How to Learn Chinese
I. Ways for foreigners to learn Chinese
1. Popular forums and websites
Among the many resources for foreigners to learn Chinese, some popular forums and websites play an important role. The Chinese Forum for Foreigners recommended by Douban Group is a good example. Here, learners can exchange learning experiences, share learning methods and resources. Everyone encourages and helps each other and makes progress together. There are also some online forums such as "I Speak Chinese", which also provide a communication platform for foreigners to learn Chinese. The characteristics of these forums are that they are highly interactive. Learners can ask questions and get answers from other learners or Chinese experts. At the same time, there will be sharing of various learning materials on the forum, such as Chinese learning book recommendations, Chinese video resources, etc. In terms of advantages, the openness of the forum makes the learning resources more abundant and diverse, and learners can choose according to their needs and interests. Moreover, through communication with other learners, it can enhance the motivation and confidence of learning.
1. Chinese-Forums.com :
Website : https://www.chinese-forums.com
Introduction :This is a relatively active Chinese learning forum, which has various discussion topics about Chinese learning, including discussions on Chinese grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, etc., as well as sharing of learning experiences, etc. Users can ask questions, communicate here, and get help and suggestions from other learners and Chinese enthusiasts.
2. Reddit 's "r/ ChineseLanguage " section :
Website : https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/
Introduction :Reddit is a large online forum platform, and the "r/ ChineseLanguage " section is dedicated to Chinese learning. Many learners share their difficulties and interesting experiences in learning Chinese, and there are also some help posts about Chinese translation, grammar interpretation, etc. There are many enthusiastic netizens active in the section, who can provide timely answers and help.
3. LinguaHolic :
Website : https://linguaholic.com/
Introduction :This is a comprehensive language learning forum, which has a special Chinese learning section. Learners can discuss various issues in Chinese learning, share learning resources, learning methods and skills, etc. There will also be some discussions on language learning theory and practice in the forum, which will be helpful for a deeper understanding of the rules of Chinese learning.
(II) APPs that help learn Chinese
In addition to forums and websites, Chinese learning apps are becoming more and more popular among foreigners .ABC Chinese , it has many advantages and provides great convenience for foreigners to learn Chinese. First of all, it uses pictures and English sentences to allow learners to quickly recognize Chinese characters and remember their pronunciation. For example, for the Chinese character "山", it may be accompanied by a picture of a mountain and an English sentence like "This is a mountain.", so that learners can understand and remember intuitively. Secondly, the functions of AI dialogue and example sentence reading are very practical. You can practice speaking like chatting with a Chinese person and improve your oral expression ability. Furthermore, it draws quick-memory pictures and instructions for each Chinese character and word, which can quickly remember the writing and meaning of Chinese characters. At the same time, English sentences are written for each character and word, and their pronunciation and meaning can be remembered through a daily sentence. Finally, its automatic review function is very powerful. According to the law of the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, the learned Chinese will appear regularly in the subsequent learning process. This regular review can really help learners remember Chinese.
The following APPs are recommended:
ABC Chinese:
Introduction :
Quick memory pictures and instructions are drawn for each Chinese character and word, which can quickly remember the writing and meaning of Chinese characters
English sentences are written for each character and word, and their pronunciation and meaning can be remembered through a daily sentence
There is an AI dialogue and example sentence reading function, which can practice speaking like chatting with a Chinese
There is an automatic review function to prevent forgetting
Tencent Video:
Introduction :
o Diverse vocabulary presentation : Films and TV dramas contain a rich vocabulary covering all aspects of life, work, study, and entertainment. Learners can learn new Chinese vocabulary by watching videos and understand their meaning and usage in combination with the plot. For example, in some workplace dramas , you can learn professional vocabulary related to work; in food shows, you can learn the names of various foods and vocabulary related to cooking.
o Authentic expressions and colloquialisms : Character dialogues in film and television works often use authentic Chinese expressions and colloquialisms, which are difficult to learn from books. By watching the content on Tencent Video's overseas app, learners can accumulate these authentic expressions, improve their Chinese oral expression skills, and make their Chinese more natural and fluent. For example, colloquialisms such as "ma ma hu hu" and "san xia wu chu er" are frequently used in daily communication, and learning through film and television can better master their usage.
