Chinese

CHINESE PROGRAMME

Why Learn Chinese? It is because one-fifth of the planet speaks Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin Chinese is the mother tongue of over one billion people, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world.
Learning Chinese gives you a better understanding through the grammar and even how the Chinese words are derived of the culture behind them.
We designed to provide an insight to Mandarin as a language and the understanding of Chinese culture.

We designed to provide an insight to Mandarin as a language and the understanding of Chinese culture.
We are using an interactive and communicative approach to teaching the language. Students are expected to be able to communicate in Mandarin both in conversational and writing in simple daily situations (e.g. talk about nationality, family, study, appointment in Chinese) after taking the level one course.

For Whom Pre-requisites Assessments Durations Instructor

For Whom

Chinese Language Learning Outcome

The Chinese Language courses are designed and structured for the busy working professional who aspires to attain language mastery in the Chinese Language.
Competencies achieved through attending the progressive courses are useful to building confidence so as to enable the individual to speak, understand and read basic syntax in the newly-acquired language focus.
Courses are designed in a structured and coherent manner, positioned from an adult perspective so that they closely address and match the adults’ learner’s quest for continuing education.

Successful completion of the language competencies are contingent upon participants’ consistency in attendance, and the dedication of time to practice after each class session.

A certificate of proficiency is awarded to participants who successfully complete Chinese 3.

Pre-requisites

NO MINIMUM STANDARD REQUIRED FOR EMBARKING ON THE COURSE

The Chinese Language courses are designed in progression from Level 1 to Level 3. This corresponds to a beginner in the language focus to roughly the equivalent of Beginner Level.

No specific pre-requisites are needed to enroll in Level 1. However, people who have intention to join mid-stage in the series of Levels are advised to conduct the placement test.

Please contact us at clslang@nus.edu.sg for the placement test.

Below are the placement test topics for Chinese Level 4 and above. There will be plagiarism (turn-it-in) checking your submitted essay. Please write the essay by yourself and email to clslang@nus.edu.sg for assessment.

Chinese Level 4
The test is one hour. The essay should be at least 200 Chinese characters. The topic is ”我最倒霉的一天”.

Chinese Level 5 and above
The test is one hour. The essay should be at least 250 Chinese characters. The topic is “保护环境就是保护我们自己。请说说你的看法。”.

Assessments

INCORPORATING ASSESSMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Each courses of content comprises some 30 hours, incorporating assessments and assignments. For each of the levels from 1 to 3, there will be an assessment (pass or fail) set for students to gauge their ability and readiness to continue onto the next higher level in Chinese Language.

Certificates of Participation will be granted to participants who have attended at least 70% of the classes.

Certificates of Achievement will be granted to participants who have attended at least 70% of the classes and successfully passed the final assessment.

Proficiency Certificates will be granted to individuals who have successfully completed three consecutive levels, encompassing Levels 1 to 3, Levels 4 to 6, and Levels 7 to Level 9.

Durations

Instructor

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Full Courses Descriptions (Course Topics)

LEVEL 1 (Weekdays) LEVEL 2 (Weekdays) LEVEL 1 (Saturdays) LEVEL 2 (Saturdays) LEVEL 3 LEVEL 4 LEVEL 5 LEVEL 6

LEVEL 1 (Weekdays)

CHINESE LEVEL 1

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: 7 January 2025	Course End Date: 18 March 2025
Material Cost: Fresh Student - TBA	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: 7pm to 830pm, every Tuesday & Thursday for 10 weeks
Registration Start: 26 October 2024	Registration Deadline: 25 November 2024	Course Schedule

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2016503381*** Learn more

This course is approved by National Silver Academy (NSA). Singapore Citizens aged 50 and above will be eligible for a subsidy of up to 50% off the course fee. For more information on NSA, please visit www.nsa.org.sg

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

This course has no pre-requisites and is meant for participants with no prior knowledge of the target language. Participants with prior knowledge (including spoken proficiency) are advised to contact CLS to take a placement test.

Course Description:
This is a beginners' course consisting three main components: Chinese Hanyu Pinyin, basic conversation and simplified Chinese character writing.
Hanyu Pinyin is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese in mainland China and Singapore. It is often used to teach Standard Mandarin Chinese, allowing non-native speaker to quickly grapse the pronunciation of the words. Vocabulary, phrases, sentence patterns will be taught to help students master basic conversation and acquire communicative skills to deal with simple daily situations.

