Product Description

Customer Reviews (14)

The Best Yet
I read lots of books about the Chinese, my son lives there and I have traveled to China.This is the first book though, where at times it is so humorous, I find myself belly-laughing right out loud!

Deb has taken a subject matter (language) many might think would be dry or boring.It is just the opposite.I have learned, laughed, and been emotionally touched at times.

To me, this is "The Best Yet."

Great book; don't read it on your Kindle
I quite enjoyed this book.Like the author, I am a linguist who has studied Chinese, though I've only had the opportunity to make one short visit to China.This book was a chance to vicariously visit China with someone whose perspective I very much admire.

However, the type-setting in the Kindle edition was VERY disappointing.About half of the Chinese characters show up as little boxes.Another 25% are weirdly big and pixelated.It's as if they weren't aware that the book had non-Roman characters in it, or didn't proof-read.I expectbetter from the Kindle experience.

There should be a book like this for every language and country!
There should be a book like this for every language and country!

Deb Fallows does a brilliant job using her experience learning mandarin as a key to understanding the Chinese mind. . Each chapter is a new window on the language and the people.

If you've ever wondered how language shapes the mind, you owe it to yourself to read this graceful book. It's intensely personal, anecdotal style is more convincing than a dozen academic treatises. The book isn't just insightful, it's a compulsive read. I consumed it in one sitting

Now, if only someone would write Dreaming in English, so we could see ourselves as others see us.

GreatBook
This book is well-written.The chapters are short, to the point, and demonstrate good insight. (Husband is Chinese and agreed with most of the author's point.)In the past, I have purchased larger, longer books that don't have near the insight.I give only 4 stars, because it would have been nice to have more chapters!

A quick entertaining read, but little substance.
I actually enjoyed reading this book.Its short and easy to get through. But you get what you pay for.The book feels like a non-cohesive hodgepodge of stories. I found a few of Deborah Fallows statements repeat, almost word for word, throughout her book.The book feels more like you're having a conversation with the author at a dinner party about her recent trip to China, rather than reading a well though-out planned book.This book is merely her musings on the topic, with no study to back anything up, or even interviews with experts in the field. I suspect that the rave reviews written on the back cover were from her, or her husband's friends, as they are both in the academic world and have access to these people. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the book and its lighthearted read.Just don't expect anything really substantive and be prepared for repetition, even though the book is so short. Also, there is no organized flow to the book.Just a random collection of short musings on topics, often time making little connection to the language.This entire book should have been condensed into a few pages as an introduction to a Lonely Planet book on China, rather than its own book on language. ... Read more

Product Description
Aimed at helping students of Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters—including the pronunciation of characters—fast and effectively, Learning Chinese Characters Volume 1 is a systematic study aid to this difficult language.
Designed specifically to ease students into the daunting process of learning Chinese characters, Learning Chinese Characters Volume 1 incorporates the key principle of visual imagery. A book for serious learners of Chinese, it can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. Concise, clear and appealing, this practical guide is well designed and includes an easy-to-use index.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (49)

Drop dead perfect way to learn Chinese... negative reviewers aren't getting it
Look at this number:

019185271952163992112

Can you memorize that?That number graced the start of one of the chapters of The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play which I read as a teenager.I'm almost 50 now and can still reproduce that number.I've done memory stunts like seeing a deck of cards turned over one card at a time over one minute, and then I called off the cards in order.

So what's this have to do with Chinese?Easy!The authors tapped into EXACTLY the techniques presented by Lorayne and Lucas (the latter memorized the whole Bible).Let me quote a negative reviewer:

"Honestly, it is the silliest thing ever written - using dwarfs, fairies, giants, and robots ... NO, I'm NOT kidding. The system is so silly and complicated, it takes ten times LONGER than just memorizing the dull, rote, old-fashion way."

The reviewer is dead wrong."Silly" has a special impact on our brains.The dwarves [correct spelling], fairies, etc., are designed to call up crazy and even emotional pictures in our minds for memory.

