Xiezi Character Trainer App

The Xiezi Character Trainer app from Clavis Sinica is designed to help you learn to write the characters required for each lesson in your course. It will show you how to write each character and give you immediate feedback on each stroke when you practice writing it yourself. A brief online video demonstrating the main features of the app can be viewed on YouTube.

The app is available for Apple devices running iOS 4.0 or higher and Android devices running Android 4.1 or higher.

Any technical questions regarding the app, troubleshooting, or download/install issues should be directed to Johnathon Beals (johnathb@umich.edu)

Installation: Select the app for the platform of your device (Apple iOS, or Android). For Apple devices, the app will be installed wirelessly simply by touching the link and confirming.

For Android devices, you will need to enable "Unknown Sources" in the settings (Usually in the "Security" submenu), then slect the link to download the app. Most Android devices will automatically ask if you want to install the app after downloading, but some may require you to find the APK file in your downloads folder and select it to install from there.

Note: Do not use the Canvas or UMICH apps to access this page. Please access directly using Chrome or Safari.

Important Note for iOS Users:

You will need to "Trust" the app before being able to use it, since it is an Enterprise-Signed app distributed through UM's license. To do this, follow the directions in this tutorial.

Chinese 101

iOS Android ← Select your platform to install

Chinese 102

iOS Android ← Select your platform to install

Chinese 201

iOS Android ← Select your platform to install

Chinese 202

iOS Android ← Select your platform to install

Getting Started

  1. Touch the CS icon to launch the app on your device. It's a large app, so it can take some time to load.
  2. Select desired lesson from the list provided
  3. From the main character grid screen, you have five options:
    • Touch any character to learn how it is drawn and to practice writing it
    • Select Train mode to practice all the characters in textbook order
    • Select Workbook (WB) mode to conduct a guided practice session meant to replicate character workbook practice
    • Select Drill mode to begin a randomized flashcards session on all the characters (no character outline is shown, and missed characters are returned to the deck)
    • Select Test mode to begin a test session on all the characters (no character outline is shown, and you get only one try with each character)

Usage Notes

  • The character grid screen scrolls up and down. Drag it up to view the bottom two rows.
  • The X button at the bottom of the character practice screen clears all currently drawn strokes
  • The "Yi" button draws the next stroke
  • The "Quan" button draws the entire character
  • The ? button gives you a hint on where to begin the next stroke
  • The Gear button allows you to change app settings, including drawing speed
  • The app will save your progress between sessions in WB mode, provided the device is not completely powered off. To return to an incomplete WB mode session, select "Current Workbook Sessions" at the bottom of the main lesson menu.

Complete instructions for using the app can be found on the Xiezi User Guide page.

Additional Resources

The Character Trainer app is one of several Chinese language learning tools developed by Clavis Sinica. Some of the more popular free resources on the Clavis Sinica website include the following: