OpenCourser brand icon
Sign in
We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Course image
Udemy logo

College Mandarin Chinese on Your Own Intermediate Level 1

4.5 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Based on 54 ratings
see reviews
Hong Zeng

This course, College Mandarin Chinese on Your Own Intermediate Level 1 allows you to learn in just one month a full semester's (six months) college Chinese curriculum based on the same range of vocabulary, grammar and situational dialogue topics, and allows you to achieve the same degree of proficiency at the convenience of your home and available time. It is a sequence of my course "College Mandarin Chinese Course on Your Own Beginning Level" published one month ago on Udemy, which is rated as a five-star course, and was praised unanimously by my students as "an extremely thorough and systematic introduction of Chinese language". Through studying this course, you will be able to converse fluently on daily topics such as seeing a doctor; dating and courtship; renting an apartment; popular sports in China and America; Travel; booking air tickets from travel agency; checking in luggage and boarding at the airport; and the historic/mythic origin and real-life practice of major Chinese festivals, etc. in terms of methodology, this course combines the benefits of Rosetta Stone Chinese, classroom teaching, and online Chinese courses and avoid their shortcomings. For example, it adopts the proficiency-based instantaneous instruction-testing methods at every short turn similar to that of Rosetta Stone, but avoids its lack of the presence of a personal instructor as in classroom setting who explains and clarifies; it has a personal instructor as in a classroom teaching and simulates the same degree of teacher-student interaction through its diverse, image-entertaining exercises which are adapted from classroom teaching methods, but avoids shortcomings of classroom teaching: the students' lack of individual attention and practice because of the class size, the hearing of many inaccurate pronunciation of other students,etc; it benefits from the convenience of online teaching, at the same time avoids most online language courses' lack of systematic and thorough introduction of grammar, sound and writing system, as grammar and systematic study are extremely important for the students' ability of re-creating and multiplying of language on their own, and the introduction of sound system is important for the students' accuracy of pronunciation, while the knowledge of writing system can immensely simplifying the students' memory of the written form of Chinese characters.

Read more

This course, College Mandarin Chinese on Your Own Intermediate Level 1 allows you to learn in just one month a full semester's (six months) college Chinese curriculum based on the same range of vocabulary, grammar and situational dialogue topics, and allows you to achieve the same degree of proficiency at the convenience of your home and available time. It is a sequence of my course "College Mandarin Chinese Course on Your Own Beginning Level" published one month ago on Udemy, which is rated as a five-star course, and was praised unanimously by my students as "an extremely thorough and systematic introduction of Chinese language". Through studying this course, you will be able to converse fluently on daily topics such as seeing a doctor; dating and courtship; renting an apartment; popular sports in China and America; Travel; booking air tickets from travel agency; checking in luggage and boarding at the airport; and the historic/mythic origin and real-life practice of major Chinese festivals, etc. in terms of methodology, this course combines the benefits of Rosetta Stone Chinese, classroom teaching, and online Chinese courses and avoid their shortcomings. For example, it adopts the proficiency-based instantaneous instruction-testing methods at every short turn similar to that of Rosetta Stone, but avoids its lack of the presence of a personal instructor as in classroom setting who explains and clarifies; it has a personal instructor as in a classroom teaching and simulates the same degree of teacher-student interaction through its diverse, image-entertaining exercises which are adapted from classroom teaching methods, but avoids shortcomings of classroom teaching: the students' lack of individual attention and practice because of the class size, the hearing of many inaccurate pronunciation of other students,etc; it benefits from the convenience of online teaching, at the same time avoids most online language courses' lack of systematic and thorough introduction of grammar, sound and writing system, as grammar and systematic study are extremely important for the students' ability of re-creating and multiplying of language on their own, and the introduction of sound system is important for the students' accuracy of pronunciation, while the knowledge of writing system can immensely simplifying the students' memory of the written form of Chinese characters.

Through your persistent study in this sequence of college Mandarin Chinese courses at beginning, intermediate and advanced level, you will truly be able to learn three years' college Chinese curriculum in just six months and save 30000 dollars of college tuition and achieve the same degree of proficiency. You will be equipped to learn further in specialized Chinese such as business Chinese and advanced level of cultural and social Chinese with me in my future published courses. Through learning this sequence of courses, middle and high school students will be well-placed in Chinese AP test and college placement test, college students can save tons of tuition while speeding up learning process. Any open learner would acquire a truly systematic and thorough knowledge and skill (both spoken and written) in Mandarin Chinese. As the students in my previous course in this language sequence proclaimed enthusiastically, "it really works. "

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objective

Learn one semester's intermediate college chinese curriculum in just 1 month based on the same range of vocabulary, grammar and situational dialogue topics; be able to converse fluently on daily topics such as seeing a doctor; dating and courtship; renting an apartment; popular sports in china and america; travel; buying air ticket from travel agency; check-in luggage and seeing people off at the airport; the kinship terms of the extended chinese family; the historic/mythic origin and real-life practice of major chinese festivals; being able to write 600 chinese written characters.

