I want to learn Chinese on my own. Chinese for beginners from scratch: lessons and learning features

So, you decided that want to learn Chinese. Well, great. Now the question arises - how to study it? Which learning method should you choose? There are several options, but not as many as it seems. Study at the university, in Chinese language courses, with an individual tutor, or on your own. Each study option has its pros and cons. We will talk about them in this article.

Here's our advice– determine priorities. Think about why you need Chinese.

1) If you definitely want to connect your work with him in the future, then you have a direct path to the university. 5 years of study, a one-year or six-month internship, then perhaps graduate school, and you are ready to find a job with the Chinese language.

Pros: a fairly in-depth degree of language study, internship in China, after graduating from university you are ready to work with the Chinese language. The main thing is to choose the right university.

Minuses: Not everyone can spend the time, 2-3 years on a second higher education or 5 years on a major higher education. Our advice is that if you want to get two majors in one, look for universities with economic disciplines and study Chinese at the same time. There are such, for example, MSLU.

2) If you need Chinese for work, already has more than one year behind us labor activity and there is no time to get a second higher education, our advice is intensive Chinese language courses. Many companies are doing this now. As a rule, you are assigned to a group of learning Chinese from scratch. Classes can be held either on weekends or several times a week in the evenings.

Our advice– leave the weekends for rest. It is best to practice 2 (minimum) - three times a week, for 1.5 - 2 hours. In this case, on the weekend you can independently repeat the material you have studied at home, understand what is not clear, what questions you have so that you can ask the teacher at the next lesson.

Pros: The extent of study depends on the time spent. There are different levels of training (from scratch, elementary, intermediate, higher). Possibility to choose the time for classes.

Minuses: with all the diversity, find good courses Now it's not as easy as it seems. Many people open courses, but only a few of them are professionals. In one of the following advice articles, we will help you decide on the choice of Chinese language courses.

3) If you need Chinese for business, for example, to communicate with Chinese partners, or to business correspondence, you can study with a Chinese tutor and study on your own the rest of the time. The situation is even worse than with courses. For some reason, it is believed that anyone who has completed at least 1 year of university can teach Chinese.

We strongly recommend choosing teachers carefully, and giving preference to students of at least the 4th year, and preferably the 5th year, or teachers who have already graduated from university and teach at universities or courses. We will give detailed recommendations in one of the following advice articles.

Pros: The ability to choose the time of classes, the ability to choose a tutor, i.e. You decide for yourself who you want to work with.

Minuses: There is no need to talk about university education in this case. What you can learn depends entirely on the choice of tutor and in proportion to the time spent on training.

4)Self-study of Chinese.

Nowadays, many people study Chinese on their own. All conditions have been created for this - websites that help in learning Chinese, forums where you can ask for advice, communicate with those who are also learning Chinese. Read more about self-study We'll talk about it in one of the following advice articles.

Pros: The ability to plan your classes, study as much as you want, and where it is convenient for you. Opportunity to learn Chinese for free.

Minuses: Everything depends on you. You won’t see anyone who is also learning Chinese (like at a university or on a course), so you won’t have to experience any sense of competition or additional motivation. The level of your preparation will also depend entirely on your diligence and the time you devote to studying the Chinese language.

Chinese civilization is recognized as one of the oldest in the world. Scientists say that it is more than five thousand years old. According to statistics, in modern world Every fifth person on earth speaks Chinese, but this language is quite difficult to learn.

The goals of mastering the Chinese language can be different: some people learn it for fun or to communicate with friends, others may need it in doing business and to expand business contacts, and others are planning to move to live in the Celestial Empire.


- the site provides a practical Chinese course for beginners, which consists of 18 lessons. Everyone will be able to take a course in hieroglyphics, learn the basic rules of calligraphy and find a phrasebook with the most popular phrases in communicating with the Chinese. There are also dialogues, key characters and audio. There is not only Chinese.

A versatile site about the Chinese language, constantly updating its content. Its visitors will be able to find here information for language learning, theoretical information, online lessons, grammar, useful materials, blog posts about China and much more.

