02/01/2026
🎀Welcome to ✴ 👑
💛 💙 💜
✋ₐ ⱼₒᵤᵣₙₑy ₒf ₐ ₜₕₒᵤₛₐₙd ₘᵢₗₑₛ bₑgᵢₙₛ wᵢₜₕ ₛᵢₙgₗₑ ₛₜₑₚ👣
Lecture Note: On our planet one out of five people is Chinese.
Chinese has a long history, and China has made great changes in recent years.
If you would like to communicate with 1.4 billion people, if you're about the culture, please join us in Chinese for HSK.
HSK is the most important Chinese proficiency test in use today. At the end of six weeks, you'll be able to understand and use Chinese phrases, meet basic needs for communication and possess the ability to further your Chinese language .
Whether you will take the exam or not, please follow us to a new language and a new world.
Have a of Chinese .
:
The topic we’re is about learning Chinese through the (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) test, which is a test for Chinese language .
In simple terms, the HSK test is like a stone for anyone who wants to learn Chinese.
Imagine you want to a country; you would need a to you.
The HSK helps you learn the basics of the Chinese language, so you can with over 1.4 billion people!
After six weeks of study, you’ll be able to understand and simple phrases, which is like having a basic for your language journey.
This journey is not just about passing a test; it’s about discovering a culture and connecting with people.
So, are there any other concepts within this content that you would like me to explain?
And if you want to continue exploring this topic, try one of these follow-up :
What is the HSK test and its purpose?
The HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) test is a standardized Chinese language proficiency test designed for non-native speakers.
Here’s a brief overview of its purpose:
Assessment of Proficiency: The HSK test your ability to use Chinese in daily, academic, and professional .
It measures skills in listening, reading, and writing.
Levels of Mastery:
The test has six levels, from HSK Level 1 (beginner) to HSK Level 6 (advanced).
Each level corresponds to a different degree of language proficiency.
Facilitating Learning: It helps learners set goals and track their progress in learning Chinese.
Passing the test can also job opportunities and academic prospects in Chinese-speaking environments.
Cultural Understanding:
Beyond language skills, the HSK test encourages learners to engage with Chinese culture, making it easier to communicate and connect with Chinese speakers.
If you have more questions about the HSK test or related topics, feel free to ask!
The HSK test holds importance in language learning for several reasons:
Learning Path:
It provides a clear for learners, outlining what they need to know at each level. This helps in setting goals and milestones.
:
The HSK is widely recognized by educational institutions and employers in China and around the world.
A good score can your resume and open doors to academic and job .
Motivation: Preparing for the HSK test can motivate learners to study consistently and improve their language skills, as they work towards a tangible goal.
Cultural Engagement:
The test encourages learners to explore Chinese culture, which is essential for effective communication and understanding in real-life situations.
Assessment of Progress:
It allows learners to assess their proficiency and identify areas for improvement, helping them to focus their studies effectively.
If you have any more questions or need further clarification, just let me know!
What is the structure of the HSK test?
The HSK test is structured into six levels, each with a .
Here’s a brief overview of the structure for each level:
HSK Level 1:
Listening: 20 questions
Reading: 20 questions
Total Duration: 40 minutes
HSK Level 2:
Listening: 30 questions
Reading: 30 questions
Total Duration: 55 minutes
HSK Level 3:
Listening: 30 questions
Reading: 30 questions
Writing: 10 questions
Total Duration: 90 minutes
HSK Level 4:
Listening: 30 questions
Reading: 40 questions
Writing: 10 questions
Total Duration: 105 minutes
HSK Level 5:
Listening: 40 questions
Reading: 50 questions
Writing: 10 questions
Total Duration: 120 minutes
HSK Level 6:
Listening: 40 questions
Reading: 50 questions
Writing: 10 questions
Total Duration: 135 minutes
Key :
Listening: Tests your ability to understand spoken Chinese.
Reading: your of written Chinese.
Writing: Evaluates your ability to write in Chinese (starting from Level 3).
Each level increases in difficulty, requiring a broader vocabulary and more complex grammar.
If you have more questions about any specific level or component, free to ask!
Multi-faceted
The significance of the HSK test in learning Chinese includes:
Goal Setting:
It learners with clear objectives at each level, helping them to focus their studies and track progress.