Syllabus

introduce the significance of the course and provide a detailed, must-read study guide in the resource section

This lecture introduces myself, my course, and why this online course can greatly speed up language learning process. The study guide in the resource section is a must-read guide on how to study this course in terms of methodology and schedule.

Read more

This lecture teaches and practices the vocabulary and grammar of lesson 15 dialogue 1.

Imitate as closely as possible my pronunciation as you read after me and memorize the sound, meaning and usage of vocabulary (not written form yet), (you may pause the slide to ensure you memorize them) so that in the very next page you can do oral exercises with these learned vocabularies out of memory. Make sure do each oral exercise on your own before I provide the correcting answer. In the resource part, I provide a PDF version of this lecture for your future easy reference and review.


This lecture is on text practice: before going through the video, read carefully the PDF version of the text in the resource section to make sure you understand the text you are going to practice. Then watch the video, read the text after me twice, sentence by sentence, to ensure the accuracy of your pronunciation, for the third time just listen to my reading and answer question about the text (better not look at the text), and then listen to my correcting answer.

This is an acting video of lesson 15 dialogue 1. Enjoy, practice listening comprehension with it, and you can also repeat after the sentences.

Same as the description in lesson 15 dialogue 1 vocabulary and grammar.

Same as the instruction in lesson 15 dialogue 1 text practice.

This is a reviewing video of dialogue 1 and 2 turned into narrative form, observe the pronunciation and practice listening comprehension with it, at the same time review the vocabulary and grammar in this lesson in the context. You may speak after each sentence or key phrase as you listen along, and when you finish, speak a paragraph based on the same topic on your own according to your own life experience.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Builds upon a foundation of basic Mandarin, allowing learners to expand their conversational abilities and delve into more complex topics
Prepares learners for advanced placement tests by covering a full semester of college-level Mandarin Chinese curriculum in a condensed format
Designed as a direct continuation of the instructor's previous course, ensuring a seamless transition and building upon previously learned concepts
Employs a systematic approach to grammar, sound, and writing, which is beneficial for learners who want to understand the underlying structure of the language
Explores cultural topics such as Chinese festivals, providing learners with insights into Chinese traditions and customs alongside language acquisition
Requires learners to have already completed a beginning level course, which may pose a barrier to entry for some students

