some questions

Do not let the tones hold you back. We use the same tones in English but as emphasis in a sentence rather than to distiguish meaning. The characters are a lot of work, but you need a system of learning and you need to see them in context often. Not really different from learning vocabulary, just much more time consuming.

Interesting. The other problem, though, is: With whom would I converse? (That's a problem when learning any language, unless it's the native language of the locals in the place where one lives.)

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