INTRODUCTION
About Chinese (Mandarin) Language course
Chinese HSK1 (Basic 1)
Chinese HSK2 (Basic 2)
Chinese HSK3 (Intermediate 1)
Chinese HSK4 (Intermediate 2)
Chinese HSK5 (Advanced 1)
Chinese HSK1 (Basic 1)
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Make an apology in different situations (being late, forgetting things, unable to finish a task.)
- Express gratitude formally and informally in different situations
- Pay a compliment, ask for compensation.
- Arrange an appointment formally and informally.
- Intro to Pinyin-Chinese phonetics system
- Greetings in normal and polite ways
- Introduce self, introduce others
- Talking about oneself
- Likes & dislikes
- Taking a taxi
- Asking about directions
- Expressing time, days, and counting numbers from 0-100
- Shopping, asking about prices, sizes, and colors
- Buying tickets for travel; start with “qing wen 请问”
- Talking about jobs, company, and business etiquette.
- Asking for help
- Complement of degree construction: Sentence structure V+de+hen+adj (做得很好,说得很不错)
- 好吗 and 好不好 / 行吗 and 行不行
- Sentence structure with 怎么
- Review & practice previous level grammar (e.g. through mixed tense work – present/past/future)
- Difference between 或者 and 还是
- Difference between two negative words: 不 and 没有
- Basic sentences with to be “shi是”, to have “you有” and to do “zuo做”
- Sentences with stative verb (hen, 我很好)
- Past and the situation has changed with a functional marker “le”
- Pronouns – subject “wo我”, plural form 我们,你们, 他们
- possessive word “de的”
- Auxiliary words e.g. “xiang 想”
- Word order in sentences (Chinese sentence orders, difference between English and Chinese)
- Sentence forms – statement, question, and negative
- Measure words (e.g. a cup of tea = “yi bei cha” 一杯茶 )
- Particles with “ba 吧” “ma吗”
- Various forms of Chinese
- Lucky/unlucky numbers
- Handshaking
- Business card
- Pronunciation – key sounds practice
- Lots of speaking and listening practice
- Memorize longer frequently used daily life Chinese sentences.
- China tea
- Politeness in Chinese language (different modal words)
- Extensive practice of Pinyin and tones
- reading phonetics/ Pinyin skills
- Focus on Pinyin, characters are optional
- Listening practice (short simple sentences)
- Recognizing reading a few simple characters
- Memorize some frequently used short sentences.
Chinese HSK2 (Basic 2)
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Review & practice previous level vocabulary (e.g. through dialogue creation)
- Ask someone for help (talk to customer service)
- Learn how to book a room in a hotel and another related hotel language
- Learn to describe physical uncomfortableness and illness; how to talk to a doctor
- Conversation in a post office
- Pay compliments, praise somebody else
- Talking about the day, date, month, and year.
- Ordering drinks in a pub or restaurant
- Asking where somebody is from (country and city)
- Describing one’s things (a bag, a mobile phone, etc)
- Asking for information about public transport (bus, tube, train..)
- Ordering food in a restaurant (from entering a restaurant to paying the bill)
- Arranging an appointment with somebody (time and location)
- Making inquiries when shopping (size, the color of clothes, looking for fitting room )
- Communicating with Chinese people at the dinner table (propose a toast, give compliments, etc)
- Emphasize Chinese sentence order (put time and location words in front of the verb—Time+Location+Action)
- Emphasize measure words (一杯,一个, difference between 一星期 and 一个星期)
- Past and future with time words “zuo tian昨天” & “ming tian明天”
- Question words: ma, shenme, nar, shenme defang, shenme shihou, zenme, ji, duoshao.
- Chinese sentences with two words (Subject + verb1+verb2)
- Emphasize possessive word ‘de’
- Learn a large variety of sentence patterns according to the textbook.
- Focus on sentence patterns instead of grammar (the importance of memorizing sentence patterns in learning Chinese)
- Compliments in Chinese culture
- The medical system in China
- Table manners
- Customs of celebration, e.g. special food for Chinese New Year
- Famous Chinese Kong Fu movies
- Chinese calendar
- Chinese dishes and staple food/ 讲一讲菜和饭的区别
- Various celebrations, e.g. Chinese New Year
- Major dialects in Chinese language
- Modesty, e.g. “na li哪里, na li哪里”
- Longer oral presentation
- Recognizing characters and writing common characters practice
- Self-learning skills (using the dictionary and online websites)
- Lots of Pinyin and tones practice (reading and listening)
- Recognizing simple characters (10-20 characters)
- Improve intonation via practicing drills and sentence patterns
- Self-learning skills (using a dictionary and online websites)
- practice and memorize frequently used short daily life sentences and frequently used sentence patterns.
