Hacking Chinese

A better way of learning Mandarin

Articles in the ‘Advanced’ category Page 18

  1. Why using a good dictionary can be bad for your Chinese reading ability

    The advent of smart phones and digital dictionaries has brought great benefits to Chinese learners, who no longer need to waste much time flipping through pages, looking for the right entry. However, always having quick access to the right answer can actually stop you from learning some of the strategies you need to become a successful reader in Chinese.

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  2. Free and easy audio flashcards for Chinese dictation practice with Anki

    Audio flashcards can be great for improving basic listening ability or preparing for 听写/聽寫 or dictation. It used to be time-consuming and difficult to do, but with Anki and good text-to-speech engines, it’s now both easy and free!

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  3. Reading is a lot like spaced repetition, only better

    Learning vocabulary through reading and by using spaced repetition software are both common strategies employed by students learning Chinese, but which one is the most efficient? In this guest article, Kevin Bullaughey from WordSwing compares the two methods in terms of exposure and coverage.

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  4. Training your Chinese teacher, part 1: Introduction

    Finding a good Chinese teacher is not easy, but there are many things you can do to get more out of the time you spend with a teacher, and in a sense, train him or her to better suit your needs and preferences.

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  5. 36 samples of Chinese handwriting from students and native speakers

    This article features 36 samples of Chinese handwriting. The same text was written by native speakers and students with varying backgrounds and time spent learning Chinese.

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  6. How to improve your Chinese handwriting

    Learning to write Chinese by hand is a complex task. This article gives an overview of what it means to write by hand, answering questions like: “Do I need to learn to write by hand?”, “What skills does handwriting in Chinese require?” and” How do I improve my handwriting?”

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  7. Cramming vs. spaced repetition: When to use which method to learn Chinese

    Cramming and spaced repetition are viable but opposite methods of reviewing Chinese characters, words and expressions. When should you use which? And Why?

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  8. How and why to learn and teach Chinese through games

    This article is a follow-up to a keynote presentation and a workshop held at the 15th Annual Chinese Teaching Conference at University College London. Even though the original target group is teachers of Chinese, the article is relevant for students as well.

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  9. 866 digital textbooks for expanding your Chinese

    Using textbooks written with the aim of teaching Chinese children about history, mathematics and biology can be great learning resources for adult foreigners as well. This article discusses how to do that, and also introduces a resource that offers almost a thousand textbooks, all easily accessible online.

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  10. New text game for Chinese learners: The Magistrate’s Gallery

    The Magistrate’s Gallery is a new interactive text game for Chinese learners. A man knocks on your door with an unusual problem: his daughter has been trapped inside one of the paintings in the magistrate’s gallery. But which one? And how can you get her out? To rescue her, you will need to travel into the paintings and unravel the story about how the girl ended up there.

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