Dangdai Book 1 Lesson 1: Introductions, Greetings & Study Guide

This is an independent editorial guide to Book 1, Lesson 1 of A Course in Contemporary Chinese (often called Dangdai). It explains the lesson’s goals and suggests ways to study them; it is not a reproduction of the textbook, its dialogue, or its complete vocabulary list.

Zhong is an independent Traditional Chinese learning app with original lessons, readings, audio, and review tools. Learners using A Course in Contemporary Chinese or other Taiwan-focused materials may find Zhong useful alongside their own study plan. Zhong is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NTNU, MTC, or any textbook publisher.

What this lesson is trying to teach

The opening lesson is about making a first social exchange: greeting someone, stating who you are, asking a simple question, and responding politely. The practical target is not merely recognizing isolated words. It is producing a short introduction without translating every sentence from English.

The lesson also establishes the rhythm of Traditional Chinese study: characters, pronunciation, tones, and sentence patterns need to be learned together.

Representative language

A few useful examples of the lesson’s language include 你好 (nǐ hǎo, hello), 是 (shì, to be in an identity statement), 叫 (jiào, to be called), 嗎 (ma, a yes/no question marker), and 謝謝 (xièxie, thank you). These examples illustrate the lesson’s themes without attempting to reproduce its full word list.

Grammar priorities

• Identity statements: use 是 to identify a person or thing, not to connect an adjective in every situation.
• Yes/no questions: 嗎 normally comes at the end of a statement.
• Names: 姓 introduces a family name, while 叫 commonly introduces a person’s name.
• Negation: 不 comes before many verbs and predicates.
• Politeness: short expressions such as 請問 and 謝謝 make an exchange sound natural.

Use original practice sentences with unfamiliar names and places. This tests whether you understand the pattern rather than whether you memorized the textbook dialogue.

Common beginner problems

English-speaking learners often use 是 before adjectives, treat 嗎 as if it means “is,” or pronounce every syllable with equal prominence. Practice short exchanges aloud and record yourself. Pay attention to tone contours and to the reduced rhythm of familiar phrases.

A practical review plan

1. Listen for the recurring sentence frames before trying to memorize everything.
2. Write a two-sentence introduction using your own name and country.
3. Turn each statement into a question with 嗎.
4. Practice a polite closing without looking at notes.
5. Review characters through active recall the next day and again later in the week.

How it fits the series

This lesson supplies patterns that recur throughout beginner Mandarin: identity, questions, negation, and social formulas. Mastery means being able to adapt those patterns to new people and situations, not reciting one fixed conversation.

Related reading

• A Course in Contemporary Chinese: An Independent Guide
• Learn Traditional Chinese: The 2026 Mastery Roadmap