Chinese Basics
中文基础 (Zhōngwén Jīchǔ)
Foundation • beginner • 40-60 hours for solid foundation
Begin your Chinese language adventure with the essential foundations that every learner must master. This comprehensive introduction covers the pinyin romanization system, the four tones, basic character recognition, and survival phrases for daily communication.
Learning Objectives
Master all pinyin sounds and tone combinations
Recognize and write 50 most common Chinese characters
Use essential greetings and polite expressions
Understand basic sentence structure patterns
Navigate simple conversations about personal information
Key Milestones
Perfect pronunciation of all four tones
Read and write 50 basic characters
Introduce yourself in Chinese
Count from 1 to 100
Ask and answer simple questions about identity
Practice Activities
Tone pair discrimination exercises
Character stroke order practice
Role-play introductions and greetings
Pinyin spelling and tone marking
Basic conversation dialogues
Level Content
Sample Vocabulary
hello
你好，我叫李明。
Hello, my name is Li Ming.
thank you
谢谢你的帮助。
Thank you for your help.
I, me
我是学生。
I am a student.
to be, is/am/are
这是我的书。
This is my book.
Sample Characters
人
rén
person, people
大
dà
big, large, great
中
zhōng
middle, center, China
Cultural Focus Areas
• Importance of proper greetings and politeness
• Name structure and addressing people respectfully
• Concept of 'face' (面子) in social interactions
• Basic etiquette in Chinese communication
Assessment Criteria
Accurate tone production in pronunciation
Correct stroke order when writing characters
Appropriate use of polite expressions
Basic conversational fluency for self-introduction
Real World Applications
Meeting new people in social or business settings
Ordering food with basic politeness
Asking for directions or help
Shopping for basic necessities
Basic phone conversations
Start Learning Chinese Basics
Estimated time: 40-60 hours for solid foundation.