15 REASONS TO LEARN CHINESE
Mandarin Chinese for quite some time has been touted as the “language of the future”, whilst unlikely to be able to replace English as the lingua franca anytime soon, I have to say Mandarin probably leads the race in the best of the rest languages to learn right now and for many years to come. Here are 15 good reasons why you should take up Mandarin Chinese, and each point comes with a complimentary sentence to learn. Hope you enjoy it!
China is an amazing travel destination
Zhōngguó shì lǚyóu shèngdì.
中国是旅游胜地。
China is a great place to travel.
With world-class tourist attractions and UNESCO heritage sites, China has become one of the world’s most popular travel destinations. No matter who you are, there is sure to be something for you. The country has an irresistible charm whether that’s the burgeoning inner-city hubs of the many futuristic metropolises or the awe-inspiring views and landscapes of vast rural plains. To truly unlock the potential of China as a travel destination and immerse yourself in the environment and culture is to learn the wonderful language. It would make your travels a lot easier and your efforts won’t go unnoticed, locals will show much appreciation.
Business: Flourish in new markets
Zhōngguó rén hěn lèyì tīngdào wàiguó rén gēn tāmen shuō Zhōnɡwén.
中国人很乐意听到外国人跟他们说中文。
Chinese people are very happy when foreigners speak Chinese to them.
As the world’s second largest economy, China is a big market and seen as a haven for good business, whether you’re trying to break into the Chinese market or cater to the mass influx of Chinese travelling abroad every year. It’s now seen as a good idea to learn Mandarin to compliment Chinese consumers and business partners. A little hard work goes along way! Reap the profits of learning Mandarin. It’s not only us that is saying this:
China is an increasingly important player in global affairs
Zhōngguó xiànzài zài quánqiú bànyǎn zhe fēicháng zhòngyào de juésè.
中国现在在全球扮演着非常重要的角色。
China now plays a very important role in the world.
The rapid rise of China’s economy, it’s standing as a world superpower, and it’s increasing importance in world affairs, means now and in the future, China with its extensive reach and influence across the continents, will be shaping our lives in the west and rest of the world for decades to come.
Unique culture
Zhōngguó wénhuà hěn yǒuyìsi.
中国文化很有意思。
Chinese culture is very interesting.
You know what they say, the best way to learn culture is through language and vice versa. China has an incredibly vast, rich and vibrant culture which dates back centuries, thousands and thousands of years. Just a visit to China and you will see that its unique culture combines the traditional and modern effortlessly. The ability to understand Chinese language will open up a lot more of what Chinese culture has to offer, you’ll be able to watch Chinese films and television shows, listen to Chinese music, and read Chinese literature and novels. You’ll be able to understand the ways of tai chi and kung fu, you’ll be able to practice the ancient art of calligraphy.
Get officially certified with HSK
Wǒ xiǎng cānjiā HSK kǎoshì.
我想参加HSK考试。
I want to do the HSK test.
HSK stands for Hànyǔ Shuǐpíng Kǎoshì (汉语水平考试) and it is the official Mandarin Chinese proficiency exam, the only standardised test of Chinese language proficiency for non-native speakers. There are six levels and you can pass each one to get certified. Here at Instant Mandarin we can train and prepare you for this exam. Read more about it in the following link: https://www.instantmandarin.com/news/what_is_hsk63
Make your CV stand out
Rúguǒ wǒ huì Zhōngwén, huì ràng wǒ de jiǎnlì gèng hǎokàn.
如果我会中文,会让我的简历更好看。
If I can speak Chinese, my resume will be better.
It’s guaranteed that if someone looks at your CV and they see listed ‘fluent in Mandarin Chinese’, they will go ‘blimey’. They will know that you’re a person who uses the full capacity of their brain (see later). It’s a skill that not many foreign people have and it’s a skill that could take you a long way. Get certified with HSK and it will look even better. Thinking about working in China or getting a job that deals with international relations with the Chinese, then it will definitely help.
More opportunities to work in China
Wàiguó rén zài Zhōngguó huì yǒu yuè lái yuè duō de ɡōnɡzuò jīhuì.
外国人在中国会有越来越多的工作机会。
Foreigners have more and more different job opportunities in China.
As China integrates itself more to the rest of the world and globalisation increases, there will be more and more varied career opportunities, not just being an English teacher in China. Whether you actually need to learn Chinese to integrate yourself better with your new colleagues or you don’t need to use Chinese at all in the workplace, it’s worth learning to make your life here better.
Make friends on the other side of the world
Nǐ kěyǐ jiéjiāo hěnduō Zhōngguó péngyou.
你可以结交很多中国朋友。
You can make many Chinese friends.
It’s always great to have friends. Have you ever looked around your friendship circle and thought I need a Chinese friend? I bet you haven’t but you should. I mean come on! Wouldn’t it be great to have some Chinese friends. You can exchange your culture and language.
China is now a great international study platform
Zhōngguó shì xuéxí de hǎo dìfang.
