Mandarin Meadow
A little Mandarin, every day.

Help & FAQ 常见问题

Practising Mandarin

How do Listen, Record, Play mine and Compare work?

Listen plays the example. You can skip listening and record straight away. Tap Record, say the item, then tap Stop. A successful recording completes that item’s task. Play mine plays your voice; Compare plays the model, then your voice.

“Recorded” means you practised; it is not a pronunciation score. Listen for tones, rhythm and light syllables. You can record again. Try a few items at a time and take a break when needed.

Where do my recordings and completed tasks go?

Voice clips stay in this browser tab. Reloading, closing the tab or leaving the website clears them. Opening this help page keeps your clips available. Completed tasks remain saved even when a voice clip is gone, so Play mine and Compare become available after a new recording.

Learners have separate progress. Use the learner’s progress backup or sign-in sync to carry supported learning progress between devices. Voice clips are not included in backups or sync.

How can I read a longer text?

Use the Listen button beside each part. Pause or stop with the audio controls, then continue when ready. Pinyin + English and Useful expressions provide optional support. Short texts have one Listen button.

How do character animations and tracing work?

Flip a character card to see the writing controls. Replay shows the strokes; Trace lets you try them. The lesson’s writing focus identifies which characters to practise first. Printable pages are available in Practice.

Choosing a course & reviewing

How do I choose a starting point?

Each course page lists what to know before starting and what you will practise. Choose by what you can understand and do in Mandarin. Later literature and social themes are intended for teenagers and adults ready for extended reading and discussion; language support remains available.

How do the cumulative reviews work?

Open Review & connect on a course page, or use the extra review in the Review tab after each study block. Earlier vocabulary, sentence patterns and readings return in short recall questions, followed by a written response. First choices and retries remain saved. The written reflection is self-reviewed, with room for different supported answers.

Can I spread a long reading over several days?

Yes. Open Goals & study plan for reading sessions linked to each part. Read one part in a sitting, then connect the parts and complete the reading tasks when ready. The short Course 7 bridge readings have optional longer versions; the longer version is not required.

Chinese typing

How do I type Chinese and use written responses?

Add a Simplified Chinese Pinyin keyboard in your device’s keyboard or language settings. On iPhone/iPad, look under Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards. On Android, use your keyboard’s Languages settings. On Windows or Mac, use language or input-source settings. Select the Chinese keyboard, type pinyin, then choose the intended characters.

Later readings include a short written response. Drafts are saved to the active learner’s progress as you type. You can save a response, compare it with a possible supporting detail, and revise it. These responses are not automatically graded; different reasoned answers can work. Progress backup and supported sign-in sync include saved responses.

Microphone setup

What if microphone access is blocked?

Tap Record and allow microphone access when your browser asks. If access was denied, change this website’s microphone permission to Allow or Ask. Your device must also let the browser use its microphone. Return to the lesson and try Record again; reload only if your browser requires it. Reloading clears voice clips in this tab.

Open Mandarin Meadow directly in your browser if recording is unavailable in an embedded window. If the microphone is busy, close other apps using it. For children, a parent or carer can help with permission settings.

iPhone or iPad · Safari
  1. Open this website in Safari, then tap Record and allow the request.
  2. If blocked, open Safari’s page menu beside the address, find Website Settings (or More, then Website Settings), and change Microphone to Ask or Allow for this website.
  3. You can also check Settings → Apps → Safari → Microphone; older versions may show Safari directly in Settings. Return to Safari and try again.

Menu names vary by version. Apple’s Safari settings guide

Android phone or tablet · Chrome
  1. In Chrome, open Settings → Site settings → Microphone. Allow this website or remove its blocked permission, then try Record again.
  2. If still blocked, check Android Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions → Microphone, and allow access while using the app.

Google’s microphone guide for Android

Mac · Safari or Chrome

In Safari, use Settings → Websites → Microphone and choose Ask or Allow for this website. In Chrome, open the controls beside the address → Site settings → Microphone → Allow.

If the browser is blocked by macOS, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and allow the browser if listed. Relaunch it if requested; relaunching clears current voice clips.

Safari website settings · Chrome microphone settings

Windows · Chrome or Edge

Open the controls beside the website address and allow Microphone in this site’s permissions. In Windows Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, check microphone access and permission for desktop apps. On older Windows versions, look under Privacy.

Microsoft’s microphone settings guide

Firefox

Use the permissions icon beside the address to remove a blocked microphone permission, then tap Record and allow the new request. You can also review Microphone under Firefox Settings → Privacy & Security → Permissions. Check your device’s microphone permission for Firefox too.