Chinese HSK3 (Intermediate 1)
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Talking about one’s capability, writing simple sentences in CV
- Refuse an invitation and express regrets
- Agree or disagree, give others permission
- Make a telephone call and leave a message for somebody
- Request a refund or an exchange in a shop
- Make an excuse to leave earlier in different situations
- Bargains in shopping
- Ask for services in a bank (exchange money, transfer money..)
- Saying goodbye in different situations.
- Talking about one’s life in a new place.
- Invite somebody to do something and arrange an appointment
- Describe somebody, something, or an event
- Stop somebody doing something and permit somebody to do something
- Remind people to do something
- Request someone to hurry up politely
- Express satisfaction and make a complaint about bad service.
- Give your opinion or suggestion to someone
- Ask directions and give directions
- Give reasons or explain people’s questions.
- Chinese characters
- Chinese geography and minorities, Minority issues can be different from western countries’ concepts
- Invitation (polite form of words)
- Buying medicines in China
- Lucky numbers in China
- Directions concept in China (dong nan xi bei)Review & practice previous level grammar (e.g. sentence order and tenses)
- Difference between能 and会
- Words about permission and refusal, agree and disagree可以,不可以,能,不能
- Present continuous e.g. “zheng zai正在”
- Adverbs “cai才” and “jiu就”
- Conditional clause “yao shi要是…jiu就…”
- Understanding potential verb phrases with “de得/bu不”
- The attributive clause with “de的”
- Chinese characters
- Bargaining in China
- Money system
- Chinese idioms and proverbs
- Telephone call etiquette
- Pronunciation practice
- Enlarge vocabulary quickly (more supplementary materials)
- Improve skills in speaking longer Chinese sentences
- Translating from Chinese to English, and vice versa
- Speaking out one’s thoughts and giving opinions
- Improve presentation skills in Chinese in different business contexts
- Pronunciation and intonation practice
- Reading short essay practice
- Writing common characters practice
- Translating from Chinese to English, and vice versa
- Improve fluency by practicing situational dialogues
- Improve presentation skills
Chinese HSK4 (Intermediate 2)
Topics & Vocabulary:
- Express certainty and uncertainty about an issue
- Choose a mobile phone and a service package
- Express feeling odd or surprised about something you heard
- Express worries and learn to comfort others
- Make an apology or forgive someone
- Make a compliment and respond to other’s compliments with modesty
- Express one’s doubt
- Agree, disagree or oppose others/ learn to debate a certain topic
- Ask for service and get certain or uncertain answers.
- Leave a message for somebody, or do someone a favor
- Make an estimation; predict or guess the result of something
- Correct someone’s mistake in speech
- Change a plan or an appointment
- Express regrets
- Make a comparison
- Formal introduction in business context including social etiquette
- Pass on a business memo to staff members
- Office administration staff, buying stationery or sending outposts
- Confirm a business invitation
- Express good wishes in the different business context
- Ask colleagues to do a favor for you
- Make a business decision and make a compromise in business negotiation
- Add a wide range of topics for discussion and debate in class, including Entertainment, mass media, work, business, education, school life and routine, the environment, tourism & travel, news, social & political issues, books, generation changes, cities, people, relationships, the arts, technology, health & fitness, social life, nightlife, national traditions/customs & culture, consumerism, globalization.
- Three ‘de’s in Chinese, 的 得 地
- Learn comparative forms: 更, 越来越
- Comparison: A +bi 比+B+adj+number For example: 我比他大两岁。
- How to indicate an action in progress: 在,正在,着
- Re-cap sentences with ‘把’。 把….给…
- Re-cap different tenses in Chinese grammar
- Comparison: A is as good as B / A 和 B 一样, A 和 B不一样
- Comparison: A is not as good as B/ A没有B…
- Verbs + adverb to indicate completion or extent of an action
- Ask somebody to do something/ 让…回答这个问题
- How to indicate an action is about to happen: 就要
- Linking words: 要是…..就
- Verb+不+了 去不了、吃不了
- Re-cap linking words: not… but/ not only…but also/ although
- New linking words: “一….就”, “不管…..都”
- Using an adjective before a verb in Chinese: 多吃、快走、少买
- Understand the sentence pattern “快 …了”
- Understand the usage of the sentence pattern “越…越”/ 越吃越瘦,越说越不明白
- Focus: sentences with “被” and “让”
- Sentence pattern “ adj+了(一)点儿”/ 价格高了一点儿
- Chinese characters
- Chinese banking services
- Traveling in China
- Chinese holidays
- The Chinese property market and Chinese people’s concept of “home”
- China’s business development
- Looking for a job in China
- Chinese pottery and china
- Colour symbolism in Chinese culture
- Four traditional Chinese festivals
- The roles of a business card and social etiquette in using a business card in China
- Chinese social benefits and medical care system
- Formal proverbs and phrases wishing one’s business success and to prosper
- Addressing people properly in an office
- Chinese people’s work ethics and working overtime during holidays
- The importance of Guanxi while doing business in China.
