Two case studies of the specific vocabulary learning strategies used by native Chinese-speakers learning English as a Second Language (ESL) at Beijing Normal University are presented and discussed. Subjects were two university students identified as "good" and "poor" language learners. They read two passages, one with about twice as many unfamiliar words as the other. The texts were marked for students to stop reading at certain points and verbalize their thinking processes. A post-reading think-aloud protocol was also used. The think-aloud processes were analyzed for vocabulary-learning processes and strategies, based on three stages of vocabulary learning: initial handling of a problem word, dictionary strategies, and reinforcement strategies to commit the word to memory. A flow chart of each subject's vocabulary learning process was developed, and the two were compared and contrasted stage by stage on both metacognitive and cognitive levels. These comparisons are presented, with specific examples of words learned by each subject. Some dramatic differences found in the processes and strategies they used are discussed, and implications for theory and practice are drawn. Appended materials include a 28-item bibliography, the two texts, a transcription marking key, notes indicating the poor learner's rehearsal strategies, a chart comparing strategies, and flow charts. (MSE)