Standardized Assessment:
The HSK serves as a recognized benchmark for measuring Chinese language proficiency, which can be important for academic and professional opportunities.
Motivation:
Preparing for the HSK can motivate learners to engage more deeply with the language, as they work towards passing the test.
Cultural Understanding:
The test encourages learners to explore Chinese culture, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively in real-life situations.
Career Opportunities:
A good score on the HSK can improve job prospects in Chinese-speaking environments, making it a valuable asset for career advancement.
If you have more questions or need further details, just let me know!
Preparing for HSK Level 1 effectively involves a combination of study strategies and practice. Here are some tips:
Familiarize with Vocabulary: Focus on learning the 150 commonly used words required for Level 1.
Use flashcards or apps to help memorize them.
Practice Listening:
Listen to simple Chinese dialogues or audio resources that include basic phrases.
This will help improve your listening skills.
Engage with Course Materials:
Utilize the video lectures and readings provided in your course to reinforce your understanding of vocabulary and grammar.
Use Language Apps:
Consider using language learning apps that focus on Chinese to practice vocabulary and sentence structures.
Take Practice Tests:
Find sample HSK Level 1 tests online to familiarize yourself with the test format and types of questions.
Join Study Groups:
Collaborate with fellow learners to practice speaking and reinforce your learning through conversation.
Daily Practice:
Dedicate a little time each day to practice reading, writing, listening, and speaking in Chinese.
By following these , you can build a solid foundation for HSK Level 1.
If you have any specific areas you want to focus on or need more resources, let me know!
If I were to teach HSK Level 1, I would use the following methods to ensure effective learning:
Interactive Lessons:
Incorporate engaging activities such as role-plays and dialogues to practice speaking and listening skills in real-life scenarios.
Visual Aids:
Use flashcards, images, and videos to help learners associate words with meanings and improve retention.
Repetition and Review:
Regularly vocabulary and grammar points to reinforce learning and build confidence.
Listening Exercises:
Include audio resources with simple conversations to enhance listening comprehension and pronunciation.
Writing Practice:
Encourage learners to write simple sentences using new vocabulary, helping them to internalize grammar structures.
Games and Quizzes:
Use fun games and quizzes to make learning enjoyable and to assess understanding in a low-pressure environment.
Cultural Context:
Introduce elements of Chinese culture to make the language more relatable and interesting, enhancing motivation.
These methods would create a supportive and engaging learning environment for HSK Level 1 students.
If you have any specific teaching strategies or resources in mind, feel free to share!
Coach
A lesson plan for HSK Level 1 would include the following components:
Lesson Title:
Introduction to Basic Greetings and Numbers
Objectives:
Learn basic greetings in Chinese.
Understand and use numbers 1-10.
Practice pronunciation and simple dialogues.
Materials:
Flashcards with greetings and numbers.
Audio recordings of greetings and numbers.
Whiteboard and markers.
Worksheets for practice.
Lesson Outline:
Warm-Up (10 minutes):
Brief introduction to the lesson topic.
Engage students with a simple greeting in Chinese.
Vocabulary Introduction (15 minutes):
Introduce basic greetings (e.g., 你好 - nǐ hǎo, 再见 - zàijiàn).
Introduce numbers 1-10 (e.g., 一 - yī, 二 - èr, 三 - sān).
Listening Practice (10 minutes):
Play audio recordings of greetings and numbers.
Have students repeat after the audio to practice pronunciation.
Interactive Activity (15 minutes):
Pair students for role-play using greetings in a simple dialogue.
Encourage them to use numbers in context
(e.g., asking for age).
Writing Practice (10 minutes):
Provide worksheets for students to write out greetings and numbers.
Include exercises for matching words with their meanings.
Review and Assessment (10 minutes):
Quick quiz on greetings and numbers.
Review answers as a class and provide feedback.
Closure (5 minutes):
Summarize key points of the lesson.
Assign practice exercises for homework
(e.g., practice writing and speaking).
This lesson plan focuses on interactive and engaging methods to help students grasp the basics of Chinese language and culture.
If you have any specific elements you would like to add or modify, let me know!
Practicing basic greetings in daily conversations can be done in several effective ways:
Start Conversations:
Use greetings when meeting friends, family, or colleagues. For example, say "你好" (nǐ hǎo) when you see someone.
