Learn Chinese Online,
One-on-One

Yes. CLI Online’s primary format is one-on-one private instruction. Your teacher can tailor each lesson to your level, goals, pace, interests, and preferred learning style.

Complete the free trial form at the bottom of this page. You’ll share your name, email, time zone, country, preferred platform, current Chinese level, and requested date and time. CLI will then follow up to confirm teacher availability and lesson details.

One-on-one online lesson purchases can begin at 5 hours after the free trial. The current package structure is $20/hour for 5–19 hours, $18/hour for 20–59 hours, $17/hour for 60–99 hours, and $16/hour for 100+ hours. All prices are listed in USD.

Lessons are usually held through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WeChat, or VooV Meeting. CLI will confirm the final platform, meeting link, or teacher contact information before class.

CLI’s teachers are based in China, and lessons are coordinated around China Standard Time. The free trial form asks students to choose times within 8:00 AM–10:00 PM China Standard Time. Availability depends on teacher schedules, and CLI will help confirm a time that works.

That depends on your goals and schedule. Many students meet once or twice per week, while others prefer a more intensive schedule. Consistency matters: the more regularly you study and review, the faster your Chinese will improve.

Yes. You can share textbooks, school assignments, HSK materials, vocabulary lists, or other resources you want to use. Your teacher can also recommend materials or build lessons around a mix of conversation, grammar, reading, writing, and review.

Yes. CLI teachers can help you review vocabulary and grammar, practice speaking, work through textbook materials, and prepare for test-style tasks. Share your target exam, level, timeline, and current materials when you sign up.

Yes. CLI can support young learners and teens with customized online Chinese lessons. Parents should share the student’s age, grade, current Chinese level, school curriculum, preferred script, and goals so CLI can help match the student with an appropriate teacher.

CLI’s standard online lessons are one-on-one. Small private classes for two or three learners may be possible in some situations, depending on goals, level, schedule, and teacher availability. Contact CLI to discuss current options and pricing.

Please notify your teacher at least 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule. Lessons canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice, or missed without notice, may be deducted from your lesson balance.

If you need to pause, let your teacher and CLI know as early as possible. Remaining lesson hours can stay in your account for future study, subject to CLI’s current policy. CLI can help you restart when your schedule allows.

In many cases, yes. If you would like to transfer unused hours to a friend or family member, contact CLI and our team will help review the request.

After your free trial, CLI can help you choose a lesson package, share the enrollment form, and coordinate an ongoing schedule with a teacher. You can also tell us what worked well in the trial and what you would like to focus on next.

Absolutely. Online lessons can help you build vocabulary, improve listening and speaking confidence, and clarify your goals before arriving in China. Many students use online study as a stepping stone toward in-person immersion in Guilin.

Yes. Start with our free Chinese course, which takes you step by step through pinyin, tones, your first HSK 1 words and basic grammar, and practice with free tools like the pinyin chart and HSK vocabulary flashcards. Free study is a good way to build vocabulary. What it can’t do is listen to you speak. An online Chinese tutor hears your tones, corrects them as you talk and keeps you speaking, so many learners combine free study with one or two lessons a week.

Yes. CLI Online works for students starting from zero as well as for returning and advanced learners. Because every lesson is one-on-one, your teacher sets the pace for you and can focus on pronunciation and tones from your very first class. Start with the free 30-minute trial; the 5-hour package is a practical first package after it.

It depends on how much you want to manage yourself. On a tutor marketplace you choose a tutor from many profiles, then handle the booking, the lesson plan and the quality check on your own. With a school like the Chinese Language Institute (CLI), our team matches you with a qualified teacher based in Guilin, helps plan your lessons around your goals, and coordinates scheduling across time zones and your prepaid lesson balance. If you would rather spend your time learning than organizing, a school is the simpler choice. The free 30-minute trial lets you see how CLI works before you buy a package.

For most goals, yes. One-on-one online Chinese classes give you a teacher’s full attention: your teacher corrects your pronunciation and tones, explains grammar and adapts to your pace. Steady progress comes from consistency, such as one or two lessons a week with review in between. What online classes can’t give you is a city where you hear and use Chinese all day. That is what studying in China adds, and many students use online lessons as a stepping stone to our Chinese Immersion Program in Guilin.