Lay the foundations of Chinese Mandarin and learn pronunciation, sentence structures, and introductions.
Duration
5 weeksWeekly study
5 hours100% online
How it worksIncluded in an ExpertTrack
Course 1 of 2
Contemporary Chinese I: 1.1
Expand your horizons and discover the Chinese language
Learning the Chinese language is an essential first step towards understanding China’s culture, history, political and economic system. Mastering the Chinese language will broaden your employment channels and increase your employment opportunities.
On this five-week course from Chinese Plus, you will learn the foundations of Chinese, while also exploring traditional Chinese culture and current Chinese society.
Discover Pīnyīn, the Chinese pronunciation system
Pīnyīn is a special system designed to help people learn Mandarin pronunciation. The system transcribes Chinese characters to make them easier to pronounce. While they look like English, pīnyīn letters are spelled and pronounced slightly differently.
This course will introduce you to the Chinese language system and character system alongside pīnyīn, making it easier for you to develop your Chinese pronunciation and overall speaking skills.
Learn the basics of Chinese Mandarin
Once you have the foundations of pronunciation, you’ll move on to conversational Chinese. You’ll start by learning how to introduce yourself and ask others about their name, nationality, and language before building up to wider greetings and personal information.
Explore Chinese names, traditional customs, and family trees
Learning a language isn’t just about pronunciation and words; it’s also about understanding the culture.
In this course, you’ll delve into traditional Chinese culture, learning about Chinese names as well as family trees. You’ll also develop the ability to ask and discuss families and names to coincide with and enhance your study of the culture.
Syllabus
Week 1
Preparation
Welcome to Contemporary Chinese I: 1.1
Welcome to Contemporary Chinese I: 1.1. In this step, we will provide basic information about this course.
Introduction of "Pīnyīn"
In this part, we will provide an overview of the Chinese phonetic system known as "Pīnyīn".
Syllables I
In this part, we will learn how to pronounce the following eight initials: "b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l". And we will combine these initials with the finals to practice together.
Syllables II
In this part, we will learn how to pronounce the following three initials: "g, k, h". And we will combine these initials with the finals to practice together.
Syllables III
In this part, we will learn how to pronounce the following three initials: "j, q, x". And we will combine these initials with the finals to practice together.
Syllables VI
In this part, we will learn how to pronounce the following three initials: "z, c, s". And we will combine these initials with the finals to practice together.
Syllables V
In this part, we will learn how to pronounce the following four initials: "zh, ch, sh, r" and one special final: "er". And we will combine these initials with the finals to practice together.
Summary
In this part, we will provide a self-assessment of Chinese Phonetics System to help you review what you have learned in this week. And we will also list some learning notes for you to get ready for the upcoming week.
Week 2
Hello!
Weekly Overview
In this part, we will list out the weekly learning objectives and provide you with the warm-up activity to get ready for your Chinese study journey for this week.
What's your name?
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “What’s your name” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension. Please spend time to practice your pronunciation and to identify the Chinese Characters.
What’s your surname?
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “What’s your surname” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension. Please spend time to practice your pronunciation and to identify the Chinese Characters.
Language Points
In this part, we will summarize the language points in this week and we will also provide quiz for self-assessment. Please remember that you can always go back to the previous activities to review what we have learned until now.
Weekly Summary
In this part, we will have a self-assessment part of Chinese characters and summarize the key sentences in this week for practical use. In addition, there will be Chinese cultural notes for your reference.
Week 3
Glad to meet you!
Weekly Overview
In this part, we will list out the weekly learning objectives and provide you with the warm-up activity to get ready for your Chinese study journey for this week.
I work in an import and export corporation.
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “I work in an import and export corporation” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension.
Eastern College is big and beautiful.
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “Eastern College is big and beautiful” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension.
Language Points
In this part, we will summarize the language points in this week and we will also provide quiz for self-assessment. Please remember that you can always go back to the previous activities to review what we have learned until now.
Weekly Summary
In this part, we will have a self-assessment part of Chinese characters and summarize the key sentences in this week for practical use. In addition, there will be Chinese cultural notes for your reference.
Week 4
How many people are there in your family?
Weekly Overview
In this part, we will list out the weekly learning objectives and provide you with the warm-up activity to get ready for your Chinese study journey for this week.
The child is cute.
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “The child is cute” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension. Please spend time practising your pronunciation and identifying the Chinese Characters.
How many students are there in your university?
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “How many students are there in your university” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension.
Language Points
In this part, we will summarize the language points this week and we will also provide a quiz for self-assessment. Please remember that you can always go back to the previous activities to review what we have learned until now.
Weekly Summary
In this part, we will have a self-assessment part of Chinese characters and summarize the key sentences in this week for practical use. In addition, there will be Chinese cultural notes for your reference.
Week 5
I want to go to China
Weekly Overview
In this part, we will list out the weekly learning objectives and provide you with the warm-up activity to get ready for your Chinese study journey for this week.
Do you want the Chinese one or the English one?
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “Do you want the Chinese one or the English one” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension.
This dictionary is very useful.
In this part, we will study a dialogue about “This dictionary is very useful” and we will mainly focus on vocabulary learning and text comprehension.
Language Points
In this part, we will summarize the language points in this week and we will also provide quiz for self-assessment. Please remember that you can always go back to the previous activities to review what we have learned until now.
Weekly Summary
In this part, we will have a self-assessment part of Chinese characters and summarize the key sentences in this week for practical use. In addition, there will be Chinese cultural notes for your reference.
Test & Summary
In this part, we will provide an overall test consists of two sections for this course and summarize what we have learned in this course.
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Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Explore the basics of the Chinese language system
- Identify key categories of vocabulary
- Practice asking and answering conversational questions
- Produce basic grammar and sentence structures for simple communication
- Explore aspects of Chinese culture
- Develop general knowledge of China
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone interested in learning Chinese, no matter what your previous learning experience was. It lays the groundwork for the Chinese language, making it ideal for a beginner.
Who will you learn with?
AFHEA, a Chinese teacher from Fudan University, has been teaching Chinese in China, Cameroon, Ecuador, the UK and Australia (remotely) for over ten years.
Who developed the course?
Chinese Plus
Chinese Plus lends support to domestic and foreign educational institutions, social organizations, and enterprises to take part in Online Chinese Class and set up localized platforms to conduct remote online Chinese education. It offers an all-in-one service package that includes online “teaching, learning, testing, and researching” as well as Chinese-centered online preparatory courses and “Chinese + vocational education” courses, among other services.
Established
2020Location
Beijing, China
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