A resource that provides lessons on Chinese grammar for different levels in an accessible form. Rules in English.

An online resource where you can find many useful information on language learning: there is a section about hieroglyphs, grammar, exercises. There are also some lessons, dialogues, the burning topic of input Chinese characters from the keyboard and so on.

An actively growing VKontakte community created for those who want to learn Chinese. Useful audio and video lessons, tutorials for downloading and much more.

On the site you can find video lessons in the format of an entertaining and educational program. You can follow the unfolding stories with interest and learn the language at the same time.

Several useful video lessons on the phonetic alphabet of the Chinese language.

Helps with Chinese phonetics. Here you can download a special table with the pronunciation of all sounds. Description in English.
- a website where you can listen correct pronunciation words Each word is pronounced by a native speaker of a different gender. There are not only Chinese, but also many other languages.

Large Russian-Chinese dictionary. Here you will find new words, phrases, phraseological units and examples of composing sentences.

When the basics are taken, it’s time to smooth out the corners, that is, polish your knowledge of the language. Communication with native speakers will help with this.

Currently everything more people come to the decision to start learning Chinese. Everyone has their own path to this decision, but having made it, everyone wonders where to start learning Chinese?

In this article, we tried to collect basic tips and recommendations for beginning sinologists.

The main thing is persistence and patience, as in many other endeavors. As banal as it may seem, it is true. This is probably true for Chinese as for no other language. To say that the language is difficult is to say nothing.

But, as the Chinese say folk wisdom- whoever wants it will achieve it. Therefore, from the very beginning, tune in to maximum investment of effort and dedication.

First you need to understand what the Chinese language is. In fact, this is a collective concept. IN different parts China has its own Chinese dialects, so phonetically different from each other that if speakers of different dialects try to talk to each other using each different dialect, they simply will not understand each other. But if they take a piece of paper and write their words on it, then mutual understanding will be achieved. Chinese hieroglyphic writing is common to all dialects, which is why they cannot be separated into separate languages, although the degree of their phonetic differences is more than enough for such a separation.

In order to have universal remedy communication throughout the country, based on the most common dialects, an official official language China Mandarin(普通话). This is the Chinese language that we foreigners usually learn. You, of course, can purposefully study one of the many Chinese dialects, but this must be determined by some specific goals, for example, scientific ones. Because you will spend an amount of effort comparable or incomparable to learning Putonghua, and you will only be understood in the part of China where this dialect comes from. And Putonghua is a universal version of the Chinese language that is spoken (or at least should be spoken) anywhere in China.

Sound structure of the Chinese language. Chinese tones

It’s worth starting your study with the concept of sound structure. The sound composition of the Chinese language is fundamentally different from the sound compositions of our language family (Russian, English, German, spanish languages etc.). This is how it is with us - the smallest sound unit is a sound, a letter corresponds to it in writing, syllables are formed from sounds, and words are formed from them.

In Chinese, there is no concept of a letter; the minimum sound unit is a syllable, rigidly consisting of several specific sounds. In writing, a syllable corresponds to a hieroglyph. The number of syllables in Chinese is limited; in Mandarin it is 414. Each syllable has a Latin spelling called pinyin(拼音). First, you need to familiarize yourself with the syllables and remember the pronunciation of each of them. We have prepared for you two versions of the syllable table, differing in the way Chinese syllables are written in Russian letters.

Then, when you master the correct pronunciation, you will need to study the Palladium system. Why is this necessary if it does not correspond in every way to real Chinese pronunciation? Then, in order to write correctly Chinese names own in Russian. Maybe you will become a translator, but deviations from the norm in translations are unacceptable. And simply leaving messages on forums on the Internet, you also need to do this correctly, and not write, for example, Guangzhou, if Guangzhou is accepted, etc. At first glance, the difference is insignificant, but the norm is the norm, and such mistakes immediately hurt the eyes of experienced sinologists.

