Ateneo - UPO

Introduction to Standard Chinese for absolute beginners: the Hanyu pinyin system and tones; strokes, stroke order and radicals of simplified characters; basic grammar structures (sentences with 是, 有 and 在, negation, questions, measure words, modal verbs); communicative functions for introducing oneself and talking about nationality, family, study, likes and abilities. Each session includes grammar, speaking (口语), writing, listening and dictation (听力) and an outline of Chinese culture and history, from the origins to 1949, from an intercultural perspective.

1. F. Masini, Zhang Tongbing, G. Gabbianelli, Wang Rui, Parliamo cinese. Wǒmen shuō Hànyǔ. Corso di lingua e cultura cinese, vol. 1, new edition, Hoepli, Milan 2018 (ISBN 9788820384371), introduction and Units 1–4, with exercises and audio tracks. Also available as a Hoepli eBook+. Main textbook for both the written and the oral exam.
2. Institute of Linguistics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (中国社会科学院语言研究所), 新华字典 Xīnhuá zìdiǎn, 12th ed., 商务印书馆 The Commercial Press, Beijing 2020. Reference dictionary for character study (not allowed during the written exam).
Materials for the culture modules (slides, handouts, sources) and additional exercises are published on the DIR platform and are used to prepare the culture part of the oral exam.

The course gives beginner students the basics of Standard Chinese needed to communicate in simple situations and to continue in Chinese II, up to HSK Level 1. It contributes to the objectives of the degree programme by developing linguistic and intercultural skills: Chinese culture and history are presented from a Chinese point of view, in order to recognise and question Eurocentric stereotypes.
Specific objectives:
1. pronounce and transcribe Standard Chinese syllables in pinyin with the correct tones;
2. read and write about 150 characters from Units 1–4 with the correct stroke order;
3. use basic grammar structures to produce simple affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences;
4. hold short conversations about oneself, family, study, likes and abilities;
5. connect the language content to the main stages of Chinese history up to 1949, recognising the role of the colonial gaze in how they are represented.
The 3 CFU are delivered in 12 in-person sessions. Each session combines lecture-based teaching (DE: grammar explanations and culture modules) and interactive teaching (DI: speaking, listening and dictation, writing exercises, mock exam). Students also study independently using the textbook exercises and digital resources. There is no distance learning (TEL).

No prior knowledge of Chinese is required: the course is designed for absolute beginners. A basic knowledge of Italian grammar terminology (subject, verb, direct object, adjective, pronoun) is useful to follow the comparison between the two languages. There are no mandatory prerequisite courses.

In-class lectures and interactive lessons, in 12 sessions. Each session follows the same structure:
• grammar: explanation of structures with examples and guided exercises;
• speaking (口语): textbook dialogues, role-plays in pairs and small groups;
• writing: exercises on characters, stroke order and short sentences;
• listening and dictation (听力): textbook audio tracks and dictation of syllables, words and sentences;
• culture: short presentation in Italian with 2–3 key Chinese terms, followed by a class discussion to develop critical thinking.
The last session is a mock written and oral exam, corrected in class. The textbook's digital resources (audio and interactive exercises) and the DIR platform are used for materials and self-assessment exercises.

Attendance is strongly recommended, especially to develop pronunciation, tones and speaking. Non-attending students follow the same programme and may contact the lecturer for guidance on independent study.

The exam consists of a written exam and an oral exam, both on the whole course programme. Students must pass the written exam before taking the oral exam.
Written exam (90 minutes, no dictionary), marked out of 30:
1. dictation of syllables and words in pinyin with tones and in characters (6 points);
2. writing characters from pinyin and meaning (6 points);
3. grammar exercises: completion, transformation, sentence reordering (9 points);
4. translation of short sentences from Chinese into Italian and from Italian into Chinese (9 points).
The pass mark is 18/30; the result is valid for the exam dates of the same session.
Oral exam (about 15 minutes), marked out of 30:
1. reading aloud a textbook dialogue and answering comprehension questions (pronunciation and tones);
2. conversation on course topics (introducing oneself, nationality, study and work, likes and abilities, family and school);
3. short discussion, in Italian, on one of the culture topics covered.
Final mark: 60% written exam and 40% oral exam.
Assessment criteria.
• Fail: frequent tone and character errors that prevent understanding; basic structures not recognised; unable to hold a simple exchange.
• Pass (18–22): understandable pronunciation despite tone errors; correct use of the main structures (是, 不, 吗, 的, 有, 在); short but relevant answers; basic knowledge of the culture topics.
• Good (23–27): mostly correct tones; characters written correctly; confident use of measure words and modal verbs; fluent conversation on familiar topics.
• Excellent (28–30 cum laude): accurate pronunciation and tones; characters written without errors and with correct stroke order; well-formed, articulated sentences; ability to connect the culture topics critically.
For the written exam students use the textbook and its exercises; for the oral exam also the audio tracks and the culture materials published on DIR.