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
Save

Reviews summary

College intermediate mandarin level 1

According to learners, this course offers a systematic and thorough approach to intermediate Mandarin, covering essential daily topics through practical dialogues. Students appreciate the clear explanations of vocabulary and grammar. However, be prepared for a very fast pace, as it aims to cover a semester's material in one month, which means the course is dense and requires a significant time commitment. The course attempts to combine various learning methods, providing diverse exercises and simulating interaction.
Instructor provides clear explanations.
"The instructor's explanations are very clear and easy to understand."
"Grammar points are explained thoroughly."
"Vocabulary usage and nuances are well-clarified."
Covers useful topics for real-life conversations.
"The dialogues on topics like renting, travel, and dating are immediately applicable."
"I found the vocabulary and conversation scenarios very practical for daily use."
"It focuses on conversational fluency which is exactly what I needed."
Provides a clear, logical path for learning grammar.
"The systematic breakdown of grammar is incredibly helpful and easy to follow."
"I appreciate the organized structure that builds step-by-step."
"This course provides a solid framework for understanding intermediate Chinese concepts."
Dense material requires significant dedication.
"There is a lot of material packed into this course, requiring diligent study."
"It's very dense; you need to commit serious time to keep up."
"Be prepared for the high volume of vocabulary and grammar points introduced."
The course is very intensive and moves quickly.
"This course moves very quickly, covering a large amount of material in a short time."
"Be ready for an intense study schedule; it's challenging but efficient."
"I felt the pace was a bit overwhelming at times due to the sheer volume."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in College Mandarin Chinese on Your Own Intermediate Level 1 with these activities:
Review Beginning Mandarin Chinese
Reviewing basic Mandarin Chinese vocabulary and grammar will strengthen your foundation for this intermediate course.
Show steps
  • Review vocabulary from a beginner's textbook or online resource.
  • Practice basic sentence structures and grammar rules.
  • Listen to simple Mandarin conversations and try to understand them.
Read 'Basic Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook'
Reading a grammar workbook will help reinforce the grammatical concepts covered in the course.
View The Chinese Lexicon on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the grammar explanations for each lesson.
  • Complete the exercises in the workbook.
  • Check your answers and review any mistakes.
Practice dialogues with a language partner
Practicing dialogues with a partner will improve your pronunciation and fluency in speaking Mandarin Chinese.
Show steps
  • Find a language partner who is also learning Mandarin Chinese.
  • Choose dialogues from the course materials to practice.
  • Take turns reading each role in the dialogue.
  • Provide feedback to each other on pronunciation and grammar.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Write a short paragraph in Chinese
Writing in Chinese will help you solidify your understanding of grammar and vocabulary.
Show steps
  • Choose a topic related to the course materials, such as travel or daily life.
  • Write a short paragraph of about 100-150 characters in Chinese.
  • Use vocabulary and grammar learned in the course.
  • Check your work for errors and revise as needed.
Create flashcards for new vocabulary
Creating flashcards will help you memorize new vocabulary words more effectively.
Show steps
  • Write the Chinese character on one side of the flashcard.
  • Write the pinyin and English definition on the other side.
  • Review the flashcards regularly to reinforce your memory.
Explore 'Remembering Simplified Hanzi'
Using mnemonics to memorize characters will help you retain the characters you learn in this course.
View Melania on Amazon
Show steps
  • Read the introduction to understand the mnemonic system.
  • Work through the lessons, creating stories for each character.
  • Review the characters regularly to reinforce your memory.
Watch Chinese TV shows or movies with subtitles
Watching Chinese TV shows or movies will improve your listening comprehension and expose you to authentic language use.
Show steps
  • Choose a TV show or movie that is appropriate for your level.
  • Watch the show or movie with Chinese subtitles.
  • Pay attention to the vocabulary and grammar used in the show or movie.
  • Look up any words or phrases that you don't understand.

