About this course: Nowadays, there is an increasing number of people who are interested in Chinese culture and language. And it is useful to know about the language when coming to China for travel or business. This is an ABC Chinese course for beginners, including introduction of phonetics and daily expressions. After taking this class, learners can have a basic understanding of Chinese Mandarin and make basic conversations of daily living such as exchanging personal information, talking about daily arrangements and food, asking about price, introducing the city and the weather, telling your hobbies etc. Selected topics and situations come from real life scenarios and can be used for everyday communications. In addition to the dialogues, the selection of reading materials and practice activities will make the content as rich and varied as possible, in order to stimulate the learners’ interests. This is an elementary course on Chinese speaking. The learners don’t need to study Chinese characters, so it is easier to follow and complete this course.
Created by: Peking University
Taught by: Xiaoyu Liu, Associate Professor
School of Chinese as A Second Language, Peking University
| Commitment | 6 hours of videos and quizzes |
| Language | English, Subtitles: French, Ukrainian, Serbian, Greek, Portuguese (Brazilian), Vietnamese, Urdu, Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, Marathi |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Who Are You?
When we first meet someone, we need to learn about each other. In this module, we are going to learn some ways to introduce yourself, including name, nationality, identity, and discussing your family. We are also going to study Chinese Mandarin phonetics.
5 videos, 13 readings
- Video: Welcome to "Chinese for beginners"
- Video: Lecture: What is Your Name?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: What is Your Name?
- Reading: Additional Information: Chinese Mandarin（普通话）
- Reading: Self-study Video—Tones and Simple Finals
- Video: Lecture: Where Are You From?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: Where Are You From?
- Reading: Additional Information: Chinese Pinyin（汉语拼音简介）
- Reading: Self-study Video—Initials
- Video: Lecture: Are You a Student?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: Are You a Student?
- Reading: Additional Information: Spelling Rules of Pinyin（汉语拼音拼写规则）
- Reading: Self-study Video—Compound Finals
- Video: Lecture: Who is He/She?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: Who is He/She?
- Reading: Readings
- Reading: Review: Who are You?
- Reading: Self-study Video—Finals with Nasal Endings
Graded: What is your name?
Graded: Where are you from?
Graded: Are you a student?
Graded: Who is he/she?
WEEK 2
When Do You Go To School?
How do you plan your daily life? In this module, we are going to learn how to describe our daily schedule, including numbers, time, periods, and some corresponding actions.
4 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Lecture: Can You Count?
- Video: Lecture: What Time is it Now?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: What Time is it Now?
- Video: Lecture: Morning or Afternoon?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: Morning or Afternoon?
- Video: Lecture: Do You Have a Busy Life?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: Do You Have a Busy Life?
- Reading: Review: When Do You Go To School?
Graded: Numbers
Graded: Time (1): O'clock
Graded: Time (2): Periods
Graded: Daily Arrangements
WEEK 3
What Do You Like to Eat?
Food is our most important need. In this module, we are going to talk about Chinese main courses, fruits, vegetables and meat, as well as drinks. Have you seen or tried any of these Chinese dishes? Maybe you have already learned to say them in Chinese!
4 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Lecture: Do You Like Dumplings?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: Do You Like Dumplings?
- Video: Lecture: I Like Apples.
- Reading: Extended Exercise: I Like Apples.
- Video: Lecture: I Like Chicken.
- Reading: Extended Exercise: I Like Chicken.
- Video: Lecture: Do You Want a Cup of Tea?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: Do You Want a Cup of Tea?
- Reading: Review: What Do You Like to Eat?
Graded: Main Courses
Graded: Fruits
Graded: Vegetables and Meat
Graded: Drinks
WEEK 4
I Like Shopping!
Shopping! Shopping! Some people love to go shopping, while others feel it is a headache. Still, shopping is an essential part of our life. In this module, we are going to learn how to express our color and size preference, how to ask about price, and how to bargain. Do you know what the most popular color is in your country? How about in China?
4 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Lecture: What is Your Favorite Color?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: What is Your Favorite Color?
- Video: Lecture: This is Too Big.
- Reading: Extended Exercise: This is Too Big.
- Video: Lecture: How Much is This?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: How Much is This?
- Video: Lecture: It’s Too Expensive!
- Reading: Extended Exercise: It’s Too Expensive!
- Reading: Review: I Like Shopping!
Graded: Colors
Graded: Sizes
Graded: Prices
Graded: Learn to Bargain
WEEK 5
Do You Live in a Big City?
Do you live in a big city or a small town? How do you get to work or school every day? In this module, we are going to learn how to give directions and how to speak about transportation. This module is valuable in case you need to talk about directions with a Chinese friend or you need to go somewhere when you are in China.
4 videos, 2 readings
- Video: Lecture: I Go To Work By Car.
- Video: Lecture: Is There a Supermarket Near Here?
- Video: Lecture: The Bank is on the Left.
- Video: Lecture: How Do I Get to the Underground Station?
- Reading: Extended Exercise: How Do I Get to the Underground Station?
- Reading: Review: Do You Live in a Big City
Graded: Transportation
Graded: Public Places
Graded: Locations and Directions
Graded: Ask For Directions
WEEK 6
How About the Weather?
Weather can influence our daily life and personal health. In this module, we are going to talk about temperature, seasons, and personal health. China is a very big country and the weather can be quite different across regions and seasons; we will learn to talk about all sorts of weather.
4 videos, 2 readings
- Video: Lecture: What is the Temperature Today?
- Video: Lecture: Is it Cold in January?
- Video: Lecture: I Like Spring.
- Video: Lecture: I Caught a Cold.
- Reading: Extended Exercise: I Caught a Cold.
- Reading: Review: How About the Weather?
Graded: Temperature
Graded: Time (3): Months
Graded: Seasons
Graded: Health
WEEK 7
What is Your Hobby?
What do you like to do in your spare time? We have so many choices nowadays and lead such colorful lives. In this module, we are going to talk about weekday pastimes, sports, TV programs, and some other activities related to the internet, reading, music, and travel!
4 videos, 3 readings
- Video: Lecture: What Day is it Today?
- Video: Lecture: I Like Swimming.
- Video: Lecture: I Watch TV News Everyday.
- Video: Lecture: We Can Do a Lot of Things on the Internet.
- Reading: Extended Exercise: We Can Do a Lot of Things on the Internet.
- Reading: Review: What is Your Hobby?
- Reading: Chinese for Beginners-Notes in English
Graded: Time (4): Weeks
Graded: Sports
Graded: TV Programs
Graded: Internet, Books, Music, and Travel
FAQs
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Coursework
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Creators
Peking University
Peking University is determined to make its education openly accessible to students in China and around the world. With over 3000 faculty members, Peking University offers excellence in teaching and learning.
Founded in 1898, Peking University (PKU) was the first national comprehensive university in China. For the past 115 years, with its hundreds of thousands of outstanding alumni, Peking University has made prominent contributions in the humanities and sciences to further China's prosperity and progress.
Ratings and Reviews
She is very good instructor.
Even now i can speak basic Chinese. Thanks Coursera
It's good course to learn Chinese language for beginner.
excelente material, y metodos de estudio muchas gracias!!
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The course gives basic knowledge about Chinese language, and by the time you complete the course, you will be able to understand simple daily conversations. Great course to start learning about Chinese!