Equally important in this learning process is choosing the right learning material. A well-chosen book can significantly impact your learning progress. It’s essential to select a book that aligns with your learning objectives, whether it’s passing a Chinese proficiency exam, improving conversational skills, doing business with Chinese people, or understanding Chinese culture. The right book is often well-structured and systematic. It not only guides you through the complexities of the language but also keeps you engaged and motivated throughout your learning journey.

• Understanding Different Learning Levels
• Top Books for Beginner Chinese Learners
• Top Books for Intermediate Chinese Learners
• Top Books for Advanced Chinese Learners
• Specialized Chinese Learning Books for Different Needs
• Learning Strategies and Tips

Understanding Different Learning Levels

Usually, different levels of Chinese learners have distinct needs, and learning books cater to these varying requirements. But how do you choose the good ones?

For beginners, the foundation is always about understanding the basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese, mastering pronunciation, and acquiring vocabulary. Beginners need books that introduce basic grammar and vocabulary in a simple, engaging way. Take pronunciation as an example, some books only include one lesson on it, if you don’t have a tutor to do more intensive extra practice, it’s definitely not enough. Usually, no matter if it’s for self-learning or learning with a teacher, a beginner’s book should include detailed pronunciation instructions and practice exercises. The content should present it in small, manageable sections to prevent overwhelming the learner.

For intermediate learners, vocabulary and grammar are the most vital parts. Make sure the grammar points are well explained and the vocabulary is truly at the intermediate level.  Some books might include many unnecessary advanced words. Books for intermediate learners should offer authentic texts, which introduce nuances of the language and encourage reading without Pinyin.

For advanced learners, reading and writing in paragraphs is highly valued. So the variety of topics and richness of the content should be considered carefully when choosing learning books. Advanced books often focus on specific aspects of the language, like formal writing or business communication. There’s less emphasis on language rules and more on usage, idioms, and style.

If there is a certain aspect you need to improve, such as speaking, writing, test preparation, or business conversations, then choose a book that focuses on that point. There are books that place emphasis on certain skills across all levels. For example, if you want to improve your reading level, then your target book should offer texts of increasing complexity, with exercises to improve comprehension. You can always find a book that caters to your needs.

Top Chinese Books for Beginners

For complete beginners, traditional textbooks are the most common pick because it offers the most structured and systematic approach. Books like “Integrated Chinese,” “HSK Standard Course,” and “New Practical Chinese Reader” are popular choices, each with their unique and effective approaches to teaching essential pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar.

HSK Standard Course Series

These books are tailored for learners preparing for the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) Chinese proficiency tests. They align closely with the HSK exam’s structure, covering the vocabulary, grammar, and reading comprehension required at each level. They offer systematic and in-depth training with exercises and mock tests that mimic the actual exam format, enabling learners to track and improve their proficiency. HSK Standard Course also progressively introduces Chinese characters, helping beginners transition from Pinyin to reading and writing characters.

Integrated Chinese

This series is known for its balanced approach to teaching speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. It introduces vocabulary and grammar in a contextual manner, focusing on language use in everyday situations. The lessons are structured to gradually build up language proficiency, starting from basic phrases and sentences to more complex structures. Integrated Chinese uses a mix of Pinyin and characters from the start, encouraging learners to familiarize themselves with Chinese script early on.

New Practical Chinese Reader

This series, which is designed to develop communicative competence, is often used in schools. It starts with basic vocabulary and grammar, presented through thematic lessons that reflect real-life situations. The New Practical Chinese Reader series includes cultural notes and background information to enhance students’ understanding. It uses a combination of Pinyin and characters, with a gradual shift towards more character-based content as the learner progresses. The books include a variety of exercises focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.

To complement this series, we’ve developed a video course tailored to the New Practical Chinese Reader textbooks, enhancing the learning experience.

Oxford Beginner’s Chinese Dictionary

This is a resource for those starting to learn Chinese. Designed for easy use, it features clear entries with Pinyin, essential vocabulary tailored for beginners, and practical grammar and usage tips. Unique to this dictionary are the cultural insights, enriching the learning experience by connecting language with its cultural context. Additionally, it often includes thematic word lists and may offer digital resources for an enhanced learning experience. This dictionary is more than just a language tool; it’s a comprehensive guide for beginners getting deeper into both the language and culture of China.

Top Books for Intermediate Chinese Learners

Developing Chinese

This series is comprehensive and is often used in academic settings. It systematically introduces vocabulary and grammar concepts, with each lesson building on the previous one. The books use real-life dialogues and texts to provide context for the language elements being taught. They emphasize practical usage and include a variety of exercises to reinforce learning. The series also integrates cultural elements, helping learners to not only prepare for the exams but also gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and its linguistic nuances, which is especially beneficial for intermediate learners. Alongside the comprehensive course, this series also includes listening, speaking, and writing courses at each level, which make it a one-stop-shop for Chinese learners.

Complete Mandarin Chinese

This is a comprehensive guide recommended for learners aiming to reach an intermediate level in Mandarin. This book stands out thanks to its thorough coverage of essential language skills, including advanced vocabulary, complex grammar structures, and practical conversation scenarios. It focuses on real-life language use, enabling learners to improve their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in a balanced manner. With its clear explanations, varied exercises, and cultural notes, “Complete Mandarin Chinese” is an ideal resource for those looking to deepen their understanding of the language and progress beyond the basics.

Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar 

This book offers a clear and detailed overview of complex grammar structures in Mandarin. It is a comprehensive guide, blending traditional and function-based approaches to Mandarin Chinese grammar in one volume. The book is split into two parts: Part A focuses on grammar categories like phrase order and different usages, while Part B centers on language functions such as communication strategies and expressing regrets. Both parts are interlinked with detailed cross-references, enriching the understanding of grammatical patterns with a functional perspective. The grammar points are illustrated with examples emphasizing contemporary usage. Ideal for learners from beginners to intermediate, this book doesn’t require previous grammar knowledge. It includes a glossary of terms and pairs with a separate workbook for exercises. This makes it a comprehensive reference and learning tool for Mandarin Chinese.

A New China: An Intermediate Reader of Modern Chinese

Now in a revised single-volume format, this book has established itself as a key textbook for intermediate Chinese language learning. This updated edition integrates the previous two-volume set, reflecting significant changes in China over the past decade. The book, written from the viewpoint of a foreign student newly arrived in China, offers contemporary lessons and materials on China’s evolving landscape. It starts with the student’s initial experiences in Beijing, covering everything from airport arrival to university dorm life. The new edition includes lessons on everyday activities like laundry and haircuts, along with cultural experiences at the zoo, night markets, and the Great Wall. Later sections address China’s current social and political topics, such as divorce and urban traffic challenges. “A New China” is comprehensive, with detailed grammar instructions, extensive vocabulary, and exercises. It also presents content in both traditional and simplified Chinese characters.

Top Books for Advanced Chinese Learners

Advanced Reader of Contemporary Chinese Short Stories: Reflections on Humanity

This collection of contemporary short stories is a great resource for advanced learners. It helps in understanding complex sentence structures, offers insights into Chinese society and culture, and introduces the advanced student to some of the most important Chinese writers. The stories are followed by detailed explanations of difficult phrases and comprehensive language activities. This book is suitable for learners at a high intermediate or advanced level who already have a good grasp of Chinese characters. However, if you find character recognition challenging, the vocabulary lists included will be particularly beneficial.

Eyes on China: An Intermediate-Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese

This is an ideal learning resource for intermediate to advanced Chinese language learners. This book offers a deep view into modern Chinese through a collection of compelling and contemporary readings. Covering a wide range of topics, from cultural trends to social issues, it provides learners with an authentic glimpse into China’s current affairs and everyday life. The book is designed to enhance language skills, particularly reading and comprehension, by presenting complex sentence structures and advanced vocabulary. Each article is accompanied by thorough explanations and vocabulary lists, making it an effective tool for improving both language proficiency and cultural understanding. “Eyes on China” is a valuable asset for learners aiming to achieve a higher level of fluency and a deeper insight into modern Chinese society.

All Things Considered: Revised Edition

This is a thoroughly revised textbook that effectively transitions learners from intermediate to advanced Chinese. Addressing contemporary and stimulating topics relevant to Chinese society, such as wealth disparity, environmental challenges, and evolving views on marriage and sex, the book fosters student engagement and discussion. The first twelve lessons are presented in dialogue form, while the rest feature articles from Chinese newspapers and magazines, exposing students to both spoken and written Chinese. This structure not only provides diverse content but also reinforces learning through repetition of topics in different formats. The new edition of “All Things Considered” presents an improved, user-friendly layout with text and vocabulary on adjacent pages and updated grammar explanations and exercises, making it an ideal resource for advanced Chinese language learners seeking a comprehensive and relevant learning experience.

Specialized Chinese Learning Books for Different Needs

Books to Help Improve Chinese Speaking Skills

New Target Chinese Spoken Language

This series is an innovative set of textbooks specifically designed for learners aiming to enhance their spoken Chinese skills. These books cater to a range of levels, from beginner to advanced, focusing on practical, everyday language use. The series adopts a conversational approach, with each book structured around real-life scenarios that learners are likely to encounter, from basic introductions to more complex social interactions. This method not only helps in building a robust vocabulary and understanding of grammar in a conversational context but also aids in developing listening and speaking skills. The lessons are complemented by cultural insights, making the learning process both comprehensive and engaging. This series is an excellent choice for learners who want to focus primarily on improving their oral communication skills in Mandarin Chinese.

Conversational Chinese 301

This is a widely acclaimed textbook designed for learners aiming to develop practical communication skills in Mandarin Chinese. Renowned for its focus on real-life conversational scenarios, the book comprises 40 lessons, each structured around common daily interactions and dialogues. This setup allows learners to quickly grasp essential vocabulary and sentence structures relevant to everyday situations. The fourth edition updates outdated texts to reflect current social life, adding terms like “high-speed rail,” “express delivery,” and “WeChat.” The lessons are concise yet comprehensive, making them ideal for both classroom use and self-study.

