I learned a new idiom: 視若無睹 (shì ruò wú dǔ). It means “to turn a blind eye.” Pretty cool, right?

But when I first tried to say it, I struggled. Pronouncing each character on its own wasn’t too bad. Saying them all together fluently? That was a different story.

My mouth felt clumsy and uncoordinated. Why?

Because my mouth muscles weren’t used to this combination of sounds. They had never encountered this exact pattern before.

It’s like trying to pronounce a long, complicated word in English or reading through a confusing list of ingredients at the grocery store. It’s normal to stumble at first.

But then, I started practicing. I repeated 視若無睹 over and over...

視若無睹。視若無睹。視若無睹。視若無睹。

Gradually, it got easier. The phrase began to flow naturally. My mouth muscles adapted.

Repetition really is key. The more you practice, the smoother it becomes.

There's also the power of taking a break. Sometimes, all you need is a little time. When I came back to the idiom after a day or two, it felt less awkward.

Our brains are always working in the background even when we feel it, processing and organizing the information. It’s like a computer running updates without you even knowing.

If you’re learning Mandarin and get stuck on pronunciation, don’t worry. It’s normal to feel clunky with new sounds. Practice, be patient, and let your brain do some background work.

If you need personal help with Mandarin pronunciation, I'm helping 5 learners this month with tones and speaking so you get conversational fast.

If you're interested, reply and send you the details.

加油，

Danyo