How to Make Chinese Learning Enjoyable

How to Make Chinese Learning Enjoyable

07/06/2022

Multilingualism

Many people choose to study Chinese not just because they are interested in acquiring a good knowledge of China and Chinese culture, they also consider China an ideal destination for career development. Despite the fact that Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world, it is still an extremely popular foreign language for people to learn in many Asian and North American countries. Some Chinese learners feel puzzled as the whole learning process is rather monotonous due to the complexity of Chinese grammar and vocabulary. Here are five tips that can help make Chinese learning more enjoyable.

Treat challenges as joy

Many people think studying Chinese can be a challenge in that the Chinese language is very different from any of the European languages in terms of several aspects such as grammar and characters. Take the latter as an example, the process of learning Chinese characters is usually considered long and tedious. It's true that learning characters can be a big challenge for many Chinese learners as a lot of Chinese characters look pretty complex. However, you would find learning characters quite interesting if you manage to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of Chinese characters.

You will be surprised by the fact that sometimes how a Chinese character is written is more or less related to its meaning. For example, the character “山 shān” (meaning “mountain”) bears a close resemblance to real mountains. Therefore, a "hidden logic" can be observed behind some characters, which can help you better understand their origin and meanings. Learning Chinese characters could become enjoyable with the help of exploring the history of Chinese characters.

Get acquainted with Chinese people's daily lives

Many Chinese learners like to visit China in order to have an insight into Chinese people's daily lives . Chinese people's lifestyle and their attitudes towards life are quite different from what can be observed in most Western countries.

Having a clear idea of what Chinese people's daily lives are like can more or less help you better understand Chinese people's mindsets. For instance, the "bargaining" culture in China explicitly reflects a traditional Chinese concept, according to which "leading a frugal life" is considered a virtue. Consequently, you will be able to apply what you've learned in class to real-life situations if you visit a Chinese market, which can be a good way to stimulate your interest in studying Chinese.

Participate in Chinese cultural events

Cultural exploration is an inalienable part of language learning. Taking part in different Chinese cultural activities allows Chinese learners to improve their knowledge of Chinese culture in a conducive learning environment. Most Chinese language schools organize Chinese cultural events such as calligraphy and paper-cutting on a monthly basis, which provides Chinese learners with an opportunity to know more about the quintessence of traditional Chinese culture.

Furthermore, you will be able to make some new friends who are also passionate about the Chinese language and culture. It is a good idea to share your learning experience with other Chinese learners in that they might give you some advice on how to improve your Chinese language skills.

Watch Chinese TV programs

Some advanced learners think it is a bit hard to make progress after they have reached a relatively high level. At the same time, it is also very boring to learn advanced words purely by relying on traditional textbooks.

Watching Chinese TV programs could be an ideal way for advanced learners to become more engaged in Chinese learning. You might not be able to understand every single detail when you watch Chinese TV dramas. However, you will still have a general idea of the whole story based on the context.

Many Chinese TV dramas are created based on some of the social phenomena that can be observed in Chinese people's lives. Therefore, you will be able to find out what social problems Chinese people are faced with and how they tend to deal with them. Meanwhile, an effective way to improve your listening and speaking is by discussing these social problems with your Chinese friends and see how they would react to them.

Find yourself a language learning partner

Chinese people have realized the importance of mastering a foreign language and have a clear idea of what they can benefit from it. Moreover, nowadays Chinese people have become more open-minded and are willing to introduce Chinese culture to people from different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it is sensible to find yourself a language learning partner who can help improve your Chinese.

Unlike studying Chinese at a language school or with a private tutor, learning Chinese with a language exchange partner helps create a more relaxed learning atmosphere and hence provides you with a more enjoyable learning experience. In addition, you will have the opportunity to learn some interesting slang words that are not taught in class. 

Conclusion

Chinese learning could be challenging at some point and you might be faced with some difficulties that you are not sure how to overcome during the learning process. However, eventually, you will be able to make progress as long as you instill confidence in yourself and make efforts to improve your Chinese language skills. Hopefully, the tips offered above will come in handy and help you succeed in your Chinese learning.

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