Bilibili:
Introduction :
o Original audio and video resources : Most videos are in original Chinese. Learners can be exposed to authentic Chinese pronunciation, intonation, speaking speed, etc. during the viewing process, which helps to develop a sense of language and listening comprehension. Long-term viewing can gradually adapt to the phonetic characteristics of Chinese and improve listening skills.
o Live interaction : The live broadcast function on the platform allows learners to watch the host’s Chinese explanations and performances in real time, and can interact with the host and other viewers through bullet screens, which increases the opportunity for language communication and exercises oral expression and listening comprehension skills
微博:
Introduction :
o It can enrich expression and writing materials. Its massive text, pictures, videos and other content cover a variety of topics, provide diverse language expression examples, and help learners improve their text organization skills.
o It can increase vocabulary accumulation. Hot search words and Internet terms can help learners keep up with language trends and broaden their vocabulary.
o It can promote the understanding of Chinese culture. The various cultural contents and hot topics shared by users can help learners gain a deeper understanding of the cultural connotation.
( III ) Application of Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve
Ebbinghaus 's forgetting curve reveals that the law of forgetting is "fast at first and slow later". In Chinese learning, the rational use of this law can greatly improve the learning effect . With the Chinese app, learners can review according to the rules of the forgetting curve. After learning new Chinese characters and words, the app will arrange a review at an appropriate time to help learners consolidate their memory. At the same time, in the learning process, you can also learn from the concept of the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve and make a reasonable review plan. For example, after learning new content, review it once on the same day, and then review it on the second, fourth, and seventh days, which can effectively prevent forgetting. In addition, you can also combine other learning methods, such as listening more, reading more, writing more, and speaking more, to improve your Chinese proficiency in all aspects. In short, the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve provides scientific guidance for foreigners to learn Chinese, helping them to master Chinese knowledge more efficiently.
2. How foreigners learn Chinese
1. Listen more, watch more, and communicate more
Foreigners can learn Chinese by listening to TV news. The Mandarin spoken by the hosts on the news channels is standard and worth learning. By listening more, you can gradually improve your dialect and get used to the pronunciation and intonation of Mandarin. At the same time, watching the evening parties on holidays is also a good way. The programs on the evening parties are colorful and the language expression is vivid, which can improve your listening level. In addition, it is also very important to communicate with friends who speak Mandarin. On weekends or holidays, attend friends' gatherings and find time to communicate more with friends who speak Mandarin. They will correct incorrect pronunciations at any time. Through humble learning, foreigners will slowly find that their Mandarin is getting better and better. According to statistics, more than 80% of foreigners have improved their Chinese level to a certain extent by listening, watching and communicating more.
2. Reading and Writing
Reading is essential for foreigners to learn Chinese. Reading can improve personal ability and wisdom, so we should develop a good habit of reading more. When you see beautiful language, you can write it down and imitate it. Written language is different from spoken language. It has its own language charm and needs to be experienced slowly. By reading articles of various topics, foreigners can expand their vocabulary and grammar knowledge. You can start with simple Chinese story books, news articles or primary and secondary school textbooks, and gradually improve your reading ability. When you encounter words or sentences you don’t understand during reading, you can use online diaries or ask teachers to solve your doubts. Writing is also an effective way to improve your Chinese level. Prepare a diary. In your spare time, you can write a diary or an article in Chinese. After writing the article, you can share it with your family and friends. If you keep doing this, your Chinese level will get higher and higher.
3. Practice brush calligraphy
Practicing brush calligraphy is a unique way for foreigners to learn Chinese. Brush, ink, paper and inkstone are the four treasures of the study room. The ancients used brushes to write Chinese characters. Today, people can also practice brush calligraphy at home to improve their cultivation and write beautiful characters. Practicing brush calligraphy can not only help foreigners better understand Chinese traditional culture, but also help them remember the structure and strokes of Chinese characters. During the practice, foreigners can feel the beauty of Chinese characters and thus love Chinese learning more.
Unique creative methods
Foreign students have many unique and creative methods when learning Chinese. For example, they can make Chinese characters into lyrics to make them more memorable. Just like when learning Chinese characters, some foreign students make Chinese characters into lyrics, so that they can be familiar with each Chinese character by singing. It is also a common method to mark the pronunciation of Chinese characters in their own way. Foreign students mark words with the same pronunciation on Chinese characters, so that they can remember them more deeply by marking them in their own way. There are also foreign students who use pictures to describe the meaning of Chinese characters, which intuitively expresses the meaning of Chinese and shows their imagination and creativity. These unique and creative methods add fun to learning Chinese and improve learning results.