Role-Playing:
Pair up with a language partner or friend and practice greeting each other in different scenarios, such as at a café or during a phone call.
Use Language Apps:
Engage in conversation practice through language learning apps that connect you with native speakers or other learners.
Label Objects:
Label items around your home with their Chinese names and practice greeting them as if they were people (e.g., "你好, 书" - "Hello, book").
Join Language Groups:
Participate in language exchange meetups or online forums where you can practice greetings and other phrases with others.
Daily Affirmations:
Incorporate greetings into your daily routine, such as greeting yourself in the mirror or saying "再见" (zàijiàn) when leaving a place.
Social Media:
Use social media platforms to connect with Chinese speakers. Start your posts or comments with greetings in Chinese.
By integrating these practices into your daily life, you can become more comfortable using basic greetings in various contexts.
If you have any specific situations in mind where you'd like to practice, let me know!
By adapting your greetings to fit the context, you can communicate more effectively and show cultural awareness.
If you have specific contexts in mind where you'd like to apply these greetings, feel free to share!
Message from the team
Dear students,
你们好！Nǐmen hǎo!
Welcome to Chinese for HSK Level 1!
We are very pleased to have you here with us to start your Chinese learning journey!
In the first week, you will learn how to greet other people and ask them about their names, nationalities, ages and phone numbers in Chinese.
If you have never learnt pinyin, please spend some time on it;
if you do, you can just skip the related contents.
Now you have classmates from all over the world.
Please do share with them your background and goals/ expectations in the Discussion Forum.
If you have any questions while learning, please feel free to ask us in the Discussion Forum.
We will always support you and try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Please remember that asking and answering questions among classmates is a good way to communicate and improve what you are learning.
We will be very happy to see your frequently in the Discussion Forum.
:
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A journey of a thousand miles begins with single step.
Laozi (also Lao-Tzu or Lao-Tze, an ancient Chinese philosopher)
Best wishes,
YU Bin & the Chinese for HSK Level 1 Team
♛🎀♛𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆💗🎀💙
✌Hồng Gấm Lê Lifetime Chinese Dicovery 👍
❤⛵𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐮𝐛💲💢
💎Peking University https://english.pku.edu.cn/💎
𝗡𝗼. 𝟱 𝗬𝗶𝗵𝗲𝘆𝘂𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗱, 𝗛𝗮𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗷𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭𝟬𝟬𝟴𝟳𝟭, 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮
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P/s:
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Chinese Language History - Extracted from renaissance-translations
With 1.4 billion speakers, the Chinese language is the most spoken language globally.
It’s also one of the oldest languages, with written Chinese dating back 6,000 years.
Several regional dialects of spoken Chinese have also emerged, but people predominantly speak Mandarin in China. Mandarin Chinese is also one of the six official languages of the UN, and the Chinese language has official status in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. Native Chinese speakers continue spreading the Chinese language worldwide through travel, international education, technology, and migration.
Today, there are large numbers of Chinese speakers in Southeast Asia and the US. Because of the popularity of Mandarin in China and globally, it is also becoming a common second-learned language.
In fact, more than 100 million students are learning the Chinese language worldwide.
With around 6,000 years of history, it is easy to see people’s fascination with the Chinese language.
From the first evidence of the pictorial Chinese written language to the prominence of Chinese Mandarin as a global language, it has a rich history.
The Chinese written language in particular has deep ties with Chinese culture. Its intricate symbols are timeless and are still seen when writing Mandarin in China today.
According to predictions, Chinese Mandarin will maintain its prominent position in the future. It will continue to be the most spoken native language, with a predicted increase of 27% in the number of speakers by 2050.
The need to translate Mandarin Chinese is undoubtedly growing, too. But for now, let’s look at the history of the Chinese language and how it gained this prominent world status.
Chinese Language Origin
Chinese language scholars classify all variations of spoken Chinese as part of the Sino-Tibetan family.
These scholars believe that the origin of Chinese goes back to an original language called Proto-Sino-Tibetan, but there is a lack of evidence to prove these claims.
It is unclear where the Chinese language split from this language group to become its own language.
Nevertheless, it is known that the Old Chinese language dates back to 1700 B.C., with characters from the Chinese written language inscribed in tortoise shells and bones.
This language was used throughout the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
It then evolved into Middle Chinese (Ancient Chinese), the language used during the Sui dynasty, Tang dynasty, and Song dynasty.
