Today, we will be breaking down a building entrance sign written in Chinese to understand its meaning. If you are still learning the language, this is a fantastic opportunity to practice and improve your reading skills. To make sure you remember and retain what you learn, try the 4-step method I use:
First Pass
Read with Translations
Study Vocabulary
Active Recall
Final Pass
Let's get started now!
Step 0: First Pass
Try reading the original text (above) without help and check how much you understand.
Identify any new words you don’t know.
Step 1: Read with Translations
Try reading the original text (above) without help and see how much you understand. If you come across any new words that you don't know, make a note of them.
gōnggào
公告
公告Announcement
rù nèi cānguān qǐng jiāng yǔsǎn fàngzhì sǎnjià
入内参观请将雨傘放置伞架
人內參觀請將雨傘放置傘架Indoor visitors, please place umbrella on umbrella rack
xièxie nínde pèihé
谢谢您的配合
謝謝您的配合Thank you for your cooperation
Step 2: Study Vocabulary
Dive deeper and study the individual characters and words below.
Vocabulary List
Step 3: Active Recall (Don't skip)
Most people stop at the second step.
This third step is the most important step and will help you consolidate your knowledge using the power of active recall.
Read the characters out loud without the pinyin. Focus on getting the right tones.
公告
公告Announcement
入内参观请将雨傘放置伞架
入内參觀請將雨傘放置傘架Indoor visitors, please place umbrella on umbrella rack
谢谢您的配合
謝謝您的配合Thank you for your cooperation
Step 4: Final Pass
To bring things full circle, read the original text (above) again and check your comprehension.
How does it feel compared to when you first read it?
Learning to read real-world material drastically improved my confidence and ability to interact with native speakers.
Within a year of study using this simple 4-step method with everything I studied, I was having conversations, making friends, and much more all in Mandarin.
There's no reason you can't do it too.
See you again next week for another real-life example.
When you’re ready, here are some ways I can help you:
The Monthly Signs: The exact system I use to break down real-world material to learn faster & forget less. Delivered to you every month to help you stay consistent.
Real Talk Mandarin: We made a course to help you master real Chinese with confidence in 6 weeks.
The Chinese Companion: My all-in-one productivity system to help you manage + track your entire Chinese study.