Peak Mandarin Roadmap
From Zero to Fluency with the Peak Mandarin Method
Phase 1: Pronunciation Foundations
Chinese is a tonal language which has a pronunciation system that is very difficult to master for non-native speakers.
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Therefore, we recommend first learning the pinyin 拼音 system or zhuyin 注音. Spend some time everyday training yourself to pronounce intials, tones and finals correctly.
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Phase 2: Building a Basic Vocabulary
Having learnt pronunciation now is the time to learn your first 500 words in the language.
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You can do this by downloading a pre-made deck of flashcards that makes use of the spaced repetition software anki. Or you can use the HSK1-3 decks available on our partner app Mandarin Mosaic.
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Phase 3: The Feedback Loop
This is where the fun begins. In this stage you learn Mandarin via self-directed study as follows:
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1) Find and consume content suitable for your level that you enjoy
2) Add useful phrases and sentences to your spaced repetition system for review
3) Use what you're learning in conversations with natives
4) If you make mistakes add the correct sentence to your spaced repetition system for review
5) Repeat the process!
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Phase 4: Conversational Fluency
Once you have reached an active vocabulary of roughly a few thousand words that you can use in context you'll have reached conversational fluency in Mandarin!
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​In this phase continue the process from phase 3 to further expand your vocabulary. Consider learning vocabulary more specific to your life, work and interests.
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Phase 5: Fluency and Beyond
If you stick at phase 3 and 4 for long enough you will reach fluency. As a rough guide with an active vocabulary of 5000-10000 words you will be able to have conversations on nearly any topic.
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At this phase, you can decide to learn to write Chinese characters if that is one of your goals. You could also learn more of the written language by reading extensively in the language.
About the Roadmap
This Road-map is intended as a general guide to make use of the Peak Mandarin Method to learn Mandarin to fluency. It makes used of evidence based methods including:
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- The Input Hypothesis
- The Output Hypothesis
- Spaced Repetition
- Retrieval Practice
- The Lexical Approach
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If you are interested in more rigorous training of how to implement the method then consider joining the Peak Mandarin Academy