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Elementary Chinese 1: 入门了 rùmén le!

This 16-unit online course takes you further on your Chinese-learning journey. The course builds on previous basic knowledge of Chinese that you might have gained from our Beginners Chinese short courses. You will work with audio and interactive text-based materials and have access to a dedicated website, forum and learning advisers. The course has no formal assessment, but you will test your knowledge by completing a quiz at the end of each unit. All the audio materials are accompanied by transcripts. The quiz questions, glossary of the key vocabulary, as well as most audio clips, are downloadable.

This course teaches Mandarin Chinese and simplified characters.

After successfully completing this short course, you will receive a digital badge. This can be shared on social media, added to email signatures or act as a certificate.

Standalone study only

You will not be awarded credits for studying this course. It is available for standalone study only and cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Short course

Short course code

LGXC004

Credits

This is a non-credit bearing course.

Study method

Short course cost

Entry requirements

What you will study

The course is divided into 16 units, each covering language, culture, and reflection. Four of the 16 units (units 4, 8, 12 and 16) are dedicated to revising what you have learned. In this course, you'll learn how to effectively communicate in a wide range of situations using a variety of language structures, including:

  • asking and telling the time
  • talking about time in relation to everyday situations and habits
  • discussing timetables and schedules for shops and other facilities
  • explaining how long it takes to go somewhere
  • expressing time and other measurements approximately
  • giving more detailed directions
  • describing health issues and seeing a doctor
  • giving advice
  • talking about the present and the future
  • expressing a change in terms of state or condition
  • comparing situations in the past and the present
  • talking about changing money, exchange rates and currencies.

Throughout the course, you will improve your ability to understand spoken and written Chinese and to communicate your own information and ideas. You will acquire a knowledge of the basic structures of Chinese, along with key vocabulary and sentence patterns. Each unit comprises 3–4 hours of interactive activities, exercises, explanations, and tips about language learning. It’s a good idea to keep notes either in a notebook or on your preferred digital device. There are regular revision units and at the end of each unit, there is a quiz for you to practise what you’ve been learning.

We look forward to seeing you soon on Elementary Chinese 1: 入门了 rùmén le!

Please note that although this course is non-accredited, it can be used towards the module Making your learning count (YXM130) to gain OU credits.

You will learn

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • communicate with speakers of Chinese in a limited range of predictable and simple contexts relating to everyday situations
  • understand and use simple Chinese grammatical structures (for example, questions and statements), and common terms for everyday objects and events
  • recognise and use basic Chinese phrases in formal and informal styles of communication and use polite forms of address and greetings
  • write in Pinyin or/and character forms frequently used expressions relevant to the topics covered
  • show basic intercultural communicative competence, including an awareness of Chinese-speaking cultures and societies.

The course is designed to help you achieve a level of language proficiency equivalent to level A1 of the Council of Europe Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR).

Learner support

You will have access to discussion forums that you are strongly encouraged to participate in as these forums combine self-help from fellow students with input from a language-specialist learning adviser. Other support is available via the StudentHome website and Computing Helpdesk.

If you have a disability

The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet you are advised to contact us about support which can be given to meet your needs.

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying LGXC004 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.


Entry requirements

There are no entry requirements for this course.

However, it's beneficial if you have some basic knowledge of Chinese, similar or equivalent to the language, skills and vocabulary practised in Beginners Chinese 1: 开始吧 kāishĭ ba! (LGXC001), Beginners Chinese 2: 开始吧 kāishĭ ba! (LGXC002), and/or Beginners Chinese 3: 开始吧 kāishĭ ba! (LGXC003).

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact us.

Course length

The course is made up of 16 units, with each unit expected to take about 3-4 hours to study. In total, you’ll need around 64 hours to complete the course.

You can begin at any time during the life of the course and study at your own pace. The course will be open to you for a time period of between 6 and 18 months depending on your course registration date and you will be advised of the specific time limitations upon enrolment.

Register

Start End England fee Register
At anytime before registration end date Jun 2025 - see Entry requirements for more detail £195.00

Registration closes 31/12/2024

Register

Ways to pay

Credit/Debit Card – We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

Sponsorship – If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.

The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2023/24 academic year. Fees normally increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.

Can you study an Access module for free?

In order to qualify, you must:

  1. be resident in England
  2. have a personal income of less than £25,000 (or receive qualifying benefits)
  3. have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above, or completed 30 credits or more of OU study

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process, either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 or you can request a call back.

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

  • monthly payments through OUSBA
  • part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding.

What's included

All learning materials are delivered entirely online and there is no formal tuition for this course.

Your study is self-directed and you’ll have access to a course website, which includes:

  • a unit-by-unit study planner
  • course-specific materials and activities
  • audio content
  • discussion forums 
  • support from language-specialist learning advisers.

Computing requirements

You'll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11), or macOS Ventura or higher.

Functionality may be limited on mobile devices. For example, voice recorder activities, which are common in language short courses, may not work on iOS/Apple devices.

Our module websites comply with web standards and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile App will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It's not available on Kindle.

It's also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you'll also require a desktop or laptop as described above.