China covers a vast language area, so many Chinese dialects emerged.
The two main dialects today are Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese Chinese.
People in the Guangdong province in China primarily speak Cantonese. Standard Cantonese is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong and Macau. Elsewhere in China, Mandarin is used.
It is also the official language of most of mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Modern “Chinese Language”
Modern Standard Chinese (MSC) is the official version of the Chinese language used today.
It was first developed in the 1900s to serve as the lingua franca for China.
The use of the language in different provinces in Chinese history had resulted in many mutually unintelligible dialects, so a standardised version was needed to unify the country.
Beijing Mandarin Chinese formed the basis for MSC, thus Modern Chinese and is colloquially referred to as “Mandarin” in China.
It uses 22 consonants and nine vowel sounds, many of which combine to form clusters. Overall, there are around 1,300 different syllables in this version of the language.
The Chinese language was also selected as one of the official languages of the UN.
Unfortunately, comprehension of the language was poor; only 11% of people in non-Mandarin areas understood the modern Chinese language.
To aid with literacy, a new form of the Chinese written language that uses simplified characters was established in 1949:
Simplified Chinese. And the efforts worked! By 2020, over 80% of the Chinese population could speak Modern Standard Chinese.
Written Language
The Chinese written language emerged approximately 6,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest written languages worldwide.
Unlike most languages, the Chinese language does not use an alphabet; each character represents a word or morpheme.
These characters are known as Hanzi (漢字). They’re used by nearly a ¼ of the world’s population and are an integral part of Chinese culture.
The first Chinese characters were based on pictograms and ideographs. Original character elements were combined with phonetic features to compose many new characters in the Chinese language.
Today, there are about 56,000 characters, of which around 3,000 are in everyday use. With so many characters, it can be challenging to translate Mandarin Chinese or learn it as a second language.
As Chinese characters are singular and roughly square in shape, Traditional Chinese text was written vertically.
This is still seen in some regions, such as Taiwan.
However, it is now more common to see left-to-right formatting in areas that use Simplified Chinese – a simplified version of the script that uses characters with fewer strokes.
Nevertheless, you will still see some Mandarin in China written vertically in some places, such as on signs or the spines of books.
Chinese Language Distribution
The Chinese language is the most spoken native language globally, with more than 1.4 billion speakers. is is due to China’s significant population, of which 92% speak the language.
It is also a primary language in Taiwan (87.5%), Hong Kong (94.8%), Macao (92.0%), and Singapore (50.8%).
Additionally, there are over 8 million Chinese speakers in Thailand, 3 million in the United States, and 2.5 million in Malaysia.
The spread of the Chinese language across the globe is primarily due to immigration.
Many Chinese people fled the country in the 19th century to escape extreme poverty and moved to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries.
Many also immigrated to the US for the same reason – they wanted more financial stability and the betterment of the next generation.
The most common version of the language is Mandarin Chinese. Around 955 million people speak Mandarin in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
Cantonese is the other primary spoken dialect, with 70 million speakers.
There are also around 70 million speakers of Wu Chinese and Min Chinese, while Gan, Jin, Hakka, and Xiang are lesser-known regional variants. All dialects use the same Chinese written language.
An Introduction to the Evolution of Chinese Characters
When you learn to read and write Chinese you are learning one of the world’s oldest writing systems.
The evolution of Chinese characters can be traced back thousands of years.
Signs and symbols engraved on pottery, shells and bones have been unearthed from 8,000 years ago.
A uniformed writing system developed about 3,000 years ago with divination rites inscribed on animal bones and turtle shells.
Some of those characters are ‘ancestors’ to Chinese characters used today.
Chinese writing continued to evolve over the centuries, and by the early Tang Dynasty (618-690AD) we have the recognisable system of today’s Traditional Chinese writing.
One further evolution in the history of Chinese writing occurred last century with the simplification of Chinese characters to create the writing system currently used in mainland China.
What are Chinese characters?
Chinese characters, known as Hànzì (汉字), form the basis of Chinese writing and differ markedly from the alphabet system used in Western languages.
Unlike letters of the alphabet, logograms represent words or compounds of words.
All the world’s oldest writing systems, such as those used in Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and China, use a logographic system.
