I had a long conversation with my Chinese professor about the pros/cons of learning Chinese if you have 0 background vs. if you have some background (I was born

I had a long conversation with my Chinese professor about the pros/cons of learning Chinese if you have 0 background vs. if you have some background (I was born in China, moved to US when I was 6). Both are biases one can push past, but good to think about as you're learning. The Rules (e.g., grammar, syntax, vocabulary, etc.) If you have 0 background you are a blank slate, and like a blank slate, you can absorb whatever the teacher throws at you. Provided you work hard, have natural language ability, etc. etc., this means you'll likely be better at me than grammar, syntax, vocabulary, etc. Why? Because my frame of reference is that of a 6 year old speaking elementary Chinese. Whenever I'm uncertain, or whenever my parents are uncertain (i.e., they're not sure I'll understand what they're saying), the default is to regress to this very elementary way of speaking. The Feelings On the other hand, if you have 0 background, it will be very difficult to master the tonality to perfection and the nuances of what "sounds right." For example, if you were really pedantic, you'd know that the appropriate pronunciation for the Eight Trigrams is not ba1 gua4 (as is commonly spoken) but ba2 gua4. But... no one uses the rigorously correct way anymore, and it's this sense of what's right that almost seems to be absorbed via osmosis that the person with a background will have a better control of.