How to self-study Chinese characters and go beyond

Self-study Chinese characters has always been a viable solution for Chinese language learners. While learning individual characters can be fun, it is not so easy to read and write Chinese texts, even though it is a much more rewarding experience for students who are able to do so.

At MSL Master, we have produced effective learning materials and resources to help students not only learn Chinese characters but also develop sound Chinese reading and writing skills.

MSL Master provides six Chinese reading and writing courses for students to develop sound Chinese reading and writing skills with 320 Chinese characters.

On completing these courses, students will have the knowledge of 320 unique Chinese characters and over 1000 words and combinations. 

Most impressively, students will complete extensive training on reading Chinese texts, which include 1455 sentences, 52 conversations, and 46 narratives, and build a solid foundation for future studies.

These six courses are below, shown as the learning sequence:

1. Chinese Reading and Writing 1
2. Chinese Reading and Writing 2
3. Chinese Reading and Writing 3
4. Chinese Reading and Writing 4
5. Chinese Reading and Writing 5
6. Chinese Reading and Writing 6

Each course includes a textbook, video lessons, additional worksheets, and an audio equipment — Chinese Learning Pen. 

The Chinese Reading and Writing series introduces a total of 320 Chinese characters, helping beginner students develop the ability of reading and writing Chinese texts, such as conversations and narratives. 

Based on the books, a total of 112 animated video lessons are produced. In each video lesson, English is used to explain the meanings of characters, words, structures, and to give instructions.

For additional reading and writing practices, students can work on additional worksheets. Exercises come in various forms. Some target words, while others target sentences and paragraphs.

Chinese Learning Pen is an audio equipment, containing all the audios of the textbooks and allowing students to play any part of the texts at ease and at will. With the help of the accurate audio playback, students are able to connect the sounds of characters with their forms faster. It’s also super beneficial for students to be exposed to standard natural speeches in Chinese.

When students have questions, want to check answers or have some feedback, they can sign up for an online tutoring session.

To achieve the goal of reading and writing meaningful Chinese texts, students are recommended to stick to the following self-study routine and complete each section thoroughly:

1. Start a lesson in the textbook;
2. Watch the video lesson on teaching characters to learn how to read and write new characters;
3. Practice reading and writing these new characters until they become familiar;
4. Watch the video lesson on teaching words and combinations to learn the meanings of words and combinations;
5. Practice reading and writing these words and combinations until they become familiar;
6. Watch the video lesson on grammar, if there are any in the lesson;
7. Watch the video lesson on practice;
8. Practice reading and writing all the exercises of that lesson in the textbook;
9. Complete the end of chapter challenge presented in the video lesson;
10. Complete the additional worksheets for the corresponding lesson;
11. Join an online tutoring session if have any questions;
12. Start the next lesson in the textbook.