Resources to Help Improve Chinese Listening Skills

China Focus – 《中国微镜头：汉语视听说系列教材》

The “China Focus” series is a comprehensive set of language textbooks specifically designed for Chinese audio-visual courses. The series utilizes a wide array of audio-visual materials drawn from contemporary Chinese society, including documentaries, news, situational dramas, interviews, entertainment programs, short films, advertisements, and songs. It leverages an abundance of online video resources to create a classroom teaching environment based on natural language use. The series is categorized into six levels according to the difficulty of the audio-visual materials and covers various themes such as society, economy, culture, education, life, love, and art. Each theme is further divided into several topics, with each topic compiled into a separate volume. The language component of the series encompasses common communicative functions and scenarios across beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, making it an ideal resource for learners seeking to enhance their listening skills in Mandarin.

Developing Chinese: Listening Course

• Elementary Listening Course 1
• Elementary Listening Course 2
• Intermediate Listening Course 1
• Intermediate Listening Course 2
• Advanced Listening Course 1
• Advanced Listening Course 2

This series is excellent for beginner to advanced learners, offering a range of listening exercises that cover various topics and situations. It’s designed to improve comprehensive listening skills and includes recordings of native speakers.

Resources to Improve Chinese Reading Skills

Chinese Breeze

“Chinese Breeze” is a well-regarded graded reader series designed to enhance the reading skills of Chinese language learners. Tailored for beginner and intermediate learners, the series offers a variety of engaging stories, each written using a limited number of unique Chinese characters. This controlled vocabulary approach makes the stories accessible and enjoyable for learners, helping them to build confidence and fluency in reading Chinese. The series covers a wide range of genres, from mystery to romance, providing cultural insights and language learning in an entertaining format.

Mandarin Companion

The “Mandarin Companion” series is a collection of graded readers specifically designed for Chinese language learners. This innovative series reimagines classic Western and Chinese stories, adapting them into simplified Chinese using a controlled vocabulary suitable for beginner and intermediate learners. The unique approach of the “Mandarin Companion” series makes reading in Chinese more accessible and enjoyable, helping learners to improve their reading comprehension and vocabulary in a context-rich environment. The series is acclaimed for its ability to seamlessly blend language learning with engaging storytelling, offering stories in various genres that captivate readers while simultaneously enhancing their Mandarin skills.

Bonus e-based reading resource

Mandarin Bean

Mandarin Bean’s graded reading content is an excellent resource for learners looking to improve their Chinese reading abilities. It offers a diverse selection of stories from ancient to modern China, suitable for learners of all levels. The website features Chinese folktales, idioms, news, jokes, stories from the Three Kingdoms period, and fun modern narratives, providing a rich and engaging learning experience. With Mandarin Bean, learners can build and expand their vocabulary, master Chinese sentence patterns, and immerse themselves in iconic parts of Chinese history and legends. Each article is structured to aid learning while being entertaining, featuring bilingual text in simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English. A Chinese-only version for self-assessment, key vocabulary lists, sentence patterns with contextual examples, and engaging exercises are also available. The content is enhanced with learning tips and cultural insights and includes free audio recordings by native speakers to aid in listening and speaking practice. This approach makes Mandarin Bean’s graded reading content a valuable tool for learners exploring an exciting adventure in Chinese language learning.

Chinese History and Culture: Idioms, Legends, and Literature

Chinese Stories for Language Learners

This is a great resource for passionate Mandarin learners at an intermediate level, who are looking to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Chinese stories. This bilingual book offers a rich selection of 31 stories, ranging from ancient folktales and proverbs to tales of historical figures and modern narratives. It’s a comprehensive tool for expanding essential vocabulary and mastering over 60 Chinese sentence patterns, all contextualized within engaging stories. The book provides a unique insight into iconic Chinese history, legends, and wisdom, including witty idioms and proverbs with their original stories, enhancing cultural knowledge. Each story is presented in simplified Chinese, Pinyin, and English, with a Chinese-only version for self-assessment. Key vocabulary lists, sentence patterns with contextual examples, engaging activities, and learning tips ensure a well-rounded educational experience. “Chinese Stories for Language Learners” is more than just a learning resource; it’s a companion for an enjoyable and insightful journey into Chinese language and culture.

Chinese Stories for Language Learners: A Treasury of Proverbs and Folktales in Bilingual Chinese and English

This is a captivating book that presents 22 classic Chinese proverbs and the traditional tales behind them, ideal for intermediate and advanced Mandarin learners. Each story is bilingual, with Chinese and English text on facing pages, accompanied by explanations of the proverbs’ current usage, cultural notes, vocabulary, and discussion questions. The book includes audio recordings by native speakers, enhancing pronunciation and comprehension skills. The book features proverbs like “画龙点睛” “守株待兔” and “水至清则无鱼,” explaining their rich cultural and historical contexts. These stories offer insights into ancient Chinese wisdom and its relevance today. This collection serves as both an educational tool and an engaging way to expand vocabulary and deepen understanding of the Chinese language, whether in a classroom setting or for self-study.

Dream of the Red Chamber – 《红楼梦》

For those interested in classical Chinese literature, this novel is a treasure trove of advanced vocabulary and classical sentence structures. It’s both challenging and rewarding for advanced learners, offering a deep dive into the richness of the Chinese language and its literary heritage.

Learning Strategies and Tips

To make the most out of Chinese learning books and enhance your learning experience, consider incorporating these strategies.

1.   Learn actively and regularly

Engage actively with your learning materials. Reading is not enough. Pick up your pencil and try to write down new Chinese characters and phrases, create your own sentences, then use them in context. This active engagement helps reinforce what you’ve learned.

Consistent practice is vital in language learning. Dedicate a regular time for practice every day, even if it’s just for a short duration. This strategy will make you digest the knowledge more effectively

2.   Repetition

Many learners love to learn new knowledge and are eager to progress very fast. Never forget to repeat the content you’ve learned previously. It’s not a fun process, but very helpful. There is always something new you can find and understand in the second or third time you review the content.

3.   Build your learning net

Sometimes you may find that memorizing a single character or grammar pattern is very challenging. That’s because you don’t have a large learning net. Always put the words and patterns in context. This would involve associating characters or patterns with usages and meanings, which is much easier for you to remember and understand.

You may also find that a word or grammar point may have different meanings or uses, but at different levels. You should learn each meaning one at a time, as they come up for you. You will get a clearer understanding of each unique use. There are numerous grammar collections or word usage summaries you can read. We will put a reference at the end of this article for you.  

4.   Seek feedback

Most learners hate tests, but it’s actually a really important part of the learning process. Think of it not as seeking insult but knowing your learning status. You can have your writing checked by a teacher or a native speaker. Or have a quiz after each learning stage or lesson. It’s an easy way to know the areas you need to improve and understand your mistakes.

5.   Incorporate different skills

A holistic approach to Chinese learning can significantly enhance your overall proficiency. You can integrate various language skills, including reading, speaking, listening and writing, into your study routine. For example, if you’re learning Chinese writing, you could read Chinese newspapers or books to see how words are used in context, engage in conversations with native speakers to improve your fluency and pronunciation, and listen to Chinese podcasts or songs to enhance your comprehension and listening skills. Each skill complements and reinforces the others, leading to a more comprehensive and effective learning experience.

Conclusion

Choosing books that align with your learning style and objectives is crucial, as the right resources can significantly enhance your understanding and retention of the language. Alongside this, embracing diverse and effective learning strategies—such as incorporating various language skills, utilizing spaced repetition, and engaging with native content—will exponentially boost your language proficiency. With the right learning materials and a committed approach, the journey of learning Chinese can be as rewarding as it is transformative.

Reading References

• A Collection of Resources for Learning Chinese Characters– Books, Videos, Courses, Apps, Tools
• Recommended Chinese Textbooks
• Recommended Business Chinese Textbooks For Different Levels
• Where To Find the Best Chinese Graded Readers
• Chinese: Sentence Structures & Exceptions
• Chinese Speaking Practice Guide for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced learners
• Chinese Listening Practice Guide for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Learners
• Chinese Reading Practice: A Guide for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced learners
• The Most Recommended Online Chinese Courses
• Most Recommended Resources
• Specialized Textbooks Geared Toward K12 Students
• Amazing Books for Kids Learning Chinese
• The Best Chinese Picture Books for your Kids

The post A Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Learning Books appeared first on .

Topic 1

“I’m still a bit hesitant to practice speaking.”

“Not spent so much time trying to learn EVERY single 汉字 I came across. And less time actually learning how to listen and speak.”

Editor’s opinions:

Many learners have been learning a language for a period of time, and it’s easy to forget that the goal of mastering a language is communication. They struggled with some details and factors of learning the whole language. Although some of those factors are essential and necessary, such as characters, tones and intonations, vocabulary, etc., you can’t ignore practicing speaking and listening. After some time, you might find that even though you have lots of grammar rules or character writing skills in mind, you still can’t talk with people in Chinese. You might even doubt yourself, wondering why you have spent so much time and energy on this language when you can’t actually use it in daily life with people. So, never forget to leave enough time to practice speaking and listening from the very beginning. It will bring you more confidence and determination to keep learning this language.

But how do you improve Chinese speaking and listening skills?

1). Speak out loud and frequently.

Talk to your Chinese friends, coworkers, or classmates in Chinese. Chase every opportunity you have to speak in your target language. You have no idea how precious it is that you can talk to native speakers since many learners have no one around them. They have to pay tutors to speak and listen.

If you have a Chinese teacher, that’s perfect. Try to avoid English when you are with your teacher. They know how to help you practice in a professional and efficient way.

