More Chinese for Beginners

Peking University via Coursera

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/more-chinese-for-beginners

Introduction

### Course Review: More Chinese for Beginners **Overview:** If you're looking to deepen your understanding of the Chinese language and culture, Coursera's “More Chinese for Beginners” course is an excellent choice. Designed for learners who have already grasped the basics of the language, this advanced course builds upon foundational skills to enhance your vocabulary and conversational abilities in a variety of everyday contexts. Upon completing this course, you will not only expand your vocabulary around personal information, daily life, food, health, and social interactions, but you'll also gain insights into Chinese culture, etiquette, and social norms. Notably, this course accommodates those who may not yet be familiar with Chinese characters, focusing instead on spoken language—a perfect fit for auditory learners or those studying for travel or social purposes. **Course Syllabus Breakdown:** 1. **What do you know about him/her?** Starting off strong, this module teaches essential social skills in Mandarin. You'll learn how to welcome someone, exchange greetings, introduce yourself, discuss your job, and even share your contact information. This foundational knowledge is crucial for anyone looking to engage in simple conversations in Chinese. 2. **I’m very busy!** The second module invites learners to discuss their daily lives. It examines how to express feelings regarding busyness and leisure, effectively allowing participants to articulate their lifestyles and priorities. This module is particularly enlightening as it illuminates the balance between work and relaxation—an important concept in both personal and cultural contexts. 3. **It’s so delicious!** Food is an integral part of any culture, and in this culinary-focused module, you'll explore popular Chinese dishes and beverages. Not only will you learn to name various foods, but you will also gain the skills to express tastes and make comparisons. This module is particularly enjoyable for food enthusiasts and provides a full sensory experience of the language. 4. **What’s the matter?** Understanding how to address issues and emotional states is pivotal in any language. This module covers the vocabulary needed to express worry, comfort others, and articulate complaints or restrictions. It empowers you to navigate conversations involving personal concerns, displaying both empathy and assertiveness. 5. **I’m not feeling well.** Health vocabulary is often overlooked yet essential in any language. This module equips you with the language necessary to discuss health topics, from minor ailments to general wellness, and touches on exercise and environmental factors. This knowledge is invaluable, particularly if you plan to stay in China or interact with Chinese speakers regarding health-related matters. 6. **When will be the next holiday?** This final module offers a delightfully comprehensive look at holiday planning, transportation, and travel experiences within China. You'll learn to discuss how to spend holidays and explore famous tourist sites. This not only sharpens your practical language skills but also enriches your cultural knowledge about China’s diverse travel opportunities. **Recommendation:** I wholeheartedly recommend “More Chinese for Beginners” for anyone looking to strengthen their communicative competence in Mandarin. The course is well-structured, progressively builds upon previously acquired knowledge, and delivers engaging content that reflects real-life situations. The absence of character-based learning makes it accessible for complete beginners, while still offering depth and variety that more advanced learners will appreciate. Whether you’re preparing for a trip to China, enhancing your professional toolkit, or simply passionate about the language, this course promises to enrich your understanding and appreciation of Chinese language and culture. Enroll today and take the next exciting step in your Chinese language journey!

Syllabus

What do you know about him/her?

You’re going to learn how to welcome, introduce, exchange greeting, talk about job, tell phone number and address in this module.

I’m very busy!

How about your life? Are you busy at working, learning, cooking? Or you are quite relaxed to enjoy sport and art? Let’s talk about the life arrangement in this module.

It’s so delicious!

What Chinese drink and food have you heard? Have you ever tried some? You’re going to learn some name of them in this module and try to describe the taste, and compare them.

What’s the matter?

In this module, you are going to learn how to worry, comfort, complain, prohibit in Chinese.

I’m not feeling well.

You’re going to talk about healthy including slight illness, environment, sports exercise in this module.

When will be the next holiday?

Do you have a lot of holidays? How do you spend them? Let’s talk about transportation, plan, experiences about holiday and travelling. And you can also know some famous site of China.

Overview

This is an advanced course for Chinese for beginners. Learners will expand vocabularies about personal information, daily life, food and drink, healthy, and expressions about greeting, suggestion, agreement, comparison, complaint, prohibition, experience, plan, recommendation, etc. Learners can improve their listening and speaking and know much more about Chinese social cultures. As the same as Chinese for beginners, the course doesn’t ask the learners to know Chinese characters. Recommended

Skills

Grammar Communication Chinese Language Speech

Reviews

Great course, I enjoyed learning Chinese in this method.\n\nThe videos were straightforward. The pronunciation was clear enough to understand without and difficultly. I would recommend this course.

Thoroughly enjoyed the extra pieces, the cultural notes, and the conversations. Would have been nice to do the characters though.

The Professor was absolutely the best, I really enjoyed taking this cource. If character word list can be added as well, it would be highly appreciated

It is unbelievable how much all my skills have upleveled since I started studying chinese.. I feel wiser about everything in life.. it is indeed worth of every second.

For the second time, I took advantage of learning Chinese, it is really helpful to follow these easy lessons. thank you very much.