Du Chinese is great for beginners, but serious learners need more customization. See why Literate Chinese is the superior choice for intermediate and advanced reading.
| Feature | Du Chinese | Literate Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Smart Pinyin | No (All or Nothing) | Yes (Hide Known Words) |
| Library Filtering | Generic HSK Levels | By % Known Characters |
| Audio Accents | Mainland Only | Mainland & Taiwan (Male/Female) |
| Traditional Support | Characters Only | Characters + Bopomofo + Flashcards |
| Flashcards | Basic Review | Full SRS + Personal Vocab Bank |
The "crutch effect" is real. When Pinyin is visible above every character, your eyes naturally drift to it, slowing down your character recognition. Du Chinese lets you toggle Pinyin on or off, but that's a blunt instrument.
Literate Chinese offers Smart Pinyin. By connecting to your Personal Vocab Bank, we know exactly which words you've mastered. We hide the Pinyin for those words, forcing you to read the characters, while keeping it visible for new vocabulary. It's the perfect balance of support and challenge.
Don't waste time on stories that are too easy or frustratingly hard. Instead of broad HSK levels, we filter our library based on your exact percentage of known characters. Find the "Goldilocks" zone (90-95% known) instantly.
Taiwanese Mandarin learners are often left behind. We treat Traditional Chinese as a first-class citizen, with full support for Bopomofo (Zhuyin) and dedicated Traditional flashcards.
