Developing L2 Chinese Learners’ Conceptual Understanding of the Polysemous Verb Compound Verb-dao

Chinese vocabulary is characterized by compound words composed of monosyllabic morphemes. Compounds sharing a common lexeme often exhibit polysemous meanings, forming a cognitive semantic network. Systematic instruction on these high-frequency compounds can help learners access their meanings and underlying structure, making learning more predictable. This study applied concept-based instruction (CBI) to teach the polysemous verb compound Verb-dao, using a Schema for Complete Orienting Basis of Action (SCOBA) to visually represent its four core meanings. Conducted with third-semester Chinese students at a Midwestern public university in the United States, the four-week study followed a pre-test, intervention, and post-test design. The intervention included SCOBA instruction, a practice session, and verbalization exercises. A follow-up survey indicated that SCOBA aided students in grasping Verb-dao’s meanings. This study highlights the effectiveness of explicit, systematic vocabulary instruction and shows that visualizing the semantic network of compounds can improve learners' processing and retrieval of these words.