Next, you need to understand such a concept as Chinese tones. Tone is the intonation characteristic of a syllable, i.e. the way we pronounce this syllable - with rising intonation, falling intonation, etc. There are 4 tones in Mandarin, indicated in Pinyin transcription by a line above the vowel:

Like syllables, for proper memorization, it is better to listen to tones performed by a teacher or native speaker; audio recordings will also do.

Tone is a characteristic of a syllable and has a semantic distinguishing function. The same syllable, pronounced in different tones, has different semantic meaning. Each of the 414 syllables can be pronounced in a different tone, which somewhat expands the phonetic range of the language. But even taking into account the presence of tones, the set of sounds still remains quite limited, which leads to a large number homonyms in Chinese, when the same sound, even with one specific tone, can have different meaning. In this case, meaning is often determined by context.

Keys and characters of the Chinese language

The main written unit of the Chinese language is the character. Each hieroglyph, unlike our letter, has its own semantic meaning (the hieroglyph 你 - you, the hieroglyph 好 - good, the hieroglyph 爱 [ài] - love, etc.). The overwhelming majority of words in the Chinese language consist of one or two characters (in modern Chinese, words consisting of two characters predominate).

There are also words made from three or more hieroglyphs. These are mostly complex terms or foreign names own. Total hieroglyphs in the Chinese language are not precisely defined; numbers are called 40 thousand, 50 thousand, etc. But the most common ones are about 3-4 thousand. Having mastered them, you will have no problems understanding Chinese official texts, the press, etc.

Each hieroglyph is an ordered set of strokes and keys. Each key individually has its own semantic meaning, and is like a simple hieroglyph. Some keys can therefore be used as independent hieroglyphs, but still most keys are used only as component element hieroglyphs.

The keys need to be learned. Many are limited to some of the keys, but it is better to learn the majority (this is quite realistic, there are not many keys), ideally - all. In this case, you will need to remember the spelling and semantic meaning of all keys. Without this, further memorization of a large number of hieroglyphs will be problematic. Pronunciation (pinyin) is enough to remember only those keys that can be used as independent hieroglyphs.

Download the Chinese language key table.

Chinese language textbooks, Chinese language courses

At the same time, start studying using one of the Chinese language textbooks, of which there are many now. For example, “Practical course of the Chinese language”, author Kondrashevsky A.F., “Beginner course of the Chinese language”, authors T.P. Zadoenko, H. Shuin, etc. In textbooks new material given in portions and in a structured manner. Be sure to listen to the audio materials included with the textbooks. It is very important that you get used to the correct phonetics from the very beginning, especially if you are not permanently in China and do not have a language environment.

You can, and at the very beginning you should, sign up for Chinese language courses. There are now a great many of them, both at the faculties of oriental languages ​​of universities, and within individual institutions additional education. Carefully find out about the training program, and most importantly, about the teachers; it is better that they are experienced teachers with teaching experience and experience in language practice in China. It would be good if they were native speakers, Chinese teachers with a normal level of Russian.

Continue the further study process in accordance with the chosen teaching aid, if you study independently or with a course program. When you reach an elementary level, it will be great to find a Chinese colleague studying Russian. Where – it depends on the situation. Maybe at the nearest institute where Chinese exchange students study, maybe at the market, and of course on the Internet. By supplementing your learning with communication with a native speaker, you will speed up your progress, and he will speed up his progress. A textbook is a textbook, and live communication always increases the effectiveness of learning.

So, to summarize all of the above, to start learning Chinese, you need to:

1. Have more patience and persistence.

2. Familiarize yourself with the syllables of the Chinese language. Start with the table “how to pronounce” and remember the pronunciation of each syllable. Then learn the Palladian table (this is how to write Chinese syllables in Russian letters). It is better to do this with an experienced teacher or native speaker.

3. Learn 4 tones of Chinese.

4. Learn the keys, remembering their spelling and meaning. Pronunciation is enough to remember only the keys, which can be used as independent hieroglyphs. Download Chinese language keys.

5. In parallel to point 2, choose a textbook on the Chinese language and start studying it, or better yet, sign up for Chinese language courses.

