Although the study of Chinese mostly focuses on learning how to speak the language, honing your writing skills is crucial, especially if you want to master the language.
Writing can reflect your language organisation skills as well as your power of thought. It is vital to brush up on your Chinese essay writing skills if you wish to excel in the subject and take your knowledge of the language to the next level. To help you, here are some simple yet effective tips on how to improve your Chinese writing skills and be able to craft better Chinese essays.
1. Expand your Chinese vocabulary
The Chinese language has more or less 100,000 words. With such a number, you will need to learn a couple thousand of words just to understand the most used words and phrases. If you want to be a good Chinese writer, it is necessary to learn as many Chinese words as possible.
To expand your vocabulary, try accumulating words by reading regularly. Memory is also essential for increasing your Chinese vocabulary. Every time you learn new words, don’t forget to apply them to your Chinese essays so that you can make continuous progress.
2. Acquire Chinese grammar and sentence patterns
In order to sharpen your writing skills in Chinese, you need to acquire Chinese grammar and sentence patterns. The term ‘grammar’ refers to the words, phrases, and sentence structures you form. In Chinese, there are mainly two classifications of words: lexical and functional. Chinese phrases can also be classified as either verb-object (VO), subject-predicate (SP), and co-ordinate (CO).
When it comes to sentence structure, every sentence in Chinese includes subject, predicate, object, and adverbial attributes. Moreover, function words play a significant role in understanding Chinese semantic, so try to learn Chinese adverbs, prepositions, and conjunctions as much as you can.
3. Read persistently every day
Reading can broaden your literary horizon and can also aid in your writing. Essentially, reading enables you to learn by example. If you read Chinese every day, you will eventually find it easier to write Chinese essays because you will then have a greater idea of what you can do with your learned vocabulary.
Each day, try to pick at least one Chinese reading, and read it for an hour or two. Whenever you encounter words or phrases you do not understand in your reading, take the time to check them in a dictionary and look for examples of their usage to solidify your understanding of them. After a certain period of reading constantly, you will surely improve your Chinese essay writing skills.
4. Do essay writing activities on various subjects
As the classic adage goes, “practice makes perfect.” So why not apply this proverb to your Chinese learning journey by engaging in different writing exercises to improve your skills?
Generally, the topics you may practise writing about can be categorised into these types: a description of something or someone, a recollection of an incident, a letter, a formulation of your opinion on a certain issue, and so on.
Conclusion
Patience and practice are required to be able to write better Chinese essays. No one becomes a brilliant Chinese writer overnight. To improve your Chinese writing skills, you must expand your vocabulary, enhance your grammar and sentence patterns, and read and write constantly every day.
Moreover, to deepen your understanding of the Chinese language and its intricacies, it is best to seek the help of a Chinese tutor who can guide you all throughout your Chinese learning journey. For the most reliable JC, secondary, or primary Chinese tuition in Singapore, Premium Tutors is the one you need!
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