Course Content:
Students will be engaging in tasks to achieve the following communicative functions:

Greetings.
Introducing yourself and others.
Talking about job, nationality, identity.
Asking for permission.
Looking for someone.
Making comments and suggestions.
Meeting people for the first time.
Introducing your family.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Achieve a basic understanding in the use of Hanyu Pinyin
2. Understand the use of vocabulary, simple short phrases, and sentence patterns to be able to comprehend and react to simple daily situations

Required Textbook:
Liu Xun (2010,2nd.Ed.)New Practical Chinese Reader Vol. 1 (Textbook and Workbook) , Beijing Language Culture University Press.

LEVEL 2 (Weekdays)

CHINESE LEVEL 2

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: 7 January 2025	Course End Date: 18 March 2025
Material Cost: Fresh Student - TBA	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: 7pm to 830pm, every Tuesday & Thursday for 10 weeks
Registration Start: 26 October 2024	Registration Deadline: 25 November 2024	Course Schedule

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2016503382*** Learn more

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

Course Description:
This course is a continuation of Chinese 1. Emphasis is placed on listening, speaking, reading and the basic writing of Chinese characters for this course. It consists of three main components: conversation, grammar and simplified Chinese character writing. More simplified Chinese characters will be introduced. Students will get to learn new words, phrases and sentences to strengthen students’ communicative ability. A revision of Hanyu Pinyin will assist to enhance students’ pronunciation.

Course Content:
Students will be engaging in tasks to achieve the following communicative functions:
1. Birthday Celebration
2. Asking someone about their Age
3. Making an Appointment
4. Shopping and bargaining
5. Asking for the Prices
6. Telling Date and Time
7. Describing Daily Activities
8. Talking about Illness Symptoms
9. Seeing a Doctor
10. Renting a House

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Achieve a strong foundation in the use of Hanyu Pinyin
2. Understand the use of grammar and simple short phrases, building blocks of the Chinese characters
3. Gain confidence in speaking, reading and writing

Required Textbook:
Liu Xun (2010,2nd.Ed.)New Practical Chinese Reader Vol. 1 (Textbook and Workbook) , Beijing Language Culture University Press.

LEVEL 1 (Saturdays)

CHINESE LEVEL 1

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: 11 January 2025	Course End Date: 15 March 2025
Material Cost: Fresh Student - TBA	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: 9am to 12pm, every Saturday for 10 weeks
Registration Start: 26 October 2024	Registration Deadline: 25 November 2024	Course Schedule

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2016503381*** Learn more

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

Course Content:
Students will be engaging in tasks to achieve the following communicative functions:

Greetings.
Introducing yourself and others.
Talking about job, nationality, identity.
Asking for permission.
Looking for someone.
Making comments and suggestions.
Meeting people for the first time.
Introducing your family.

Required Textbook:
Liu Xun (2010,2nd.Ed.)New Practical Chinese Reader Vol. 1 (Textbook and Workbook) , Beijing Language Culture University Press.

LEVEL 2 (Saturdays)

CHINESE LEVEL 2

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: 11 January 2025	Course End Date: 15 March 2025
Material Cost: Fresh Student - TBA	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: 2pm to 5pm, every Saturday for 10 weeks
Registration Start: 26 October 2024	Registration Deadline: 25 November 2024	Course Schedule

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2016503382*** Learn more

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

Required Textbook:
Liu Xun (2010,2nd.Ed.)New Practical Chinese Reader Vol. 1 (Textbook and Workbook) , Beijing Language Culture University Press.

LEVEL 3

CHINESE LEVEL 3

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: 11 January 2025	Course End Date: 15 March 2025
Material Cost: Fresh and Continuing Student - TBA	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: 9am to 12pm, every Saturday for 10 weeks
Registration Start: 26 October 2024	Registration Deadline: 25 November 2024	Course Schedule

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2016503383*** Learn more

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

Course Description:
This course is a continuation of Chinese 2. It consists of three main components: conversation, grammar and simplified Chinese characters’ writing. More new words, phrases and sentences will be introduced to strengthen students’ communicative ability. Additionally, short texts will be taught to improve students’ speaking and reading skills. Students will be able to understand Chinese culture through the short texts learning.