Mozilla’s permission guide

Copernicus: observations that challenge an explanation

Explain rotation and revolution.

Goals & study plan
Copernicus: observations that challenge an explanation

Separate an observed appearance from an explanatory model. Trace Copernicus’s historical model, distinguish rotation from revolution and keep the solar system’s scope separate from the universe. You can pause after any study block and continue later.

  • Explain rotation and revolution.
  • Distinguish observation from interpretation.
  • Place a historical model and publication on a timeline.

Humour, explanations & landscapes · Lessons 5–8

Biography · reading focus

Connect a person’s actions, circumstances and contribution. Separate a retold anecdote from a documented achievement.

Reading sessions · 4 parts
  1. Session 1 · Part 1

    Read this part, identify the main event or idea, and note one useful detail.

  2. Session 2 · Part 2

    Read this part, identify the main event or idea, and note one useful detail.

  3. Session 3 · Part 3

    Read this part, identify the main event or idea, and note one useful detail.

  4. Session 4 · Part 4

    Read this part, identify the main event or idea, and note one useful detail.

  5. Connect & respond

    Link the parts, try the reading checks, then write or explain a supported response. Complete the dialogue recordings in short blocks.

Words & sentences

5–8 minutes

Learn the core expressions and record in short blocks.

Reading & dialogue

10–15 minutes per sitting

Read one part per sitting. Use the reading sessions in this plan, then connect the parts and practise the dialogue in short blocks.

Practice & review

5–10 minutes

Practise the writing focus and revisit your first-choice answers.

Help with self-study

Try each item in a short block. Listen when needed, record when ready, and use the hints to retry. Pinyin and English can be turned off independently.

Show support:
Pronunciation & learning options

Pinyin shows how to say a word. The mark above a vowel shows its tone.

mā1. High and level
má2. Rising
mǎ3. Low, then rising
mà4. Falling

Watch the tone marks and listen for the rhythm of the whole phrase. Light syllables are short; pauses belong between meaningful groups.

Characters0 / 22 tasks
Task checklist · 0 / 22 complete

Characters · 生字

Flip each card for stroke order. This lesson’s writing focus: 转 · 轨 · 观 · 证 · 测 · 心.

Lesson text · words, sentences and reading

Words & phrases

观测

guān cè

observe and measure

轨道

guǐ dào

orbit

自转

zì zhuàn

rotation

公转

gōng zhuàn

revolution around another body

学说

xué shuō

theory

证据

zhèng jù

evidence

Model sentences

天文学家连续多年观测星空,把每次看到的位置记录下来。

tiān wén xué jiā lián xù duō nián guān cè xīng kōng, bǎ měi cì kàn dào de wèi zhì jì lù xià lai。

Astronomers observe the sky over many years and record each position they see.

轨道描述天体运行的路径,模型则帮助解释这种运动。

guǐ dào miáo shù tiān tǐ yùn xíng de lù jìng, mó xíng zé bāng zhù jiě shì zhè zhǒng yùn dòng。

An orbit describes a celestial body’s path, while a model helps explain the motion.

地球自转形成昼夜交替,这是理解天空变化的重要条件。

dì qiú zì zhuàn xíng chéng zhòu yè jiāo tì, zhè shì lǐ jiě tiān kōng biàn huà de zhòng yào tiáo jiàn。

Earth's rotation produces day and night and is important for understanding changes in the sky.

地球绕太阳公转一周所需的时间,与一年的长度有关。

dì qiú rào tài yáng gōng zhuàn yī zhōu suǒ xū de shí jiān, yǔ yì nián de cháng dù yǒu guān。

The time Earth takes to orbit the Sun is connected with the length of a year.

新的学说提出以后,还要接受计算、观测和讨论的检验。

xīn de xué shuō tí chū yǐ hòu, hái yào jiē shòu jì suàn、 guān cè hé tǎo lùn de jiǎn yàn。

After a new theory is proposed, it must still be tested through calculation, observation and discussion.

一项主张不能只靠声音响亮,而要有可以检查的证据。

yí xiàng zhǔ zhāng bù néng zhǐ kào shēng yīn xiǎng liàng, ér yào yǒu kě yǐ jiǎn chá de zhèng jù。

A claim cannot rely on forceful words alone; it needs evidence that can be examined.