Career center

Learners who complete College Mandarin Chinese on Your Own Intermediate Level 1 will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Translator
A translator converts written material from one language into another. This College Mandarin Chinese course helps you build a foundation in Mandarin, specifically at the intermediate level. Having a strong grasp of the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural nuances presented will facilitate accurate and effective translation. The course's focus on situational dialogues, such as travel and booking air tickets, provides practical language skills relevant to the demands of a translator.
See salaries and explore the career path for Translator
Foreign Correspondent
A foreign correspondent reports news from a foreign country. This College Mandarin Chinese course helps by imparting intermediate-level Mandarin skills, especially regarding daily topics and cultural practices. For a foreign correspondent stationed in China, the ability to converse fluently on topics like travel, sports, and Chinese festivals is invaluable for gathering information and building rapport with sources. The course's focus on grammar and vocabulary also helps understanding written materials and official communications.
See salaries and explore the career path for Foreign Correspondent
Diplomat
A diplomat represents their country's interests abroad through negotiation and diplomacy. This College Mandarin Chinese course builds a foundation in Mandarin, enabling diplomats to communicate effectively with Chinese counterparts. The course's emphasis on cultural understanding is crucial for building rapport and fostering positive relationships. Lessons include travel, culture, and seeing a doctor.
See salaries and explore the career path for Diplomat
Tour Guide
A tour guide leads groups of tourists, providing information about the sites and culture. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be useful, as it imparts the ability to converse fluently on topics such as travel, sports, and cultural festivals. The course's focus on practical language skills and cultural knowledge may enhance your ability to provide engaging and informative tours to Chinese-speaking visitors.
See salaries and explore the career path for Tour Guide
Localization Specialist
A localization specialist adapts products or content for a specific locale or market. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be useful, specifically its focus on cultural context and situational dialogues. Understanding the nuances of Chinese language and culture is crucial for accurately localizing content for the Chinese market. The course lessons on topics such as Chinese festivals provide valuable insight into cultural sensitivities and preferences. The course also emphasizes practical language skills.
See salaries and explore the career path for Localization Specialist
Interpreter
An interpreter conveys spoken messages from one language to another in real-time. This College Mandarin Chinese course may provide a practical foundation, particularly its emphasis on conversational fluency in daily topics, such as seeing a doctor or renting an apartment. The course's methodology, which combines elements of immersion and structured grammar study, may help develop both fluency and accuracy, which are essential for an interpreter. The lessons in the course are based on college-level curriculum.
See salaries and explore the career path for Interpreter
International Business Consultant
An international business consultant advises companies on how to operate in international markets. This College Mandarin Chinese course may provide a strong foundation, because the course focuses on practical communication skills, vocabulary, and business-related scenarios, such as travel and logistics. This would enable the business consultant to better understand and navigate the Chinese business landscape. It provides cultural context as well.
See salaries and explore the career path for International Business Consultant
Intelligence Specialist
An intelligence specialist gathers and analyzes information for national security purposes. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be beneficial, because it focuses on practical language skills and cultural context. The course's emphasis on grammar and vocabulary may enable an intelligence specialist to extract relevant insights from Mandarin Chinese sources. Lessons focus on culture, too.
See salaries and explore the career path for Intelligence Specialist
Immigration Officer
An immigration officer processes visa applications and manages the entry and exit of individuals into a country. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be helpful. The course's focus on practical language skills, specifically in areas such as travel and airport procedures, is directly applicable. The course's training in cultural context also allows those in the role to be more understanding.
See salaries and explore the career path for Immigration Officer
Market Research Analyst
A market research analyst studies market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. This College Mandarin Chinese course provides a foundation, especially in language and culture. The course's emphasis on practical language skills and cultural context may enable a market research analyst to better understand Chinese consumer behavior and preferences. The course lessons may prove beneficial when going into these areas.
See salaries and explore the career path for Market Research Analyst
Cultural Attaché
A cultural attaché promotes cultural exchange and understanding between countries. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be significant. The course's content on Chinese festivals provides a solid foundation for representing Chinese culture to others. The course's emphasis on practical language skills and cultural understanding would be helpful in facilitating communication and building relationships.
See salaries and explore the career path for Cultural Attaché
Archivist
An archivist appraises, collects, and preserves historical documents and records. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be helpful, especially with the emphasis on the Chinese language. The archivist may learn how to read historical documents or other records. There are also lessons that focus on Chinese festivals.
See salaries and explore the career path for Archivist
ESL Teacher
An ESL teacher instructs non-native speakers in the English language. While this College Mandarin Chinese course focuses on learning Chinese, understanding the structure and nuances of another language can inform how you approach teaching English to speakers of other languages. In particular, learning about Chinese grammar and vocabulary, as well as the cultural context of the language, may help you anticipate and address the challenges that Chinese speakers might face when learning English. Gaining insight into the teaching methods of this course may improve your lessons.
See salaries and explore the career path for ESL Teacher
Librarian
A librarian helps people find information and resources. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be helpful. The knowledge of the Chinese language and culture provides insight into the needs of Chinese-speaking library patrons. This course also emphasizes the importance of the written word, which will make the librarian more appreciative.
See salaries and explore the career path for Librarian
Technical Writer
A technical writer creates user manuals, guides, and other documentation. This College Mandarin Chinese course may be applicable, the course's focus on learning Mandarin Chinese. This may allow the specialist to be able to translate technical material. Its lessons on grammar and vocabulary also makes it a comprehensive course to learn from.
See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Writer

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in College Mandarin Chinese on Your Own Intermediate Level 1.
Cover image
The Chinese Lexicon
Save
Provides a comprehensive overview of Mandarin Chinese grammar, suitable for learners at the beginner and lower intermediate levels. It useful reference for reinforcing grammatical concepts covered in the course. The workbook format allows for active practice and solidifies understanding. While not directly aligned with the course's specific lessons, it offers valuable supplementary material for grammar mastery.
The Chinese Lexicon
Paperback
$$$
The Chinese Lexicon: A Comprehensive Survey
Kindle Edition
$$$

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:
Facebook
LinkedIn
Reddit
X
Link
Email

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Course image
Rating
4.5 Filled star Filled star Filled star Filled star Half star
Effort
6.5 total hours
Via
Udemy
Instructor
Hong Zeng
Language
English
Traffic lights
Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Builds upon a foundation of basic Mandarin, allowing learners to expand their conversational abilities and delve into more complex topics
Prepares learners for advanced placement tests by covering a full semester of college-level Mandarin Chinese curriculum in a condensed format
Designed as a direct continuation of the instructor's previous course, ensuring a seamless transition and building upon previously learned concepts
Employs a systematic approach to grammar, sound, and writing, which is beneficial for learners who want to understand the underlying structure of the language
Explores cultural topics such as Chinese festivals, providing learners with insights into Chinese traditions and customs alongside language acquisition
Requires learners to have already completed a beginning level course, which may pose a barrier to entry for some students
Share this
Share to help others discover this course.
Facebook LinkedIn X Reddit Link Email
Begin learning today
Enroll now to gain full access to College Mandarin Chinese on Your Own Intermediate Level 1.
Enroll now
Save for later
Add this course to your list. Find it anytime.
Save
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser