CHIN 112 continues UMGC's elementary Mandarin sequence, building on pinyin and tones from CHIN 111 towards more confident everyday communication.
UMGC describes it as a continued introduction to spoken and written Mandarin. The goal is to communicate in concrete real-life situations using culturally appropriate language and etiquette, and to recognize and type some frequently used characters, with practice in pronunciation and the oral and written skills of everyday communication.
At this stage the vocabulary grows quickly. Students who kept up with daily practice in CHIN 111 tend to find CHIN 112 manageable; those who did not often need to revisit tones.
Course at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| University | University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) |
| Course code | CHIN 112 |
| Credits | 3 |
| Prerequisite | CHIN 111 or appropriate placement test score |
| Eligibility | Not open to native speakers |
| Online requirements | Microphone, speakers and occasional synchronous work |
What CHIN 112 Covers
| Skill (UMGC) | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Communicating in concrete real-life situations | Shopping, time, dates, family, daily routines |
| Culturally appropriate language and etiquette | Polite requests and social conventions |
| Recognizing and typing frequent characters | A growing bank of common characters |
| Improving pronunciation | Tone accuracy in longer phrases |
| Oral and written everyday skills | Short conversations and simple written texts |
Specific themes and vocabulary depend on your course materials.
Key Concepts Explained
Measure Words
Mandarin uses a measure word between a number (or "this" and "that") and a noun. 个 (gè) is the general one, but many nouns have their own.
Example: 三个人 (sān gè rén) "three people"; 两本书 (liǎng běn shū) "two books"; 一杯茶 (yì bēi chá) "a cup of tea". Note that 两 (liǎng), not 二 (èr), is used for "two" before a measure word.
Time Expressions Come Early
Time words usually go before the verb, often right after the subject or at the start of the sentence, not at the end as in English.
Example: 我明天去北京。(Wǒ míngtiān qù Běijīng.) "I am going to Beijing tomorrow." Literally "I tomorrow go Beijing." Putting 明天 at the end would sound wrong to a native speaker.
Tone Change of 不
不 (bù, not) changes to a second tone before a fourth-tone syllable: 不是 is said bú shì. Getting this right makes speech sound much more natural.
Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them
| Assignment type | What it tests | How to approach it |
|---|---|---|
| Recorded dialogues | Tones in connected speech | Practice full sentences, not isolated words |
| Character exercises | Recognizing and typing frequent characters | Group characters by shared components |
| Short written texts | Grammar and vocabulary in context | Use patterns from the unit and check measure words |
| Live conversation practice | Real-time communication | Prepare likely questions and answers beforehand |
Learning Characters by Component
As character numbers grow, memorizing each one as a picture becomes hard. Most characters are built from smaller components, including radicals that often hint at meaning and phonetic parts that sometimes hint at sound.
For example, characters with the water radical 氵 often relate to liquids: 河 (hé, river), 海 (hǎi, sea), 汤 (tāng, soup). Noticing these patterns makes recognition faster and helps when choosing characters in a pinyin input list.
Numbers, Dates and Prices
Everyday situations in CHIN 112 often involve numbers. Mandarin numbers are regular: 十一 (shíyī) is 11, 二十 (èrshí) is 20 and 二十五 (èrshíwǔ) is 25. Dates go from largest to smallest unit, year, month, day.
Example: 二〇二六年十月七日 is said èr líng èr liù nián shí yuè qī rì, "7 October 2026". Prices use 块 (kuài) in speech: 十五块 (shíwǔ kuài) is fifteen yuan.
Practice saying dates and prices aloud until they come without counting on your fingers.
Asking Questions with Question Words
Beyond 吗 questions, CHIN 112 conversations need question words. In Mandarin, the question word sits where the answer would go, so word order stays the same as a statement.
Example: 你去哪儿？(Nǐ qù nǎr?) "Where are you going?" Answer: 我去商店。(Wǒ qù shāngdiàn.) "I am going to the shop." Likewise 这是什么？(Zhè shì shénme?) "What is this?" and 你几点上课？(Nǐ jǐ diǎn shàngkè?) "What time is your class?"
Do not add 吗 to a sentence that already has a question word.
Where Students Get Stuck
- Forgotten measure words. Learn each noun with its measure word.
- English word order. Practice placing time and place before the verb.
- Character overload. Review little and often using spaced repetition.
- Tones slipping in longer sentences. Slow down and build speed gradually.
Study Tips for CHIN 112
- Shadow course audio: listen and repeat immediately, matching rhythm and tone.
- Write a few sentences about your day in Chinese every evening.
- Keep a notebook of measure words with example phrases.
- Type new vocabulary using a pinyin input method to reinforce recognition.
How We Help with CHIN 112
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Frequently Asked Questions
CHIN 111 or an appropriate score on a placement test.
No. UMGC says it is not open to native speakers of Chinese.
CHIN 111 introduces pinyin and first characters; CHIN 112 builds everyday communication and recognition of frequently used characters.
Yes. Online sections require a microphone, speakers and occasional synchronous work.
3 credits.
Yes. We review it and explain each correction so you learn from it.