Teaching Chinese at Home

[hquek]

toddles:

thanks very much hquek!


perhaps it's just not in our common lingo here...

No issue, I also need to check up the meaning. As I was reading, I thought that might be the meaning; but then I guess my chinese not good, cos still scratching my head at end of the chapter.

Working very hard to finish it but less than halfway through still...this is the first wordy chinese (non text, non joke) book I'm reading in my ENTIRE life. the things I do for my kids.

[jollyme]

btw, i want to buy a good chinese dictionary. any suggestions as to which one to get?[/quote]


if you have those newfangled phones like iphone, strongly encourage to find those free apps. Installed Pleco e-dict on my hubby’s iphone. After some experiment, quite easy to use. But if you want those additionals to make it more powerful (eg using handwriting to find the word), you have to pay for the add-ons.[/quote]


Thanks hquek! i’m actually looking for a hardcopy chinese dictionary.

[toddles]

hquek:

toddles:

thanks very much hquek!


perhaps it's just not in our common lingo here...

No issue, I also need to check up the meaning. As I was reading, I thought that might be the meaning; but then I guess my chinese not good, cos still scratching my head at end of the chapter.

Working very hard to finish it but less than halfway through still...this is the first wordy chinese (non text, non joke) book I'm reading in my ENTIRE life. the things I do for my kids.

yah this is the first long chinese book I'm reading in a LONG time. i thought my chinese was quite good but then i came across this chapter and she was going like these are the four most impt words you can teach your child to live by, and I was like, hey I've never even seen that term before!

[tamarind]

Actually I have heard of 实事求是 used in Chinese newspapers, TV news, etc in Singapore


I notice that one of my students is quite good in typing messages in Chinese on the computer. Try this Chinese input using hanyu pinyin

http://dict.cn/ime.html

That gives me the idea that parents can use this tool to encourage kids to write in Chinese, also ask them to send SMS in Chinese. The biggest problem for kids who do not have a strong foundation in Chinese, is that they cannot remember how to write most of the words. It is easier for them to recognize the words using hanyu pinyin. So this Chinese input tool is helpful to them, at least it helps them to get used to writing Chinese sentences. As they write more, they will become more confident and more motivated to learn Chinese. Also note that nowadays most Chinese writings are input into the computer, not written on paper. I heard that over 50% of the content of the internet is now in Chinese.

I would only recommend upper primary kids to use this tool. Younger kids should still focus on recognizing as many Chinese words as possible, and start to practice writing from 6 years old.

[jemlth]

Thanks for sharing Tamarind. You have always given very good resources. I was reading an article on 我报 recently. It states that Chinese in China are gradually losing their ability to write as well cos they have gotten used to typing hanyu pinyin and selecting the word when the selection pops up on their screen. While it is something that some educators may lament over, I agree that it is very important to get kids to recognise as many words as they can from young.

tamarind:

Actually I have heard of 实事求是 used in Chinese
newspapers, TV news, etc in Singapore

I notice that one of my students is quite good in typing messages in Chinese on the computer. Try this Chinese input using hanyu pinyin

http://dict.cn/ime.html

That gives me the idea that parents can use this tool to encourage kids to write in Chinese, also ask them to send SMS in Chinese. The biggest problem for kids who do not have a strong foundation in Chinese, is that they cannot remember how to write most of the words. It is easier for them to recognize the words using hanyu pinyin. So this Chinese input tool is helpful to them, at least it helps them to get used to writing Chinese sentences. As they write more, they will become more confident and more motivated to learn Chinese. Also note that nowadays most Chinese writings are input into the computer, not written on paper. I heard that over 50% of the content of the internet is now in Chinese.

I would only recommend upper primary kids to use this tool. Younger kids should still focus on recognizing as many Chinese words as possible, and start to practice writing from 6 years old.

[jemlth]

I am not sure if the parents have have seen the recent televised 华文谁怕谁. This is 相声 performed live on stage and one of the ones I feel is easier to understand. Hope your children can derive enjoyment and good humour from it! It takes a while to load so be patient!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kICPlIZKl8M

[windows]

jemlth:

I am not sure if the parents have have seen the recent televised 华文谁怕谁. This is 相声 performed live on stage and one of the ones I feel is easier to understand. Hope your children can derive enjoyment and good humour from it! It takes a while to load so be patient!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kICPlIZKl8M

missed both the actual and repeat show anyone knows where can view the entire episode?

[pummanuel]

Hi, for those who are looking for dictionaries, I have a few recommendations. If you are looking for


字典

I would recommend 《新华字典》. It is a pocket sized dictionary published by 商务. It is one of the most popular dictionaries in China and constant revisions are made in accordance with the changes in usage by the Chinese population. Many students in China own one.

词典

I would recommend 《现代汉语词典》. For 词典, it covers both the meaning of the word, as well as provides a list of 词语 (that use the word) with meanings of the 词语. It is also published by 商务. A Chinese lecturer in translation recommended me this dictionary. It is pretty thick and more suitable for home/office usage.

商务is highly regarded in the Chinese publishing industry for its academic works and is known for its high quality. Hence, I prefer to use dictionaries published by 商务.

If you are looking for dictionaries which cover all sorts of words, including archaic words, you can try 辞海, also published by 商务. It comes in one thick volume. I managed to get it from one of the shops at Bras Basah. Another two famous dictionaries will be 辞渊 and 康熙字典.

翻译电子词典

I would recommend 金山词霸, Kingsoft PowerWord. It was immensely popular in China when I was residing there, not sure about now.

It provides English-Chinese or Chinese-English translations and it has collaborated with Oxford to provide meanings to English words too, along with the verbalised pronounciations.

I bought my soft copy from China (very cheap even for originals). I believe you can get a copy online from iciba.com. It's available on iPhone too. I downloaded it for US$4.99.

For 实事求是, the meaning offered by Kingsoft is literally, to seek truth from facts, i.e. to be practical and realistic.

[jollyme]

pammanuel,


thanks for your detailed write up on dictionaries, will go get one soon.

[jemlth]

Hi there,


are you a fellow translation student? Just wondering if you are one of my ex-translation classmates in the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

pummanuel:

Hi, for those who are looking for dictionaries, I have a few recommendations. If you are looking for

字典

I would recommend 《新华字典》. It is a pocket sized dictionary published by 商务. It is one of the most popular dictionaries in China and constant revisions are made in accordance with the changes in usage by the Chinese population. Many students in China own one.

词典

I would recommend 《现代汉语词典》. For 词典, it covers both the meaning of the word, as well as provides a list of 词语 (that use the word) with meanings of the 词语. It is also published by 商务. A Chinese lecturer in translation recommended me this dictionary. It is pretty thick and more suitable for home/office usage.

商务is highly regarded in the Chinese publishing industry for its academic works and is known for its high quality. Hence, I prefer to use dictionaries published by 商务.

If you are looking for dictionaries which cover all sorts of words, including archaic words, you can try 辞海, also published by 商务. It comes in one thick volume. I managed to get it from one of the shops at Bras Basah. Another two famous dictionaries will be 辞渊 and 康熙字典.

翻译电子词典

I would recommend 金山词霸, Kingsoft PowerWord. It was immensely popular in China when I was residing there, not sure about now.

It provides English-Chinese or Chinese-English translations and it has collaborated with Oxford to provide meanings to English words too, along with the verbalised pronounciations.

I bought my soft copy from China (very cheap even for originals). I believe you can get a copy online from iciba.com. It's available on iPhone too. I downloaded it for US$4.99.

For 实事求是, the meaning offered by Kingsoft is literally, to seek truth from facts, i.e. to be practical and realistic.