Study A Course in
Contemporary Chinese
Digital companion with lifetime access—not a subscription.
Instant stroke order, native audio, and FSRS spaced repetition.
Indexing all 5,000+ characters in the curriculum
About the Course
A Course in Contemporary Chinese (當代中文課程), commonly known as "Dangdai," is the definitive textbook series for learning Traditional Chinese in Taiwan. Developed by the Mandarin Training Center (MTC) at National Taiwan Normal University, it is the standard by which other curriculums are measured.
Unlike older textbooks that focus on Beijing-standard Mandarin, Dangdai teaches the language as it is actually spoken in Taiwan today. It covers the vocabulary of night markets, high-speed rail, and democratic society, taking students from absolute beginner to near-native fluency across six volumes.
Book 1 Vocabulary Lists
First Introductions
Greetings, pronouns, and basic politeness.
Family and Home
Family members, housing, and the particle 的.
Hobbies & Plans
Sports, weekends, and invitation language.
Shopping & Money
Numbers, prices, and convenience stores.
Food & Cuisine
Beef noodles, stinky tofu, and ordering food.
Locations
Directions, campus buildings, and position words.
Time & Scheduling
Telling time, appointments, and daily routines.
Transportation
Trains, HSR, scooters, and travel comparisons.
Plans & Dates
Calendars, future plans, and travel suggestions.
Descriptions
Colors, fruits, and describing experiences.
Own Your Education.
Don't Rent It.
Most Chinese learning apps charge you forever. We believe you should pay once and own it for life.
Subscription Apps
Duolingo, HelloChinese
- ✗ $10-15/month forever
- ✗ Lose access when you stop paying
- ✗ Generic Chinese curriculum
- ✗ Limited handwriting practice
$120-180
per year, forever
Zhong Chinese
Lifetime License
- ✓ $119 once—own forever
- ✓ Complete Dangdai curriculum
- ✓ Taiwan-specific Traditional Chinese
- ✓ Full handwriting with stroke order
- ✓ FSRS spaced repetition
$119
one-time • lifetime access
Free Forever
No Credit Card
- ✓ All vocabulary lists
- ✓ Full dictionary access
- ✓ 30 flashcards per day
- ~ Basic handwriting practice
$0
forever • no catch
"I spent $400 on Duolingo over 3 years and barely retained anything. Zhong Chinese cost me $119 once, and I've memorized more characters in 2 months than I did in years of other apps."
James Liu
MTC Student, Book 3
Free forever • Upgrade to lifetime anytime
Beyond Book 1
The vocabulary lists above are just the beginning. Our app contains the complete data for Books 1 through 6.
Taipei-accented recordings for every single word.
Animation and handwriting practice for every character.
"I use Zhong Chinese to pre-learn vocabulary before each MTC class. My teacher noticed the difference within the first week."
— Sarah K., MTC Student
Review Intervals
Intervals expand as memory strengthens
Memorize, don't just review.
Textbooks are excellent for grammar, but poor for vocabulary retention. You learn a word in Chapter 3, and by Chapter 5, it's gone.
Zhong Chinese solves this using the FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) algorithm. It predicts the exact moment you are about to forget a character and schedules a review for that specific time.
- ✓ 30% less study time than Anki
- ✓ Optimized for long-term retention
- ✓ Automatically handles your reviews
No Subscriptions
We believe you should own your education. Pay once for lifetime access, or use the free tier forever. No monthly fees.
Handwriting First
Passive recognition isn't enough. Our engine forces you to write characters with the correct stroke order.
Progressive Web App
Works on iOS, Android, and Desktop. Downloadable for offline study on the subway.
Frequently Asked Questions
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