4 Skill Practice
The key to foreigners learning Chinese lies in skill practice. On the one hand, they can practice Chinese in Chinese class, such as taking Chinese simulation tests. This will help them understand their Chinese learning situation more clearly, and teachers will design appropriate Chinese proficiency test preparation courses for students. Actively use the Chinese environment you are in, communicate closely with the Chinese around you in life and work, sublimate your Chinese learning, and achieve high-quality results. For example, the prince from Congo (Brazzaville) often practices and communicates with Chinese teachers, corrects his pronunciation in time, and makes his Chinese more and more fluent. Wang Chao, a local Chinese teacher in Tanzania, often used his break time to communicate with Chinese people when he was studying in China, which improved his Chinese level. Now as a teacher, he also pays attention to creating opportunities for students to speak in class, so that students can practice more and communicate more.However, these methods can be found in this abc chinese app, we have already implemented.
(Ⅳ) . Difficulties for foreigners to learn Chinese
1. Pronunciation Problems
The pronunciation of Chinese is indeed a huge challenge for foreigners. Chinese has a unique tone system with four tones, and different tones may represent completely different meanings. For example, the word "应" (should) with the first tone and the word "回答" (respond) with the fourth tone have very different meanings. According to statistics, there are as many as 22 consonant phonemes in Chinese , while there are only 10 vowel phonemes , which makes pronunciation more complicated. Take Chinese and English as examples. The two belong to different language families and have different pronunciation methods. For example, j, q, and x do not have completely corresponding pronunciations in English. The most difficult part of pronunciation is the mastery of the four tones. Chinese is a tonal language, and each Chinese character has four tones. Different tones may represent different characters and meanings. Since English does not have this, it is very difficult to learn. In addition, Chinese also has polyphonic pronunciations, which is simply confusing for foreigners who are used to fixed pronunciation rules. They are used to memorizing pinyin words, and suddenly they have to face Chinese characters with different pronunciations representing different meanings, which really makes them crazy.
2. Complex grammar
Chinese grammar is very different from foreign languages. Chinese grammar does not have many suffixes like foreign languages, but in different scenarios, different words can be used to express the same or similar meanings. For example, "just now", "before", and "later" all express similar time concepts. This subtle terminology is completely confusing to foreigners , and even Chinese people sometimes find it difficult to explain it clearly. It is a subtlety that can only be understood but not expressed in words. Chinese is not an alphabetic language. It is the only ideographic language. Its pronunciation is not always fixed, but its meaning is basically fixed. This leads to foreigners not only having to spend a lot of effort to remember the pronunciation when learning Chinese, but also to spend a lot of effort to remember the meaning. For us Chinese, learning English only requires remembering the meaning, and the pronunciation is always the same. After all, the pronunciation of the 26 letters is just like that, and it can always be "made up". For foreigners, they can easily learn French, Portuguese, and even Russian based on their English foundation, but if they want to use their English foundation to learn Chinese, sorry, they have to start from scratch.
3. Difficulties in reading and writing
Reading and writing are a big challenge for foreigners to learn Chinese. Reading is not a simple Chinese communication, it is a process of in-depth thinking and analysis. Unless you have a certain amount of knowledge, it is difficult to understand an article or a book. For foreigners, it is difficult to just learn daily communication and read Chinese newspapers and magazines easily. Writing is also very demanding. Usually, it is great to be able to communicate in simple Chinese. If a foreigner can write poetry in Chinese, he must be a foreigner with Chinese ancestry or someone with other sensitive identities. The meaning of Chinese is ever-changing. Among the same documents written in multiple languages, the Chinese character document must be the thinnest, because the meaning of Chinese characters is ever-changing and does not require a large number of words. This simplicity adds more learning difficulty to foreigners.
4. Lack of perseverance
Learning Chinese requires long-term persistence. It is difficult to learn well without perseverance. You may not be able to remember a sentence in Chinese after learning it for a long time, but it is a test for most people to persist day after day. Without a proper reason to learn and a stubborn goal, most people will give up halfway. Learning Chinese is a long process, and it may take a long time to see obvious progress. This requires learners to have enough perseverance and patience to keep learning and practicing. Without perseverance, it is easy to give up in the process of learning. The above 4 points are the key difficulties in learning Chinese, and none of them can be missing. If you don’t understand each one thoroughly, it will be difficult to advance or continue to deepen your study. Therefore, many foreigners will choose to give up halfway when faced with these difficulties.
