Ateneo - UPO

Completion of the first level of Standard Chinese and preparation for HSK Level 1: days, dates and times; daily routine; opinions and descriptions; the weather; ordering at a bar; travel plans; prices and shopping; transport; habits and wishes. Main structures: nominal and adjectival predicate sentences, shì…de 是…的, the particle 了, 还是/或者, 给. Each session includes grammar, speaking (口语), writing, listening and dictation (听力) and an outline of Chinese culture and history from 1949 to today, 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), Units 5–7, 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).
Culture materials, sample HSK 1 tests and additional exercises are published on the DIR platform: the HSK 1 tests are used to prepare the written exam, the culture materials to prepare the culture part of the oral exam.

The course completes the first level of Standard Chinese begun in Chinese I and brings students to HSK Level 1 of the official certification. It contributes to the objectives of the degree programme by developing linguistic and intercultural skills: the history of China from 1949 to today is presented from a Chinese point of view, critically comparing different narratives.
Specific objectives:
1. understand HSK Level 1 sentences and short written and spoken texts;
2. read and write about 300 characters, including those from Chinese I;
3. correctly use the structures of Units 5–7 (dates and times, 是…的, 了, 还是/或者, 给, adjectival predicates);
4. hold short conversations about daily routine, opinions, weather, shopping, transport and plans;
5. connect the language content to the main stages of Chinese history from 1949 to today, distinguishing narratives and perspectives.
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, HSK 1-style practice, mock exam). Students also study independently using the textbook exercises and digital resources. There is no distance learning (TEL).

Knowledge equivalent to the Chinese I programme: transcribing and pronouncing pinyin with tones; reading and writing about 150 characters; using the structures of Units 1–4 of Parliamo cinese vol. 1 (是, 不, 吗, 的, 有, 在, measure words, the modal verbs 想, 会, 能, 可以); introducing oneself and talking about family, study, likes and abilities.

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 and short texts (cards, messages, plans);
• listening and dictation (听力): textbook audio tracks, dictations and HSK 1-style exercises;
• culture: short presentation in Italian with 2–3 key Chinese terms, followed by a class discussion comparing different sources and perspectives.
The last session is a mock written and oral exam, corrected in class. The textbook's digital resources, the Xīnhuá zìdiǎn dictionary and the DIR platform are used for materials and self-assessment exercises.

Attendance is strongly recommended. Non-attending students follow the same programme and may contact the lecturer for guidance on independent study. Passing the exam is not equivalent to the HSK certificate, which is taken at an authorised test centre.

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. HSK 1-style listening: understanding sentences and short dialogues (6 points);
2. HSK 1-style reading: understanding sentences and short texts (6 points);
3. grammar exercises: completion, transformation, sentence reordering (9 points);
4. translation of sentences from Chinese into Italian and from Italian into Chinese, and a short guided text (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 text and answering comprehension questions (pronunciation and tones);
2. conversation on course topics (dates, times and daily routine, opinions, weather, shopping and transport);
3. short discussion, in Italian, on one of the culture topics covered.
Final mark: 60% written exam and 40% oral exam.
Assessment criteria.
• Fail: understands only isolated words; frequent errors that prevent understanding; unable to hold a simple exchange.
• Pass (18–22): understands the general meaning of short sentences and texts; correct use of the main structures (dates and times, 了, 是…的); short but relevant answers; basic knowledge of the culture topics.
• Good (23–27): almost complete understanding of HSK 1 texts; characters written correctly; fluent conversation on familiar topics.
• Excellent (28–30 cum laude): complete understanding; well-formed, articulated sentences; accurate tones; ability to compare different narratives on the culture topics critically.
For the written exam students use the textbook, its exercises and the sample HSK 1 tests; for the oral exam also the audio tracks and the culture materials published on DIR.

