EdX

Chinese Idioms: A Thousand Miles (edX)

Offered by MandarinX,
Chinese Idioms: A Thousand Miles (edX)

This course aims to teach Chinese idioms to Chinese language learners, or anyone interested in Chinese culture, while providing a historical background, fun facts, and engaging stories with cultural perspectives.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see EdX's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Idioms, which we call chengyu in Chinese, can be directly translated as “already made words” or “formed words.” They are an essential part of the Chinese language. Woven together over thousands of years and taken from ancient myths, fairy tales, philosophical musings, and poetry, Chinese idioms are a testament to the longevity and continuity of the Chinese language. The purpose of this course is to provide a lens for our audience to learn more about Chinese history and culture through these unique idioms.

What you'll learn
You will be able to learn:

  • Commonly used Chinese idioms with daily use and business applications
  • Basic strokes of how Chinese characters are formed
  • Additional vocabulary words used on a daily basis with a variety of different meanings
  • Sentence patterns for making simple conversations
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

An Introduction to Chinese Sign Language and Linguistics (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Shanghai International Studies University - SISU

An Introduction to Chinese Sign Language and Linguistics (FutureLearn)

Get to grips with Chinese sign language (CSL), sign language linguistics and deaf culture. Learn the basics of Chinese sign language and sign language linguistics. This comprehensive four-week course from the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) provides you with basic knowledge of Chinese sign language (CSL), sign language linguistics, as well as Chinese deaf culture and deaf education.

Self Paced
5-12 Weeks
Sino-Japanese Interactions Through Rare Books (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Keio University

Sino-Japanese Interactions Through Rare Books (FutureLearn)

Learn about the role of books in the relationship between the cultures of Japan and China, with this free online course. Books have played a major role in the formation of Japan’s culture, particularly those brought from China. On this course we’ll examine how big an impact these books have had, as well as looking at how books and religion are connected in Japan and East Asia, and the history of publishing in Japan.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Health Concepts in Chinese Medicine (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Health Concepts in Chinese Medicine (Coursera)

Chinese Medicine and Modern Medicine are two distinct medical systems, yet they both aim at the prevention and treatment of human diseases. With this in mind, we should understand the practice of Chinese Medicine in the context of Modern Medicine. In this course, we explore the basic theories underlying the practice of Chinese Medicine, compare and contrast the use of Chinese Medicine and Modern Medicine in Preventive Health, and discuss how to restore a healthy condition and understand the pharmacological basis of different types of Chinese tonifying herbs.

Aug 3rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Mandarin Chinese 2: Chinese for Beginners (Coursera) Coursera
Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Mandarin Chinese 2: Chinese for Beginners (Coursera)

Mandarin Chinese 2: Chinese for beginners is a beginner's course of Mandarin Chinese in continuation of Mandarin Chinese 1: Chinese for beginners. It uses lectures, short plays, interactive exercises and cultural tips to help learners build a fundamental capability of oral Chinese in real-life situations. At the end of the 5-lesson course, the learners will reach the following proficiency: 300 words; 40 language points; handling 10 real-life situations

Jul 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Géopolitique de la Chine contemporaine (FUN) FUN
Institut Catholique de Paris

Géopolitique de la Chine contemporaine (FUN)

Dans bien des domaines, la Chine est déjà la première puissance économique du monde. Son développement mais aussi ses difficultés, en un mot son évolution même engage notre propre avenir. Le marché chinois transforme les circuits commerciaux et industriels, bouleverse les savoirs et les pratiques du monde. Il est donc important, sinon urgent, de connaître l’histoire de cet Etat-continent, la nature de son régime et de ses ambitions en matière de politique étrangère. Ce MOOC est le premier portant sur la géopolitique de la Chine. Il convient à tout public désireux de se former aux affaires chinoises et plus particulièrement aux personnes qui, dans leur domaine professionnel, seront amenées à travailler en rapport avec la Chine.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
Chinese for Beginners (Coursera) Coursera
Peking University

Chinese for Beginners (Coursera)

Nowadays, there is an increasing number of people who are interested in Chinese culture and language. And it is useful to know about the language when coming to China for travel or business. This is an ABC Chinese course for beginners, including introduction of phonetics and daily expressions. After taking this class, learners can have a basic understanding of Chinese Mandarin and make basic conversations of daily living such as exchanging personal information, talking about daily arrangements and food, asking about price, introducing the city and the weather, telling your hobbies etc.

Jul 29th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Chinese Culture and Contemporary China (Coursera) Coursera
Nanjing University

Chinese Culture and Contemporary China (Coursera)

This course of Chinese Culture and Contemporary China will explore the foundations of Chinese civilization and the dimensions of Chinese culture. It will pay particular attention to the relationship between Chinese culture and the present-day life of the Chinese people and to the different elements of the culture which are under the present social structures, belief systems, literature, arts, customs, etc. The course aims at providing students with a deeper knowledge of Chinese culture, thus enabling them to better understand China.

Jul 27th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Chinese Language in Culture: Level 1 (edX) EdX
MIT,MITx

Chinese Language in Culture: Level 1 (edX)

Learn both cultural competence and language proficiency for successful participation in Mandarin-speaking societies. This subject is the first of a series that forms an introduction to modern standard Chinese, commonly called Mandarin, the language with the largest number of native speakers in the world. It is the official language of Mainland China and Taiwan, and one of the official languages of Singapore.The course presupposes no prior background in the language.

Apr 21st 2022
5-12 Weeks
Mandarin Chinese Level 2 (edX) EdX
MandarinX

Mandarin Chinese Level 2 (edX)

Develop practical Mandarin skillswith extensive vocabulary, phrases and sentence structures used in daily communication and business environments. In this course, you will learn extensive vocabulary for describing people and objects, making comparisons, and stating your own perspectives by using complex and varied sentence structures.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Intellectual Change in Early China: Warring States and Han (Coursera) Coursera
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Intellectual Change in Early China: Warring States and Han (Coursera)

This sequence of four courses will propose a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic). The focus will be on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For each of these moments, cultural facts and artifacts—thought, literature, ritual—will be examined in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks