» Mandarin Lessons

Quick Mandarin Lessons

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:03:19 +0000

I have put together a series of Mandarin Lessons by sorting through materials out there on cyberspace, which are very useful when complemented with face-to-face follow-up and practice, and some formal lessons.

China is the world’s factory, and a large potential market as well. For entrepreneurs wanting to do business with China, a few words of conversational Mandarin can go a long way.

Here are some interesting simple exercises.

Lesson 1: Counting 1 to 10
Lesson 2: Counting 1 to 999
Lesson 3: The Four Tones of Mandarin
Lesson 4: Learning Pinyin through Song

Pinyin Tone Game – the computer pronounces the sound, and you enter the tone number.
Chinese to English Translation – If you find an unfamiliar Chinese character, enter the character via a mouse input method and find the translation.

Writing the Chinese Character for Love

admin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:57:25 +0000

This is the Chinese symbol for Love. Watch the precise order for the writing strokes.

Learning Chinese Pinyin Through Song

admin — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:51:48 +0000

The Pinyin romanization system is used in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, parts of Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore to teach Mandarin Chinese and internationally to teach Mandarin as a second language. It is also often used to spell Chinese names in foreign publications and can be used to enter Chinese characters (hanzi) on computers and cellphones.

Below is a pinyin chart in western alphabet and the pinyin song.

For those who would like the Chinese Pinyin characters, here is a chart.

The Four Tones of Mandarin

admin — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 02:23:37 +0000

This video clip about the Four Tones of Mandarin is presented by Simon Winchester, the British author of the book “The Man Who Loved China” which brings to life the extraordinary true story of Joseph Needham, the brilliant Cambridge scientist who unlocked the most closely held secrets of China, long the world’s most technologically advanced country.

Mandarin has four tones. Depending on the four tones, a sound can have four different meanings. For example. the sound MA. It can mean Mother – Hemp – Horse or Curse at different tones. First, second, third or fourth tone. Watch this video clip and find out how and why.

Mandarin Counting 1 to 999

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:29:00 +0000

Now that you can count from 1 to 10, let’s explore the theory behind the counting methods and go on to counting from 1 to 999.

Mandarin Counting 1 to 10

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:28:01 +0000

Counting from one to 10 is really simple. I find it simpler than counting in French. Counting after 10 is straightforward, as you simply string words together. Just watch and listen to these children counting.

Next Lesson: Counting from 1 to 999