The program follows the introduction and Units 1–4 of Parliamo cinese vol. 1. Each session is divided into grammar, speaking (口语), writing, listening and dictation (听力) and culture. The culture modules present China from its own point of view, in an intercultural and counter-colonial key, from the origins to 1949.
1. Introduction to Chinese. Grammar: Standard Chinese and regional varieties; syllable, initials, finals, tones; Hanyu pinyin. Speaking: greetings and classroom expressions. Writing: pinyin transcription with tone marks. Listening and dictation: tone recognition; syllable dictation. Culture: 中国 as self-designation and the European invention of "China"; orientalism.
2. Writing and Lesson 1a 你好. Grammar: the affirmative sentence; questions with 吗. Speaking: greeting and asking how someone is. Writing: strokes, stroke order, radicals; simplified and traditional characters. Listening and dictation: dialogues 1a; word dictation. Culture: the 华夏 civilisation, Shang and Zhou, oracle bones; writing as a pillar of identity.
3. Lesson 1b 我是小云. Grammar: the verb 是; negation with 不. Speaking: introducing oneself, asking who someone is, polite expressions (对不起, 请问). Writing: characters of the lesson; the pronoun 这. Listening and dictation: dialogues 1b; word dictation. Culture: Confucius and the "Hundred Schools" as universal thought, not "oriental wisdom".
4. Lessons 1c 你叫什么名字? and 1d 他们是谁? Grammar: position of question words; 多; age; the particle 的; 也; 和. Speaking: name, surname, age, family. Writing: numbers and characters of the lessons. Listening and dictation: dialogues 1c–1d; number dictation. Culture: the first empire (221 BC) and the idea of unity 大一统; a critique of "oriental despotism". Numbers in China.
5. Lessons 2a 你们是哪国人? and 2b 你住在哪儿? Grammar: 哪 and 哪儿; alternative questions; 都; personal pronouns; 去 and 来. Speaking: nationality, origin, address, movements. Writing: country names and characters of the lessons. Listening and dictation: dialogues 2a–2b; sentence dictation. Culture: Han and Tang, the Silk Road and cosmopolitan Chang'an: non-Eurocentric exchange.
6. Lessons 2c 你在哪儿上学? and 2d 我爸爸教英语. Grammar: nominal complements; time expressions; the prefix 第; serial verbs. Speaking: study, work and family. Writing: language names; a short self-introduction. Listening and dictation: dialogues 2c–2d; sentence dictation. Culture: Marco Polo reconsidered; Zheng He and Matteo Ricci: who "discovered" whom? School in China.
7. Lessons 3a 你喜欢看电影吗? and 3b 你会踢足球吗? Grammar: 很 and 常; verb-object verbs; the modals 想 and 会; 行. Speaking: likes, abilities, invitations. Writing: sentences about one's likes. Listening and dictation: dialogues 3a–3b; sentence dictation. Culture: the Qing and the Macartney embassy (1793): two universalisms compared. Sports and hobbies in China.
8. Lessons 3c 你的电话号码是多少? and 3d 我最喜欢跟朋友们一起去健身房. Grammar: the modals 能 and 可以; 多少; 还 and 也; companionship complements; the suffix 们. Speaking: phone numbers, requests, preferences. Writing: a short account of an event. Listening and dictation: dialogues 3c–3d; phone number dictation. Culture: the Opium Wars (1839–60), the unequal treaties, the "century of humiliation" 百年国耻.
9. Lessons 4a 我家有三口人 and 4b 这些中文书都是你的吗? Grammar: the verb 有; measure words and 些; 两; verb reduplication. Speaking: family and school objects. Writing: the pronouns 他, 她, 它. Listening and dictation: dialogues 4a–4b; dictation with measure words. Culture: the carving up of China, the Summer Palace (1860), the "sick man of Asia" stereotype; the Boxers. Family terms.
10. Lesson 4c 明天我们有什么课? Grammar: 哪 and 什么; the compound 语文. Speaking: school subjects and preferences. Writing: one's own class timetable. Listening and dictation: dialogues 4c; sentence dictation. Culture: 1911 and the end of the empire; 4 May 1919 and the new written language 白话.
11. Lesson 4d 这是我们班. Grammar: the verb 在; 有 versus 在. Speaking: family and school. Writing: a short text about one's class and family. Listening and dictation: dialogues 4d; sentence dictation. Culture: the founding of the CCP (1921), resistance to Japan, the Long March: towards 1949. What Chinese students study.
12. Mock exam. Written and oral exam in exam format, corrected in class.
Integrating the gender dimension. Lesson 4a analyses the pronouns 他 and 她: the feminine character 她, proposed by Liu Bannong, only became established around 1920, in the climate of the May Fourth Movement. The culture modules of sessions 10–11 present the role of women in the reform and revolutionary movements of the early twentieth century. Gender stereotypes in family terms and in characters with the 女 radical are also discussed.

Minimum pass level. At the end of the course students are able to:
Knowledge and understanding:
• recognise the initials, finals and four tones of Standard Chinese and transcribe them in pinyin;
• recognise about 150 characters from Units 1–4 and the basic structures (是, 不, 吗, 的, 有, 在, measure words, modal verbs);
• know in outline the stages of Chinese history up to 1949 presented in class.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
• write the characters studied with the correct stroke order;
• build simple affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences;
• translate short sentences from Chinese into Italian and vice versa on course topics.
Making judgements:
• recognise the main structural differences between Chinese and Italian (word order, tones, measure words).
Communication skills:
• introduce themselves and hold a short exchange about nationality, study, family, likes and abilities, with understandable pronunciation.
Learning skills:
• use pinyin, the dictionary and the textbook's digital resources for independent study.
Advanced level. Students also show that they can:
• pronounce with accurate tones and write characters without errors;
• produce well-formed sentences combining several structures (for example serial verbs, time and companionship complements);
• hold a fluent conversation and answer unexpected questions on familiar topics;
• connect the culture topics critically, recognising how Western representations of China have shaped the way its history is told.