That said, I haven't had the time to spend with the book that I wish I could.However, business has me dealing with customers of all nationalities.There is a degree of comfort in reading chat in Chinese and recognizing symbols I've been learning from the book.No, I cannot speak Chinese.My chat is limited.But the knowlege is coming slowly and surely.

See the beautiful naked blonde jump up and down! = 019185271952163992112

Can you remember that? Sure you can!And then you can reproduce the number that started this review.Read the Memory Book and all the principles of "Learning Chinese Characters" become as clear as can be.

A Solid Foundation
This book is superbly designed and executed.The story method is brilliant, fun and really works and you can use it for characters beyond HSK Level A.The book provided a foundation for me to "hook into" Chinese characters.Without it, I couldn't imagine how I would have gotten started.Characters no longer seem so intimidating and unintelligible.I finished learning all 800 characters in 5 months.I was on a mission and had a blast with this book.My method was to learn on average 5 to 10 a day.But a few weeks I learned as many as 100.After 5 - 7, I found it was important to review them.Review, review, review is the key.I wrote down the character, pinyin, meaning, tone (giant, fairy, teddy, dwarf), then sound word in a reporter notebook and used this for review.After learning 25 or so characters, I'd go back and review the last several pages of my notebook.After 50 characters, I'd go back and review half of what I'd learned.After 100, I'd go back and review them all and sometimes try to write out all the pinyin.I also did all the periodic character reviews the book provides.Now I carry around a copy of the table of contents and review 4 chapters a day like 40, 30, 20, 10, then 39, 29, 19, 9, etc., either saying the pronunciation or writing down the pinyin.

I have moved on to other excellent learning sources: Tuttle Reading and Writing Chinese (simplified edition) for characters in the A, B, and C lists; Schaum's Chinese Grammar; Tuttle Chinese-English Dictionary; Berlitz 1000 Mandarin Words; Behind the Wheel Mandarin 1 audio program; and [...].I have found that knowing how to write characters is very different than knowing how to read then.This takes much practice.Also, it is critical to hear the correct pronunciation of the pinyin.

I still reference this book all the time to look at how they breakdown character parts (and the names they give them) and for guidance on writing characters.I'm using the story method for B, C, and D list characters in Reading and Writing Chinese.The limitations the book may have, such as providing mostly one word or phrase definitions and how the sound words are not exact, are really strengths because the authors keep it simple and encourage learning.

Some people seem to think the story method is too difficult.Here's how the story method worked for me.I first tried to learn the exact story, taking a minute to get a mental impression of it.At first I would look at the characters and it would take some time to run through the story and get the meaning and pronunciation.But eventually it goes much faster and I would just say the components, tone and sound word such as for companion (peng2): moon + moon, companion, fairy, puncture and just see a vague mental image of all this.Now I look at this character and immediately just know the meaning and pronunciation.Sometimes the stories became something different in my mind from how they were originally written, but if I could look at the character and know the meaning and pronunciation, that's all I figured that mattered.The story method is only a bridge to learning to see the character and instantly know the pronunciation.Once you know that the character for one (yi1) means one and is pronounced yi1, you don't need the story.But if you forget a character, then it is good to have the story to review.I couldn't imagine just using wrote memorization to learn characters, that would have been way to boring for me.This method was a blast and I learned a lot of characters fast.

Unfortunately, just a bad idea
I thought this book's basic premise was just silly.Making up stories about actions by fairies and giants and dwarfs in order to learn the meaning of a word sounds innovative and helpful, and if speaking Chinese were done in slow motion this would be fine.There simply is not enough time to recall the story and translate the actor (fairy, dwarf, giant, etc.) into a tone for pronunciation.An almost useless book.

Excellent Book for Learning Chinese Characters
I am learning Mandarin Chinese. I have four resources (besides the Internet):

* Teach Yourself Mandarin Chinese Complete Course Package
* Teach Yourself Mandarin Chinese Conversation
* This book
* A dictionary

The first two are focused on speaking and understanding, although Teach Yourself Mandarin Chinese does introduce characters about halfway through the book, it isn't a very good resource for learning them.

