Learning the opposite (typing instead of direct recognition)

[Pall]

Hi,

Some forum users watched my attempt to learn 1,000 words each one-two months. In fact, I learnt firmly only 1,700 words, and it took me five months. However, the method wasn't completely wrong. To learn words in characters I used intermidiate level of their perception, a combination of 'leading features or something instead' and transcription in mupin, the 'sceleton'. There were only 57 symbols selected or designed to distinguish characters outline, which were put ahead of the transcription (the number of sections according to which fleshcards were grooped in stacks was even less). It's described here https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/62486-how-to-learn-a-thousand-words-each-one-two-months/ The solution was close to that, I should change the direction of learning. 
Now I started from the very end of my HSK list, Part 6, which includes the most difficult words to remember due to very diverse outline, and do this. First of all I learn the sceleton, looking at the translation of a word and writing the sceleton down on a sheet of paper. As checking if I was right I look firstly at the sceleton, which is at the top on the reverse side, and only after that I look at the word itself, which is at the bottom, and only in the case if I haven't see in my mind even some faint approximate shape of the characters. The latter is very important, we should not mix up stages of learning and jump right to the chatacters. Upon having sucsessfully reproduced the sceleton I put the fleshcards to one more partition, vertical one under the initial horizontal partition. The words from the vertical partition are learnt further for typing them, on the next day, looking at the translation again. This time to check if I was right I look firstly at the word in characters on the reverse and after that at the sceleton to check how well I said the word (we say the word at each stage of recognition) . If words were typed correctly the fleshcards are put to still one more, horizontal again, partition behind the first two. Only when almost all the words of the section appeared in the third partition, they are learnt for recognition of the words in characters. Successfully recognized fleshcards go to the forth partition. Also we can return unrecognized fleshcards at each stage to the previous partition for stronger effect. I found that learning accelerated in two or even three times compared to the procedure I used earlier.
And the proposition to dublicate fleshcards, writing the translation in the opposite order, is also very important. For example, if you memorized how to type the word meaning 'artificial; man-made; having human cause or origin', it's not the fact that when you see the translation as 'having human cause or origin; man-made; artificial' you will not hesitate how to type the word 人为。And it gives more hopes that you will be able to recollect these meanings when you switch to recognition of the word in charaters at last. One word translation cards I dublicate, too.

 

 

Edited December 14, 2022 at 06:22 AM by Pall
added oral practice

[Pall]

Also we should not write the word in characters instead of writing the sceleton even if we know precisely how to draw the characters. 

[Pall]

Well, now it's quite different. I managed to learn confidently 700 words in almost a month, one month and 5 days. Taking into account important holidays and relating activities during the term it's roughly a month. This time I started from the very end of my HSK list, part 6, containing the most diverse outline words, those that don't relate either to the leading feature words of the parts 1-4 or the words of some frequent radicals of the part 5. I expect, learning words words from the rest of the list in this way will be even easier. However, I am not inclined to learn the whole list. It's not my target at all since I'm not going to pass HSK exam in the nearest future. This is only some basis to begin reading and grasping word use and grammar. As I wrote earlier, I want to read firstly HSK graded texts. And it's better not to postpone the task too much. Now I'm planning to learn Part 5 words. Part 5 doesn't include complete series according to the selected radicals, only what remains after the parts 1-4, which are designed as complete series with dublicating word registering, so it'll not be very big, maybe also about 700 words. After that I need to finish the part 3, some 100-300 words remaining. As a result only words of the part 4 will remain untouched, though it's complete series include many words learnt in the parts 1-3. In the part 4 very long series dominate as 'man on the left', 'hand on the left', 'water on the left' , etc. Then I begin reading. I'll be aware that only words of 13 leading features of the Part 4 I didn't learn, so when seeing a word without these leading features, which I cannot recollect, I'll check it in the list if it is there, and if so, I'll remember it very well further, I hope. If it's not there I just add it to the list and the cards. The words of the 13 leading features of the part4, not bearing the leading features of the parts 1-3, will be added to the fleshcards stacks as they're encountered.