How I Went from ZERO to FLUENT in Chinese of 4 Years

Hello everyone welcome to our show I'm Hao Yibo In this video I'd like to share my journey of learning Chinese Let me share how within four years I went from barely being able to speak any Mandarin at all to being able to fluently discuss any topic and communicate with anyone Then host a Chinese-language TV show Hello everyone good evening Welcome to Foreigners View China I'm Hao Yibo During the last Umbrella Movement you were a relatively prominent figure How do you feel this time differs from then I've had the chance to connect with celebrities from the Mandarin-speaking world Everyone take a look—who's sitting next to me That's right it's Qu Wanning who has such a beautiful singing voice She's even filmed funny videos with them I have one more thing —I saw your video of you falling down repeatedly so this time I'm being extra careful I'm skilled Extra careful Are you skilled I am That's good I specially prepared this for you—we can play it in the car No you We'll also make this video in English since it's an English channel but I guess we might add some Chinese along the way I was born in Hong Kong which was then a British colony That was my second half of the 1980s through the 1990s living there So I heard Cantonese every single day Are you kidding me it's already a thousand bucks Although at the time I didn't learn much beyond a few phrases like "Yes thank you " Please write in the comments what you know it means For those who don't know there are many Chinese dialects Although some might claim they are entirely different Chinese languages that's the topic of another video However the two most well- known Chinese languages or dialects in China are It's Cantonese and Cantonese Cantonese has four tones Cantonese has six or nine depending on how you count the tones In Cantonese they say "nǐ hǎo " which means "hello " In Cantonese " If you'd like to hear a longer sentence If you want to ask where the restroom is in Cantonese you would say "Excuse me where is the restroom " And in Cantonese you'd say "Excuse me where is the restroom " Wow that sounds like a bilingual sentence Excuse me where is the restroom Actually it is But in any case you should be able to hear the difference Cantonese was once the language most commonly heard by people in western China since early immigrants arrived in the United States and Europe The early settlers of Chinese cities mostly spoke Cantonese but in the 1990s and 2000s as Cantonese emerged across China Chinese as an official language is becoming increasingly prominent At this stage if you want to learn any form of Chinese Cantonese is the most obvious choice Even today in Hong Kong Almost all young people understand Cantonese except for Cantonese itself In 1994 I was forced to leave Hong Kong and taken to the United States by my parents which was heartbreaking But I've always loved Asian culture by the 2000s I especially enjoyed watching martial arts films and I' d watch every Chinese movie that came out at the local Blockbuster Video—if you don't know what that was It's an old shop where you can buy these disc- shaped items about the size of a stone containing movies Blockbuster Video wow What's the difference You have to repeat them first—that's a challenge Anyway the first movie I ever watched was * One More Time in China* starring Jet Li The opening theme of this film still gives me chills This movie was amazing Then I watched all of Jet Li's films as well as many other classic martial arts movies such as *The Master of the Drunken Fist* and *Shaolin Temple: The 36 Stages* Then I started practicing kung fu on my own beginning with Southern Shaolin okay I know that kick isn't very high I think that photo was taken from when I first started Then I became interested internal martial arts such as Baguazhang Xingyiquan and Taijiquan as well as qigong and meditation Since I started practicing these Chinese disciplines Around 2005 I began thinking about teaching myself Chinese I read some self-study books though we didn't have bilingual materials at the time but I felt that by 2006 I began teaching at home I gave one class I thought it was every two weeks because I couldn't manage one class every week at the time I had just graduated from high school But I didn't know what I wanted to do so I was working becoming a full-time hiking instructor pondering things even though I hadn't yet planned to go to college But when I started learning Chinese I began to seriously believe I could get into a top university study Chinese as my degree and in the UK you choose your university from the very beginning So I did this I've taught at many universities including the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London a school with a long and distinguished history The original professor at the school which began in 1916 was the British tutor of China's last emperor This is a photo of the school library School of Oriental and African Studies commonly known as SOAS regarded by many as Europe's leading institution for Chinese studies What's crazy is that I got rejected by every other university except SOAS and later I found out that the admissions professor that year was the same professor who had been reading my work I'm from Hong Kong I've written extensively about living in Hong Kong perhaps that made him feel vulnerable touched his heartstrings and that' s what got me admitted But it's like those moments when you feel the universe has a plan for you so I started my first year in 2007 during my first few weeks I didn't learn anything new I was basically just reviewing everything I'd studied about Chinese and Chinese instructors and once we got into Friday or Saturday I started encountering new language Now from the beginning one thing I've found extremely helpful for language learning is flashcards—I write the Chinese character one side and the English translation along with an example using 'apple' on the other Apple is written in English to represent the Chinese pronunciation for those who don't understand I can either read the Chinese and then say the English or look at the English and the apple Then write down the Chinese characters then check the second thing I've realized you must do is to immerse yourself in