This book starts with common characters, and it seems to be intended to be used alone to learn Chinese Characters, so it doesn't assume other studies (although, it does reference this when it teaches , when it gives is meaning it will also state "If you are learning Chinese, you know it isn't as simple as that" or something). It is a good focused study of Chinese Simplified Characters.

It can be used alone to learn characters, but I think one would want to learn the language too at the same time, so it will likely be used with another course. When using it this way, one may want to go through the first few chapters as they are presented, then go find the characters which one needs for the course. While they are the most common characters and one can achieve 85% literacy with just these characters, when one is learning 20 words at time in a course, one may want to learn the characters immediately instead of waiting to get to them.

There are many extra things I can name which would have been nice to have in this book, but the book is very focused on learning Chinese Characters and very well designed for that.

Excellent results !
I've been studying with this book for over 2 weeks so far and I have learned already about 70 characters including their meaning and pronunciation.
It is fun and easy.
As I am also takingPinyin lessons , the pronunciation part is easier for me.
I totally recommend this book. ... Read more

Product Description
It's essential to build a solid foundation for learners of any language asearly as possible! - THIS IS THE BOOK to help you build a solid foundationof Mandarin Chinese!

In the first several years of life, children learn a few words that become asolid groundwork for their language in life. Also children love stories,which are a very important part of language learning. Hence, in the process,the nature of children stories has shown us a successful way to build afoundation in order to learn the language successfully. For the same goal,this series of books are written in a special way that provides readers withthe easiest entry point into the Chinese language and also helps readersestablish a strong foundation through well-known fables and theirentertaining Chinese characters. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Fun and Informative
Mr. Song has written an informative book that helps people of any age learn Chinese.His bookcontains stories and anecdotes as well as helpful information about how and why Chinese letters are formed.He has an audio program on his author's site that lets the reader know how to pronounce and enunciate Chinese.I recommend this book.

Another Brilliant Educational Book
Yet Another Brilliant Educational Book from Sam Song.

One of the major obstacles of learning Mandarin is to learn and remember hundreds of Chinese characters.

Learn Chinese characters in context is the first step and one of the most effective ways to learn and remember hundreds of Chinese characters. Sam Song's books in series are the few books in the world really help readers to learn Chinese characters in context.

I enjoyed reading this book and "The Fox and The Goat." I think they are wonderful books for everyone.

Highly recommended!

Learning Chinese Characters Doesn't Get Easier then This!
My interest in Mandarin (Man darin' ?) Chinese stems from my interest in learning and teaching languages. I have had discovered to my great delight that Mandarin is an extremely easy language to speak and hear, but writing it is another story. With its some 30-50,000 characters to master, it seems like a mission impossible. How can such an unwieldy language survive and thrive for thousands of years, is another mystery. Mr. Sam Song's assertion, that the Chinese characters are actually words, rather than building blocks thereof, was like a a divine revelation. It puts Chinese characters at par with their English counterparts. The word "Observe" has just as many strokes as does its Chinese equivalent. I wonder whether Mr. Song's simplified evolution of characters is historical, or imaginary. Either way it is helpful.

I read the book which included the stories (1) of two friends and the bear, and (2) of the Sun and the wind. Mr. Song treats each of these as independent books, and repeats some characters. The large types used are good for the untrained and tired eyes. The book feels quite light to hold, easy to read through, and is actually pleasant for the reader, physically and mentally. It is relatively inexpensive as well. Rather than intimidating the student, the book actually encourages one to read ahead with appetite. With this work, Mr. Song as if brings thousands of intimidating Terra Cotta Warriers to life as friendly human beings, and makes other books on Chinese characters easier to fathom. Thanks.

I really enjoyed reading this book
I am a beginner in Mandarin Chinese. I bought this book and Sam Song's other book, The Fox and the Goat.

While reading these books, I learned many interesting Chinese characters and listened to the stories many times. I really enjoyed reading these two books. I believe the best way to learn Chinese is to learn characters and words in context. I think these books are wonderful.

