数到一百
Shŭ dào yìbǎi — Counting to 100
A whole extra ninety numbers, and almost nothing new to memorise. Chinese builds every number from eleven to ninety-nine out of the ten words students already know — so this unit is mostly about spotting a pattern and enjoying it.
The pattern, in four lines
十一 = ten one = 11
二十 = two ten = 20
二十五 = two ten five = 25
九十九 = nine ten nine = 99
No “eleven,” no “twelve,” no “thirty” — no irregular number words at all. Once a child sees it, they can count to 99 the same afternoon.
Unit objectives
- Count aloud from 1 to 100
- Read and say any two-digit number written in characters
- Write 百 and 个
- Count a set of objects and report the total
Characters this unit
Only two — the rest of the unit reuses Unit 2’s ten.
个
Ninety more numbers, one rule
Eleven to twenty
Spotting the pattern for themselves. The teacher writes 11, 12, 13 in characters and lets the class work out 14 before being told.
Twenty to a hundred
Counting by tens, then filling in the gaps. A hundred-square grid gets completed in characters over the lesson.
Counting real things
Measure word 个 arrives, plus counting games with dice, steps and classroom objects.
Why Chinese has a word between the number and the noun
Chinese never says “three book.” It says “three volume book” — 三本书. English does this too with some nouns: three slices of bread, two sheets of paper, a pair of trousers. Chinese simply applies it to everything. Grade 1 only needs 个, the general-purpose one that native speakers reach for when they can’t remember the specific word either. Grade 2 adds three more.
Unit 5 progress check
A light, no-pressure way to see what’s sticking:
- Can your child count to 30 without help?
- Given 四十七, can they say 47?
- Do they add 个 when counting objects?
A child who understands the pattern has passed, even if they stumble past 50. Reciting speed comes with use.