Course Content:
Students will be engaging in tasks to achieve the following communicative functions:
1. Planning for Travel
2. Talking about Location and Position
3. Giving Opinions
4. Providing Reasons
5. Describing Distance

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Achieve a strong foundation in the language to be able to move on to higher level learning
2. Gain insight about grammar and sentence construction, building blocks of the Chinese characters
3. Gain confidence in speaking, reading and writing
4. Appreciation of the Chinese culture

Required Textbook:
Liping, Jiang (2010) HSK Standard Course 2 Textbook & Workbook

LEVEL 4

CHINESE LEVEL 4

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: TBC	Course End Date: TBC
Material Cost: Fresh and Continuing Student - $50 inclusive of delivery	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: TBC
Registration Start: TBC	Registration Deadline: TBC

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2016503384*** Learn more

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

Course Description:
This course is a continuation of Chinese 3. Based on the Chinese characters and words learnt from the foundation levels, new phrases and idioms will be introduced to strengthen students’ communicative ability. Additionally, short stories will be introduced to improve students’ speaking and reading skills. Students will be able to understand Chinese culture through the short texts learning.

Course Content:
Students will be engaging in tasks to achieve the following communicative functions:
1. Giving Suggestions
2. Talking about Hobbies
3. Providing Advice
4. Making Comparison
5. Telling Direction

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Appreciate and understand the use of Chinese idioms
2. Gain confidence in sight reading and vocal pronunciation of words and sentences
3. Appreciate Chinese culture through the short text learning

Required Textbook:
Liping, Jiang (2010) HSK Standard Course 2 Textbook & Workbook

LEVEL 5

CHINESE LEVEL 5

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: TBC	Course End Date: TBC
Material Cost: Fresh and Continuing Student - TBC	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: TBC
Registration Start: TBC	Registration Deadline: TBC

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2019507978*** Learn more

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

This course is a continuation of Chinese 4. Based on the Chinese characters and words they have learned, short articles will be introduced in this course. Students will also be trained in listening to broadcast materials, speech skills as well as short essay writing.

Course Content:
Students will be engaging in tasks to achieve the following communicative functions:
1. Planning for Weekend Activities
2. Talking about the Direction of Action
3. Telling the Location of an Object
4. Describing a Person
5. Talking about the Changes

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Form grammatically correct sentences
2. Read short passages
3. Tune in and comprehend simple broadcast from the TV & radio
4. Able to write short passage

Required Textbook:
TBA

LEVEL 6

CHINESE LEVEL 6

Course Fee: Full fee: $654 \| Fee after NSA subsidy: $354	Course Start Date: TBC	Course End Date: TBC
Material Cost: Fresh Student - TBC , Continuing Student - TBC (Purchase/collection/delivery to be advised)	Venue: Online Class (As this is an online course, the use of webcam will be compulsory for everyone.)	Schedule: TBC
Registration Start: TBC	Registration Deadline: TBC

All self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above may use available funds in their SkillsFuture Credit account to pay their course fees.
SFC Course Code: ***TGS-2019507979*** Learn more

For NUS Alumni/Staff/ Student, there will be a 10% discount off the course fee before GST.

Course Description:
This course is a continuation of Chinese Level 5 aiming at strengthening learners’ communicative competence using an integrated approach. Through the exposure to a variety of authentic communicative tasks, learners will be able to deepen their knowledge of the target language, skills, socio economics, socio cultural, as well as intercultural competence.

Course Content:
1. Emphasis is placed on the communicative function and the training of the four language skills (speaking, listening, reading & writing).
2. Systematically introducing drills and exercises will allow students to master the necessary grammatical knowledge and rules for word and sentence formation.
3. Students will also be trained in listening to broadcast materials, speech skills as well as short essay writing.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Form gramatically correct sentences
2. Tune in and comprehend simple broadcast from the TV & radio
4. Write short essay with more confidence

Required Textbook:
Ma Jianfei (2013), Great Wall Chinese - Essentials in Communication (Textbook and Workbook 3), Beijing Language and Culture University Press.

Schedule:
TBC

Registration deadline: TBC