You Can Read 2,000 Characters. Spoken Mandarin Still Blurs.
Character recognition and listening are separate skills. A strong reading base does not guarantee the ear can follow live Mandarin at natural speed.
Mandarin
5 articles
HSK 5 Passed. Real Conversations at Native Speed Still Break.
HSK listening sections use controlled speed and clear enunciation. Real Mandarin conversations strip away those protections.
Why Tone Sandhi Makes Mandarin Harder to Follow Than You Expected
Mandarin tones shift in context. The tone you learned for a word is often not the tone you hear in a sentence.
Mandarin Doesn't Sound Fast. It Just Gives You Less Time per Syllable.
Mandarin packs more meaning into each syllable than English does. The ear has less time to decode each unit before the next one arrives.
Your Mandarin Listening Span Is Probably Smaller Than You Think.
A quick test with unscripted Mandarin often reveals a much narrower listening window than a learner's reading or HSK level would predict.