中国是学习的好地方。
China is a great place to study.
Studying in China is a great international experience. Chinese degrees are internationally recognised and the government has focused on enhancing many universities throughout the land. There are programs taught in Chinese and also taught in English. For Chinese-taught degrees in some cases you will usually go through a one-year Chinese foundation course beforehand anyway, so why not get started early. If you would like to study in China, then here is a shoutout to our education consultancy friends at UniEdu: https://www.facebook.com/uniedu.org/
Communicate with a billion people
Nǐ kěyǐ gēn shí duō yì rén duìhuà.
你可以跟十多亿人对话。
You can talk to over a billion people.
Mandarin is the most widely spoken language on the planet with over 1.3 billion speakers, in China and in Chinese diasporas around the world, learning the language would mean you are literally opening up a world of opportunities.
Brain exercise: Mandarin is good for the mind!
Xué Zhōngwén yǒuyì dànǎo
学中文有益大脑。
Learning Chinese is good for the brain.
Proven scientific research suggests that learning and using the Chinese language uses more brainpower. Tonal languages such as Mandarin uses both sides of the brain, both sides of the temporal lobe, to use and comprehend language, compared to English which only uses one side. It’s safe to say that learning any language is healthy but Mandarin is one language which increases your mental capacity and improves your cognitive abilities. This is partly due to Mandarin using different tones to denote different meanings to words. Along with distinct sounds and tones, the written Mandarin script is wonderfully pictographic with Chinese characters, practicing writing these characters exercises your motor skills and will help your visual identification of graphics. The Mandarin written script is famously not phonetic and so users and learners of the language have to learn to remember and match the characters to certain sounds or their pinyin. All this helps to keep the mind sharp. Read more about this here: https://asiasociety.org/china-learning-initiatives/learning-chinese-pays-dividends-characters-and-cognition
Easier than you think
Xué Zhōngwén bǐ xiǎnɡxiànɡ zhōnɡ róngyì.
学中文比想象中容易。
Learning Chinese is easier than you think.
There is a conception that Mandarin is incredibly difficult to learn and one of the hardest languages in the world but the good news is that it is a lot easier than you think. You just have to put the doubt out of your mind and practice, practice and practice! People think it is difficult because Mandarin has different tones and its writing system is not phonetic but that’s really as hard as it gets. In Chinese there are no tenses, plurals, cases and genders, and simple grammar is used. Don’t believe me? All you have to do is consult one of our professional tutors! Honestly, if you put in the time and effort, anyone can learn Mandarin.
More ways to learn Mandarin
Yǒu hěnduō xuéxí Hànyǔ de fāngfǎ.
有很多学习汉语的方法。
There are many ways to learn Mandarin.
Nowadays there are more ways to learn Mandarin than ever before. Apart from the traditional classroom and textbook methods, there are abundant Mandarin learning resources online, plenty of websites and apps, and plenty more emerging. If you’re interested in 1-to-1 online lessons with a professional native Chinese tutor then you’ve come to the right place. Get a free trial lesson when you register today!
https://www.instantmandarin.com/signup
Mark Zuckerberg is learning Mandarin
Mǎkè·Zhākè bógé (Mark Zuckerberg) yě xuéxí Zhōngwén.
马克·扎克伯格（Mark Zuckerberg）也学习中文。
Mark Zuckerberg is also learning Chinese.
Many famous faces are also challenging themselves with the Chinese language. It’s not just the founder of Facebook too, names also include former wrestling star-turned action star John Cena, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Vanessa Branch from popular TV show Entourage, and even Donald Trump’s granddaughter. If these people are investing their time in learning Mandarin then maybe so should you :).
For pure fun
Xué Zhōngwén hěn yǒuqù.
学中文很有趣。
Learning Chinese is fun.
Finally, learning the Chinese language is just great fun. You’ll have a great laugh and get a lot out of it. When you get past the initial stage of perfecting your pronunciation and learning all the sounds, it’s just an exhilarating feeling to actually say or write something in Mandarin or when you converse with a native Chinese. It really is a great feeling.
Last Word
So this is it, this is our 15 reasons to learn Mandarin, do you agree?
Here are some language takeaways from this article. For even a beginner you should now know the following the words.
Zhōngguó (中国) – China, Chinese
Zhōngwén (中文) – Chinese language, encompasses all dialects, and is somewhat of a general term.
Hànyǔ (汉语) – Also mean Chinese language, literally the language of the Han ethnicity, the dominant group in China, whose language is Mandarin, the official language of China. Refers more specifically to Standard Mandarin.
*To read about the birth of Mandarin, see the following article: https://www.instantmandarin.com/news/a_brief_history_of_mandarin
Zhōngguó wénhuà (中国文化) – Chinese culture
Xué (学) / Xuéxí (学习) – To learn or study
Nǐ (你) – you
Wǒ (我) – I
You see, learning Mandarin is not really that hard.