- Improve intonation and speaking fluency
- Enlarge vocabulary quickly (more supplementary materials)
- Listen to Chinese audio, video materials
- Improve communication skills
- Improve presentation skills in Chinese in different business contexts.
- Improve intonation by repeating some frequently used sentences
- Improve public speaking skills without reading notes
- Enlarge vocabulary quickly (more supplementary materials)
- Listening to fast speed Chinese audio, video materials
- Practice debate skills in the classroom
- Improve presentation skills in Chinese in different business contexts
- Speaking Chinese in a business context (differentiate formal conversation and casual conversation)
- Listening to fast speed Chinese audio, video materials (TV shows or films)
- Enlarge vocabulary at a faster pace (with a focus on business Chinese)
- Write short business report from research
- Deliver business presentations in Chinese
- Expressing one’s own opinion on current issues
Chinese HSK5 (Advanced 1)
Topics and Vocabulary
- Make a reservation for business purposes, such as booking a meeting room or making a reservation with a bank
- Phrases and expressions related to dealing with financial matters in a company, for example claiming expenses.
- Apply for a job and job interviews
- Evaluating your colleagues’ work performance
- Answer clients’ requests and make an apology on behalf of your company
- Official/ formal reception and farewell
- Express regrets
- A wide range of topics for discussion and debate in class, including Entertainment, mass media, work, business, education, school life and routine, the environment, tourism & travel, news, social & political issues, books, generation changes, cities, people, relationships, the arts, technology, health & fitness, social life, nightlife, national traditions/customs & culture, consumerism, globalization.
- Attend a management meeting and discuss some business strategies
- Attend a media strategy meeting and prepare for a company event.
- Talk about one’s work progress
- Chair a media conference and speak to media people
- Provide consulting services to a company
- Official/ formal reception and farewell
- To reach a general conclusion for a discussion
- A wide range of topics for discussion and debate in class, including Entertainment, mass media, work, business, education, etc
- Insert ‘ge’ and other modifying words into some two-character words. For example: 睡个好觉,跳个舞,吃个饭
- More on sentences with ‘把’. 把书拿过来,把包带过来,把信寄过来
- Question pattern “难道…吗?” indicates incredulity. Example: 你难道不知道吗?
- Difference between ‘再’ and ‘又’
- Re-cap paired linking words: 不但….而且/ 因为…所以/虽然…但是
- Comparison patterns: A 比…A 比B 更…A 没有 B….A不如B
- Sentence pattern “就这么定了” “就这么着了” to indicate a decision.
- “只有…才” to link a conditional complex sentence
- ‘之所以…是因为…’ using this pair of linking words to put result before reason.
- ‘是….的’ to emphasize a fact. For example 任务是艰巨的
- Formal and polite forms to address an organization
- Relative clauses (not only…but…)
- More negative forms e.g. “fou否”
- Conjunctions
- Punctuation
- Addressing a person by their position, age, profession instead of their names
- Look for a job in China. (Employment situations changed dramatically in China during the past 2 decades.)
- Chinese ways of showing modesty
- Characters for Chinese numbers
- Main business fairs in China
- Chinese idioms and proverbs
- Chinese websites and the media industry
- Chinese abbreviation
- Food safety in China
- Names of government organizations and state-owned enterprises
- Chinese provinces
- Speaking Chinese in a given business situation.
- Listening to fast speed Chinese audio, video materials
- Read Chinese meeting schedules, products manual, etc.
- Learn to write short stories or reports in Chinese characters.
- Improve research abilities by using Chinese keywords
- Deliver short business presentations in Chinese
- Discussion in groups about current issues from newspapers or magazines.
- Extensive speaking/active practice inc. situational exercises & interaction
- Extensive listening practice, normal speed Chinese conversation
- Re-drafting Extensive reading practice
- Lots of writing practice e.g. CV and covering letter
- Written notes/letters