Tomyo Blog
Grammar, characters, HSK and practical methods for learning Chinese
Internal translation in Chinese: why speech pauses happen
Why internal translation slows Chinese speech, how to identify the cause of a pause, and how to practise faster responses without word-for-word translation.
Correcting mistakes in spoken Chinese: when feedback gets in the way
When should mistakes in spoken Chinese be corrected immediately, when should feedback wait, and how can you test whether the right form transfers?
Chinese listening: why familiar words disappear in speech
Why familiar Chinese words disappear in fast speech, how to separate vocabulary gaps from segmentation failures, and how to build focused listening practice.
Chinese refusal: face, distance, and soft disagreement
Why a direct “no” in Chinese can sound sharper than intended, and how to learn refusal through role, distance, and soft disagreement.
Plateau in learning Chinese: normal growth or ineffective practice
A diagnostic guide to the Chinese learning plateau: distinguish hidden skill growth from ineffective practice and test progress over two weeks.
The particle 了 (le - change marker) in Chinese: when to use it
Why the Chinese particle le is not the same as past tense, and how to check it through events, state changes, and results.
Word order in Chinese: why Russian transfer breaks the sentence
Why Chinese sentences break when translated from Russian word for word, and how to train word order through topic, frame, and result.
Chinese measure words: where Russian transfer breaks the choice
Why Chinese measure words are often learned as a table, and how to see the object category instead of carrying over Russian counting logic.
Passive vocabulary in Chinese: recognition without retrieval
Why Chinese words feel familiar in flashcards but disappear in speech, and how to turn passive vocabulary into active retrieval.
Reading Chinese text: when the dictionary gets in the way
Why looking up every word can overload Chinese reading, and how to use a dictionary so it brings you back to the meaning of the text.
Chinese tones: why pinyin does not become speech
Why knowing tones in pinyin does not automatically turn into speech, where listening, voice, syllables, and phrases break down, and how to train them.
Chinese politeness: how requests depend on role and distance
Why Chinese requests depend not only on saying “please”, but also on social role, distance, and the real cost of the action.
A constructional approach to Chinese grammar: why patterns are remembered better than abstract rules
How construction grammar and usage-based approaches to language acquisition explain why Chinese patterns stick better in memory than abstract rules.
Spaced repetition in language learning: forgetting curve and SM-2 algorithm
Where Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve came from, how Piotr Wozniak's SM-2 algorithm works, and why this mathematics powers Anki, SuperMemo, and Mnemosyne today.
The first 100 characters: which ones to learn and in what order to read real texts as early as possible
A list of a hundred characters sounds like a short distance, but there's a chasm between "I know a hundred characters" and "I read real text." Let's figure out where exactly this chasm lies and how to narrow it.
Chinese characters aren't pictures: how the radical system works and why it speeds up memorization
Most people learn characters one by one — and get stuck after the first hundred. Radicals turn the chaos of strokes into a system where new characters are assembled from familiar components.
Shadowing in Chinese language learning: what happens to the brain during echo repetition
Shadowing isn't just an imitation exercise. It's work with phonological memory, articulatory motor skills, and the prosodic patterns of language.
HSK 3.0: The New Chinese Standard and How to Navigate the Transition Without Panic
The new HSK 3.0 standard is already affecting students' and teachers' plans: 9 levels, pilot test on January 31, 2026, and the question of how to measure progress now.
Spaced Repetition System (SRS): How to Remember Words, Quotes, and Characters Without Endless Cramming
Spaced repetition systems help you memorize words, quotes, and Chinese characters with less effort—if you set them up in a human-friendly way.
How to Build Your Card Deck: Rules to Keep It from Turning into Junk
Cards help you remember words, quotes, and ideas—but a deck easily becomes a dump. Let's figure out how to make it actually work.
How to Learn Chinese Words and Remember Them: Spaced Repetition in Simple Terms
Spaced repetition helps you learn Chinese words so they don't disappear after a week: simple rhythm, examples, and habits without rote memorization.