Learning Basic Chinese with Park Sang-yong

English is widely used as a common language, but Chinese is among the languages with the most speakers. You hear it in many parts of the world.

It is particularly familiar across Asia. At popular destinations, hearing Chinese spoken around you is an everyday occurrence.

Curiosity and the Frustrations of Travel

I had no plans to study Chinese seriously. A little curiosity, and the inconvenience of not knowing the language while traveling, were enough to make me try.

I began casually with Duolingo. The app let me pick up grammar from examples, but I thought the exercises would be more useful if I first had a book that laid out the basics.

A Beginner’s Grammar Book

At the bookstore, Park Sang-yong’s guide to basic Chinese seemed closest to the level I needed.

It explains basic grammar using vocabulary at about HSK Level 1. That makes it approachable for someone meeting Chinese grammar for the first time.

I was learning out of interest and had no intention of taking the HSK, so the book was about the right depth for me.

A Book You Can Work Through on Your Own

The author addresses beginners in a conversational style. The explanations of core vocabulary and grammar are easy to follow.

The clear writing makes self-study practical. Pronunciation is harder to learn from the page, especially in a language where tones matter.

An app such as Duolingo, or an AI tool you can use on a phone, can provide some of the practice a book alone leaves out.

Readers planning a more intensive course may want more depth. For a first look at the language or a relaxed introduction to basic Chinese, this book is a reasonable place to start.

Book Information

Basic Chinese, Step by Step

Author

Park Sang-yong

Publication date

14 July 2017

ISBN

9791186339299

View book at Kyobo Book Centre

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