Chinese learning like getting in shape: no pain, no gain

A foreigner hoping to learn Chinese is like a person with a flabby physique hoping to get in shape.

The process is tough and it's difficult to start and easy to backslide.

In the same way the out-of-shape wish the pounds would evaporate without crunches and calorie tallies, language learners imagine fluency without sweating through hundreds of hours of classes and homework.