Speaking of this, if you don’t know anyone who can talk with you in Chinese, try to get language exchange partners through apps and websites. Create a language environment for yourself.

2). Never be shy or fear making mistakes.

Try every new word and phrase you’ve just learned while chatting. It’s a great chance to know if you are using them correctly. If you are corrected face to face, be cheerful! You will remember this word for quite a long time or forever, which means you’ve nailed it. No one would laugh at you, especially native Chinese speakers. If you know one, you will find out that native speakers are more patient and tolerant than you might have thought. Don’t be afraid of asking“什么？” or “你可以再说一遍吗？” It’s okay to ask for it. And when you get used to listening to them in Chinese, your listening skills will improve quickly before you even notice.

3). Compare yourself to your old self, rather than classmates.

Even though you are learning in the same class as others, you may find that they are beyond your level. They might have learned this language a long time ago, which makes them seem gifted at learning this language. But your learning goal is not being better than your classmates or others, but mastering the Chinese language. So just look at yourself, if you are doing better than yesterday. Be more patient with your own progress. In the end, you will reach your finish line.

Related reading:

• Chinese Speaking Practice Guide for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced learners
• Chinese Listening Practice Guide for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Learners

Topic 2

“I feel like I should have focused more on writing and grammar rather than vocabulary building.”

“Paid more attention to elementary level grammar. “

Editor’s opinions:

Grammar matters. Even though you have memorized thousands of vocabulary words, you can’t produce meaningful full sentences without grammar rules. Grammar is like the architectural blueprint, while vocabulary is the bricks and tiles. There are 210 grammar points at the elementary level, 214 grammar points at the intermediate level, and 148 grammar points at the advanced level in the New HSK. Obviously, the elementary level and intermediate level cover about 80% of Chinese grammar. The more you have learned, the more you will find that the most commonly used grammar rules are from the beginning level, rather than the high level. So even if you just started learning Chinese, do not think that you can leave grammar for the future. Constantly learning from the very beginning can build a firm foundation. And it will ease your future study burden.

Related reading:

• All grammar points
• The New HSK: An Overview and What’s Changed

Topic 3

“Honestly, I should have focused more on pronunciation at the start, but I didn’t really have any money at the time to hire a professional teacher and (very obviously) was not able to figure it out on my own. Leading to me later having to fix some pronunciation issues.”

Editor’s opinions:

When you can converse about some basic daily topics with Chinese people, you may find that they seem to understand all you want to say, even though your pronunciation may not be correct. Is pronunciation so important? Do tones matter? The answer is definitely positive. The daily topics are limited, such as the weather, the time, simple greetings, food, holidays, home countries, etc. For these basic casual chats, native speakers can easily figure out what you want to say. And it might make you feel like “I’m good enough.” The truth is, if you want to go any deeper or more complex in your conversations, they might get lost in your speaking.

At some point when you look back, you just recall that “z/c/s”, “zh/ch/sh” or “j/q/x” really can make big differences in speaking. The four tones and the light tone can easily twist your meanings without noticing. The acquisition of pronunciation is a process of constant intensified practice in speaking and listening. There is a phenomenon called fossilization in linguistics. When you get used to the wrong pronunciation, it is very hard to correct, or you need to make a hundred times the effort to alter them. In most cases, learners get discouraged and feel frustrated when confronted with misunderstanding and confusing faces. Then they don’t want to continue anymore. After all, just a few of us have the courage and patience to start all over again. So, don’t mess around with your beginning pronunciation practice.

There are many online Chinese language videos and courses. Many learners can learn through them until the intermediate-high level. It’s convenient since you can learn Chinese anytime, anywhere for as many times as you want. However, speaking is a bit special among all the essential skills. It needs instant feedback to know if you are doing well.

So, if you can have a real tutor to coach your pronunciation from the beginning, that would be perfect. You are walking on the shortest path. But, if you don’t have the time or money for it, don’t worry. There are many great fundamental pronunciation video courses and drills online. You can learn by yourself at first. Watch and practice them again and again. When you are done halfway or the whole way, book a session with a professional Chinese teacher to analyze your pronunciation and give you suggestions for improvement. You will know what your weaknesses are and how to strengthen them.

Just remember, the later you start, the more effort you need to make.

Related reading:

• Chinese Pronunciation: The Complete Guide for Beginner
• 5 Practical Tips to Find the Best Online Chinese Tutor

Conclusion:

But note that, this is not to say that other essential skills are not important or could be given up. All speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary skills are very fundamental and indispensable. The time allocation is flexible and varies on your current learning state. It’s a game of how to plan your learning time smartly and practically. So, it’s important to know when you need to focus more on certain areas than others. You may wonder, what if I just don’t know it? Check your quiz paper! That’s the easiest way to know which part you need to improve more. Or more directly, just ask your teacher. I believe they will be more than happy to help you analyze your learning plan.

You are more than welcome to share your own experience and tips with other learners about what you wish you would have done when you started learning Chinese. Let us know!

The post Things I wish I could’ve done differently when I started learning Chinese appeared first on .

More about the NEW HSK 3.0’s details and changes.

• Where to register for and take the HSK 7-9 test?
• Who can participate in the HSK 7-9 test?
• The New HSK 7-9 test structure and content
• When to take the HSK 7-9 test?
• What should I know about the HSK 7-9 test?

Where to register for and take the HSK 7-9 test?

There are two main forms of the exam: a paper-based test, an internet-based test at the test center. You can choose the one provided in your country or area.

Where to register: www.chinesetest.cn

Registration deadline for the global exam is listed below.

Test fee payment: Pay online if you will take the test in the Chinese mainland; Contact your test site and pay there if you are in other areas of the world.

Registration Process:

1. Choose Test Center
2. Fill out personal information
3. Upload your information
4. Confirm Registration
5. Registration confirmed by officials 

Who can participate in the HSK 7-9 test?

The advanced level of the new HSK, from Band 7 to Band 9, is designed for advanced Chinese learners, including those who major in Chinese language and literature, those who study in China for their master’s and doctoral degrees, sinologists, as well as those who need to use Chinese in their work and research. 

Note:

• Registering across countries is NOT allowed.

The New HSK 7-9 test structure and content

Download New HSK 7-9 Vocabulary

When to take the HSK 7-9 test? The test schedules (2024)

What should I know about the HSK 7-9 test?

Computer requirements:

1. Please install Windows (7/10) operating system and Google Chrome. DO NOT use Mac (Apple)
2. Suggested screen resolution ≥ 1440 * 900 (Less than 1366 * 768 is NOT allowed) Windows 10 displays 100%
3. Must have a camera (≥ 300,000 Pixels)
4. Mobile devices are NOT allowed (including cellphones, tablets, etc.)

Required headset

1. Plug-in headset is necessary (Bluetooth headsets are NOT allowed)
2. Make sure your headset is clear and of good quality. Make sure your microphone has good acoustics
3. When taking the Listening and Oral test sections, please wear your headset

Internet requirements

The upload and download symmetrical bandwidth should be ≥20M, and the connection speed for the test taker must reach 150KB/s or above. Proxy mode or VPNs cannot be used. Please test the network speed yourself in advance, and if it meets the standard when tested more than three times, it qualifies.

For more details about the HSK 7-9 test requirements, you can download here.

The post All about the New HSK 7-9 Test appeared first on .

As a language learner, if you ever tried to search for language learning apps, it’s highly possible that you’ve seen Duolingo already. Duolingo is a hugely popular language-learning app, launched in 2012. There are about 500 million users worldwide. It promises to let you master a new language on your phone at any time, including Mandarin Chinese. Some of our DigMandarin users have mentioned that they’ve used Duolingo Chinese before. We are curious about this app, so this time let’s dig more into it together.

How Duolingo Chinese works:

The inside logic of Duolingo lessons:

Duolingo claims that they googled the 3,000 most commonly used words in each language, translated them into English, and used the words to compose simple sentences. Then they wrote an algorithm that would spit out lessons that include prompts for words and sentences using translation, listening, and reading.

How Duolingo Chinese works:

For Duolingo Chinese, you will first choose if you want to start from scratch or test your current level. When starting from scratch, you will directly jump into the first lesson’s exercise. If you take the test, it will direct you to some topics in the middle of the course after answering several questions. The whole Chinese course covers over 1,500 words and 2,500 sentences. You can then set up a daily learning goal, such as 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 20 minutes.

Exercise types:

• Flashcards: test if you can recognize the target character or word; test if you can connect the pronunciation and the shape of the character.
• Translation: test if you can remember the corresponding meaning.
• Listening: test if you can recognize the pronunciation. If you are not available for listening at that moment, you can skip it. There are normal and slow speed options to listen to.
• Matching: test if you can match the pinyin, meanings, and words.

The rules:

There are many gamification tricks to draw users’ attention closely, such as gaining points, treasure chests, and streaks.

If you make a mistake, it might cost you a “heart”. If you didn’t perform well enough during the lesson and lose them all, it will freeze your learning progress unless you do the review practice once again and pass it. To be able to continue learning and start a new lesson, you have to practice and review the content you just saw. You can’t skip a certain topic to do a further one unless you can pass the test of that topic. So, it’s designed for learning step by step, topic by topic. If you want to be unlimited when playing, you will need to purchase a subscription for Super Duolingo.    

Duolingo’s reminder system is also famous. If you don’t open the app and practice each day, it will keep reminding you until you start your lesson.

Verdict:

Overall, the whole Duolingo interface is very simple and clear. Everyone from children to the elderly can easily go ahead and learn. As a learning app, Duolingo is fun and not a complete waste of time. You can at least learn some basic Chinese characters and words through daily exercises on your phone. The lesson length and exercise types are apt. You won’t feel very pressured during the practicing process. The gamification also eases the burden, especially when it turns into a daily assignment.

