Abstract: This study surveyed international undergraduates, who have completed Chinese preparatory education, about their Chinese language usages in academic learning of medicine. The results indicated that Chinese preparatory education could not fully satisfy language need of students' academic learning, which language difficulties still exist in. Especially, students' Chinese listening, reading and writing skills in academic context need to be improved. The purpose of Chinese preparatory education, including teaching of general Chinese as well as Chinese for specific purposes, is to satisfy language need of students' academic learning. With this purpose, it needs to increase teaching hours and to enhance language element researches in teaching of Chinese for specific purposes, to set up and to perfect evaluation system for Chinese preparatory education.

Key words: Chinese preparatory education, Chinese for specific purposes, Clinical medicine, Satisfaction to language need