COURSES

Mandarin 4-5 & Reading 1 or 100 hours of prior study

Knowledge of 100 characters

Topics:

• What’s your plan for the weekend
• When will he come back
• There are plenty of drinks on the table
• She always smiles when talking to customers
• I am getting heavier
• Why are they suddenly missing
• I have known her for five years

Grammar:

• Result complement ‘hao’
• Negative structure ‘not … at all’
• Conjunction ‘na’
• Directional complement
• Successive occurrence of two actions
• Rhetoric question ‘neng … ma’
• Comparison of ‘haishi’ and ‘huozhe’
• Expression of existence
• Possibility indicator ‘hui’
• Structure of ‘you…you…’
• Accompanying action V1+ zhe+ V2
• Change indicator ‘le’
• Structure of ‘yue lai yue…’
• Possibility complement V+de, V+bu
• Casual question word for location ‘ne’
• Comparison of ‘gang’ and ‘gangcai’
• Express a period of time
• Express interest
• Clock time expressions

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Talk about leisure plans
• Organise outing activities
• Make telephone calls
• Discuss weather and climate
• Do daily shopping
• Describe appearance and personality
• Describe sickness and see a doctor
• Organise travel plans and transport
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know Chinese traditional sports

Mandarin 5 & Reading 1 or 120 hours of prior study

Knowledge of 150 characters

Topics:

• I will go wherever you go
• She speaks Chinese like a native speaker
• Mathematics is much harder than history
• Don’t forget to turn off the air conditioner
• Leave the important items with me
• I walked back
• Please pass me the fruits

Grammar:

• Comparison of adverbs ‘you’ and ‘zai’
• Interrogative pronouns 1
• Structure of ‘yue A yue B’
• Comparative sentences ‘A gen B yiyang’
• Comparative sentences ‘A bi B+ adj +modification
• Expression of approximate numbers
• ‘Ba’ sentences
• Adv ‘cai’ and ‘jiu’
• Compound directional complement
• Structure of ‘yibian… yibian…’
• Sequence sentences, ‘xian…zai/you… ranhou…’

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Describe house layout
• Host guests at home
• Give advice on diet and health
• Discuss language learning issues
• Talk about school subjects
• Make comparison
• Talk about packing and luggage for travel
• Describe locations and directions
• Describe daily activities and house chores
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know traditional Chinese wedding custom

Mandarin 5-6 & Reading 1 or 140 hours of prior study

Knowledge of 200 characters

Topics:

• The rest are alright
• I am so tired that…
• Doing sports is important
• I believe they will agree
• Don’t you recognise him
• I have been influenced by him

Grammar:

• Structure ‘chule…yiwai, hai/ye/dou…’
• Interrogative pronouns 2
• Degree indicator ‘jile’
• Structures of ‘if…’
• Complex complements of state
• Reduplication of single syllable words ‘AA de, BB de’
• Reduplication of disyllable verbs
• Interrogative pronouns 3
• Structure ‘zhiyao… jiu…’
• Preposition ‘guanyu’
• Extension of directional complements
• Comparison of ‘shi’, ‘rang’, ‘jiao’
• Passive voice with ‘bei’
• Structure of ‘zhiyou…cai…’

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Make comments
• Give advice on language learning
• Make complain about daily life
• Talk about colleagues and other people
• Give advice on sports, exercise and health
• Talk about raising pets
• Attend job interviews
• Talk about change of appearance
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know Chinese gift giving taboos

Mandarin 6-7 & Reading 2 or 160 hours of prior study

Knowledge of 300 characters

Topics:

• Simple love
• A true friend
• I have made a good impression on the manager
• Don’t be anxious to make money
• Buy the right, not the expensive

Grammar:

• 不仅。。。也/还/而且。。。
• 从来
• 刚vs刚才
• 即使。。。也。。。
• 在。。。上
• 正好
• 差不多vs几乎
• 尽管。。。却。。。
• 却
• 而
• 挺+adj
• 本来
• 另外vs另
• 首次。。。其次。。。再次。。。
• 原来vs本来
• 并
• 按照
• 甚至
• 肯定
• 再说
• 实际/实际上
• 对。。。来说
• 尤其vs特别

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Discuss relationship and marriage
• Know about Chinese traditional Qixi Festival
• Discuss friends and friendship
• Talk about recruitment and job interview
• Know about Chinese traditional tunic suit and cheongsam
• Discuss business and company culture
• Talk about consuming habits
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common saying

Mandarin 7 & Reading 2 or 180 hours of prior study

Knowledge of 400 characters

Topics:

• The higher price, the better the quality
• The best doctor is yourself
• Beauty is not rare in life
• The sun will shine again after storm
• Standard of happiness

Grammar:

• 竟然。。。
• X倍
• 值得/值
• 其中
• 在。。。下
• 估计vs可能
• 来不及/来得及
• 离合词重叠用法
• 要是。。。
• 既。。。又/也/还。。。
• 使
• 只要。。。就。。。
• 可不是
• 因此/所以
• 往往 vs常常vs经常
• 难道。。。
• 通过vs经过
• 可是
• 结果
• 上
• 不过vs但是vs可是
• 确实
• 在。。。看来
• 由于
• 比如

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Do shopping and bargaining
• Give advice on good habits and health
• Know about Taiji and Taijiquan
• Discuss transportation and traffic conditions
• Discuss colours and personalities
• Discuss diet and sports
• Discuss the secret of success
• Debate on issues of life and happiness
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common sayings