科学惊雷

每天看太阳从天空一侧移向另一侧,人们很容易产生一种印象:自己站的地方不动,天上的东西都围着自己转。

měi tiān kàn tài yáng cóng tiān kōng yī cè yí xiàng lìng yī cè, rén men hěn róng yì chǎn shēng yì zhǒng yìn xiàng: zì jǐ zhàn de dì fang bù dòng, tiān shàng de dōng xi dōu wéi zhe zì jǐ zhuǎn。

Watching the sun cross the sky can suggest that one’s own position is still while everything overhead revolves around it.

历史上的地心模型把地球放在中心,用这样的关系解释天体运行,在欧洲产生过很长久的影响。

lì shǐ shàng de dì xīn mó xíng bǎ dì qiú fàng zài zhōng xīn, yòng zhè yàng de guān xì jiě shì tiān tǐ yùn xíng, zài ōu zhōu chǎn shēng guò hěn cháng jiǔ de yǐng xiǎng。

Historical geocentric models place Earth at the centre to explain celestial motion and have a long influence in Europe.

哥白尼是波兰天文学家,他观察、计算和比较,开始用另一种安排重新思考太阳与行星之间的关系。

gē bái ní shì bō lán tiān wén xué jiā, tā guān chá、 jì suàn hé bǐ jiào, kāi shǐ yòng lìng yì zhǒng ān pái chóng xīn sī kǎo tài yáng yǔ xíng xīng zhī jiān de guān xì。

Polish astronomer Copernicus uses observation, calculation and comparison to reconsider the relationship between the sun and planets.

在他的日心模型里,地球与其他行星围绕太阳运行,地球自身也转动,不再是所有天体运动的静止中心。

zài tā de rì xīn mó xíng lǐ, dì qiú yǔ qí tā xíng xīng wéi rào tài yáng yùn xíng, dì qiú zì shēn yě zhuǎn dòng, bù zài shì suǒ yǒu tiān tǐ yùn dòng de jìng zhǐ zhōng xīn。

His heliocentric model has Earth and other planets orbit the sun while Earth rotates, rather than remaining a stationary centre.

自转与公转是两个不同的动作,一个是地球自己转动,一个是地球沿着轨道围绕太阳运行。

zì zhuàn yǔ gōng zhuàn shì liǎng gè bù tóng de dòng zuò, yí ge shì dì qiú zì jǐ zhuǎn dòng, yí ge shì dì qiú yán zhe guǐ dào wéi rào tài yáng yùn xíng。

Rotation and revolution are different: Earth spins on its axis and also follows an orbit around the sun.

太阳每天升起,眼前的景象不会因为一个新模型立刻改变,改变的是人们怎样把观察组织成解释。相同的天空可以被放进不同关系中比较,研究者需要检查哪一种安排更能够说明细节,也要承认模型还有需要改进的部分。

tài yáng měi tiān shēng qǐ, yǎn qián de jǐng xiàng bú huì yīn wèi yí ge xīn mó xíng lì kè gǎi biàn, gǎi biàn de shì rén men zěn yàng bǎ guān chá zǔ zhī chéng jiě shì。 xiāng tóng de tiān kōng kě yǐ bèi fàng jìn bù tóng guān xì zhōng bǐ jiào, yán jiū zhě xū yào jiǎn chá nǎ yì zhǒng ān pái gèng néng gòu shuō míng xì jié, yě yào chéng rèn mó xíng hái yǒu xū yào gǎi jìn de bù fèn。

A new model does not immediately alter the visible sky; it changes how observations are explained. Researchers compare explanations and recognise limits.

新的解释挑战了人们习惯的安排,也带来了许多问题,需要进一步观察和研究,而不是只凭一句赞成或反对。

xīn de jiě shì tiǎo zhàn le rén men xí guàn de ān pái, yě dài lái le xǔ duō wèn tí, xū yào jìn yí bù guān chá hé yán jiū, ér bú shì zhǐ píng yī jù zàn chéng huò fǎn duì。

The new explanation challenges familiar arrangements and raises questions requiring research rather than a simple vote of approval.

一五四三年,《天体运行论》出版,书中的观点成为科学史上的重要一步,使更多人能够阅读和讨论。

yī wǔ sì sān nián,《 tiān tǐ yùn xíng lùn 》 chū bǎn, shū zhōng de guān diǎn chéng wéi kē xué shǐ shàng de zhòng yào yí bù, shǐ gèng duō rén néng gòu yuè dú hé tǎo lùn。

In 1543 On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is published, allowing wider discussion of a major step in scientific history.

