The article discusses problematic issues that arise when studying Chinese at Russian universities. An assessment of the applicable techniques and the current state of their effectiveness are given. In addition, data from a sociological study are presented. Promising methods are also considered that will improve the quality of teaching and adaptation of Russian-speaking students when teaching Chinese. The author revealed that studying the Chinese language is one of the priority language areas of education in Russia. This is due to the emerging economic and political realities. In the context of actively developing cooperation between Russia and China, there is a need for professionals who speak Chinese to ensure communication. This applies to both business and government spheres. That is why the growing need for learning Chinese has increased significantly compared to the previous year. In many ways, Chinese replaces English. Hence, many Russian universities adapt their curricula and include the study of the Chinese language in them. At the same time, this activity in many non-linguistic educational institutions is at the initial stage. Current norms and Federal State Educational Standards do not imply blanket language learning, but the ability to apply it in real situations. At the same time, learning the Chinese language is significantly different from learning other foreign languages due to its characteristics. In addition, the psychological component associated with the transition to a different type of formation of language skills and language perception is important. The purpose of the article is to identify current issues in the methodology of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Russian universities. Methodology. The current methodology of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in Russian universities was tested using the method of sociological research. The results of the study showed that there are a number of problematic issues in teaching work in the field of teaching Chinese.