Mandarin 7-8 & Reading 2 or 200 hours of prior study

Knowledge of 500 characters

Topics:

• It’s good to read
• Discover the world with your heart
• Watching Beijing opera
• Protect our mother earth
• The art of educating children

Grammar:

• 连。。。也/都。。。
• 无论/不管
• 并且
• 再。。。也。。。
• 对于vs关于
• 大概vs也许
• 偶尔
• 由
• 进行
• 随着
• 够
• 以
• 既然。。。就。。。
• 于是vs因此
• A, B, C什么的
• 想起来
• 弄
• 千万vs一定
• 来
• 左右vs大概

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Discuss reading habits
• Discuss exams
• Know about some classic work in Chinese literature
• Talk about life experience
• Know about Confucius’ education ideas
• Talk about Beijing opera
• Talk about Chinese tea culture and chopsticks
• Discuss pollution and environment issues
• Discuss children’s education issues
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common saying

Mandarin 8 & Reading 2 or 220 hours of prior study

Knowledge of 600 characters

Topics:

• Life can be better
• Humans and nature
• Science, technology and the world
• Taste of life
• The view along the way

Grammar:

• 可
• 恐怕vs怕
• 到底
• 拿。。。来说
• 敢
• 倒
• 干
• 趟vs次
• 为了。。。而。。。
• 仍然
• 是否
• 受不了/受得了
• 接着vs然后
• 除此之外
• 把。。。叫做。。。
• 疑问代词活指用法
• 上
• 出来vs起来
• 总的来说
• 在于
• V+着+V着
• 一。。。就。。。
• 究竟vs到底
• 起来
• V+起

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Discuss young peoples’ lives in China
• Discuss nature issues
• Discuss panda and other endangered animals
• Discuss new technology and its impact
• Talk about ordinary peoples’ lives
• Talk about travel experiences
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common sayings

Mandarin Advanced 1

Knowledge of 700 characters

Topics:

• Details of love
• Leaving a bunch of keys to our parents
• Choices make change possible
• Zilu carrying rice
• Spring water in Ji’nan
• Origin of Chuxi

Grammar:

• 如何vs怎么
• 靠
• 居然
• 以来
• 临
• 立刻vs马上
• 悄悄vs偷偷
• 包括
• 各自
• 勿
• 时刻
• 舒适vs舒服
• 至今
• 顶
• 。。。得+不行
• 反而
• 满足vs满意
• 从而
• 于
• 为(wéi)
• 起来
• 替
• 说不定
• 似的
• 纷纷
• 打听vs询问

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Discuss relationship and marriage
• Discuss the generation gap issues
• Discuss children’s education issues
• Discuss the filial concept
• Discuss traditional Chinese festivals
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common sayings

Mandarin Advanced 1

Knowledge of 800 characters

Topics:

• Two idiom stories
• Three at dawn and four at dusk
• Lu Xun that you don’t know
• Miracle of debate
• Harm of alarm clock
• Overseas users of wechat

Grammar:

• 瞎
• 分别
• 根
• 便
• 忽然vs突然
• 倒
• 。。。来。。。去
• 要不
• 彼此vs互相
• 算
• 作为
• 曾经
• 亲自vs自己
• 毕竟
• 逐渐vs渐渐
• 或许
• 显示vs显得
• 来/过来
• 所
• 相当
• 数
• 持续vs继续
• 以及
• 程度
• 发达vs发展

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Know stories of Chinese idioms
• Know the story behind the Chinese restaurant Guangheju
• Debate on the social issues
• Discuss lifestyles and everyday habits
• Discuss telecommunication and social media
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common sayings

Mandarin Advanced 2

Knowledge of 1,000 characters

Topics:

• Cutting off the ‘Bottom of the basket’ in life
• Quadrangle courtyards in Beijing
• Being an armchair strategist
• Weight and diet
• Ending at the best moment
• Abstract art: beautiful or ugly?

Grammar:

• 何况
• 何必
• 多亏
• 激烈vs强烈
• 所谓
• 则
• 为。。。所。。。
• 起
• 通常vs常常
• 过
• 迟早
• 再三
• 即
• 个别
• 非
• 临时vs暂时
• 以
• 平常
• 宁可
• 极其
• 其余
• 可见
• 目前vs现在

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Talk about the origin of basketball
• Talk about quadrangle courtyards in Beijing
• Know the story behind idiom –纸上谈兵
• Discuss diet and health issues
• Talk about abstract art
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common sayings

Mandarin Advanced 2

Knowledge of 1,000 characters

Topics:

• Turnip pancakes in my hometown
• Picture story book stalls
• Uncle Hanzi
• Reading and thinking
• Letting go
• Volunteer teaching

Grammar:

• 般/闻/趁
• 动词+得/不+起
• 支
• 凭
• 硬
• 偶然
• 尽快
• 一旦
• 难免
• 自从
• 一致
• 某
• 幸亏
• 行动
• 义务

Outcomes:

You will be able to:

• Talk about traditional Chinese cuisine
• Talk about the stories of Chinese characters
• Discuss reading and thinking issues
• Discuss young people’s education
• Discuss some volunteer work
• Know more characters and vocabularies
• Know more idioms, slangs and common sayings