As a learner, you can definitely learn some basic knowledge from this app; however, if you want to be level up in Chinese, it won’t be enough. You can learn as many basic words as you want through it. But as a language, the final goal is always communication. When you want to transform the words that you’ve learned into spoken language in a real-life situation, you might find that it’s hard to be fluent. Especially for Chinese learning, there is no real writing and speaking practice.

And Duolingo often just drops a new character or word on you without much explanation of what it does. The whole process of learning is by rote memorization, which connects the pronunciation, character, and meaning with each flashcards exercise. There are no real instructions for the grammar rules and there is no background knowledge.

In this case, if you want to go further in learning the Chinese language, Duolingo Chinese is definitely not enough. But if you just want to get to know this language a little bit, or use it as a word review game, it’s apt. 

Supplement and Recommendation:

Learning through an app might be a beginning, but not the end. To help you really step into studying Chinese language, we have some supplementary learning materials for you when you are using Duolingo Chinese.

Recommendation

First, the Pinyin system:

You might find that even if you choose “learn from scratch” with Duolingo Chinese, you will still directly jump to character and pronunciation recognition without any instruction. So, to create a good foundation and better your understanding, you need to learn the Chinese pronunciation system — Pinyin, systematically. After this, all the exercises won’t be a blind guess, but real practice.

Chinese Characters:

For almost all the Chinese learners, Chinese character is a real pain. So, a better understanding of the characters’ background knowledge and construction process and methods are really necessary. There are some recommended character learning resources for you to choose.

Chinese grammar:

Grammar explanation is also lacking in Duolingo Chinese. You have no idea how the sentences are constructed and why they come that way. To produce more sentences naturally, you can’t miss out on learning Chinese grammar. Here is exactly the grammar course you need.   

Supplements

Since the whole Duolingo course just contains very basic words and the corresponding words are limited, you can’t learn more through it. So, to better expand your vocabulary, you can check out our Vocabulary Training Camp, which is also designed topic by topic. It can be a great supplement for Duolingo’s Chinese exercises.

Some ambitious learners might want to start learning Chinese in a formal and efficient way after trying the Duolingo app. To be fluent and get a deep understanding of this language, a professional tutor is the key. Here are some tips for you to choose a proper tutor. Or, if you want to learn by yourself, there are many online video courses available for you. You can learn anytime, anywhere, in a more structured way as long as you have a phone or computer.

Language learning is never an easy road. If you want to master a language in no time, hard work is the key. Furthermore, great learning materials and resources can also help you learn more efficiently and faster. There is an old Chinese saying: “工欲善其事，必先利其器”, which means the mechanic, who wishes to do his work well, must first sharpen his tools.  It’s the same way with Chinese. Sharpen your learning tools first!

The post Can Duolingo help you master Chinese? – Duolingo Chinese Review appeared first on .

To test if these Chinese grammar checkers work well, first, we need to list a series of Chinese sentences with typical grammar errors. We have already introduced the Top 20 Common Mistakes Chinese Learners Make, and we selected 14 of them to form our test targets. Compared to paragraph errors, sentence grammar errors are much easier to identify and correct. No matter whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced learner, you need to deal with sentence errors.   

Here is a list of test sentences with common grammar errors:

1. 这个小狗是可爱。
2. 我想买一个电脑，一个书，一个衣服。
3. 下午二点，我们准备去图书馆两楼看二本书。
4. 他是不是美国人吗？
5. 我喜欢打篮球和我妹妹喜欢听音乐。我住在北京和我有一只狗。
6. 他以前常常在早上学了中文。
7. 这本书没好看。
8. 他结婚过两次，现在他想结婚和她。
9. 昨天的工作很多，我一直工作到晚上11点就做完。
10. 汉语课9点上课，他早上6点才到教室了。
11. 你会看见那边的那棵树吗?
12. 我吃面条在那个饭馆。
13. 他比我很高。
14. 一个女孩找你在办公室外面。

Can you correct all these sentences on your own? Give it a try and you can click here to check if your answers are correct.

The correct sentences:

1. 这只小狗很可爱。This puppy is very cute.
(Using “是” with adjectives inappropriately, Over-use of measure word “个”)

2. 我想买一台电脑，一本书，一件衣服。I want to buy a computer, a book, and a piece of clothing.
(Over-use of measure word “个”)

3. 下午两点，我们准备去图书馆二楼看两本书。At two o’clock in the afternoon, we are going to read two books on the second floor of the library.
(Misuse of “二” and “两”)

4. 他是不是美国人？ / 他是美国人吗？Is he American?
(Using “吗” for all Yes/No questions)

5. 我喜欢打篮球，我妹妹喜欢听音乐。我住在北京，我有一只狗。I like to play basketball, and my sister likes to listen to music. I live in Beijing, and I have a dog.
(Over-use of “和”)

6. 他以前常常在早上学中文。He used to study Chinese in the morning.
(Over-use of “了”)

7. 这本书不好看。This book is not good.
(Misuse of “不” and “没”)

8. 他结过两次婚，现在他想和她结婚。He was married twice and now he wants to marry her.
(Misuse of the separable words)

9. 昨天的工作很多，我一直工作到晚上11点才做完。I had a lot of work yesterday, and I didn’t finish my work until 11 o’clock in the evening.
(Confusing “就” with “才”)

10. 汉语课9点上课，他早上6点就到教室了。The Chinese class starts at 9:00, and he arrives at the classroom at 6:00 in the morning.
(Confusing “就” with “才”)

11. 你能看见那边的那棵树吗? Can you see that tree over there?
(Misuse of the modal verbs)

12. 我在那个饭馆吃面条。I eat noodles at that restaurant.
(Incorrect placement of adverbial phrases)

13. 他比我高。He is taller than me.  / 他比我高很多。He is much taller than me.
(Misuse of comparative sentences with “比”)

14. 办公室外面有个女孩找你。There is a girl looking for you outside the office.
(Unfamiliar with Existence sentence)

There are 20 errors and 14 types of common grammar mistakes in these test sentences. Let’s take a look at the performance of the following online Chinese grammar checkers.

A Review and Comparison of Online Chinese Grammar Checkers

Sapling

The original version:

The revised version:

Review:

There are 19 suggested edits, and among them, four of them are about punctuation, which is irrelevant. The use of an adjective as the predicate in sentence 1 was successfully corrected, which changes “是” to “很”. The second sentence about measure words was fully corrected. However, the incorrect measure word in the first sentence wasn’t detected. Although sometimes we hear “这个小狗” in spoken language, it should be more formal and accurate if it’s in written Chinese. In sentences 7, 12, and 14, the corrected sentences are correct in terms of grammar, but it changed the whole meaning. So, the corrections here are not ideal. Sentence 5 is interesting. Since there are two instances of over-use of “和”, but it just detected one. In sentences 4 and 6, the use of yes/no questions and the use of “了” were both corrected correctly. All other sentences and grammar issues were not corrected successfully. Five grammar error types were detected in total.

Text Gears

The original version:

The revised version:

Review:

There are four edits and two types of grammar errors detected. In sentence 1, the adjective acting as the predicate was corrected properly. However, it didn’t detect the measure word problem. In sentence 2, it detected the measure word errors successfully, but the revised version is still not acceptable. It doesn’t give the user a direct answer, which means you need to correct the suggested answer once again on your own. All other sentences and grammar errors were not detected. In total, there was only one error corrected successfully.

One good point is that the surface of the checker is quite clear. You can see which part you need to improve, including grammar, spelling, style, punctuation, and structure. It even gives you metrics on the readability of your content. If this checker worked correctly, it would be very helpful.

Sentence Checker

The original version:

The revised version:

Review:

Sentence Checker detected four grammar errors, which are also presented on the surface. As the other checkers did, this one only corrected sentence 1 for the adjective functioning as the predicate, but the measure word problem remained. It did correct the measure words in sentence 2. All other grammar problems were not detected. In total, there are two types of grammar errors that were corrected.

This Sentence Checker seems like the same tool as Grammar Checker. There are also other language checkers. You can try and see if they work better than the Chinese one. 

Language Tool

The original version:

The revised version:

Review:

It surprised me that I finally found a checker that could detect the “二” and “两” problem in sentence 3; although only one of them is corrected. There are actually three problems in that sentence, and all of them are about the use of “二” and “两”. Maybe “两本书” is stored in their database, but the general language grammar rules are not. The measure words in sentence 2 and the predicate in sentence 1 were corrected, as other checkers did. All other grammar problems were not detected.

Conclusion:

Even though I was profoundly impressed by many online English grammar checkers with their strong and intelligent functions, the Chinese grammar checkers shocked me a little because they are basically useless. At least the checkers I tested above didn’t perform well enough. Most of the common mistakes that second language learners might make were not corrected or even detected. Not to mention untypical mistakes and more complex grammar error types. Maybe there are still some truly useful grammar checkers that I don’t know about yet. So, if you know one, share it with us! I’m eager to see and use it.

The post A Review of the Best Online Chinese Grammar Checkers appeared first on .

Grammatical particles in Chinese don’t have a meaning on their own but are attached to words, phrases, or sentences to serve specific functions. Nouns, verbs, and adjectives have concrete meanings, making them easier to understand and memorize. However, particles can be challenging for Chinese learners since they come in various forms that help with different functions. Some particles express tone, while others help with sentence formation or indicate tense.

Despite their challenging nature, particles are essential and practical to learn since they have fixed patterns and uses, making them convenient to use. Once learners become familiar with them, it instantly raises their ability to understand and express more complex ideas. So let’s take a look at the most common Chinese grammar particles to help boost your fluency.

