Foreigners who have been in China long enough to say ‘thank you’ in Chinese quickly learn that many Chinese people say ‘your Mandarin is really good’ even before you’ve learned to order a bowl of rice in a restaurant.
Chinese podcasters Antiwave recently did a rather frivolous podcast interview with your correspondent. One of the listeners left a comment:
‘This guy has been in China ten years and his Mandarin is so bad!’
How refreshing.