How to Stay Motivated When Learning Chinese?

Today, let's talk about how to keep up your motivation for learning Chinese.

Honestly, motivation can be like a gust of wind—here one moment, gone the next, right? It's completely normal. Why? Because, let's face it, we humans love comfort and avoid challenges. And learning Chinese, well, that's no small challenge!

Think back to when you first decided to learn Chinese. Was it because you loved the language? Wanted to watch Chinese dramas, read web novels, or were fascinated by Chinese culture? Maybe you just thought Chinese characters looked so cool and sounded beautiful. Or maybe it was something more practical, like knowing that China’s growing economy could open up career opportunities. These were our initial sources of motivation.

But motivation is like a burst of energy that pushes us forward. The thing is, that energy eventually runs out, doesn’t it? Just like a balloon slowly losing air. The process of learning a language often feels like this deflating experience. So, why do we lose motivation? It's because we’ve mixed up the cause and effect.

At the start, we're all fired up, determined to master this language and do something amazing with it. But here's the thing—we’ve confused the cause with the effect. What's the cause? It's enjoyment! Whether it's watching TV shows, movies, reading novels, diving into cultural history, or planning for a future job. It's this enjoyment that drives us to do all these things. But as we progress, we realize that this cause is actually the effect—a reward we only get after putting in a lot of effort. And this reward? It's pretty far off and doesn’t give us immediate satisfaction.

This is when many people give up. We all prefer things that are easy and enjoyable, and when something becomes too hard, our motivation fades. This doesn't just apply to language learning; it's the same when pursuing a romantic interest, learning to draw, or playing the piano.

This ties into the idea of 'delayed gratification.' The satisfaction you hope to get from learning Chinese is something that can only be achieved in the distant future. All those dreams you had at the beginning? They take a long time to come true. You can only see them far off in the distance, like something that might be waiting for you. But how many people can keep pushing forward based on passion alone?

Especially when it comes to learning Chinese as a hobby. Chinese isn't like English, which is a second language in many countries and something students are required to learn in school. So, for many people, learning Chinese is just a hobby. And hobbies, well, they can be pretty fleeting. It's hard to hold on to them.

Add to that the fact that the internet is so advanced now. Some people might have a natural talent for learning languages, but they've put in a ton of effort behind the scenes, or they've found methods that really work for them. Then they succeed, and they show it off. You see their skills, and it feels like they're light-years ahead of you. This is when you start to lose hope, and all that pressure becomes a heavy burden on your shoulders. You feel like giving up.

And these people—whether they're trying to grab attention or make money off clicks—they’ll put out eye-catching titles like 'Learn Chinese in Just a Few Months' or something like that. You start thinking, 'Why did they get so good in such a short time, and I haven't? Maybe I really don't have a talent for languages.' And all these doubts and pressures pile up and become toxic, leading you to give up.

A lot of people go through this. That's why I say that losing motivation or having it fade away is completely normal. Everyone goes through it; everyone faces this struggle.

So, what do we do? Is losing motivation and eventually giving up on learning Chinese the only option? Of course not! The reason I'm sharing this topic with you today is to explore how to maintain your motivation for learning Chinese.

Have you ever played a game? When you're playing, time just flies by, right? Sometimes you even stay up all night without realizing it. Why is that? Because games have a reward system! Game designers really understand human psychology—they know people need constant stimulation, rewards, and encouragement, and the goals can't be too big.

At first, they give you a simple task, and when you complete it, doesn’t it feel great? Like you've been rewarded, encouraged? The game's system uses these small tasks and rewards to gradually build up your skill level, all while eating away at your time like a time-devouring monster.

Learning a language can totally borrow from this approach. Why has Duolingo become so popular recently? Because it uses game mechanics to help people learn basic language skills without even realizing it. Of course, Duolingo is really only good for learning the basics."

"So, what do you do when you’ve reached an intermediate or upper-intermediate level and want to keep progressing? When there’s no Duolingo to help you out, what’s your plan?

This is where maintaining your motivation comes in. Why do games keep people hooked for so long? It’s because they break everything down into small, manageable tasks, rewarding you after each one. Can we apply this to learning a language like Chinese? I think we absolutely can.

This is how I tackle dwindling motivation: by bringing the mechanics of gaming into language learning. Often, when we start something, we’re full of ambition and set ourselves lots of big tasks. But when those tasks take up too much time, are too challenging, or just plain exhausting, we start to lose steam.

So, to counter this, I apply a gaming approach and break Chinese learning into small, bite-sized pieces. The idea is to segment your learning into short bursts, each with a small task. At the start, it’s important not to spend too much time on learning—10 minutes a day is fine. In this fragmented learning time, you can set yourself a tiny goal, and once that’s done, even if you have time left, you can stop.

For example, in 10 minutes, you could memorize five sentences, learn ten words, watch a five-minute video and review it, or pick a one-minute clip from a show you like and listen to it ten times. The key is to break everything down into small, detailed tasks and create a simple plan. Each plan should have a clear, easily achievable goal—nothing too hard. Don’t aim to learn 100 words in a day; that’s too complex and discouraging, and you’ll quickly lose motivation.

In the early stages, fragment your Chinese learning and set up some small, manageable plans. Make these plans so easy to achieve that Chinese learning gradually becomes a necessary part of your life, like eating or sleeping. You can always find a few minutes here and there, even just 5 minutes.

For example, think about how long you spend in the bathroom—5 or 10 minutes, right? Or during your commute. Even if you're really tired, you could watch a Chinese TV show and immerse yourself in the language. The point is to keep a connection with Chinese every day, maintaining a steady momentum in your learning.

But watching TV alone isn’t exactly studying; it’s more about enjoyment. It’s best if you have a goal—like memorizing a few lines of dialogue. Watching TV can be a reward for yourself if you’ve spent those 10 minutes memorizing something earlier. It’s okay to treat yourself.

The key is to fragment your learning and set up small, achievable goals. As you get better, you can gradually make these goals more challenging, and you’ll see steady progress.

It’s like leveling up in a game—you get better bit by bit. There’s a gradual curve of improvement. If you can spend a little time each day learning Chinese consistently, just watch—one year, two years from now, you’ll be speaking fluently.

What we need to avoid is that initial burst of enthusiasm that fades away as the learning gets tougher, leading to burnout and eventual abandonment of the language altogether. That’s why we need a method to keep the motivation alive, making Chinese learning as natural a part of our lives as eating and sleeping.

This way, you can truly master Chinese, turning it into a skill rather than just a fleeting passion. Remember, learning any language is a long-term process that requires patience and perseverance. If we stick with it, success is just a matter of time."