The earliest Chinese characters were created using pictures or pictographs, which were originally inscribed on clay pottery and bone and then later on bronze and other metals.
These characters eventually developed into the calligraphic style that we see today; this style has also been altered through the ages from the crude, unformulated style of the so-called Oracle bones to the modern day ‘rhombus-shape’ characters.
Some characters are pictograms where the character is a picture depicting the item.
Others are ideograms representing an abstract concept (such as ‘up’ and ‘down’).
Then there are characters that combine two or more pictograms and ideograms to create a new meaning, and characters that combine elements to give both the meaning and sound.
Origin of Chinese characters – Legends and Neolithic symbols
According to the Chinese saying “苍颉造字” (‘Cangjie created characters’), Chinese characters were the invention of Cangjie, the four-eyed official historian to the Yellow Emperor.
Cangjie was renowned for his intelligence and his amazing memory, and was tasked by the Yellow Emperor to invent a writing system to record information.
Cangjie then set about studying the objects around him, the animals and other living things, geographical features, the sun, the moon and stars, to find each object’s special characteristic that differentiated it from the others.
He then designed characters incorporating each of those special characteristics.
The legend has it that once he had finished the gods and celestial ghosts cried because they knew that Cangjie’s invention would make human beings more cunning.
Archaeological discoveries have since provided an alternative, more scientifically accurate version of the origins of Chinese characters, even if there are still gaps in our knowledge.
The earliest evidence of written symbols can be traced back to over eight thousand years ago.
Several archaeological sites from the Neolithic (or New Stone Age) period have unearthed pottery, animal bones and turtle shells depicting ideograms or geometric shapes.
The earliest of these sites is the Jiahu site in Henan province, dating from 6600 BCE, in which 16 distinct signs were identified on turtle shells.
Some historians therefore claim these Jiahu symbols are the oldest Chinese characters.
Another significant Neolithic archaeological site is the Banpo site – east of Xi’an in Shaanxi Province, China – where there have been discoveries of symbols, 22 distinct ones, that have been carved onto pottery. The Banpo site has been dated at around 4000-5000 BCE.
The problem with these Neolithic symbols is that experts are unclear as to the meaning or function, if any, of these symbols, so it is difficult to claim they are the oldest Chinese characters.
Also these symbols bear little or no resemblance to later forms of characters that are the true descendants of modern Chinese.
Despite original claims that the Neolithic finds were the first evidence of Chinese writing, most experts agree that these symbols, always found in isolation, cannot be classed as a writing system.
Ancient Shang Dynasty – Oracle Bone Script
The consensus amongst experts is that the earliest known form of Chinese writing developed in the later stages of the ancient Shang Dynasty, around 1250 BCE to 1200 BCE.
This was in the form of carvings on animal bones and turtle shells (known as Oracle Bone Script or Jiǎgǔwén 甲骨文 (literally “shell and bone writing”).
The oracle bones were used for divination on topics like war, agricultural forecasts, illness and death, and sacrifices. Some of the bones contain as many as a hundred characters, written in the form of questions.
In contrast to the limited number of Neolithic signs unearthed, scholars believe that at least 4,000 unique characters have been discovered, though most of them remain undeciphered. Some of these characters form the basis of characters used today in modern Chinese writing, and so are regarded as the oldest Chinese characters yet discovered.
However, it should be noted that Oracle Bone Script characters are so varied – they include pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and auxiliary verbs – that they most likely developed out of another, as yet undiscovered, writing system.
Bronze Writing
During the Bronze Age, towards the end of the Shang Dynasty, characters began to be carved or cast onto bronze.
These were called Jīnzi 金文 ‘metal characters’. Their shape and structure were similar to that of the Jiǎgǔwén, however, as the use of molds became more popular, the characters themselves became more structured and thicker.
Archeologists have discovered thousands of bronze artifacts, ranging from bells, cauldrons and ritual artifacts with cast inscriptions.
Perhaps a quarter of them date from the late Shang Dynasty, while the majority are from the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE – 256 BCE).
A significant number of bronze artifacts have also been found from the later Qin and Han Dynasties.
Bronze Writing evolved from Oracle Bone Script.
Over time the inscriptions tended to grow longer, with some from the late Zhou period up to 400 characters long.
(The longest inscription, from the Western Zhou Dynasty period, has 497 characters).
Characters also evolved to become less picture-like and more symbolic in appearance.
