Keeping Chinese going
π― Build the daily habit, and know the exam ladder.
π£οΈ Say these out loud
- θ―·εθ―΄δΈι β qΗng zΓ i shuΕ yΓ biΓ n π ching dzye shwaw ee BYEN Please say it once more. Your most-used sentence for the first year.
- ζδΈζ β wΗ bΓΉ dΗng π waw boo DONG I don't understand. δΈ bΓΉ before a verb makes it negative β except with ζ yΗu (to have), which takes 沑 mΓ©i.
- θΏδΈͺδΈζζδΉθ―΄οΌβ zhΓ¨ge ZhΕngwΓ©n zΔnme shuΕ? π juh-guh jong-wen dzen-muh SHWAW How do you say this in Chinese? Point at anything and ask. This is how children do it.
- ζ ’ζ ’ζ₯ β mΓ nmΓ n lΓ‘i π man-man LYE Take it slowly. Said kindly, to anyone rushing. Good advice for tones.
- ηθ½ηε·§ β shΓΊ nΓ©ng shΔng qiΗo π shoo nung shung CHYOW Familiarity breeds skill β practice makes perfect. A chengyu: a four-character saying. Chinese has thousands, each compressing a whole story.
- ε ζ²ΉοΌβ jiΔyΓ³u! π jya-YO Keep going! (literally: add oil) Shouted at athletes, students and friends. The warmest word in the language.
Read every line aloud twice before moving on. The mouth learns a language, not the eye.
π The order that actually works
Tones first, then pinyin, then characters β in that order, and do not skip. A learner who leaves tones for later spends years being misunderstood; a learner who drills tones for two weeks is understood for life.
- Weeks 1β2: the four tones alone, ten minutes a day, out loud.
- Weeks 3β8: 300 everyday words in pinyin, spoken.
- Month 3 onwards: 10 characters a week, written by hand with correct stroke order.
- The HSK examinations run from HSK 1 (150 words) to HSK 6 (5,000). HSK 4 is the usual requirement for a Chinese university.
π Among the people
Chinese universities offer a large number of scholarships to Indian students each year, and many programmes require HSK 4. The language is a visa, not just a subject.
π Practise today
- Drill mΔ mΓ‘ mΗ mΓ for two minutes every day this week.
- Write your twenty characters from Lesson 5 without looking.
- Label ten things in your house with their character and pinyin.