Hope on the horizon
After several false starts in my studies, these books seem to be just what I need to learn characters. The books are so simple, almost too simple, with virtually no commentary or discussion. And each volume contains the same very brief introduction. However, rather than giving the impression something's missing, it soon becomes apparent that any more detail would detract from the experience. Sam Song should be locked in a room until he's written 10 books like this, at least, and if he could publish another highly simplified, friendly series on grammar, that would be extremely useful, too.

The key here is that every lesson is reduced to its lowest common denominators, and it's a system that works. His methodology parallels my own (as a language teacher): simplify, and don't stop looking for ways to make seemingly strange ideas even easier to grasp. Perhaps, as he explains the evolution of a symbol, he could tell the reader why it lost its curves and was (sometimes) turned sideways. Knowing this would bridge the gap in the reader's mind between the original pictogram and the final form of the character.

Chinese is the future, and Song's attempt to help demystify its script is more than welcome. ... Read more

Product Description
This title includes a book and 2 CDs. This Hippocrene best-seller has been redesigned and updated, making learning to speak, read, and write Mandarin Chinese easier than ever! Spoken by over 850 million people world-wide, Mandarin Chinese is the standard dialect for business and trade in China, one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and the world's most widely spoken language. Mandarin is also a useful study tool for students of the Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tibetan languages, all of which have strong cultural roots in Chinese. New features in this edition include the following: ten practical lessons with dialogues, vocabulary, and exercises; new audio CDs featuring professional actors from Beijing; updated cultural and language notes; an attractive, easy-to-read presentation of the Chinese characters; additional exercises for teaching stroke order and writing skills; an index providing traditional character equivalents; and, new technology sections on how to read and write Chinese characters on a computer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Review of the new *2nd Edition*, Oct 2010
I had already studied the previous edition but I bought this second edition hoping that they had re-produced the audio, and they have. The new speakers ("featuring professional actors from Beijing") and the audio quality are now excellent, making it more pleasant and more convenient to use for periodic review, and a better match for his Volume 2.

The font is much larger and bolder (good for me). The number of pages went from 173 to 326 but the wording of the texts looks the same (so the lessons haven't changed- also good for me).

It now includes writing practice sheets, in the book. You would probably want to scan these out.

At least two of the cultural essays have been rewritten, in one case to make it more practical, and in another case to bring it up to date.

I had two other very well known and excellent works covering similar subject matter (basic conversation), but Yong Ho was the one I liked best and chose to use.

(One of the other reviews, the one currently given as "most helpful critical review", is dated 2005 but refers to a second edition. That must be a mistake. This second edition is just out, Oct 2010.)

Good product but slowpork shipping
The product is good for Chinese learning beginners. But it take very long time to receive them. I asked and paid for "two-day shipping", after 9 days I checked the website showing me that "not shipped yet"!!!! Really do not understand what the "two-day shipping" means. I called Amazon and was told that "two-day shipping" means after shipping starts then you will get it within 2 days. How rediculous it is!

got it for my chinese class
I like it because it is easy to study.but the chinese characters are too small in print so my teacher kept needing to writing it out for us since we have no clue.

Beginners' Chinese
This book is best used in a classroom situation. I purchased for independent home study. The speed of the language on the CDs is too fast to understand clearly. The CDs are Chinese only, they are not your typical: speak/repeat format. Not recommened for personal use. Definitely need a tutor or instructor.

I read the other reviews and decided to try it
I saw the other reviews of this book and decided to try it on.
My conclusion: I wish I had started with this book all those years ago when I first decided to learn Chinese.

Why?:
+ the grammar is so clearly explained
+ practical vocabulary for daily use (as opposed to college and business)
+ varied exercises that covers all angles of learning: sentence making, translations from English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English, grammar etc.
+ the editing is sleek and uncluttered, it feels professional
+ fascinating cultural readings

Don't let the small size of this book fool you, it is a serious book for serious students.
It covers around 300 characters, which is what most first-semester courses in Chinese would cover.

The author is also an anthropologist so you get information on the cultural aspects of Chinese - when to use certain words, and when not to use them, the historical backgrounds of certain expressions etc.
This is gold for the newbie amateur sinologist.