The programme follows Units 5–7 of Parliamo cinese vol. 1. Each session is divided into grammar, speaking (口语), writing, listening and dictation (听力, with HSK 1-style exercises) and culture. The culture modules present China from its own point of view, in an intercultural and counter-colonial key, from 1949 to today.
1. Lesson 5a 今天星期几? Grammar: nominal predicate sentences; 有空儿. Speaking: days of the week; saying when one is free. Writing: days of the week. Listening and dictation: dialogues 5a; dictation of days. Culture: 1 October 1949, the founding of the PRC as the end of the "century of humiliation". The Chinese zodiac.
2. Lesson 5b 明天是我的生日. Grammar: dates; objects of verbs of motion; 是…的 (1); 认识; 快乐. Speaking: dates and birthdays; giving good wishes. Writing: a greeting card. Listening and dictation: dialogues 5b; date dictation. Culture: the early PRC; the Great Leap Forward (1958–62) and the famine: the project and its human cost.
3. Lesson 5c 现在几点了? Grammar: nominal predicates for time; sentence-final 了; 什么时候. Speaking: telling the time, event times, appointments. Writing: times. Listening and dictation: dialogues 5c; time dictation. Culture: the Cultural Revolution (1966–76) and its official reassessment.
4. Lesson 5d 一个学生的一天. Grammar: 每 and 都; duration. Speaking: describing one's day. Writing: a short text about one's day. Listening and dictation: text 5d; HSK 1-style listening. Culture: Deng Xiaoping and "Reform and Opening-up" 改革开放 (1978): multiple modernities. Daily schedules in China.
5. Lesson 6a 你为什么学习汉语? Grammar: adjectival predicates; object clauses; 觉得; 读 and 看. Speaking: giving opinions; describing people and situations. Writing: opinion sentences. Listening and dictation: dialogues 6a; sentence dictation. Culture: the 1980s and Tiananmen Square in 1989: plural internal voices and a topic censored in China.
6. Lesson 6b 天气怎么样? Grammar: …的时候; 太 + adjective + 了; 很少. Speaking: the weather. Writing: a short weather report. Listening and dictation: dialogues 6b; HSK 1-style listening. Culture: the 1990s and China as the "world's factory".
7. Lesson 6c 我想喝可乐. Grammar: 还是 and 或者; 东西; 菜. Speaking: offering food and drink; ordering at a bar. Writing: a menu. Listening and dictation: dialogues 6c; sentence dictation. Culture: 2001, China's WTO accession and urbanisation.
8. Lesson 6d 明年五月我们去北京学习. Grammar: the verb 带; 参观 and 旅行; 时间. Speaking: travel plans. Writing: a travel itinerary. Listening and dictation: text 6d; HSK 1-style reading and listening. Culture: the 2008 Beijing Olympics and "discourse power" 话语权. Famous cities and places.
9. Lessons 7a 那个本子怎么卖? and 7b 电脑是在哪儿买的? Grammar: prices; 是…的 (2); 真; 不错. Speaking: asking prices; describing a past action. Writing: Chinese currency and figures. Listening and dictation: dialogues 7a–7b; price dictation. Culture: the Xi Jinping era, "national rejuvenation" 民族复兴 and the Belt and Road Initiative 一带一路.
10. Lesson 7c 我们怎么去火车站? Grammar: 在 as an adverb; 坐 and 骑; 有事 and 没事. Speaking: suggesting doing something together; means of transport. Writing: a message to arrange a meeting. Listening and dictation: dialogues 7c; HSK 1-style listening. Culture: Hong Kong and Taiwan: the same history from different perspectives.
11. Lesson 7d 我在北京. Grammar: 很 and verbs of feeling; 给; 一点儿; the suffix 话. Speaking: habits and wishes. Writing: a short letter ending with 祝好. Listening and dictation: text 7d; sentence dictation. Culture: how to tell China's story without exoticising it or echoing official narratives. Geography of China.
12. Mock exam. Written and oral exam in exam format, corrected in class.
Integrating the gender dimension. The culture modules of sessions 1–2 present the 1950 Marriage Law and the slogan 妇女能顶半边天 ("women hold up half the sky"), comparing the official narrative with women's actual conditions. In lesson 6a, when describing people (帅哥, 美女), gender stereotypes in vocabulary are discussed.

Minimum pass level. At the end of the course students are able to:
Knowledge and understanding:
• understand the general meaning of HSK Level 1 sentences and short written and spoken texts;
• recognise about 300 characters and the structures of Units 5–7 (dates and times, 了, 是…的, 还是/或者, 给);
• know in outline the stages of Chinese history from 1949 to today presented in class.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
• write short practical texts (cards, messages, plans) using the structures studied;
• translate sentences from Chinese into Italian and vice versa on course topics.
Making judgements:
• choose between similar structures (还是/或者, 有/在, 是…的) according to context.
Communication skills:
• hold short conversations about daily routine, opinions, weather, shopping, transport and plans, with understandable pronunciation.
Learning skills:
• independently tackle HSK 1-style exercises and tests and use the Xīnhuá zìdiǎn dictionary.
Advanced level. Students also show that they can:
• understand HSK Level 1 texts and dialogues almost completely;
• produce short but well-formed texts, with accurate tones and error-free characters;
• hold a fluent conversation and answer unexpected questions;
• critically compare different narratives of recent Chinese history, distinguishing facts, interpretations and perspectives.