6. It is not necessary, but highly desirable, to find a native Chinese speaker and organize regular communication.

Title: Self-instruction manual of modern Chinese.

Here is a self-instruction manual for the Chinese language - one of the most common languages ​​in the world. The advantage of the Self-Teacher is the completeness of information and accessibility of presentation for beginners in learning Chinese. With some effort, but in a reasonable amount of time, you will learn to have conversations on everyday topics and read simple Chinese texts, which will allow you to feel quite comfortable in the Chinese language environment.
The self-instruction manual is equipped with a language laboratory course.

The Chinese language self-instruction manual is intended for a wide range of readers. This publication has been developed as a guide for schoolchildren, students, teachers and others interested in beginning to study the Chinese language. The self-instruction manual consists of a theoretical part, conversational lessons and educational texts.
When learning any language it is necessary special attention pay attention to pronunciation, Chinese is no exception. The main difficulty Chinese pronunciation is the abundance of palatal and aspirated sounds unusual for us and the presence of tones. The Chinese language is very melodic, so the presence of musical abilities and hearing greatly facilitates the process of mastering Chinese pronunciation, however, even in the absence of special musical talents, but subject to systematic study and listening to audio materials, it is quite possible to master Chinese phonetics. Another difficulty of the Chinese language is the hieroglyphic letter (“Chinese letter”), which is extremely difficult for people accustomed to alphabetic writing. The hieroglyphics section contains a table of Chinese keys, the study and memorization of which is essential in order to learn to read and write in Chinese. One of the most the best ways memorizing Chinese characters means practicing calligraphy and systematically writing down characters and their individual elements (see the corresponding section).

Content
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION TO CHINESE LANGUAGE
Pronunciation
Chinese phonetic alphabet
Tones
Changes in tones Hieroglyphics
Rules for writing hieroglyphs
Key Table Grammar
Parts of speech
Order of words in a sentence
Grammatical constructions
SPEAKING PRACTICE
Lesson 1. Greetings
Lesson 2. Getting to know each other
Lesson 3. Age. Family
Lesson 4. Study. Language
Lesson 5. Seasons. Weather
Lesson 6. Shopping. Shop
Lesson 7. In a restaurant. Food
Lesson 8. Clinic
Lesson 9. Sports
Lesson 10. At your leisure
Lesson 11. Traveling around China
Answers to exercises
EDUCATIONAL TEXTS with grammatical comments
Text I. Sincere Concern
Text 2. Shanhaiguan
Text 3. The Peasant and the Snake (parable)
Text 4. Da Yu controls the elements (parable)
Text 5. Excursion to Xiangshan
Text 6. Letter
Text 7. At a sports festival
Text 8. Yu Gong moves mountains (parable)
Text 9. Wallet
Text 10. An inconspicuous bird (parable)
APPLICATIONS
Appendix No. 1
A quick overview of grammar
Grammar test
Answers to a grammar test
Appendix No. 2
Minimum dictionary
Appendix No. 3
Chinese syllable table
Correspondence table between Russian and Chinese transcriptions(according to Palladium)
Appendix No. 4
Table of hieroglyphic keys (radicals)
Appendix No. 5
Chinese calligraphy

Free download e-book in a convenient format, watch and read:
Download the book Self-instruction manual of the modern Chinese language. Shenshina M.A. 2006 - fileskachat.com, fast and free download.

Download zip
You can buy this book below best price at a discount with delivery throughout Russia.

The languages ​​of the peoples of the East are among the most difficult to understand. Those who decide to learn Chinese from scratch on their own will have to face difficulties, since they have nothing in common with the Russian language - they belong to different language families. But for someone who is burning with an idea and full of desire, nothing is impossible, especially since it is in the public domain a large number of books, websites and tutorials.

What do those who want to learn Chinese from scratch need to know?

It is advisable for every person who decides to devote his time to this language to become familiar with its structure and features. Theoretical or video materials in the form of an educational film are suitable for this purpose. The method of learning it differs little from any other language.

