When you study some foreign language, actually you are learning two different languages at same time - the written language (through your eyes) and the audio language (through your ears). For example, when you read and memorize english word as picture of letters, you suppress a sounding of word in your memory. Because the human visual system is ten times more powerful than the human hearing. That is why so easy learn to read books, and it is almost impossible for most people learn to understand foreign language on hearing (this is true language!). Learn reading chinese characters only after understanding of chinese language on hearing...