• Chinese Aspect Particles 动态助词
  • 着 (zhe)
  • 了 (le)
  • 过 (guò)
• Chinese Structural Particles 结构助词
  • 的 (de)
  • 地 (de)
  • 得 (de)
• Chinese Modal Particles 语气助词
  • 吗 (ma)
  • 呢 (ne)
  • 吧 (ba)

Chinese Aspect Particles 动态助词

Chinese expresses tense differently from English. Instead of changing the form of verbs, particles are used to indicate tense. Aspect particles are added after verbs or adjectives to show the state of an action or change. The three most common particles used for this are 着, 了, and 过.

着 (zhe)

To show the continuation of an action or state in Chinese, 着 is added after the verb. The usual structure is Subject + Verb + 着（+ Object）.

e.g.

门开着。(Mén kāizhe.) The door is open.

地上坐着一只狗。(Dìshàng zuòzhe yī zhī gǒu.) A dog is sitting on the ground.

他穿着一件长袖。(Tā chuān zhe yī jiàn cháng xiù.) He is wearing long sleeves.

When 着 is used with words like 在 or 正在, it indicates the present progressive tense .

e.g.

我正在做着饭，他就来了。(Wǒ zhèngzài zuòzhe fàn, tā jiù láile.) I was cooking when he came.

他在公园里听着歌呢。(Tā zài gōngyuán lǐ tīngzhe gē ne.) He was listening to music in the park.

我们正在思考着这件事。( Wǒmen zhèngzài sīkǎo zhe zhèjiàn shì .) We are thinking about this.

了 (le)

As a tense particle, 了 indicates the completion of an action and is often put after the verb.

e.g.

昨天我买了两件衣服。(Zuótiān wǒ mǎile liǎng jiàn yīfu.) I bought two pieces of clothing yesterday.

早上我喝了一杯咖啡。(Zǎoshang wǒ hēle yībēi kāfēi.) I had a cup of coffee in the morning.

我中午去了公园，没去图书馆。(Wǒ zhōngwǔ qùle gōngyuán, méi qù túshū guǎn.) I went to the park at noon and didn’t go to the library.

过 (guò)

To show the past tense in Chinese, use 过 after the verb to indicate that the action has happened before. However, there are certain limitations to the verbs that can be used with 过. Verbs of recognition and verbs that only happen once cannot be used with 过.

e.g.

我去过北京。(Wǒ qùguò běijīng.) I have been to Beijing.

你吃过饺子吗？(Nǐ chīguò jiǎozi ma?) Have you ever eaten dumplings?

我们学过这本书。(Wǒmen xuéguò zhè běn shū.) We have studied this book.

Chinese Structural Particles 结构助词

Structural particles in Chinese are placed before or after certain words to create specific sentence structures. In modern Chinese, 的, 地, and 得 are the most commonly used structural particles. These three words all share the same pronunciation but have distinct uses and associated structures.

的 (de)

的 is one of the first Chinese characters taught to new learners and is also the first grammatical particle introduced. As a structural particle, 的 is used after an attribute and before a noun to serve as an attributive marker. In more simple terms, it can show possession or mark that an adjective describes the noun that follows.

…… + 的 +Noun

e.g.

• 我的口红 (Wǒ de kǒuhóng) my lipstick
• 学校的书 (xuéxiào de shū) the school’s book
• 漂亮的鸟 (piàoliang de niǎo) beautiful bird
• 吃的东西 (chī de dōngxi) things to eat
• 妈妈做的饭 (māma zuò de fàn) mom’s cooking    

地 (de)

Even native Chinese speakers sometimes misuse 的 and 地, both of which can be structural particles. When used as a structural particle, 地 is often placed after adjectives and adverbs to serve as an adverbial marker.

Adjective / Adverb + 地 + Verb phrase / Adjective

e.g.

学生们努力地学习。(Xuéshēngmen nǔlì de xuéxí.) The students study hard.

老师认真地上课。(Lǎoshī rènzhēn de shàngkè.) The teacher takes the class seriously.

我早早地去学校了。 (Wǒ zǎozǎo de qù xuéxiàole.) I went to school early.

得 (de)

When used as a structural particle, 得 is commonly inserted between a verb and its complement.

Verb + 得 + Complement

e.g.

他总是回来得很晚。(Tā zǒng shì huílái de hěn wǎn.) He always comes back late.

她写字写得不错。(Tā xiězì xiě de bùcuò.) She writes well.

你的话我听得很清楚。(Nǐ dehuà wǒ tīng de hěn qīngchǔ.) I heard your words very clearly.

现在的孩子懂得很多。(Xiànzài de háizi dǒngde hěnduō.) Today’s children know a lot.

Chinese Modal Particles 语气助词

Modal particles are used to express tone of voice in Chinese. They are usually placed in the middle or at the end of a sentence. Sometimes, they can even be used independently. One modal particle can express multiple tones, so it’s important to understand the context. There are five Chinese modal particles used in daily life that we will introduce here.

吗 (ma)

The modal particle 吗 indicates an interrogative tone and is used to create yes-no or rhetorical questions.

e.g.

这是你的书吗？(Zhè shì nǐ de shū ma?) Is this your book?

我可以借一点儿钱吗？(Wǒ kěyǐ jiè yīdiǎnr qián ma?) Can I borrow a little money?

那家饭店便宜吗？(Nà jiā fàndiàn piányi ma?) Is that hotel cheap?

这不是我的家吗？你怎么在这儿？(Zhè bùshì wǒ de jiā ma? Nǐ zěnme zài zhèr?) Isn’t this my home? Why are you here?

他难道不是你的朋友吗？(Tā nándào bùshì nǐ de péngyǒu ma?) Isn’t he your friend?

你认真的吗？那首歌好听吗？(Nǐ rènzhēn de ma? Nà shǒu gē hǎotīng ma?) Are you serious? Is that song good?

呢 (ne)

Unlike 吗, 呢 cannot be used for yes-no questions. However, it is still commonly used to indicate questions in alternative, positive-negative, and specific question structures.

e.g.

谁能帮我拿东西呢？(Shéi néng bāng wǒ ná dōngxī ne?) Who can help me carry something?

你在这喝酒，你妻子在哪儿呢？(Nǐ zài zhè hējiǔ, nǐ qīzi zài nǎr ne?) You are drinking here, where is your wife?

你想吃苹果还是葡萄呢？(Nǐ xiǎng chī píngguǒ háishì pútáo ne?) Would you like to eat apples or grapes?

他爱你。你爱不爱他呢？(Tā ài nǐ. Nǐ ài bù ài tā ne?) He loves you. Do you love him or not?

Additionally, 呢 can be used in declarative sentences with 在, 正在, and 正 to indicate an ongoing action or situation.

e.g.

我正在洗澡呢，你等一下。(Wǒ zhèngzài xǐzǎo ne, nǐ děng yīxià.) I’m taking a shower, wait a minute.

他正睡觉呢，小声点。(Tā zhèng shuìjiào ne, xiǎoshēng diǎn.) He’s sleeping, so be quiet.

我们在开会呢。(Wǒmen zài kāihuì ne.) We are in a meeting.

吧 (ba)

Using 吧 at the end of an interrogative sentence shows a tone of guessing or estimation when the speaker is unsure.

e.g.

我们好像见过面吧？(Wǒmen hǎoxiàng jiànguò miàn ba?) Looks like we’ve met, right?

你的工作都完成了吧？(Nǐ de gōngzuò dōu wánchéngle ba?) Is your work done?

这次考试不难吧？(Zhè cì kǎoshì bù nán ba?) This exam is not difficult, is it?

飞机大概九点到上海吧？(Fēijī dàgài jiǔ diǎn dào Shànghǎi ba?) The plane arrives in Shanghai at about nine o’clock, right?

Additionally, 吧 is commonly used in imperative sentences to indicate a softer tone when making a request or suggestion.

e.g.

我们结婚吧。(Wǒmen jiéhūn ba.) Let’s get married.

你们去玩吧，我不去了。(Nǐmen qù wán ba, wǒ bù qùle.) Go and play, I’m not going.

你快去道歉吧。(Nǐ kuài qù dàoqiàn ba.) Go and apologize.

啊 (a)

啊 is a common modal particle used to emphasize the tone of a sentence when placed at the end. In spoken language, it can also be inserted after the subject to indicate a pause.

e.g.

你儿子啊，总是不写作业。(Nǐ érzi a, zǒng shì bù xiě zuòyè.) Your son, he never does his homework.

你家人也来啊？太好了！(Nǐ jiārén yě lái a? Tài hǎole!) Is your family coming too? Great!

谁在敲门啊？(Shéi zài qiāo mén a?) Who is knocking at the door?

这个地方真漂亮啊！(Zhègè dìfāng zhēn piàoliang a!) This place is so beautiful!

Conclusion

In conclusion, these particles are some of the foundational building blocks of Chinese grammar. Aspect and structural particles, such as 了, 过, 的, 地, and 得, play critical roles in expressing verb tense, forming special sentence structures, and emphasizing tone.

Modal particles, including 吗, 呢, 吧, 啊, and 呀, help to convey various emotions and attitudes. With continued practice, mastering these particles can significantly improve your Chinese language skills and help you communicate more effectively in a wide range of settings.

The post Commonly Used Chinese Grammar Particles – Aspect, Structural, and Modal Particles appeared first on .

So, in total, you need to master 3000 Chinese characters. In other words, with these characters, you will be able to understand all words and sentences in daily life and even academic life. It requires you not only to be able to recognize them but also write them with the correct stroke order. Besides the definitions and pronunciation, writing speed is also something you need to pay attention to.

To help you better deal with this new challenge, we have collected some helpful resources to assist with learning and practicing Chinese characters, including books, videos, courses, apps, and tools.

Books for learning Chinese characters

《汉字有意思》 Hanzi Alive！

• Target audience: Adults; Children ages 3-6
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Purchase here: 汉字有意思 Hanzi Alive！

Review:

The authors of this book are Liu Yong and his son and daughter. Liu Yong is a very famous writer, artist, and educator in China. His teaching methodology is known for being very successful. So, he gathered the essence of his enlightening Chinese character teaching methodology in this book.

