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Is Learning Chinese A Waste of Time?

There is one thing I’m quite sure about is that it is never a waste of time to learn the Chinese language. If anybody or you ever feel like it, you might misunderstand why you should learn this language and how to learn it efficiently.

There’re a lot of reasons to tell you that learning the Chinese language is not a waste of time:

It is a useful skill to help you bridge the connection with over 1.3 billion speakers on the planet, so is its culture.

The most important function of a language is to communicate. Efficient communication and connection are based on a comprehensive understanding of the language used.

Besides the daily or business conversation, language plays an important role as the carrier of culture. You can never attach to real Chinese culture and spirit if you don’t know Chinese. As a kind of ideographic language presented in pictograph, the Chinese language develops a series of unique cultural content, including calligraphy, poems, and ballad. All this content cannot make any sense to you until you have known its language.  

What’s more, you can better enjoy Chinese movies, TV shows, and dramas authentically by learning the Chinese language. Though there are always translated subtitles, the essence that is only carried in the original language system will inevitably be missed.

Identify your learning targets first can help you make a clearer study plan.

Learning without a practical goal or right reason will just frustrate you during the long-term language learning journey.

Whether you’re going to further your study in China or learning it to boost your career with a Chinese business partner, finding out why learning this language is important to you and sustain your motivation afterward.

A specific target for language learning can help you make a better study plan. For example, if you want to learn the Chinese language for better communication with your Chinese colleagues or potential Chinese clients. A practical study plan will consist of two stages: first, improve your Chinese proficiency in daily conversation, and second, build up your knowledge in the Business Chinese field. An intensive One-on-one Chinese class can satisfy these specific demands very well.

To gain a competitive advantage in the long run, learning Chinese is a nice choice and habit to keep. The international status of China is quite different now and will improve in the future. Chinese mandarin plays a more vital role. It is always right to follow the trend.

Learning the Chinese language can exercise your brainpower too.

Researchers suggest when learning or using a second language, there will be increased activity in certain regions of the brain. And this process can help delay the onset of dementia and also develop cognitive ability. Learning a second language can also better cultivate your creativity and multi-task skill. Since the Chinese language is a completely different language than what you’re used to as an English speaker, learning the Chinese language will be a great exercise for your brain.

If you don’t want to waste your time, then you’d better know how to learn the Chinese language efficiently and easily.

Tip 1 Making a specific learning schedule.

Start learning a new language with a very general plan does no good for your Chinese language learning in the long run. Once you have done the basic research, consider setting up a daily learning schedule. This schedule should be drafted based on your learning goals, both short-term goals, and long-term goals. And the daily learning content should be delivered in a tailor-made way.

Afterward, all you need to do is stick to the plan and record all you learn daily. You need to be regular or forget what you learned the other day to learn the Chinese language! Keep in mind that practice makes perfect. Practice as much as you can.

Tip 2 Being patient with memorizing Chinese characters

Chinese characters are like the building blocks of the Chinese language, so it’s important to learn and memorize. There are thousands of Chinese characters; however, you only need to be familiar with THE 500 MOST COMMONLY USED CHINESE CHARACTERS to lay a solid foundation at the beginning stage.

Memorizing and repeating the characters daily is very crucial for learning the Chinese language fast. Daily repetition is necessary because it’s easy for you to forget the characters as fast as you learn them. Therefore, efficient reviewing can make you learn and retain the characters in your mind permanently. You may use flashcards with characters written on them to revise the characters.

Tip 3 Immersion learning can always facilitate the process.

Studies have shown that an “immersive learning environment” is more effective for a language learner under the correct guidance and instruction than in a traditional classroom environment. “Living in” the target language is the ideal way to acquire it amazingly fast. Surrounded by the authentic language speaking environment can really push you to keep involving yourself fully with the language. Thus, the best way of learning the Chinese language fast and easily is to live in China for a period of time. And during your stay here, you should try to practice as much as possible with native Chinese speakers. What’s more, making more Chinese-speaking friends! Those daily first-hand authentic Chinese language terms and sayings cannot be found in the textbook.

Reading the post to get more ideas about HOW TO LEARN CHINESE LANGUAGE EASILY

Tip 4 Pay more attention to listening skills and the right pronunciation.

The best way of practicing your listening skill is to watch movies and listen to speeches. It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand because your purpose at the beginning is not to understand but to have an overall sense of the sound of the language. If you listen a lot, you can naturally capture the laws of pronunciation and even know what a certain pronunciation means.

As to the pronunciation part, the best way to practice your pronunciation is always to imitate. Not only the sound you hear but also the specific mouth shape of the pronunciation. If the shape of the mouth is wrong, the pronunciation must be wrong too. The shape of the mouth includes the closure of the teeth, the curling of the tongue, and the position of the root part of the tongue.

In a word, learning a second language, especially the Chinese language, is never a waste of time. You will have a great payoff in the long run.

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Paul

Paul | UK

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

All teachers are really lovely. The teaching level at Keats is so much higher. I really love the city. It is very comfortable to get around. I fully recommend Keats. It is a great place to study Chinese in China. We are looking forward to coming back again later this year.

杜文宇

杜文宇 | Netherlands

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

So during my first week at Keats, I didn’t dare to speak any Chinese words. I found out that my Chinese level quickly improved since then. Although I have many options to study in China, for example, some other schools have homestay, I found I could immerse myself and fully focus on learning Chinese by staying at Keats.

Alibaba

Alibaba | USA

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

Kunming is a fantastic city. The weather here is great. The school is excellent. The instructors are very helpful, very friendly. I strongly recommend that anybody who is looking for a Chinese language school in China come here to study. Kunming and Keats school are much better than any other place.

Ivo

Ivo | Switzerland

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

They really care about what our interests are, what questions we have, what requirements we have. Then they adjust our Chinese language program content according to the situations. One teacher and one student, so it is easy to keep your focus for the 6 hours of immersion Mandarin lessons. It is very convenient to study, live and eat in one building.

Liam

Liam | UK

HSK Test Preparation Course

Last year I started studying Chinese at University. The reason that I came here is that currently, I’m preparing for the HSK 5 test. Also, I heard that this is one of the best schools to study Mandarin in China. After I came here I realized that Kunming is a pretty cool city to live in and with regards to the teachers’ teaching methods, I think they’re very professional. And I think the language environment is good so now I’m ready to take the HSK 5.

Dr. Med. Beatrice

Dr. Med. Beatrice | Austria

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

I decided to learn Chinese in Kunming because I like smaller cities and I like the climate here. We had four hours a day study here and my dear teacher taught me very much and never lost her patience with me. It was a really wonderful experience to be here and I recommend Keats school and the teachers here to everyone who likes to learn Chinese in China.

Martine

Martine | France

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

I really enjoy this place because we have private Mandarin lessons. I took the 6-hour program, 4 hours in the morning, 2 in the afternoon. Even though it is quite a lot, the teaching is complimentary. This is very helpful because I could review what I did before and learn new things. My 2 teachers are fantastic. We live in the school, so it is convenient. It is interesting to me to meet people from all over the world.

Sarah

Sarah | USA

Intensive One-on-One Chinese Classes

My name is Sarah Fish. I am 81. I knew very little Chinese when I arrived. How was I going to survive 2 weeks of intensive Chinese course? I have to laugh when I think of that now. What a positive experience this has been! I really wish we could be here a little longer. The teachers are extremely encouraging, evaluating first how much someone knows, and then starting from there.

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