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

Marie Curie: a path to study and research

Retell the sisters’ reciprocal support.

Goals & study plan
Marie Curie: a path to study and research

Use the family support and laboratory work to build a timeline. Keep the 1903 Physics and 1911 Chemistry prizes distinct, and include collaboration alongside individual effort. You can pause after any study block and continue later.

  • Retell the sisters’ reciprocal support.
  • Describe observation, measurement and records.
  • Distinguish the two prize years and fields.

Perspectives, readers & research · Lessons 9–12

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: 成 · 合 · 究 · 助 · 作 · 学.

Lesson text · words, sentences and reading

Words & phrases

留学

liú xué

study abroad

资助

zī zhù

financial support

研究

yán jiū

research

放射性

fàng shè xìng

radioactivity

成就

chéng jiù

achievement

合作

hé zuò

cooperation

Model sentences

年轻时,居里夫人到巴黎留学。

nián qīng shí, jū lǐ fū rén dào bā lí liú xué。

As a young woman, Marie Curie went to Paris to study.

有限的资助帮助她继续完成学业。

yǒu xiàn de zī zhù bāng zhù tā jì xù wán chéng xué yè。

Limited financial support helped her continue her studies.

她和同事通过长期研究积累实验记录。

tā hé tóng shì tōng guò cháng qī yán jiū jī lěi shí yàn jì lù。

She and her colleagues accumulated experimental records through long-term research.

研究放射性物质需要严格的实验方法和安全意识。

yán jiū fàng shè xìng wù zhì xū yào yán gé de shí yàn fāng fǎ hé ān quán yì shí。

Researching radioactive materials requires rigorous methods and safety awareness.

居里夫人的科学成就来自持续研究,而不是一次偶然发现。

jū lǐ fū rén de kē xué chéng jiù lái zì chí xù yán jiū, ér bú shì yí cì ǒu rán fā xiàn。

Marie Curie's scientific achievements came from sustained research rather than one accidental discovery.

科学合作需要清楚记录每个人的工作和证据。

kē xué hé zuò xū yào qīng chu jì lù měi gè rén de gōng zuò hé zhèng jù。

Scientific collaboration requires clear records of each person's work and evidence.

居里夫人

玛丽出生在波兰,后来人们熟悉的“居里夫人”就是她,她从年轻时起便希望继续学习科学。

mǎ lì chū shēng zài bō lán, hòu lái rén men shú xī de “jū lǐ fū rén” jiù shì tā, tā cóng nián qīng shí qǐ biàn xī wàng jì xù xué xí kē xué。

Marie is born in Poland and later becomes known as Madame Curie; she wants to continue studying science from youth.

当时的条件使求学并不容易,她与姐姐商量互相支持,把两个人的愿望变成一份需要慢慢完成的计划。

dāng shí de tiáo jiàn shǐ qiú xué bìng bù róng yì, tā yǔ jiě jie shāng liáng hù xiāng zhī chí, bǎ liǎng gè rén de yuàn wàng biàn chéng yí fèn xū yào màn màn wán chéng de jì huà。

Circumstances make study difficult, so she and her sister agree to support one another through a long-term plan.

玛丽先工作,帮助姐姐到国外学习;后来姐姐又帮助她,让玛丽也能来到巴黎继续求学。

mǎ lì xiān gōng zuò, bāng zhù jiě jie dào guó wài xué xí; hòu lái jiě jie yòu bāng zhù tā, ràng mǎ lì yě néng lái dào bā lí jì xù qiú xué。

Marie first works to support her sister’s studies abroad; later her sister helps Marie study in Paris.

新的城市里,语言、课程和生活都需要适应,她认真读书,安排有限的时间,逐步参加科学研究。

xīn de chéng shì lǐ, yǔ yán、 kè chéng hé shēng huó dōu xū yào shì yìng, tā rèn zhēn dú shū, ān pái yǒu xiàn de shí jiān, zhú bù cān jiā kē xué yán jiū。

She adapts to a new language, courses and city life, studies diligently and gradually enters scientific research.

实验室的工作不只需要一个想法,还需要观察、测量和记录,有时同一个问题必须反复检查。

shí yàn shì de gōng zuò bù zhǐ xū yào yí ge xiǎng fǎ, hái xū yào guān chá、 cè liáng hé jì lù, yǒu shí tóng yí ge wèn tí bì xū fǎn fù jiǎn chá。

Laboratory work requires observation, measurement and records as well as ideas, sometimes checking a problem repeatedly.

