Is Chinese Really So Hard to Learn as a Second Language?

Sarah · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 98 Location: London

Many foreign friends of mine are complaining that Chinese is so hard to learn: the ridiculously difficult writing system, the confusing four tones, the extensive system of measure words, so a lot of things to memorize… It seems that I should thank God just for being born Chinese. Is Chinese really that hard to learn as a foreign language?

Actually, I don't think so. The Chinese language is really not that difficult to learn as you imagined or heard about. It's just very different from your mother tongue, but difference does not necessarily mean difficulty, right? What is your opinion? Let's discuss.

zhangxiuping · Joined: 29 Oct 2006 Posts: 5

I think chinese language is more diffcult than English, thought I can't use English exactly. One day you find you can express whatever you are thinking in Chinese, you may feel Chinese is vivid.

我认为汉语比英语难,虽然我现在仍然不能准确用英语. 有一天当你发现你可以用汉语表达你的任何想法,你就发现汉语是有生命的.

JuliaYang · Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 67 Location: London

LearnChinese · Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Posts: 16

teacherchris · Joined: 21 Mar 2007 Posts: 7 Location: london

I wonder what is Zhangxiuping's mother tongue? His/her Chinese certainly seems better than his/her English. Surely he/she is saying that as you progress with your Mandarin studies, one day you find that you can use Mandarin to say pretty much whatever you want to, and at that point you find that the language has 'come to life'.
Chris Johnson / 公孫海