The audio-material is good.
One cd covers: pronunciation of vocabulary, phrases, and dialogues. The other cd covers pronunciation of pinyin ( the romanized script ).
Yong Ho ( I assume ) reads the vocabulary for each chapter, and a female reader joins him in reading the dialogues.
The dialogue readings are at normal speed.

For the asking price this book is really a bargain, it feels under-priced and under-valued. For this level of quality and, above all, effectiveness, I would have gladly paid alot more.

I have tried other material such as Colloquial Chinese, Teach Yourself Chinese, and a couple of other university textbooks, without really getting anywhere - besides the first few chapters.
They all lacked something: badly explained grammar, too few excercises, impractical excercises etc...the list is long.
But for me this little book has actually worked, I am finally getting somewhere "real" with my studies.
I feel that this book rescued my progress and gave me a reliable path towards my goals.

If you like this book you should continue with his second book Intermediate Chinese with Audio CD, followed by David and Helen in China: Simplified Character Edition: An Intermediate Course in Modern Chinese (in Two Parts with Audio CD) (Far Eastern Publications Series).

... Read more

Product Description
This brand-new manual prepares students for a subject that has just been added to the Advanced Placement program. Separate sections review all parts of the new exam: Listening, Reading, Grammar, Speaking, and Culture. Each section also includes exercises, and the listening and reading sections include practice questions with answer keys and answer explanations. The book reflects the AP examÂ's standards, presenting questions in bothtraditional and simplified Chinese characters. Two full-length practice exams are presented with answer keys. Enclosed with the manual are three audio compact discs, which present spoken material covering the examÂ's Listening and Speaking sections. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not Too Bad, But....
I bought it just because it's from Barron, however when I opened the book, I was kind disappointed that how the structure and content disconnected each other, it says it's for AP prep, but I found the difficulty was quite beyond the comprehensibility of high school grads who wish to take their AP exam in Mandarin Chinese.
Anyway, it's a nice start for those who want to better design and teach the AP Chinese course in future.

I don't know who thought it was a good idea to find a woman with such a squeaky voice
The title says it all. The female voice in the cds is sooo squeaky that I cannot stand it. Her voice needs to be lowered two octaves. The written material is fine, just the CD voice is unbearably annoying. I just want her to shut up instead of actually listening.

A powerful set of review and practice tests for the AP test
Any preparing for the AP Chinese Language and Culture test needs BARRON'S AP CHINESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE, a powerful set of review and practice tests for the AP test. Questions in both traditional and simplified Chinese characters are just like the actual exam, offering two full-length practice exams with answers plus audio CDs of spoken material.
... Read more

Product Description
This is a reader written especially for learners of intermediate level Chinese and above. It contains forty articles on topics such as Chinese language, culture, history, society, folklore, holidays, geography. The articles, arranged according to level of difficulty, are concise and written in a clear and colloquial style. Grammatical notes and exercises are included after each article and two appendices are available for easy reference. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It is so good, I would add some itens in it description.
a) Recent publication: 2002b) The lenght of the texts and the
number of the new words increase gradually ( wisely ). The first
lessons are aproximately 400 characters with 30 new words. The last lessons are 800 characters long with 50 new words. c) Each lesson beginswith a study outline in Chinese an English to give a general idea of whatwill bethe lesson. d) In some lessons there appendices to give additional informations
such as " Chart of Chinese Radicals", " Commonly Mistaken Characters", "Chart of Family Relative Titles", etc.
Wise, really wise! Don't miss it.
... Read more

Product Description
This Basic program contains 5 hours of audio-only, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Mandarin Chinese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Mandarin Chinese can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands of words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That same learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

The 10 lessons in the Basic Mandarin Chinese are the same as the first 10 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Mandarin Chinese Level 1.

The 10 lessons in Basic Mandarin Chinese are also the first 10 lessons in the 16-lesson Conversational Mandarin Chinese edition.