However Bronze writing lacked uniformity and distinct regional variations emerged, as well as formal and informal styles.
Seal Script
The period after the Western Zhou Dynasty, the 500 years of the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States period, was a period of economic growth and a burgeoning culture.
Education also spread in this period; it was no longer the sole domain of the aristocracy but became available to other classes.
In tandem with this growth, Seal Script or Zhuànshū 篆书 evolved out of Bronze Writing, became the more standardised script and eventually the official script of the Qin Dynasty.
Seal Script was characterised by characters that were more elongated than earlier forms.
There were two main styles of Seal Script: Dàzhuàn 大篆 or Large Seal style and Xiǎozhuàn 小篆 or Small Seal (sometimes also referred to as Unified Small Seal Script). Large Seal Script was first created during the late Western Zhou Dynasty (1045-771BC) and can be directly traced to the Jīnzi style.
After the first emperor, Qin Shihuang (259-210 BC) unified China under his rule, he ordered a policy of standardisation across the new kingdom. This meant standardisation of weights and measurements, currencies, and characters. Standardising the character system resulted in the introduction of Small Seal Script.
Large Seal and Small Seal Scripts were both simplified forms of characters, and their joint features included a proportioned amount of brush strokes and a finalised design.
Unlike the Oracle Bone Script and Bronze writing, they had less variant forms and instead became the established ‘rhombus-shape’ characters that form the basis of modern day Chinese characters.
The first known dictionary of Chinese characters, compiled in the 3rd Century BCE, used the Small Seal script.
Clerical Script
During the Han Dynasty (202 BCE to 220 AD) the Clerical script or Lìshū 隶书 (sometimes also referred to as Official Script) became the dominant script.
There were however several variant scripts used in the period.
The Qin style of Lìshū was a hasty and often illegible style of writing that was predominantly used among the people as a non-governmental handwritten form of communication.
The characters that local authorities used were known as Tú lì 徒隶 and were based on the writing style used by the common people of the time, and adapted to become the official governmental script.
During the change from the Small Seal Script to the Clerical form of writing, the most profound modification was the symbolisation of the characters, which no longer followed the previous method of directly representing material objects.
Another important change was that the Clerical Script contains more straight lines within square dimensions.
This was because the rounded shapes of the Seal Script style, though aesthetically pleasing to the eye, were difficult to write.
Clerical script is still in use today, with some calligraphers utilising it as the script for their work.
Regular Script
Regular Script or Kǎishū 楷书 came into being towards the end of the Han Dynasty, and was prominent during the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties (AD 220-589).
The artistry of the Lìshū/Clerical style was often too complicated and therefore hard to read.
As a result, the Regular Script style of writing was developed in order to be easier to read, and thus grew into the dominant position as the recognised structure of official characters.
With some stylistic variations in the Tang Dynasty, the Regular or Kǎishū script is the style still used in Traditional Chinese writing today in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Simplified Chinese
The history of Chinese writing wouldn’t be complete without looking at the introduction of the simplified system that is now in use in mainland China.
There were calls to simplify the Chinese writing system from early in the 20th century with advocates claiming it was hampering China’s efforts to modernise and compete with other nations.
The actual reform of the system didn’t take place until the 1950s, with the aim of increasing literacy rates.
Simplified Chinese greatly reduced the number of strokes for each character, especially high usage words, making it much easier to learn to read and write, and easier to use in everyday life.
By Nick Dennis
Nick is an English teacher who has taught English as a Foreign Language in China, Italy and France. He has a Bachelor of Arts (Modern Languages), majoring in French, from the University of New South Wales. He loves travel, reading and football and, of course, learning languages. Four years ago, Nick and his wife co-founded an online English language school targeted at the Chinese market (since sold to Chinese investors). He has also ghost-written the autobiography of a well-known Australian horse trainer.
*MINDSET*
Some Mandarin Chinese Proverbs as food for thine thoughts
1. Life is not a race, but a journey Hồng Gấm Lê
2. A blessing in disguise, a misfortune that turns out to be good.
3. Unity is strength, literally "many people's will makes a fortress.
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$ To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.
$$ Life is like a mirror: smile at it, and it smiles back; cry at it, and it cries back.
$$$ Learning is like sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you'll be pushed back. Lê Thị Xuân Nhàn