According to the rules, mastering a new language is the implementation of all 4 types speech activity. Added to this is knowledge of grammar, which allows you to correctly construct sentences in oral speech. Those who decide to learn Chinese will have to deal with the following aspects of this language:

  • writing system;
  • phonetics;
  • grammar;
  • dialectology;
  • transcription scheme.

It is important to focus on developing speaking skills - this is the key to mastering any language.

Hieroglyphs

First distinctive feature Chinese - the absence of an alphabet and, therefore, letters. It uses hieroglyphs as writing. The difference between them is that each letter of the alphabet denotes a sound and is not a meaning-forming unit unless it is part of a syllable. Hieroglyphs initially did not represent sounds, but only displayed meaning.

Their number in the Chinese language is immense - latest editions dictionaries contain about 90,000 hieroglyphs. But this does not mean that you need to know them all: not all native speakers have such extensive knowledge. Residents of villages and suburbs know on average from 1500 to 2000, city employees - up to 3 thousand characters. It is enough for a beginner to own 1500-2000 for normal communication on everyday topics.

Sounds

The main aspect of the phonetic structure of the Chinese language is its tones. There are 4 main ones, the additional 5th is neutral. A special transcription, where words are written in Latin, helps to master pronunciation. But there is a difference in pronunciation between the original.

A simple layman and a beginner in the Chinese language is generally surprised by the presence of a tone system and makes him doubt his abilities. Due to the similarity in pronunciation, a lot of homophones arose - words that sound identical. For an outsider and a beginner, all 4 intonations are no different by ear.

Chinese tones:

  • 1st tone

It is pronounced slowly and drawn out, the melody is high. Gives the impression that the sentence is unfinished.

  • 2nd tone

Intonation during articulation rises from medium to high level, as in questioning or asking again.

  • 3rd tone

First, the tonality of the phrase decreases, and then sharply rises to a medium level and resembles the emotion of bewilderment.

  • 4th tone

The direction of intonation is falling, with notes of the imperative mood.

  • 5th, neutral tone

It is pronounced with ease and occurs at the end of words and unstressed vowels.

If you plan to start learning Chinese, then it is advisable to pay attention to the phonetic aspect Special attention: listen to live speech on recordings, find native speakers for communication, record yourself on a voice recorder and correct mistakes.

Grammar

There is little here that resembles the grammar of the Russian language; there are no conjugations, cases or moods. But the order of words in sentences is strictly determined and their places cannot be changed.

Sometimes it is difficult to catch the difference in tenses, although there are only 2 of them. The invariability of words is compensated by a large number of affixes and function words, some of which change their affiliation with parts of speech.

Dialects

The existence of modified versions of one language within a country is normal. But in China it has taken such a turn that residents of remote areas can hardly understand each other’s speech. In the northern regions the language is similar, but in the south of the country each village has its own dialect.

This situation is simplified a little by hieroglyphs, thanks to their semantic distinguishing function. Due to a language problem, the state approved official version language - Putonghua, created on the basis of the Beijing dialect.

Pinyin

It is impossible to study a language at home without knowing the transcription - Pinyin. This system is accepted by all countries of the world and is official. All hieroglyphs with it are indicated in Latin letters, in some versions the tone is also written down and there is voice acting by native speakers. On initial stages it is impossible to do without it.

How to learn Chinese from scratch on your own?

If it is not possible to attend language courses, then it is quite possible to master the language at home. In order for the lessons to be effective, the following principles should be understood:

Regularity of classes. It is advisable to contact your tongue every day or at least every other day. But this does not mean that you need to sit for 2-3 hours. To teach effectively new language A 60 minute lesson is enough. Important role plays diligence, perseverance on the path to your goal. Difficulties should not discourage you from learning.

It is necessary to draw up a lesson plan. You shouldn’t try to learn everything quickly; you don’t know how long the process will take in each case. You will be able to speak the language normally no sooner than in 1-2 years.

For successful learning textbooks and technical means training.