此后的研究继续发展,新的观测帮助人们修正模型,一些早期想法也得到更准确的解释。

cǐ hòu de yán jiū jì xù fā zhǎn, xīn de guān cè bāng zhù rén men xiū zhèng mó xíng, yì xiē zǎo qī xiǎng fǎ yě dé dào gèng zhǔn què de jiě shì。

Later research and observations refine the model and explain some early ideas more accurately.

今天,人们知道太阳是一颗恒星,银河系还有许多恒星,太阳系不能与整个宇宙当成同一个范围。

jīn tiān, rén men zhī dào tài yáng shì yī kē héng xīng, yín hé xì hái yǒu xǔ duō héng xīng, tài yáng xì bù néng yǔ zhěng gè yǔ zhòu dàng chéng tóng yí ge fàn wéi。

Today the sun is understood as one star among many in the Milky Way, and the solar system is distinct from the whole universe.

从地球望向天空,人们只能看见宇宙的一部分。望远镜带来新的图像,研究者把观测与计算放在一起,继续寻找更准确的解释。

cóng dì qiú wàng xiàng tiān kōng, rén men zhǐ néng kàn jiàn yǔ zhòu de yí bù fèn。 wàng yuǎn jìng dài lái xīn de tú xiàng, yán jiū zhě bǎ guān cè yǔ jì suàn fàng zài yì qǐ, jì xù xún zhǎo gèng zhǔn què de jiě shì。

From Earth we see only part of the universe. Telescopes bring new images, which researchers compare with calculations in search of better explanations.

一间教室里,小杰用球表示地球,用灯表示太阳,先转动球观察明暗,再让球绕着灯移动。

yì jiān jiào shì lǐ, xiǎo jié yòng qiú biǎo shì dì qiú, yòng dēng biǎo shì tài yáng, xiān zhuǎn dòng qiú guān chá míng àn, zài ràng qiú rào zhe dēng yí dòng。

In a classroom, Xiaojie uses a ball for Earth and a lamp for the sun, rotating the ball before moving it around the lamp.

他发现,两个动作画成两个箭头以后,原来容易混淆的关系便清楚了,但演示仍然需要与真实的观测相联系。

tā fā xiàn, liǎng gè dòng zuò huà chéng liǎng gè jiàn tóu yǐ hòu, yuán lái róng yì hùn xiáo de guān xì biàn qīng chu le, dàn yǎn shì réng rán xū yào yǔ zhēn shí de guān cè xiāng lián xì。

Two arrows clarify the easily confused motions, though the demonstration must remain connected to actual observations.

太阳还会在清晨照亮地面,夜里也仍有星光。天体运行的研究却已走过漫长的道路,一次次新的发现,让熟悉的天空展现出更深远的关系。

tài yáng hái huì zài qīng chén zhào liàng dì miàn, yè lǐ yě réng yǒu xīng guāng。 tiān tǐ yùn xíng de yán jiū què yǐ zǒu guò màn cháng de dào lù, yí cì cì xīn de fā xiàn, ràng shú xī de tiān kōng zhǎn xiàn chū gēng shēn yuǎn de guān xì。

The sun still lights the morning and stars appear at night. Research has followed a long path, with new discoveries revealing deeper relationships in the familiar sky.

Conversation

A 太阳看起来移动能说明什么?

tài yáng kàn qǐ lái yí dòng néng shuō míng shén me?

What does the Sun's apparent movement establish?

B 能说明观察到的现象,还需要模型解释。

néng shuō míng guān chá dào de xiàn xiàng, hái xū yào mó xíng jiě shì。

It establishes an observed appearance needing explanation.

A 地球的两个动作怎样区分?

dì qiú de liǎng gè dòng zuò zěn yàng qū fēn?

How do we distinguish Earth's two motions?

B 自己转动是自转,绕太阳运行是公转。

zì jǐ zhuǎn dòng shì zì zhuàn, rào tài yáng yùn xíng shì gōng zhuàn。

Turning on its axis is rotation; orbiting the Sun is revolution.

A 重要著作在哪一年出版?

zhòng yào zhù zuò zài nǎ yì nián chū bǎn?

When was the important book published?

B 《天体运行论》在一五四三年出版。

《 tiān tǐ yùn xíng lùn 》 zài yī wǔ sì sān nián chū bǎn。

De revolutionibus was published in 1543.

Sources & image credits

Curriculum references: 幼儿汉语 1–4 and 中文 1–12. Lessons are organised by learning themes and include original texts and graded adaptations.

Scene illustrations: Twemoji, © Twitter and contributors, CC BY 4.0. Pilot word-card illustrations are original AI-generated images.