Each of the selected Chinese characters in this book includes a vivid hand-painted picture, a black and white silhouette, the evolvement from ancient versions to the present simplified and traditional versions, as well as a real-life photo game. There are also illustrative texts both in Chinese and English, so that learners from different language backgrounds can easily understand. With the hardback edition, there are also matching notebooks included for learners to imitate and practice. In general, it’s a very good and enlightening book for all beginners and kids. 

《神奇的汉字——汉字启蒙互动立体书》Magic Chinese Characters

• Target audience: 3-8 year-old Chinese kids; 3-15 year-old foreign learners with help from parents or tutors
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Purchase here: 神奇的汉字

Review:

This series of books is designed for kids who need to learn and inspire their interest in and passion for Chinese characters. There are around 650 characters that were selected because of their strong connection. The key feature of this series is that it makes good use of the inner connection between similarly constructed Chinese characters. As we all know, pictographs are the base in the construction of Chinese characters. Here in this series of books, the 3D movable design for each character can be very interesting. It not only presents the Chinese pictographs, but also the process of combining them with radicals. The learning by playing method can easily draw kids’ attention. With the illustrations and corresponding activities, learners can acquire more characters and easily distinguish similar characters.   The shortcoming is that it only has written explanations in Chinese. So, it’s better to have a tutor with a background in Chinese so that the learners can understand it.

More books: Recommended Chinese Characters Books

Videos for learning Chinese characters

三十六个字 36 Chinese characters

• Target audience: Adults, Kids
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Watch here: 三十六个字

Review:

This is an ink animation made in 1984, a very typical Chinese-style cartoon. The pictures may seem a bit old, but the content is still very appealing and educational now. Within 11 minutes, it tells the story of how Chinese characters were created by illustrating 36 Chinese pictographs.

If you look closely at these characters, you may find that most of them are the characters that beginners need to learn in their very first few Chinese character lessons. It’s quite a good introductory video for all Chinese beginners.

The 36 Chinese characters are 日，山，水，鸟，象，森，林，草，夫，马，竹，田，刀，舟，鱼，网，燕，云，雨，伞，石，火，龟，虎，鹿，豕，叟，弓，舍，羊，花，门，犬，子，女，月。

字从遇见你 (zì cóng yùjiàn nǐ)

• Target audience: Adults, Kids
• Learning stage: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
• Watch here: 字从遇见你

Review:

This is an official educational documentary that introduces 25 Chinese characters, including each one’s origin and evolution, as well as corresponding Chinese culture. Each episode is around 5 minutes. Learners can not only learn more about the character, but its culture and uses. Since the content is so rich and dense, you might need to watch it over and over again to digest it. The whole evolution process covers from thousands of years ago to modern China. So only if you have more previous background knowledge, can you fully understand it. Still, it’s quite high-quality introductory content for Chinese characters. 

The characters include: 舟，车，行，中，鼎，卜，天，福，犬，虎，马，牛，象，文，郭，陶，教，丝，甑，贝，走，图，典，册，笔

神奇的汉字故事

• Target audience: 3-12 year-old kids who are able to listen to Mandarin
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Watch here: 神奇的汉字故事

Review:

There are 20 episodes in total. Each episode introduces where a character came from, what it means, and its evolution process. Then there is a short story about the character so that it can be made more interesting, while still educational. However, the problem is that there are no English subtitles; it’s all in Chinese. So, it’s better if the kids are able to understand spoken Mandarin.  

一起画汉字

• Target audience: 3-12 year-old kids who need to learn writing
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Watch here: 一起画汉字

Review:

Writing Chinese characters is always a tough task for all learners. Especially kids, who are more impatient to practice. Based on kids’ aptitudes and the features of Chinese characters, 一起画汉字  eases the difficulty. It creates a lovely, simple painting based on each character’s shape. In this case, learners can memorize characters more easily by painting. But note that it’s not the real origin of each character. It’s just a method to help memorize and write them.

Courses for learning Chinese characters

Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Characters

• Target audience: People who are new to learning Chinese；People who want to learn the basics of Chinese Characters
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Learn here: Character Course A

Review:

Apart from the tons of introductory content we’ve presented so far, here are courses for learners who are ready to learn Chinese characters properly and in an organized way.

Course A is a comprehensive guide to Chinese characters, which helps you understand the rules and theories. From basic strokes to character construction, you can find everything you need to know before you dive into the sea of Chinese characters. It not only illustrates the basic information about and logic behind characters, but also the fundamental rules and methods. Good preparation brings you halfway to mastery. Then, this is the course for those who have just gotten started with learning Chinese characters.  

Building-up from zero to hundreds Chinese Characters

• Target audience: Elementary level learners who are interested in learning more Chinese characters.
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Learn here: Character Course B

Review:

Course B is a build-up from zero characters to hundreds. You can learn about 250 Chinese characters in this course. They are categorized by topic, ranging from weather to plants. Each video lesson consists of a breakdown of the characters, their origin, commonly used grammar patterns, and then a stroke-by-stroke writing tutorial of the character.

In addition to the tutorial content, there are also supplementary quizzes and exercises to do. After watching each lesson, you can practice with their writing sheets to strengthen your knowledge.

Apps for learning Chinese characters

Chineasy

• Target audience: Adults, Kids
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Download here: iOS
• Price: Partly free

Review:

Dig Mandarin has introduced Chineasy and its founder Shao Lan years ago. Now not only is there the book, but they also used their advantage to create a Chinese character learning app. With its featured vivid illustrations, it divides thousands of Chinese characters into hundreds of short lessons. You can choose either the simplified or traditional version. After learning the basic characters, there is a follow-up lesson to make these characters into daily words. The quizzes contain tests for pinyin, listening, character shape, and meaning. If you would like to get more functions, you can pay to learn characters by HSK level and practice writing them. For elementary learners, this is a method you should definitely try.

Skritter: Write Chinese

• Target audience: Adults, Kids 6 years old and above
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Download here: Skritter
• Price: Partly free; 1 month $14.99, 6 months $59.99, 1 year $99.99

Review:

Unlike many apps’ fancy interfaces, Skritter is designed to be very direct and simple. For learners who are strongly self-driven, it can be quite efficient. There are vocabulary lists for hundreds of Chinese books, and you can choose any one of them as your target book. For those who already have a particular textbook, this app can be very useful as your character review helper. Its quiz part also contains various elements. Apart from the definition, pronunciation, tone, and example sentences, it also strengthens stroke order. You can learn to write and memorize characters with it.

Zizzle

• Target audience: Adults, Kids
• Learning stage: Beginning, Intermediate
• Download here: Zizzle  
• Price: Partly free; Use the promo code “DIGMANDARIN10” to save 10% on all three-month and annual subscriptions, as well as packs.

Review:

Zizzle has already collected over 850 key Chinese characters from the HSK basic and intermediate levels. Zizzle has created a very different character memorizing method from other apps. Each character has a particularly ridiculous short story to help you learn the pronunciation as well as the meaning. It also uses pictograph characters to make pictures that will help you better memorize the shape of the character. They basically put everything together in a short story. No matter whether you are an adult or a child, you will have fun in the learning process.   

悟空识字

• Target audience: 4-8 year-old kids who are able to listen to Mandarin
• Learning stage: Beginning
• Download here: iOS, Android
• Price: 198 yuan

Review:

Sun Wukong is a very well-known monkey character in Chinese culture. All Chinese kids know him. This app is designed based on Wukong’s little stories. Each lesson is a story-based game that helps teach several characters. There is also a distinguishing part for learning characters, which is quite helpful for memorizing them. This app contains 1200 Chinese characters in all lessons. A lesson per day for 10 minutes sounds reasonable for kids. Plus, cute stories can be very interesting for kids.

Tools for learning Chinese characters

Meaningfully learning Chinese characters

• Target audience: Adults, Kids
• Learning stage: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
• Use it here: Meaningfully learning Chinese characters

Review:

This is a kind of Chinese character dictionary. Besides Pinyin, there are also etymological explanations in Chinese, English, and French. It also shows you the ancient versions of each character. The fun part is that it generates a graph with branches of related characters. You might find several other related characters to learn and distinguish between.

汉典网 (hàn diǎn wǎng)

• Target audience: Adults and kids who are beyond the basic level
• Learning stage: Intermediate, Advanced
• Use it here: 汉典网

Review:

This online dictionary is not only for Chinese learners but also for native Chinese speakers. It lists all pronunciations, simple explanations, detailed explanations, and character origins. The stroke order of each character is also represented. Sometimes it might be too comprehensive and thorough to quickly locate the item you need to know. And it’s mainly explained in Chinese with very simple English definitions. So using this website is already a sign that your level is intermediate or advanced.

Writing sheet generating tool

• Target audience: Adults, Kids
• Learning stage: Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
• Use it here: 字帖生成器

Review:

If you’ve ever learned writing Chinese characters, you are definitely familiar with character writing sheets. It’s either with a 田 square (田字格) or a 米square（米字格）so that you can write each character in the right place properly. With this tool, you can generate your own practice sheets. Input the target character, and it can even show you its stroke order so that you can better practice and imitate.

The post A Collection of Resources for Learning Chinese Characters– Books, Videos, Courses, Apps, Tools appeared first on .

Besides the most common definition (the large flat object that you open and close at the entrance of a building or a room), “门” (door) in Chinese has several other meanings that you should know.

1. Door-like things or objects:

• 冰箱门 (bīng xiāng mén) Fridge door
• 柜门 (guì mén) Cupboard door
• 心门 (xīn mén) This word refers to the ostium. It also refers to the metaphorical door of one’s heart.

e.g.

