All students struggle with getting really good at Chinese.
I have for years. And I still don't feel like I've truly nailed it. But it was especially hard when I was in the dreaded "intermediate plateaux".
There was one thing that took me ages to grasp about the Chinese language which eventually changed how I thought about it, and how I learned it.
Once I grasped that, I could finally break through to an advanced level.
That one thing is:
Chinese is a "high context" language.
That means communication is based on signals, tone, and understanding the "unspoken" context. Whereas in English, which is a low context language, communication is more straightforward.
So in learning Chinese, you need to know more context to really understand what's going on, and use that context in how you learn and remember because everything is so alien.
Using context in learning language is about making more mental connections. It's not just about learning words; It's how to use context and stories to help you understand, remember and use language.
There are three types of context I use in how I think about and learn Chinese which helped me get to an advanced level:
"Now" context. Find stories that are current, relevant, and tell a bigger story of Chinese society.
"Past" context. Learn language connecting current events to the past. Learn about the individuals, their stories, and their place in Chinese history.
"Themes" context: Connect to human themes makes the language more relatable and memorable such as relationships, power, and money.
Through creating context, you make more mental references, remember more stuff, and deepen your knowledge.
This is crucial if you want to get to a truly advanced level of Mandarin.