Recently, ChatGPT has gathered immense interest as a next-generation AI that could change our lives. We believe ChatGPT will revolutionise education by providing children with a language tutor that’s available 24/7. In this post, we explain what is ChatGPT, how to create an account, and share some ways to use it to help your child learn Chinese.

If you found this article helpful, check out our free guide on “How to use ChatGPT to learn Chinese”, where we go through even more ways to use ChatGPT for learning!

WHAT IS CHATGPT?

Have seen YouTube videos or articles about how ChatGPT can create fancy charts or answer questions like a human and wondered what exactly it is?

ChatGPT is an AI engine that is capable of understanding human conversation, and you give it text prompts to perform tasks like answering questions, translation, and writing content (in fact, a portion of this post was written by ChatGPT).

If you have used AI chatbots in the past, you might remember needing to give the AI bot very specific commands or else it will not understand you. However, ChatGPT is particularly good at dialogue, and you can ask it questions just like you would ask a teacher.

HOW TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT AND GENERAL TIPS

ChatGPT is currently free to use, and anyone can create an account.

1. Go to https://chat.openai.com/
2. Create an account
3. Type your prompt (question/instruction) in the textbox, and talk to it like how you would talk to a human.

Here are some general best practices when using ChatGPT:

1. When asking a question, be as clear and specific as possible, and avoid using complex language or asking multiple questions at once
2. When asking questions, use complete sentences and avoid abbreviations or acronyms
3. If you are not getting the correct answer, try rephrasing the question or asking it in a different way
4. You can provide background context to ChatGPT, which will aid it in providing better answers
5. You can talk to ChatGPT in English, and request an answer in a specific language (e.g. “Please answer in Chinese”)

HOW TO USE CHATGPT TO LEARN CHINESE?

We have consistently emphasised the importance of revision if we want our children to improve in Chinese, and the two biggest problems are a) revising Chinese is boring, and b) kids don’t have anyone to rely on at home since most parents don’t speak Chinese.

While a human teacher is irreplaceable, ChatGPT could act as an invaluable supplement that answers students’ language questions when a teacher isn’t available. Or help students with homework if used in the right way!

We share three useful prompts that we find useful and fun below. And if you want even more tips, check out our free guide on “How to use ChatGPT to learn Chinese”.

1. Differentiate between similar-looking phrases

It’s common for students to struggle to differentiate phrases that are similar (e.g. 经历 vs 经验, 草丛 vs 草原), and can cause students to drop marks in Paper 2 in sections like 选择词语 and Cloze Passage.

And while one can check a dictionary, most students don’t like to do so, and the explanation is often too short to fully understand the differences between similar phrases. ChatGPT provides a detailed explanation, which makes it easier for students to learn and remember.

Prompt: what is the difference between 经历 and 经验?

2. Broaden your vocabulary through 词语搭配

A very important exercise that many kids ignore is 词语搭配 or Vocabulary Extension. This is when you have a base word or phrase like 保卫, and you extend it by adding another phrase to form new phrases like 保卫国家 or 保卫祖国.

We explain why this exercise is so important here, but basically it reinforces old words, extends vocabulary and reinforces sentence structure all at the same time. It’s the perfect exercise for students that are trying to do better in Composition and Comprehension.

ChatGPT can generate Vocabulary Extensions automatically, and even provide the pinyin and English translation for each phrase. Very nifty!

Prompt: Write 3 two-hanzi phrases using the word 好 / Write 3 phrases using the word 照顾. Each phrase should be between 4-6 characters long.

3. Play word games with it

Have you ever tried the “接龙” word chain game, where you say a phrase or idiom, and the other player must use the last character of your phrase to start a new phrase? It’s a simple word game that can be used to practise and broaden one’s vocabulary.

You can get ChatGPT to play it with you, while also asking it to explain any new phrases that popup!

Prompt: Let’s play the 接龙 game.

SUMMARY

We believe ChatGPT has a lot of promise when it comes to Chinese learning, and we are in the process of integrating it into our classes and VocabKing learning platform, which uses personalisation to help students learn more efficiently.

We believe personalisation is the future of education, because every child’s Chinese standard is so different, and requires a tailored programme that focuses specifically on their unique needs.

Lastly, don’t forget to check out our free guide on “How to use ChatGPT to learn Chinese”, where we go through even more ways to use ChatGPT for learning!