25 min
Morning ride · re-listen
Things you already understood, or last night's tutor recording. On the metro, catch the Chinese announcement before the English one — 下一站… The second listen is where acquisition happens.
Listen on the move
Your commute is your listening lab
40–50 minutes a day, riding on a trip you already make. Earbuds in, streaming as you go.
Two rides a day
In weeks 1–2 it's 20 minutes each way, and on days 1–6 the morning ride belongs to that day's pinyin unit.
25 min
Evening ride · one new episode
One new comprehensible-input episode with full attention. On the walking stretch, mumble-shadow a clip under your breath — people send voice messages on the street all day; nobody will look twice.
No commute? Move the listening to walks, cooking and the gym. Long train rides are gold — an hour of listening you'd otherwise scroll away.
The listening ladder
What to listen to, week by week.
Weeks 1–2
Super-beginner
Their beginner videos. Pictures and gestures carry the meaning; you follow the story without translating.
Weeks 3–5
Beginner
The same channels, one level up, plus Lazy Chinese — slow, clear, with free transcripts. Slow learner audio is your main diet for months; that's fine.
Weeks 6–8
Stretch
Keep the above as the core. Swap ten minutes of idle scrolling for native short videos on things you know — food, your city — on Douyin 抖音 or Bilibili 哔哩哔哩. Expect to catch little. It trains your ear for real speed.
The 70–90 rule
70–90%
Understand less than about 70% of a video? Go easier. More than about 90%? Go harder. Comprehension is the whole point — noise isn't input.
Shadowing
One 1–2 minute clip you mostly understand, spoken along with it 5–10 times. It's the evening desk's speaking practice on alternate days from week 3.
More channels
- Hacking Chinese's guide to learner channels on YouTube.
- Bilibili and Douyin for native clips once you reach the stretch rung — some learner creators repost there too.