people who speak Chinese and don't speak English so I actively seek out such individuals In Chinese cities in London whether it 's a waiter in a restaurant or someone handing out free newspapers on the street I'll strike up a conversation You just need to give it a try then learn and adjust gradually through making mistakes and in the process pick up a new language—for example I once told someone I brought the train home So I said I take the train then the guy realized I meant traveling from one place in central London to another and he knew I was referring to the Underground That's why the British call it the Underground because there's no train that can connect these two places so they correctly told me not to call it a train but the Underground Subway is underground railway meaning an underground rail system which is what the British call the subway so by making mistakes I learned a new language through my own way of learning It came naturally to me I still remember the words that person told me I've recorded many complete Chinese sentences and this has actually been very helpful It wasn't something you'd expect the book we knew the one we read in our first year at university the book that for some reason starting in the 1980s became significant It strongly emphasizes Communist Party ideals always talking about communities and such I still remember certain phrases I even took notes on this book for example Nanshan People's Commune has a total of seven weather stations the largest of which is located deep in the mountains You might wonder what does this mean But when you actually try to speak Chinese You realize that many of the things you need to express are hidden within the sentences you' ve recorded so if I were to say there are ten in total then within the sentence I've recorded It says there are seven in total okay So I just need to replace seven with ten seven in total becomes ten in total then you know Those ten things they help you remember everything else you've heard I'm taking on the challenge of ten Don't do that I'm gonna take on ten Yes a famous line by Donnie Yen from It Man 1 originally in Cantonese I'm challenging ten Don't do that I'm going to hit ten I'll make one For me one is enough From then on these things became so familiar that when you hear them elsewhere you instantly understand the language So My three best tools my first year were flashcards mind mapping and note-taking But my second year was when things truly got interesting because I spent a year studying in Taiwan So most students study in Beijing for a year and at that time I had already reached out to certain media organizations to spread news about the Chinese Communist Party human rights violations using my own name Write many articles create numerous news reports so teachers are more supportive of my going to Taiwan frankly this is actually a better plan My classmates all went to China They all live together and speak English together I went to Taiwan on my own stayed with a Taiwanese family they didn’t speak English look there they are that’s their三代 So every day when I return home from university I chat with my landlord's younger sister about the news But I've been there all along I' ll find someone to talk to I became a regular at a beef noodle restaurant near where I live at first My teacher's English was better than my Chinese but after a few months I gradually became more proficient in Chinese because I went to university every day and my Chinese eventually surpassed his English Then the conversation naturally shifted into Chinese I'd deliberately go there and later at 8:30 p m I was usually the only customer around I'll chat with Boss Xie I'll still come back to surprise him Every time I'm in Taiwan during that final year abroad I participated in the International Chinese Language Competition at the Sun Yat- sen Memorial Hall or the Sanya Xianmiao Temple I'm actually the ninth one There's a blurry image here someone uploaded a video on YouTube but I can't quite locate it so you can only see a blurry image Ninth place this location though not particularly impressive is like having a hundred contestants each competing in their own university for the first round That year our school Three of the top ten students including the winner were so thrilled Now when I was in Taiwan that’s when you must systematically study the language while also By practicing the local language you first need to rationally understand a word its linguistic definition which is part of your systematic language learning Then you must go into the world Overhearing people chat in language I remember someone saying you need to hear a new language seven times in different situations only then can you fully understand how to use it I completely agree the human mind must also be convinced that certain things are useful so when you hear many languages those little figures in your mind You'll realize that we truly should preserve this language's knowledge You understand what I mean— you must to some extent acknowledge that your mind needs this language that it needs to remember it This is why children learning a language as their first language simply memorize it because it is useful and they need to use it to communicate So they naturally remember it No matter what my time in Taiwan was really cool when I realized I no longer had trouble understanding others and could respond and reply instantly Most people don't understand what I say so I think we're talking about B1 level Once I reach that level my time will be up it'll be time to leave so I suggest people If I could stay in the country longer such as studying a language abroad for two years instead of just one I think that would be very helpful because in the first year You'll learn all the essential things you need to know in Mandarin then in your second year you can dive into more advanced language use tailored to different situations and speakers That means you need to have a certain level of proficiency in a language to access all the learning and training opportunities available in that environment Therefore no matter what when I returned to the UK I went back to study for another two years This time my progress was very slow because I didn't have an environment immersed in the native