为了打开她的心门，我每天都陪她散步，送她回家。但为什么她还是不能告诉我她的秘密？(Wèile dǎkāi tā de xīn mén, wǒ měitiān dōu péi tā sànbù, sòng tā huí jiā. Dàn wèishénme tā háishì bùnéng gàosù wǒ tā de mìmì?) In order to open her heart, I walk with her every day and take her home. But why can’t she still tell me her secret?

2. Entrance or doorway:

• 门可罗雀 (mén kě luó què) This idiom indicates a place where it is rare that people or guests come, very desolate.
• 门庭若市 (méntíng ruò shì) This idiom indicates a place that is very lively and bustling. There are many people. It’s often used in family and business situations.  

e.g.

这家饭店20年前门庭若市，很多人排队来这吃饭。但是后来换了一批厨师，生意就慢慢不好了，现在门可罗雀。可惜呀！(Zhè jiā fàndiàn 20 nián qián méntíngruòshì, hěnduō rén páiduì lái zhè chīfàn. Dànshì hòulái huànle yī pī chúshī, shēngyì jiù mànman bù hǎole, xiànzài ménkěluóquè. Kěxī ya!) 20 years ago, this restaurant was very popular, and many people lined up to eat here. But then a group of chefs were replaced, and the business slowly deteriorated, and now there is rare guests. What a pity!

3. Describing a certain family:

• 豪门 (háo mén) refers to a family with power and influence.
• 朱门 (zhū mén) refers to a family with great power and fortune.
• 名门 (míng mén) refers to a famous family. There are usually one or more celebrities who come from this family.  
• 寒门 (hán mén) Contrary to the words above, this word refers to a poor family without fortune or influence.
• 门风 (mén fēng) The ethics and moral standards that a family / clan has kept for generations.
• 门当户对 (mén dāng hù duì) A marriage between families that are of equal social standing.
• 双喜临门 (shuāng xǐ lín mén) It indicates that two joyous events come simultaneously.

e.g.

他家大儿子马上要和一位门当户对的姑娘结婚，小女儿又考上了全国最好的大学，真是双喜临门啊！(Tā jiā dà érzi mǎshàng yào hé yī wèi méndānghùduì de gūniáng jiéhūn, xiǎo nǚ’ér yòu kǎo shàngle quánguó zuì hǎo de dàxué, zhēn shì shuāngxǐlínmén a!) The eldest son of his family is about to marry a well-matched girl, and the youngest daughter has been admitted to the best university in the country. It is double happiness!

4. A certain school of thought or religious sect, sometimes referring to a teacher’s or master’s entrance hall:

• 佛门弟子 (fó mén dì zǐ) Buddhist disciple
• 门生(mén shēng) / 门徒(mén tú)  Disciple, follower of a famous master
• 同门（弟子）(tóng mén dì zǐ) Disciples / pupils of the same master
• 关门弟子 (guān mén dì zǐ) refers to the last student or disciple that the master enrolled.
• 入门 (rù mén) indicates that one knows the basic principles and knowledge when learning an art form or technology.
• 门外汉 (mén wài hàn) layman, outsider

e.g.

我来介绍一下，这位是李先生的得意门生小张，这一位是赵先生的关门弟子小陈。两位的老师原来也是同门师兄弟，你们可以互相认识一下。(Wǒ lái jièshào yīxià, zhè wèi shì Lǐ xiānsheng de déyì ménshēng xiǎo Zhāng, zhè yī wèi shì Zhào xiānsheng de guānmén dìzǐ xiǎo Chén. Liǎng wèi de lǎoshī yuánlái yěshì tóngmén shī xiōngdì, nǐmen kěyǐ hùxiāng rènshi yīxià.) Let me introduce, this is Mr. Li’s favorite student Xiao Zhang, and this one is Mr. Zhao’s close disciple Xiao Chen. The two teachers turned out to be fellow apprentices from the same master, so you can get to know each other.

音乐方面，我只是个门外汉，还没有入门，请各位老师多多指教。(Yīnyuè fāngmiàn, wǒ zhǐshì gè ménwàihàn, hái méiyǒu rùmén, qǐng gèwèi lǎoshī duōduō zhǐjiào.) In terms of music, I’m just a layman, and I haven’t gotten started yet. Please give me more advice, teachers.

5. A measurement word, usually for subjects of study or branches of science, a marriage, or relatives:

• 一门外语 (yì mén wài yǔ) A foreign language
• 一门亲戚 (yì mén qīn qi) A set of relatives
• 一门技术 (yì mén jìshù) A kind of skills
• 一门艺术 (yì mén yìshù) A type of arts

e.g.

你必须要学会一门外语或者一门技术，这样找工作更容易。(Nǐ bìxū yào xuéhuì yī mén wàiyǔ huòzhě yī mén jìshù, zhèyàng zhǎo gōngzuò gèng róngyì.) You have to learn a foreign language or technology to make it easier to find a job.

6. A way to do something:

• 窍门 (qiào mén) Knack or key to a problem
• 门路 (mén lù) The way to do something
• 没门儿 (méi ménr) No way!

e.g.

A: 你能告诉我打开这个盒子的窍门吗？(Nǐ néng gàosù wǒ dǎkāi zhège hézi de qiàomén ma?) Can you tell me the trick to open this box?

B: 没门儿！(méi ménr) No way!

7. The categories or arrangements of things or objects:

• 五花八门 (wǔ huā bā mén) many and manifold; all kinds of things
• 分门别类 (fēn mén bié lèi) be divided into classes and divisions; classify according to subject

e.g.

这个书店的书五花八门的，你们能帮我把这边的书分门别类放在书架上吗？(Zhège shūdiàn de shū wǔhuābāmén de, nǐmen néng bāng wǒ bǎ zhè biān de shū fēnménbiélèi fàng zài shūjià shàng ma?) This bookstore has a variety of books, can you help me sort the books here and put them on the shelves?

8. As a suffix, indicating a negative event that got public attention:

• 水门事件 (Shuǐmén shìjiàn) Watergate scandal
• 艳照门 (Yànzhào mén) Sexy Photo Gate (China’s first big internet celebrity sex scandal)

Bonus word:

• 走后门 (zǒu hòu mén) Originally, this term refers to going through the back door. Now it also often indicates that someone secures advantages through pull or influence.

e.g.

A：他的能力那么差，为什么可以当领导？(Tā de nénglì nàme chà, wèishénme kěyǐ dāng lǐngdǎo?) His ability is so poor, why can he be a leader?

B：走后门呗。(Zǒu hòumén bei.) By the back door.

There is a famous story related to门 (mén) – 程门立雪 (chéng mén lì xuě). It is the story of Yang Shi and You Zuo, two students in the Song Dynasty. Patiently and respectfully, they waited in the snow outside the house of their teacher, Cheng Yi, until the snow piled one-chi deep. This phrase now means to revere a teacher and respect his or her teachings, with 门 (mén) referring to the door of someone’s house.

Do you have any questions about the various uses of门 (mén)? Are there any other Chinese characters you want to see a deep dive for? Let me know in the comments!

The post The Uses of “Door” in Chinese – All about “门” appeared first on .

HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) is a Chinese Language Proficiency Test which is held regularly around the world by Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters). So far, there are six levels, and HSK level 1 is the beginning level, which is also the very first goal for many Chinese learners. HSK 1 requires students to learn 150 new words as well as the whole Pinyin pronunciation system, which will enable you to meet basic communication needs and give you the ability to further your Chinese language studies.  

Why do I need an HSK 1 Book?

Different books target different goals. HSK is not an achievement test based on any one textbook: it’s a proficiency test assessing learners’ language abilities. Using an HSK 1 book can help you meet the test requirements in a very efficient way. The target words and phrases are scientifically organized and are frequently used in daily life. In this article, we will recommend some popular and established HSK 1 books for you to use.

HSK Standard Course 1

HSK Standard Course 1 is designed for total beginners who need to acquire basic Chinese language abilities as well as students who aim to take the level 1 test. It has summed up the test’s focuses, difficulties, language points, topics, functions, and situations. Even though the HSK level 1 test only involves listening and reading sections, the HSK Standard Course 1 book still provides listening, reading, speaking, and writing training. Apart from the textbook, there is also a supporting workbook of exercises which focuses on improving students’ listening, reading, and writing skills, so as to refine their language abilities. The book suggests it can be finished in 34 class hours and allow students pass HSK level 1 test.

There are 15 lessons in this book. The first and second lessons mainly focus on pronunciation, which includes all basic Pinyin concepts. These two lessons also create a very firm foundation for further study. Afterwards, each lesson also provides corresponding drills to expand and strengthen pronunciation skills.  

From lesson 3 to 15, the texts are theme-based with one or two example conversations. The structure of each lesson is generally formed by warm-up, text, notes, practice, pronunciation, characters and use sections. Some of the lessons also include a culture section which helps learners know more about Chinese people and China. HSK Standard Course 1 ensures the words and grammar points used are within the HSK 1 requirements. It emphasizes diversity and richness of content.

The characters used in this book take the student all the way through the learning process from 17 basic strokes to writing order, character structure, and basic radicals. There are 52 single-component characters required at level 1.

All the target grammar points and words are well organized in each lesson. You know exactly what you are learning with strong purpose and motivation.

The layout of each lesson:

Topics and functions in the Course 1 book:

New Practical Chinese Reader 1

As one of the most popular Chinese language textbooks, the New Practical Chinese Reader series has been tested by countless learners. The whole set consists of six volumes. Volumes 1 is at the basic level, which introduces Chinese customs and culture as well as relevant Chinese expressions and ideas within the setting of campus and daily life. It has 12 lessons including 2 preparatory lessons on phonetics. Each lesson needs about 4 or 5 class hours to complete. In addition to systematical phonetic lessons, there are also many drills on Pinyin and tones, as well as some daily expressions.

