MandarinClips Authentic Chinese Cinema Corpus

io.github.IndexFlowingPublished by GitHub account IndexFlowingv1.0.1Updated Oct 24, 2026

Search 180,000+ authentic Chinese cinema clips, HSK grammar, and expressions for TCSL educators.

The publisher's own server: MandarinClips Authentic Chinese Cinema Corpus

VerifiedSTDIODesktop onlyKnowledge & MemoryMedia & Design

Overview

AI-generated overview

Searches a corpus of 180,000+ authentic Chinese film and TV dialogue clips, plus HSK grammar, vocabulary and expression guides, for lesson planning.

What you can do
  • Search cinema dialogue clips by Chinese characters, Pinyin or English topic, filtered by HSK level
  • Retrieve grammar pattern guides with sentence formulas and real dialogue examples
  • Look up colloquial idioms, slang and cultural nuances in cinematic context
  • Pull HSK 3.0 vocabulary lists by level with definitions and linked clip counts
  • Get detailed word profiles with linked cinema clips
When to use it
Useful for Chinese language teachers and advanced learners who want authentic movie dialogue examples, HSK-aligned vocabulary and grammar patterns for lesson plans, exercises or vocabulary guides instead of textbook sentences.
Requirements
Runs locally via npx, so Node.js is needed, or connect to the hosted remote endpoint instead. No account is required for the anonymous tier; an optional MANDARINCLIPS_API_KEY (or Authorization bearer header on the remote endpoint) raises the daily quota. Network access to the MandarinClips service is required.
Before you install
Queries are sent to the MandarinClips service and are subject to daily fair-use quotas: 3 per day anonymously per IP address, 8 per day with a free key, unlimited for Pro subscribers. The API key is a credential and should be kept out of shared config files. Retrieved examples embed links back to the MandarinClips site.

Installation

In SourceWeft

  1. Open MandarinClips Authentic Chinese Cinema Corpus in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
  2. Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Desktop only via STDIO. STDIO servers start a local process, so they need the SourceWeft desktop host.

Other MCP clients

Follow the launch instructions in the repository.

README

MandarinClips MCP Server 🎬

[npm version] [License: MIT] [MCP]

Official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for MandarinClips — the linguistic cinema corpus designed for Chinese language educators (TCSL) and advanced learners.

Seamlessly connect Claude Desktop, Cursor, and AI agents directly to a database of 180,000+ authentic Chinese movie and television dialogue snippets, complete with native audio citations, HSK 3.0 grammar formulas, and real-world pragmatic subtexts.

🌟 Why MandarinClips MCP?

Traditional textbooks teach sterile Chinese dialogues. Real native speech is packed with subtle cultural subtext, conversational hedging, and colloquial idioms.

This MCP server empowers LLMs to design authentic, cinema-backed Chinese lesson plans, exercises, and vocabulary guides:

  • Authentic Cinema Context: Real video turn sequences (previous, target, and succeeding lines) instead of robotic machine-generated sentences.
  • Pedagogical Indexing: Search by HSK 3.0 level (1 to 7-9), syntactic grammar patterns, or pragmatic social scenarios (e.g., polite refusals, workplace disputes).
  • Direct Markdown Citations: Every retrieved example automatically embeds an authentic scene link pointing directly to MandarinClips.

🌐 Quick Connection (Two Ways)

Option A: Cloud Remote MCP (Zero Install - Recommended for Educators)

No Node.js or installation required! In any MCP-compatible client or web agent (Claude Web, Smithery, Cursor Remote):

  • Server URL: https://www.mandarinclips.com/mcp
  • API Key Header: Authorization: Bearer <your_api_key> (or URL query: ?api_key=...)

Option B: Local Stdio via NPX (For Desktop Power Users)

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
json
{  "mcpServers": {    "mandarinclips": {      "command": "npx",      "args": ["-y", "[email protected]"],      "env": {        "MANDARINCLIPS_API_KEY": "mc_live_your_api_key_here"      }    }  }}

🚀 Quickstart: Setup with Claude Desktop

Add this configuration to your Claude Desktop config file:

  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

1. Anonymous / Free Tier (Default)

Run directly via npx with zero installation:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "mandarinclips": {      "command": "npx",      "args": ["-y", "mandarinclips-mcp"]    }  }}

2. With API Key (Elevated Quota)

To get 8 free queries per day or unlimited Pro access, obtain your API key from your MandarinClips Account Dashboard:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "mandarinclips": {      "command": "npx",      "args": ["-y", "mandarinclips-mcp"],      "env": {        "MANDARINCLIPS_API_KEY": "mc_live_your_api_key_here"      }    }  }}

Restart Claude Desktop, and you will see the MandarinClips tools ready in the toolbar!

🧰 Available Tools

Tool NameDescriptionParameters
search_cinema_clipsSearch 180,000+ real movie dialogues by Chinese characters, Pinyin, or English topics.query (str), hsk_level (opt int 1-7), limit (opt int 1-20)
get_grammar_guideRetrieve structural sentence formulas and real dialogue examples for a grammar pattern.slug (e.g., 'hai-shi-ba', 'lian-dou')
get_expression_guideLook up colloquial idioms, slang, and cultural nuances in cinematic contexts.slug (e.g., 'hai-shi-suan-le-ba', 'bu-de-bu')
get_hsk_vocabularyRetrieve official HSK 3.0 vocabulary lists with definitions and linked video counts.level (int 1-7), page (opt int), limit (opt int)
get_word_detailDetailed dictionary profile of a Chinese character/word, showing linked cinema clips.slug (e.g., 'ai-6', 'zuo-tian')

🎯 Example Prompts to Try in Claude

  • "Design a 45-minute lesson plan for HSK 3 students on the '还是…吧' structure. Use MandarinClips to find 3 real movie dialogue examples."
  • "Give me 5 authentic video examples showing how native Chinese speakers politely refuse an invitation in daily life."
  • "Extract Level 2 HSK words related to food, provide pinyin, definitions, and link their video citations."

🔑 Tiered Daily Quotas

MandarinClips enforces fair-use daily quotas:

  • Anonymous (No API Key): 3 queries / day (per IP address).
  • Free Account: 8 queries / day. Get your free API key.
  • Pro Subscribers: Unlimited queries & high-speed exports via Patreon.
  • Educators & Professors: Apply for a complimentary 3-month Pro license via the Academic Access Program.

🏛️ Ecosystem & Links

📄 License

MIT License © 2026 MandarinClips Team.

Source: README.md at commit 2ad9518

Tools

5

search_cinema_clips

Parameterslimitqueryrequiredhsk_level

get_grammar_guide

Parametersslugrequired

get_expression_guide

Parametersslugrequired

get_hsk_vocabulary

Parameterspagelevelrequiredlimit

get_word_detail

Parametersslugrequired

Version history

1
  1. v1.0.1LatestOct 23, 2026

Score

90% of the applicable checks met

How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.

  • Reached in the last 30 days25 pts
  • Auth declared10 pts

    Declare the credential headers in the registry entry, or keep the endpoint answering the probe so its auth can be classified.

  • Tools listedRequired15 pts
  • DescriptionRequired15 pts
  • Logo10 pts
  • Documentation15 pts
  • License10 pts

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MandarinClips Authentic Chinese Cinema Corpus

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