她后来与皮埃尔·居里合作研究放射性,两个人讨论实验结果,把不同的记录放在一起比较。

tā hòu lái yǔ pí āi ěr · jū lǐ hé zuò yán jiū fàng shè xìng, liǎng gè rén tǎo lùn shí yàn jié guǒ, bǎ bù tóng de jì lù fàng zài yì qǐ bǐ jiào。

She later researches radioactivity with Pierre Curie, discussing results and comparing records.

一份实验记录留下以后,她还会回到问题本身,检查数据是否足以支持解释,再决定下一步怎样做。

yí fèn shí yàn jì lù liú xià yǐ hòu, tā hái huì huí dào wèn tí běn shēn, jiǎn chá shù jù shì fǒu zú yǐ zhī chí jiě shì, zài jué dìng xià yí bù zěn yàng zuò。

After an experimental record is made, she checks whether the data support the explanation before deciding the next step.

他们参与发现钋和镭,也继续研究相关物质,让最初提出的问题逐渐得到更清楚的解释。

tā men cān yù fā xiàn pō hé léi, yě jì xù yán jiū xiāng guān wù zhì, ràng zuì chū tí chū de wèn tí zhú jiàn dé dào gèng qīng chu de jiě shì。

They take part in discovering polonium and radium and continue studying related materials to clarify their questions.

工作有时缓慢,实验也并非每次都顺利,玛丽仍然留意每一个结果,区分已经知道和还需要查明的地方。

gōng zuò yǒu shí huǎn màn, shí yàn yě bìng fēi měi cì dōu shùn lì, mǎ lì réng rán liú yì měi yí ge jié guǒ, qū fēn yǐ jīng zhī dào hé hái xū yào chá míng de dì fang。

Work can be slow and experiments do not always go smoothly, but Marie keeps distinguishing results from unanswered questions.

一九〇三年,她与皮埃尔·居里、贝克勒尔共同获得诺贝尔物理学奖,一九一一年又获得诺贝尔化学奖。

yī jiǔ líng sān nián, tā yǔ pí āi ěr · jū lǐ、 bèi kè lè ěr gòng tóng huò dé nuò bèi ěr wù lǐ xué jiǎng, yī jiǔ yī yī nián yòu huò dé nuò bèi ěr huà xué jiǎng。

In 1903 she shares the Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre Curie and Becquerel; in 1911 she receives the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

两次奖项属于不同学科,也记录了不同阶段的研究成果,不能把所有工作只看成一件事情。

liǎng cì jiǎng xiàng shǔ yú bù tóng xué kē, yě jì lù le bù tóng jiē duàn de yán jiū chéng guǒ, bù néng bǎ suǒ yǒu gōng zuò zhǐ kàn chéng yí jiàn shì qíng。

The prizes recognise different fields and stages of research rather than one undifferentiated achievement.

她的道路里有个人的努力,也有家人的帮助和研究者的合作,许多看似平常的工作共同支持了后来的发现。

tā de dào lù lǐ yǒu gè rén de nǔ lì, yě yǒu jiā rén de bāng zhù hé yán jiū zhě de hé zuò, xǔ duō kàn shì píng cháng de gōng zuò gòng tóng zhī chí le hòu lái de fā xiàn。

Personal effort, family support and scientific collaboration all contribute to the discoveries through seemingly ordinary work.

回望她的经历,人们不只看见奖项,也看见一位希望学习的人怎样一步步走进科学研究。

huí wàng tā de jīng lì, rén men bù zhǐ kàn jiàn jiǎng xiàng, yě kàn jiàn yí wèi xī wàng xué xí de rén zěn yàng yí bù bù zǒu jìn kē xué yán jiū。

Her life reveals more than prizes: it shows how someone who longs to learn gradually enters scientific research.

Conversation

A 姐姐怎样帮助了玛丽?

jiě jie zěn yàng bāng zhù le mǎ lì?

How did her sister help Marie?

B 姐姐后来支持玛丽到巴黎继续求学。

jiě jie hòu lái zhī chí mǎ lì dào bā lí jì xù qiú xué。

Her sister later helped Marie continue her studies in Paris.

A 玛丽与谁合作研究?

mǎ lì yǔ shuí hé zuò yán jiū?

Who did Marie collaborate with?

B 她与皮埃尔·居里合作研究放射性。

tā yǔ pí āi ěr · jū lǐ hé zuò yán jiū fàng shè xìng。

Pierre Curie, in radioactivity research.

A 两次诺贝尔奖属于同一学科吗?

liǎng cì nuò bèi ěr jiǎng shǔ yú tóng yī xué kē ma?

Were both Nobel Prizes in the same field?

B 不是,一次是物理学,一次是化学。

bú shì, yí cì shì wù lǐ xué, yí cì shì huà xué。

No; one was Physics and one Chemistry.

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.