The main texts are dialogues about necessary topics and typical scenes for learners to use basic structures and functions of Chinese, such as daily greetings, introductions, shopping, and transportation, which strengthen all four language skills. It goes from heavy use of pinyin to gradually more use of Chinese characters. Choosing this Reader 1 as your HSK level 1 book is definitely enough.

To complement this series, we’ve developed a video course tailored to the New Practical Chinese Reader textbooks, enhancing the learning experience.

The layout of each lesson:

Topics and functions in the Volume 1:

Developing Chinese (Elementary)

There are three levels of Developing Chinese: elementary, intermediate and advanced. Each level contains 5 aspects, including comprehension, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The Comprehensive course is the main book.

There are two volumes for the elementary level. Volume one has 30 lessons in total, which is perfect for total beginners. After finishing this book, learners can master the whole Chinese phonetics system and pronunciation skills, as well as the fundamental words and sentence patterns. It also requires the mastery of basic strokes and structures of Chinese characters. With the knowledge from the elementary level, you can meet basic communication needs in daily life and have some cultural knowledge about China, which also satisfies the requirements of HSK level 1.

My Chinese Classroom (Elementary 1)

There are 3 levels of the My Chinese Classroom series, and each level has three volumes. After studying the elementary level books, learners can master over 800 words and 80 grammar points, which means they are able to pass HSK level 3. Each volume has 10 lessons with texts, new words, practice, listening, and characters sections. It suggests 42 class hours per volume. Besides English, there is also a Japanese translation provided in it.

The grammar part is quite different from other textbooks. There is no independent explanation of each grammar point, but rather a bulleted list about the grammar points at the very beginning of each lesson. With a teacher’s help, this book can become much easier for learners. Also, there are corresponding grammar drills in the exercises part.

The layout of Elementary 1:

Other materials

Besides the standard textbooks, there are also some supplementary materials to help you master the knowledge and pass the HSK 1 test smoothly, and more importantly, further your Chinese language learning with a firm foundation.

Words and phrases are the bricks for the construction of a language. Each HSK level requires a certain number of key words that need to be mastered. There are 150 words in the HSK level 1 vocabulary list. To become more familiar with these words, you can use this vocabulary list. You can download it here.

To pass the test, you might also need to know the test structure well so that you can beat it easily. There are mainly two parts in the HSK level 1 test: listening and reading. Therefore, it doesn’t need to test your speaking and writing. The whole test will last for 40 minutes total. Each part counts for 100 points. You just need to get over 120 points to pass the test. There is also pinyin provided in the test to assist your understanding.

Before taking the HSK 1 test, it’s better to do some mock tests to get more familiar with it and to get to know your current level so that it’s easier to make up for your shortcomings. There are both paper-based and online mock tests. You can choose any one you want.

• Paper-based mock test: New HSK Mock Test Level 1 (Book + CD)
• Online mock tests: Online HSK Sample Tests

The post HSK 1: The Best Books to Begin Your Journey appeared first on .

More and more learners realize that they need more reading practice. They search for newspapers, magazines, and the news to get more reading materials. Except for some advanced learners, very few people can learn productively this way. There are many obstacles, such as too many new words and grammar concepts above their current level. This quickly leads to frustration.

So, their problem is lacking suitable Chinese reading materials, especially content that covers various topics. That’s why we recommend Chinese graded readers (中文分级阅读). They can help build Chinese language skills while providing personalized content. These more suitable reading materials can promote self-teaching to improve language abilities.

Chinese teachers and students alike can all use graded reading materials as a scaffold to help with their Chinese learning. Learners should spend 10-40 minutes per day reading the corresponding level reading materials. It can be skimming or intensive reading, which is an excellent way for learners to cultivate good habits while expanding their target language knowledge.

General Chinese Graded Readers

The concept of graded readers is not only for kids, but for learners of all ages and levels. However, unlike reading materials for kids, adults need more valuable and helpful content to keep them involved and make it feel worth spending the time. Well, these textbooks are well organized and categorized. Whether you’re learning business Chinese, travel Chinese, test-oriented Chinese, or general daily conversation, you can always find the related reading materials classified by language levels.

Books：

• Developing Chinese: Reading Course

The Developing Chinese series is a complete set of Chinese language books. The reading course is divided into two levels (intermediate and advanced). Its writing respects the reading habits of learners in their actual reading. It balances the difficulty very well. This textbook fully considers the learner’s language ability and reading level and reduces reading difficulty by controlling the word level, sentence length, and content complexity. After studying this course, learners will improve their reading ability quickly, and it will enable them to experience and understand contemporary China. This reading course is the perfect match to the Developing Chinese textbook series.

• LEDU

Ledu（乐读）is a set of very new reading textbooks. They’re designed to cultivate the reading ability of Chinese learners. The lessons follow a specific sequence (strokes – characters – words – sentences – paragraphs) to comprehensively improve reading skills. There are six volumes in total. Whether you are a beginner or advanced learner, there is a volume for you. This textbook series emphasizes diversification in the choice of subject matter. In the “Live Reading” section, students are also provided with signs, posters, enlightenments, online posts, and other text materials that can be seen everywhere in their daily lives.

Digital materials：

Textbook dialogues and texts are excellent for acquiring basic language knowledge. But alongside that learning, you might feel unsatisfied because some materials in your textbooks are too basic and sometimes outdated. Especially when you get beyond the beginner level and need to communicate with others in daily life or in a work setting, the vocabulary and topics covered in textbooks are pretty limited. Here are some recommendations for supplemental Chinese graded reading materials.

• Mandarin Bean

With Mandarin Bean, you can easily find your ideal reading content by searching by HSK levels or various tags. The level of each piece is determined by if a learner at that level can understand 70% or more of the text. You can acquire new words and expressions while reading the topics that interest you—news, business, lifestyle, travel, culture, etc. Mandarin Bean rewrites many trending stories with words to match your level so that you can practice reading while learning something new. It’s perfect for independent reading since they provide the Pinyin, translation, and even new vocabulary practice exercises. Since it’s not entirely written based on the HSK vocabulary list, you can also learn the latest buzzwords and concepts, which are excellent for daily communication with Chinese people.

• Du Chinese

If you are looking for a reading app, Du Chinese is quite an excellent choice. There are six levels from Newbie to Master. Each increasing level makes the sentences and vocabulary more and more challenging. There are also many conversations to read as well. If you are stuck on a new word, a simple tap gives you the word’s meaning and pronunciation, and you can save it as a flashcard for later.

Chinese Graded Reading for kids

There are many similar concepts seen in all the Chinese graded readers for kids. As the level increases, the reading materials gradually become more and more challenging, and the sentence structures will be more complex. Many high-frequency words are used in the books to help kids memorize them. Also, there are many repeated sentences and phrases at the beginning that correspond with kids’ learning patterns.

Online Graded Readers:

• Little Fox Chinese

Little Fox Chinese is quite popular among Chinese teachers and kids. This site releases a number of Chinese stories, songs, and games for kids. There are five content levels, from basic vocabulary and sentence forming practice to simple sentences about thoughts and feelings. All the topics are pretty common, which makes them suitable for lessons and after-class independent reading. The stories are presented in videos, which draw kids’ attention. The transcription, pinyin, and translation are also provided in text format. This after-class reading comprehension and vocabulary practice can be checked by taking quizzes and playing games.

• eChineseWorld

There is a specific category for reading at eChineseWorld. It’s designed for K-12 Chinese learners according to ACTFL’s proficiency guidance, AP, and IB themes. It also satisfies the Common Core State Standards. There are three levels: novice, intermediate, and advanced. Each levels has three grades. Its reading collection includes elementary level eBooks, eFunland, Animated/Comic Reading, Secondary Social Studies Reading, and Secondary Leveled Readings. Chinese culture is integrated into the entire collection. Students can do independent reading and listen to it. But the post-lesson exercises and activities need to be assigned by the teacher.

Printed Graded Readers

• Rainbow Dragon 七色龙

The whole Rainbow Dragon series is about theme-based Chinese learning, including 15 common themes, such as family, body, food, time, etc. The stories are diverse and interesting, with lovely illustrations. For better learning, the content is scientifically graded by three levels of difficulty, targeting Chinese learners at overseas mainstream primary and junior high schools and international K-6 schools. After studying this series, kids will master around 2000 common Chinese words and be ready for daily communication. Besides the books, there are also mobile gaming apps and evaluation tools as a supplementary resource.

• Smart Cat 轻松猫

Smart Cat has two series: one for youth (10-18 years old) and one for kids (under ten years old). There are three grades at the youth stage and four grades at the kid stage. Reading is the critical skill it focuses on while listening, speaking, writing, and presenting are expanded skills. The books cover most HSK & YCT level 1-4 vocabulary, grammar, and topics. Books are constructed based on two related 10~12 sentence stories. It builds Chinese language and culture skills in a spiral-up approach. There are also supplementary audio resources and flashcards on its website. 

Graded Reader Apps:

• WaWaYaYa Joy Reader

Apple App Store and Google Play Store

There are 12 levels in the WaWaYaYa Joy Reader app, which cater to K-6 Chinese learners. This app is more like a digital library where you can find many familiar book series, such as Cool Panda, Rainbow Dragon, and I Read & I Learn. The full display of the books and friendly interface is quite neat and organized. The narration function is also authentic and pleasing. The variety of topics also adapts to the features of each age. They won’t be bored easily. And the price is also very reasonable for such a significant number of books. 

With so many websites, apps, and books to choose from, there’s no shortage of excellent graded readers to take your Chinese to the next level. These resources can be beneficial for learners of all levels and ages. Consistent reading practice not only helps with passive understanding of Chinese, it also strengthens your vocabulary and understanding of grammar concepts.

If you’re looking to try out graded readers for the first time, pick one or two resources to check out, and see which best suits your needs. You may quickly discover your new favorite Chinese learning resources and revolutionize your study routine!

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