Passionate multilingual Chinese teacher with 8+ years of teaching across China, Spain, Malaysia, and Ireland. Specialist in Leaving Cert Chinese and HSK exam preparation, offering tailored, engaging l

Find out more about Zhichao

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I speak Chinese fluently because it’s my native language. What really excites me about teaching it is my love for languages and my interest in cross-cultural communication. I enjoy helping students not just learn words, but also connect with the culture behind the language.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  If I had to choose one person as the emblematic representative of Chinese language and culture, I would choose Lu Xun. He was not only a key figure in the modern Chinese vernacular (baihua) movement, but his short stories and essays also offered sharp social criticism. His works were thought-provoking in his time, and even today they continue to inspire reflection and critical thinking. To me, Lu Xun embodies the power of the Chinese language to convey ideas, challenge norms, and connect deeply with society.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  One thing I particularly love about the Chinese language is the set of values expressed by the five characters: ‘仁，义 礼 ，智， 信 Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, Xin’ – which mean kindness, justice, etiquette, wisdom, and integrity. These words are not only central to Chinese culture, but they also capture the way language reflects thought, behavior, and moral values. I enjoy sharing these ideas with my students because they show how deeply culture and language are connected.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Speaking Chinese matters to me because it connects me to my heritage, allows me to share the richness of Chinese culture, and provides a tool for critical thinking and cross-cultural communication. It’s not just a language to me—it’s a bridge between people, ideas, and traditions.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  One of the main difficulties in learning Chinese is recognizing and reading Chinese characters, which is very different from alphabet-based languages. Another challenge is mastering the correct tones, which are essential for meaning but don’t exist in most other languages. At more advanced levels, learners also face the subtle differences between synonyms and how to use them appropriately in different contexts. To help the learning process, practice with reading, listening, and speaking in real-life situations, combined with guidance on usage and context, can make a big difference.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  When I was learning Spanish, I remember struggling with words like ‘puta’ and ‘Buda’—for a Chinese speaker, they sound almost the same, so it was hard to pronounce correctly and I hesitated to even say ‘Buddha.’ Similarly in English, words like ‘sheet’ and ‘shit,’ or ‘beach’ and ‘bitch’ can be quite embarrassing for learners if mispronounced. One thing I love about Chinese is that its vowels and consonants are generally more distinct, so learners usually don’t face the same level of confusion. It’s a small but fun example of how language sounds can affect confidence, and it also makes teaching pronunciation in Chinese easier and enjoyable.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  I started learning Spanish relatively late, in 2015 when I was 26, compared to English, which I began studying at 13. You might expect my English to be much more fluent than my Spanish, but in fact, learning Spanish in Spain gave me many more opportunities to listen and speak in real-life situations. Being in an immersive environment helped me progress much faster and also made me more confident when speaking Spanish. Similarly, even though I haven’t used German regularly for a long time, every time I travel to Germany, I try to communicate with locals in German, which provides positive feedback and motivation. From my experience, creating immersive environments and receiving timely feedback are extremely effective for learning any language

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  What makes me a Superprof in language is a combination of experience, cultural insight, and a deep understanding of the challenges language learners face. I am a native Chinese speaker with years of experience teaching Chinese to students of all ages, from beginners to advanced learners. I also have personal experience learning multiple foreign languages, including English, Spanish, German,Italian, French,Korean and Japanese which gives me empathy for students and insight into effective learning strategies.
  I focus on creating immersive and engaging lessons that connect language learning with culture, real-life situations, and critical thinking. I enjoy helping students not only communicate but also understand the cultural and social context behind the language. My teaching philosophy is that language learning should be interactive, enjoyable, and meaningful, which motivates students and builds their confidence.