In Wellington, New Zealand, a four-member female group sang Chinese songs at a Chinese song singing competition for primary and secondary school students. Photo: Xinhua

There has been a trend on social media recently to teach foreigners to sing Chinese songs. Chinese bloggers use the method of phonetic homophones to help foreigners quickly learn one Chinese song after another. These include not only children's songs like Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, GG Bond, and Balala the Fairies, but also some classic Chinese pop songs. Even without understanding the lyrics, foreigners can effortlessly sing along, sparking lively discussions online.

On video platforms, Chinese creators meticulously convert Chinese lyrics into phonetic transcriptions, enabling foreigners to easily mimic the pronunciation. This method is not only simple and easy to learn but also full of fun, allowing foreigners to enjoy the learning process.

"At first, I thought Chinese was really difficult, but through phonetic transcriptions, I found I could quickly grasp the pronunciation. It's amazing! I still don't fully understand the lyrics, but singing them feels great," Cormac Sullivan, a Canadian online influencer, told the Global Times.

Sullivan said the way the phonetic transcriptions are used is interesting. He finds it funny every time he sees them, but it is very easy to learn. He has already learned several Chinese songs and wants to continue learning.

"Just a few days ago, I sang Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf at a party with my Chinese classmates. They were astonished. Even though I don't completely understand the lyrics, seeing their reactions made me feel proud. This cross-cultural experience is fantastic," Sullivan added.

This learning method has also found its way onto professional stages. In the latest episode of Singer, a famous singing show in China, renowned performer Faouzia Ouihya sang the Chinese song Away. Her teleprompter included Chinese lyrics with her own phonetic transcriptions. Her innovative approach not only helped her switch languages more smoothly on stage but also allowed the audience to feel her love for Chinese music.

Chinese netizens took to social media to express their approval, with many comparing the method to their own experiences annotating English books with Chinese pinyin and noting that it worked surprisingly well.

Chinese netizen @ZxyAll jokingly commented on Douyin, China's version of TikTok: "She sounds just like the original singer. I need to rescue the original singer possessed by her!"

When foreigners learn Chinese songs in this fun and engaging way, it undoubtedly creates new opportunities for the international spread of Chinese culture. This phenomenon also highlights the appeal and influence of Chinese culture in the global community.