Chinese is a language spoken by the largest number of population in the world. With its long history of development, rich culture, and booming economy, it has attracted more than 100 million learners annually worldwide. UM Confucius Institute offer mandarin courses that aim to help non-native speakers to acquire the fundamental knowledge and skills of Chinese language in areas of vocabulary and grammar, the Chinese culture and society, in order to communicate fluently with the Chinese people. UM Confucius Institute offers “Elementary Mandarin I”, “Elementary Mandarin II”, “Intermediate I Mandarin”, “Intermediate Mandarin II”, “Pre-advanced Mandarin” and “Advanced Mandarin” courses in Fall and Spring semesters each academic year. The courses are free-of-charge and open to the public. The first batch of courses launched in September 2018 and were very well-received by the local community.
Important Notes for 2nd Semester, AY2024/2025 Mandarin Courses
- These are all intensive language courses that comprise of whole class lectures, tutorials, assignments, exams/presentations. The courses will be held at the University of Macau campus.
- Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions and spend at least 1-2 hours per week to prepare for the classes and conduct assignments outside of the classroom.
- Attendance is very crucial for these courses. Students are required to attend at least 80% of all class meetings (i.e. 24 out of 30 sessions). Late and/or leave class early with a span of 20 minutes or more in total will also be considered as absent.
- Students may apply for leave to justify their absence(s), but the Confucius Institute will only consider justifiable reasons related to personal illness, work and force majeure (excluding personal or vacation leave reason). For leave related to work, students can only apply for 3 days per semester, at maximum.
| Course Level | Elementary I | Elementary II | Intermediate I | Intermediate II | Pre-advanced | Advanced |
| Dates: | 13/01 – 16/05/25** | 09/01 – 16/05/25** | 09/01 – 16/05/25** | 09/01 – 16/05/25** | 13/01 – 16/05/25** | 13/01 – 16/05/25** |
| Day of the Week: | Mon & Wed | Tue & Thurs | Tue & Thurs | Thurs & Fri | Mon & Wed | Mon & Wed |
| Time: | Class A: 6:45-8:15pm Class B: 8:15-9:45pm | 6:45-8:15pm | 8:15-9:45pm | 6:45-8:15pm | 8:15-9:45pm | 6:45-8:15pm |
*Noted: The graduation ceremony will be held on 16/05/2025(Fri) for all students and this will be counted as one of the class sessions.
| Description: | This course is designed for students who want to have a basic command of Chinese language and culture. Course objectives are for students to build a solid foundation and to develop their four language skills: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. The emphasis is on correct pronunciation, accurate tones and mastery of basic grammatical structures. The relationship between language and culture and the sociolinguistically appropriate use of language will be stressed throughout. |
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| Semester: | 2nd Semester, Academic Year 2024/2025 |
| Date: | 13/01/2025 – 16/05/2025 (every Mondays and Wednesdays) |
| Time: | Class A: 6:45pm-8:15pm Class B: 8:15pm-9:45pm |
| Description: | This course, as a continuation of Integrated Chinese: elementary level I, aims to further enhance students’ proficiency of the Chinese language. They are expected to understand Chinese texts, use the language correctly and confidently, and know some Chinese culture through language learning. Through classroom practice, students will gain a basic command of the spoken and written language, as well as the cultural knowledge in which this living language is embedded. |
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| Semester: | 2nd Semester, Academic Year 2024/2025 |
| Date: | 09/01/2025 – 16/05/2025 (every Tuesdays and Thursdays) |
| Time: | 6:45pm-8:15pm |
| Description: | This course is designed for students with prior knowledge in Chinese. It will further develop students’ communicative competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing in modern Chinese as well as to deepen understanding of Chinese culture and social issues. Students will carry on conversations and participate in classroom discussions in Mandarin Chinese on various topics associated with daily life. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course. |
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| Semester: | 2nd Semester, Academic Year 2024/2025 |
| Date: | 09/01/2025 – 16/05/2025 (every Tuesdays and Thursdays) |
| Time: | 8:15pm-9:45pm |
| Description: | This course is a continuation of Intermediate I, aiming to enhance students’ skills and competence in using Chinese in general situations. It will cultivate students’ four basic language skills including speaking, listening, reading and writing, with substantial emphasis laid upon developing their oral communication skills and reading comprehension. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course. |
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| Semester: | 2nd Semester, Academic Year 2024/2025 |
| Date: | 09/01/2025 – 16/05/2025 (every Thursdays and Fridays) |
| Time: | 6:45pm-8:15pm |
| Description: | This course is designed for students who have completed Intermediate II Chinese or the equivalent. While many of the linguistic tasks students learn to handle are similar to those of Intermediate Chinese, the level of language required to carry out these tasks is more advanced. It aims to help students to build up a more comprehensive understanding of the fundamental grammar of the language, and expand their knowledge of its core vocabulary and commonly used phrases. Students will carry on conversations and participate in classroom discussions in Mandarin Chinese on various topics associated with daily life. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course. |
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| Semester: | 2nd Semester, Academic Year 2024/2025 |
| Date: | 13/01/2025 – 16/05/2025 (every Mondays and Wednesdays) |
| Time: | 8:15pm-9:45pm |
| Description: | This advanced Chinese course is offered to students with experience on listening, speaking, reading and writing Chinese at the intermediate level. It aims to help students to increase the sophistication of their oral and written expression, improve their reading and listening comprehension, and communicate information on autobiographical topics, as well as topics of community, national, or international interest in culturally appropriate contexts. Mandarin Putonghua and simplified characters are the medium of instruction in this course. |
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| Semester: | 2nd Semester, Academic Year 2024/2025 |
| Date: | 13/01/2025 – 16/05/2025 (every Mondays and Wednesdays) |
| Time: | 6:45pm-8:15pm |
| Eligibility: | 1. Non-native Chinese speakers (i.e. mother tongue is neither Cantonese nor Mandarin) 2. Adults over 18 years old with a valid permit to stay in Macau 3. An oral proficiency interview will be conducted by phone with those who applied to Elementary Mandarin II or above level |
| Fee: | Free of charge |
| Venue: | University of Macau |
| Award of Certificate: | Students who have fulfilled the 80% attendance requirement (i.e. attended at least 24 classes), participated in all parts of the final assessment, and obtained a final grade of D or above in the final assessment, will be issued a Certificate of Completion. |
| Registration: | Application Period: 06/11/2024 (Wed) 11:00AM – 04/12/2024 (Wed) 10:00AM Oral proficiency interview to be conducted by phone (for Elementary Mandarin II or above level registrants ONLY): 5,6 or 9/12/2024 Announcement of Application Results (via email): 16/12/2024 (Mon) First, create a new account on the application system: https://isw.um.edu.mo/ceas_ci/faces/login Important Notes: *Recommended to use Google Chrome or Firefox as web browser. |
| Course Flyer: | Download from here |