Language self-teacher

Previously, this concept meant only paper publications. But they are not enough for complete immersion in the sphere of the language, so it is advisable to use additional tutorials from the following groups:

  1. Video courses on Youtube and other portals.
  2. Websites dedicated to the Chinese language that provide freely accessible text information, exercises, and audio materials.
  3. Theoretical textbooks in Russian “Learning Chinese from scratch”, “Self-instruction manual for beginners”.

You can also install applications on your phone and start classes at any time.

Difficulties in learning

For a Russian-speaking person, getting to know something new, different from native language, can be difficult. The first snag arises in understanding hieroglyphs.

The second factor is pronunciation. If in another language incorrect pronunciation does not cause problems with understanding for a native speaker, then in Chinese everything is different - the interlocutor may simply understand the person incorrectly. A random change in intonation is a distortion of the meaning of the statement.

Testing for beginners as a form of training

This method of testing knowledge really helps students remember the material faster. Most tutorials contain testing after each topic covered. It allows you to test and develop the following skills:

  • recognition of hieroglyphs and their meaning;
  • memorization appearance signs;
  • distinguishing them by ear when supplementing the test with an audio recording.

Those who have learned the basics of the language and have been studying it for at least 1 year are recommended to take the state exam in the form of a test - HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi). It is designed for different levels of knowledge and has 6 difficulty options.

Chinese for children

Educate a child foreign languages from an early age - correct solution, because their brains are developing and are open to new information. It is easier for them to understand and remember the correct pronunciation of hieroglyphs, their spelling and the principles of composing constructions. Classes should last as long as the child wants, no more than 30 minutes.

The key factor is interest, which is fueled by the following forms of training:

  1. Game room - activities with cards, children's videos. Involved in the work creative thinking and memorization occurs faster.
  2. Self-instruction books that provide a minimum of information in a form that is interesting to the child.

It is not necessary to send your children to school; you can study quite calmly at home. At this age, there is no need to force children to quickly understand a large amount of information.

Programs to study

With the development of technology, it has become easy to learn Chinese without going to school or doing long and difficult exercises from textbooks. Portable software comes to the rescue.

It was originally launched as just a website in 2005. Gradually began to expand and fill with material, created mobile applications. There is a large number of audio and video recordings of Chinese speech, grammar lessons, dialogues with comments and explanations.

ABCs of Chinese

This service is designed for studying hieroglyphs using the card method, on which the outline of the sign is depicted on one side, and an explanation on the other. The peculiarity of this site is that the tasks are aimed at drawing attention to hidden images and unraveling the meaning with the help of them.

Pleco

Best free electronic dictionary for all operating systems. You can draw the hieroglyph yourself or find it in the list and the dictionary will display all the meanings and example sentences. For each sign, a drawing diagram is shown, which allows you to learn how to draw them correctly. The instant translation function from the camera works.

Nciku

Online dictionary with examples of words. An alternative to the Pleco service, only on a computer. Each hieroglyph is shown in context, which helps differentiate usage.

Anki

This is analogous to ABCs of Chinese. Memorization material is provided on cards. The advantage is that the system analyzes the user's answers and determines those with the most errors. They are shown more often during the next lesson. IN personal account your own sets are created, and you can also add a picture to each hieroglyph - this makes recognition easier. The ideal Chinese learning system for beginners.

Language Exchange

This is a kind of chat between native speakers and those who are just learning. It’s easy to participate in it - just in the search bar on Facebook or another social network you need to enter “language exchange” and find interlocutors. You can find special services dedicated to live communication.

TV shows and films

This step is only suitable for those who have already learned the basics and can easily recognize speech by ear. Any talk shows, films, children's cartoons are suitable for viewing. It is not necessary to always understand all the phrases spoken; it is important to grasp the general meaning and accustom your hearing to speech.

Perapera

This is a web browser extension that allows you to translate words and phrases without copying them into a translator. This saves time and allows you to read articles, blogs, newspapers and use Chinese websites.

Conclusion

After a detailed acquaintance with the system and features of the language, the question “How to learn Chinese?” no longer seems so complicated and confusing. It is important to give yourself motivation, plan your classes correctly and select material, which is abundant on the Internet. Learning to speak Chinese without attending courses is a matter of time.