The best resources for learning Chinese

If you feel confident about how to learn a language but don’t want to waste hours looking for the best resources for learning Chinese, then Resources for Learning Chinese is the perfect eBook for you.

If you’re not sure how to put these resources together into a plan for learning Chinese, I’d recommend the How to Learn Chinese eBook, available to purchase on the How to Learn Languages website.

The eBook will show you how to learn Chinese step by step, covers all the resources mentioned in Resources for Learning Chinese, and even teaches you about the history of the Chinese language.

You also receive a welcome video explaining how to get the most out of the guide, as well as a checklist to help you keep track of the process and break it down into manageable chunks that feel rewarding.

Modern Standard Chinese.

For now, it’s worth knowing that Modern Standard Chinese was developed in the twentieth century as a common language to be used throughout China. Its pronunciation is based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin, and most of the vocabulary comes from within the broader Mandarin dialect group. This is why it is often referred to as Mandarin Chinese - which is also a broad dialect group.

According to linguists, Chinese is a group of languages that make up the Sinitic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. Classifications vary according to criteria and definition, but there are generally considered to be between seven and thirteen significant regional language groups within Chinese - groups which began to diverge from Middle Chinese during the medieval period.

The most widely spoken of these is Mandarin, a group of dialects spoken by around 920 million people across much of northern and southwestern China. The next biggest groups are Yue, Wu, and Min. Yue is spoken by around 84 million people in southern China, whilst Min is spoken by around 75 million people in coastal provinces of southern and southeastern China, as well as on the island of Hainan. Wu is spoken by around 80 million people in Shanghai, as well as the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. The remaining three of the seven groups are Gan, Xiang, and Hakka, but some consider Jin, Hui, and Ping to be distinct enough to bring the total to ten.

Modern Standard Chinese therefore provides a common language through which all Chinese speakers can communicate - regardless of their local dialect. Although older generations may not have been taught it, an increasingly significant proportion of the population have grown up learning Modern Standard Chinese alongside their own local dialect.

Upon purchasing the eBook, you will receive an ePub file of How to Learn Chinese.

Thanks to a partnership with Sprout, your purchase will lead to the planting of mangrove trees in Madagascar.

I contribute a % of each sale towards tree planting because reforestation efforts revive natural habitats, improve coral reef health, support local livelihoods and aid in the fight against climate change by extracting CO2 from the air.

Trees are planted by Eden Reforestation Projects in partnership with thegoodapi.com.

Due to the nature of digital products, it is not possible to offer refunds. However, if you have any questions about the eBook or learning Chinese, please feel free to email me at contact@howtolearnlanguages.info, and I’ll get back to you promptly. I’d be more than happy to help.