Suggested Difficulty (Elementary etc): Intermediate (maybe)
Video or Audio: Both
Lesson Idea: Hi @Constance_Fang and Team,
I was wondering if you could do vocabulary on historical period dramas or Wuxia dramas. I watch a lot of dramas about historical China, and I can’t really watch them without subtitles. I keep hearing words like concubine, imperial lady, crown prince, and other titles but these aren’t common and dictionaries aren’t really helping me. I was wondering if you could make a lesson that puts more context in the language because I use these dramas to help with my listening so I don’t rely too much on subtitles.
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Thank you for writing in DeathNevermore. This is a great idea, and we will get on with it! I also love wuxia dramas, and of course read all of the Jin rong’s. Which title is your favorite Jin rong’s title btw? And which audio books do you use now?
The most appropriate lessons I can think of for this would be the 小太监进宫 series, but they are Advanced:
Another potentially useful series that includes old formal language is about Confucius:
Finally, there’s a series about Mulan that also has some of that kind of language:
The way people talk in Wuxia is pretty advanced stuff. Even a lot of native speakers have a hard time with it.
I don’t think I’ve read anything from Jin Rong. I’m actually trying to find the Novoland series (九州缥缈录 I think it’s called), Sadly they haven’t translated them into English and my level isn’t high enough to read it in Chinese.
Can you let me know your level as we are going to prepare a lesson soon! 九州缥缈录 is a famous piece, and to me, it gives me the thrills like reading about middle ages Europe!
I’m around the intermediate level.
Thanks and please stay tuned!