybody used to say that learning Mandarin would be impossible?

[@amadeusmalonje8263]

Yeah😂, I still find it intimidating

[@RezeHB]

Maybe they meant about the Chinese Characters.

[@lyhthegreat]

who said that?

[@RonJDuncan]

@@RezeHB It's a tonal language, so learning the pitch and contours of what you say also has an impact. It's not as straightforward as other languages. I know a little Japanese and I find it easier to deal with than Chinese just on that alone.

[@mixalisoikonomidis2121]

And then Xiao ma joined the chat.😂

[@honeymoon4130]

I don’t speak Chinese but I do understand what every teacher means by not only speaking a language but understanding the culture and references used while speaking. We have so many sayings in Spanish that sound weird in English but they make sense lol and the flow of speech is also important. You’re doing excellent either way! You really put effort in and that itself is impressive

[@WhiteTiger333]

How fascinating! Certainly, American education and therefore, speech, used to contain many classical references. But having watched this video, I realize how profoundly this has shifted over the decades. Quite interesting to have all of the teachers pick up on your lack of such references, or word usage, at least, in a relatively short conversation.

[@MrMorokiatt]

By far one of the most interesting of KZbin posts. There is a lot in mastering a language. And these teachers were so kind to you in their suggestions. They are proud you took the time to learn their language. Bravo!!

[@laurab4570]

Terry has such a soothing voice!

[@Maerowyn]

I appreciate how Chinese education integrates ancient poetry. I was fortunate enough to have had great English teachers. Twenty-three years later, I can still recite Sonnets 18 and 116 by heart, in addition to other classical poems by Donne and Keats.

[@holliswilliams8426]

Donne and Keats aren't classical by the way?

[@CzarnyKhaki]

Xiaoma, I don't really know if anyone had suggested it to you before, but I think you should take a challenge to speak polish with people in Chicago at least, or maybe even in Poland. Polish is one of the hardest languages, and I already know that you like languages like that. Polish is much different from all the languages you have learnt and learning it would be some important step on your way to understand any man anywhere in the world, because some languages are similar to it. :)

[@JustHUH]

If you think polish is difficult, try Lithuanian haha

[@digitalpickles1277]

Polish isn’t extremely easy by any means, but it’s certainly not one of the hardest languages. Something like Arabic would be incredibly difficult for a native English speaker.

[@HtS643KyS6555GxQ3edA]

I liked the three teachers. The poetry and literature they mentioned is really interesting.

[@Fongletto]

Terry's voice was a pleasure to listen to. Usually I feel uncomfortable listening to Chinese because the constant tonal shift makes me feel they are angry but for some reason his tones were very pleasant.

[@klutchsubbedto7534]

Love how the ad before this video was baselang and you were in it. Amazing

[@suzanrudulph4141]

That was excellent. Would like to watch you go to a higher level. A little at a time of course. 😁

[@Kaalokalawaia]

This is amazingly good feedback. It's obvious to even those that don't speak perfect Chinese that you speak very well. But, I can actually tell that your rhythm of speech is slightly different. That's what makes it difficult for me as well in a lot of the languages I speak is that I can hear how my speech rhythm is different but I struggle to copy the native flow. There's almost an underlying musicality in a native accent that is just different. That's the only way I know how to describe it.

[@ahhh4117]

What really bothers me in my family is that my sister doesn't match the cadence of the conversation when we speak in spanish to our family. So i understand exactly what you mean

[@harryh.1704]

As someone who has been studying another language (German) for 13 years, I can tell (without knowing any Chinese) that one way you differ from the native speakers is that you have the typical American nasally sound hanging on ever so slightly to your Chinese. This is one thing many of my friends and I struggled with while learning German. We Americans speak from our head (or nasal passage) whereas almost everywhere else in the world they speak from their chest. When done properly, it should sound “fuller” and less “airy”. Another thing I noticed was your emphasis. You seemed to get excited and raised your voice at times when English speakers would do so. I know, at least in German, it is important to remember to not do this (in proper German, there is almost no emphasis. Everything should stay monotone and steady even when you as an American might get excited on the inside). From one language learner to the next, hope this helps!

[@Naessey]

This was one of your best videos. Love it. Do you know how sick many of us are watching/hearing KZbinr’s say THEY’re experts and not prepared to learn or expand their knowledge. You opened yourself up to feedback and didn’t seem upset or angry about improvements you could make. Amazing video mate. Love it. Gotta love someone already proficient in Chinese dialects who wants to improve. Well done.

[@youtubeuser.1]

Brave of you to make such a video. Takes confidence and the right attitude towards learning

[@HenryZhoupokemon]

I took a semester of Chinese in college and my prof reminded me so much of ally lol

[@francescopelliccio3623]

Terry’s laid back personality and voice is making me want to learn Mandarin lol

[@jpford1977]

Wow! I've been studying Chinese for 4 months using your course and I could actually understand some sentences and phrases in this video! So exciting!

[@bennettbullock9690]

I loved Ally. Friendly and warm but sharply mindful of the fact that Chinese is a lifelong pursuit. You never really finish learning it.

[@melindamercier6811]

That was great. They each gave you something to improve on, but reassured you that your abilities are absolutely exceptional.