{"podcast":{"title":"Mandarin Monkey Podcast","slug":"mandarin-monkey-podcast-476044","podcast_index_feed_id":476044,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/671683b6c054f53907d2cb8f","website_url":"https://mandarinmonkey.com/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/671683b6c054f53907d2cb8f/show-cover.jpg","author":"Mandarin Monkey Ltd","episode_count":527,"summary":"Chinese and English Language podcast. A mixed couple (Tom & Ula) living in Taiwan, teach Chinese through the use of Chinglish (Chinese and English) on a variety of topics. Learn Chinese, study methods, Entertainment, news, life, business, hints and tricks to learning Mandarin. Hear a native speaking naturally and at natural pace but with the English translation so you can follow the context of the conversation. Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T04:17:58.183079+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mandarin-monkey-podcast-476044"},"episode":{"title":"Why “Ask” Is Wrong in Mandarin | Mandarin & English Podcast | Mailbag Episode","slug":"why-ask-is-wrong-in-mandarin-mandarin-english-podcast-mailbag-episode","published_at":"2026-01-30T13:17:17+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mandarin-monkey-podcast-476044/why-ask-is-wrong-in-mandarin-mandarin-english-podcast-mailbag-episode","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mandarin-monkey-podcast-476044","url":"https://shows.acast.com/mandarin-monkey-podcast/episodes/why-ask-is-wrong-in-mandarin-mandarin-english-podcast-mailba","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/671683b6c054f53907d2cb8f/e/697caf5a65c54ec919944984/media.mp3","summary":"This is a mailbag episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast. We answer listener questions about a deceptively common Mandarin mistake: why you can’t use “ask” the way you do in English. Ula explains why 問 is for asking questions, but doesn’t work when you’re asking someone to do you a favour, and why 請 is often the natural choice, even though it doesn’t translate cleanly into English. We also respond to listener emails about: learning Mandarin without a clear end goal why grammar turns people off languages patience, time, and long-term progress how hangouts and lessons help people stick with it Ula speaks Mandarin pretty much throughout. Tom speaks English pretty much throughout. 🎧 Lessons, hangouts, and more: mandarinmonkey.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"This is a mailbag episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast. We answer listener questions about a deceptively common Mandarin mistake: why you can’t use “ask…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2959,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/mandarin-monkey-podcast-476044/episodes/why-ask-is-wrong-in-mandarin-mandarin-english-podcast-mailbag-episode/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/mandarin-monkey-podcast-476044/why-ask-is-wrong-in-mandarin-mandarin-english-podcast-mailbag-episode.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}