Getting started
Intro lesson
The intro lesson is a short look at how Chinese works for anyone starting at HSK 1: what a character and its keys are, why you need pinyin and why a tone changes the meaning of a word. It opens before your first session, but you do not have to finish it, and you can return to it at any time in Materials → Basics.
Who sees it
The lesson is shown to anyone whose level is set to HSK 1 — including everyone who said at sign-up that they are starting Chinese from scratch. At higher levels it does not open by itself, but it is available to everyone in Materials.
What it covers
The lesson goes step by step, one idea per screen:
- How Chinese works differently from languages with an alphabet.
- What parts a character is built from, and why those parts — keys — help you recognise new characters.
- Why a character has a stroke order.
- What pinyin is and what a syllable is made of.
- The four tones and the neutral tone — with audio and a short listening exercise.
- Building your first word — a greeting.
Why it opens before a session
Your first session builds on what the lesson shows: tones, pinyin and the word you assembled. So until you have opened the lesson once, the session button takes you to it first, and your first session starts right after — with simple words for greeting someone and talking about yourself.
The lesson insists only once. If you opened it and closed it before the end, your sessions are no longer blocked.
Closing it and coming back
You can close the lesson with the cross at any step. It remembers the screen where you stopped and opens there next time; the Back button takes you to earlier screens.
The intro lesson and the three basics lessons are always in Materials → Basics. You can open them again there at any time, including the ones you have finished.