language I can speak some native language but I wasn't fully integrated Many courses are more research-oriented for example I studied Tang dynasty poetry Reciting classic poems Tang dynasty tea culture I also created a Cantonese 101 last year It was very interesting I have many SIM cards stored on my phone I use a system to retrieve them When you know they're yours then it takes them back check on them again in a few days or a week that way I can record countless languages but you still need to practice using it To fully understand and remember it just follow Will Hart 's advice—he made a video about it on YouTube so be sure to check it out If I had to recommend one thing you as a language learner should do every day it would be this So I'll give you four words: Practice Sentences Constructing sentences means creating sentences which is practicing how to use a language—and the way of using the way of using it Then you need a native speaker to review your sentences and tell you Whether you're using it correctly or not depends on whether you've reached the highest intermediate level reading Chinese books is also a great way as you can see how the author uses certain language you may have already learned Even if you learn a new language from a book you can try using it yourself in discussions or writing—of course at least at an intermediate level if you attempt to read a novel As a beginner you'll need to refer to the textbook every few characters but once you reach a certain level you might only need to consult it occasionally—perhaps just five pages or even ten—to understand specific concepts making the textbook extremely helpful Same as reading news but keep in mind that Chinese news has a distinct style —called written form it's like the appearance of written characters so don't comment on news language people will think you're odd Speaking in Mandarin is like being a television news presenter—when I graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London I was at roughly this level B2 That's the highest level of proficiency—this is what people consider the most fluent or I'd say the most fluent language proficiency level where you essentially no longer need English as a support Or use your native language if it's not English if you hear something you don't understand you can ask about it in Chinese and have it explained to you in Chinese So you can stay 100% in Chinese after graduation I moved to New York and began working for NTD Television which is NTD Television a Chinese-American television network I translate Chinese news every day then I started hosting programs in China that's when I began creating my own show called "Foreigners View China" This show is extremely popular in Taiwan I became Taiwan's 2014 which enabled me to secure some major interviewees on my program such as celebrities and pop stars people of this caliber I met my wife in New York she's from China and speaking Chinese with her has made my responses much quicker and my speech much more fluent This also helped me navigate new linguistic territory such as describing emotional states —things they don’t teach you at school nor how to debate or even how to provoke debate So this is a very useful tool after this period I'd say I've reached C1 level—advancedproficiency—from zero to B2—fluent at the intermediate level I'll say that during my four years at university I basically achieved it and after a few more years hosting Chinese programs interviewing people and talking with my wife I'll say I've reached C1 level Two advanced levels of fluency At this level you should have a vocabulary range of around 8 000 words enabling you to express yourself fluently in any situation 700 hours of practice—actually in Chinese you might need over 1 000 hours to reach this level because it's a more difficult language Compared to some European languages if you're wondering where I am right now I'd say I'm truly not sure—I'm definitely somewhere between C1 and C2 but I couldn't possibly say for certain that I'm at C2 100% fluent in this language so I should still be able to speak it—I'm at C1 level Alright so now let's summarize: my four years of intense study followed by years of simply speaking with my wife Using Chinese in my work has become routine but I no longer study it systematically First and foremost immersion is crucial —it helps you grow accustomed to and understand the spoken language Flashcards are excellent tools for recording language much like taking notes on sentences and passages You can make progress in some situations but don't forget this is extremely important—you need systematic study and immersion in the local language if you have only one without the other progress will be very slow Plus you must keep striving consistently Practice forming sentences in your newly learned language—not just passively absorbing it when you hear it but actively using it even when you're unsure how to express yourself If I could go back and change my language journey I would spend more time doing exactly that In Taiwan or China I'm now 40 years old have two children and carry many responsibilities —I simply can't afford to take three or six months off to go back to school at a university in Taiwan So I must seize this opportunity When you have no responsibilities when you're in your early twenties I'd encourage you to try spending two years in the country—perhaps some graduation programs only allow you one year because that's the entire duration of their graduation course But perhaps you could go to university after graduation even in a country if you haven't completed a university degree but simply studied language spending four or five years there—like Taiwan offering a full five- year scholarship for Westerners So seize the opportunity Good then everyone I hope this has been helpful to you and sharing your own language journey with me If you're interested in Chinese culture please check out Shen Yun Performing Arts World's No 1 Chinese cultural dance company They are currently On our world tour you might be near your city click the link below to watch the trailer and if you buy tickets use our code LCN2026 to pay a deposit On all U S and Canadian performance dates subscribe to our channel If you're new here see you next time Bye