Pimsleur learners progress from either the Basic or the Conversational to the Comprehensive Level 1, and not from Basic to Conversational edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Pimsleurs' neurolinguistic approach works.
Pimsleurs method of teaching Mandarin to neophytes works.The repetition is very helpful, the pronunciation of the male and female voices is clear and easy to duplicate, the speed is paced well, learning happens.It is American male orientated.If you are neither it is a bit funny to don the persona of an American man out to find a Chinese girlfriend.But it is not offensive and most of the people learning this way are these types.So, I am learning and I am not easy to teach.

A Good Starting Point To Learing Mandarin
We used the Pimsleur "Basic Mandarin Chinese" program to jump start formal Chinese language classes offered by my company to it's employees and family members. My wife and kids (10 & 14 at the time) enjoyed the well ordered lessons and we were all in a better starting point than the other students when the classroom learning started.

Here are my observations:

* Well Ordered and Logical Flow
* Easy to Understand Speakers
* A Lot of Repetition to Build Previous Lessons
* Focused on Most Useful Practical Phrases

Like any of these CD based programs, you have to setthe time aside to actually listen to content and be in a place where you can repeat the lessons back out loud (my 40 minute commute made this just about perfect for the 30 min lessons). If you stick with this program, you will pick up a good bit of practical Chinese Mandarin.

Recommended!

Good, but buy Conversation Mandarin Chinese instead
I used Pimsleur's Basic Mandarin Chinese (which is just the first 10 lessons of Pimsleur's Mandarin I series) prior to a 10 day visit to China in March 2008 (Beijing and Liaoning provinces).I was aiming to pick up some basic language to help navigate my way around and order in restaurants (I was off the tourist trail some of the time).

Summary: Pimsleur is extremely good, but do NOT get the Basic Mandarin Chinese product.At the very least, get the Conversation Mandarin Chinese product (which is the first 16 lessons of Pimsleur's Mandarin I series).Here is my reasoning.

I highly rate Pimsleur's approach to learning Mandarin Chinese.Pimsleur has you listening to native speakers and doing intensive repetition.As a result, you acquire a very good accent - the Chinese people I spoke to on my travels all understood me perfectly, and those who spoke English told me I had an excellent accent.However, the vocabulary in the first 10 lessons is limited, and much is not relevant to the casual traveller.Furthermore, you really need to learn Pinyin if you're travelling - so you can say place names, etc, correctly in your conversation.Pimsleur discourages this.

Disadvantages:

1. Limited vocabulary - in 5 hours of lessons, and with all the repetition Pimsleur does, you naturally learn a limited set of vocabulary.You don't even learn all the numbers from 1-10!On the plus side, what you do learn you will know very well and will be able to use in conversation.I've written out the complete list of the vocabulary and phrases you do learn below.

2. Vocabulary and phrases not targeted to the causal traveller - the Basic series is just the first 10 lessons of the larger Pimsleur Mandarin I series, the latter of which is geared towards teaching you to speak conversational Mandarin.Many basic phrases useful to travellers are not covered, such as `How much is this?' - essential for bargaining in markets, or common phrases useful in restaurants, such as `please wait 5 minutes', `bill please', or directions such as `turn left/right'.

3. You don't learn any Pinyin or Chinese characters.Pimsleur worries that if you read Pinyin, you'll acquire an American accent.I think this is a valid concern, however, to learn additional vocabulary, and read place names and the like, you need Pinyin at some point.My solution was to do the whole Pimsleur series first, and only then learn Pinyin (there are lots of online lessons to learn Pinyin).

Advantages:

1. Great accent.

2. Everything Pimsleur teaches you, you learn, and learn really well.It becomes intuitive.You can and do use it in conversation with native Chinese.Although not everything was relevant to my needs, I was able to order drinks in restaurants and have some basic conversations with taxi drivers.

Recommendation:

If you are going to learn Mandarin Chinese, I highly rate doing one of the Pimsleur series.Chinese is not a language you can learn from a book.But if I were to do it again, I would do the Conversational Mandarin Chinese - the first 16 lessons.The first 10 lessons are insufficient.I suggest you start by doing a Pimsleur series, then once you're speaking confidently and your accent is pretty good, use online lessons to learn Pinyin/Characters and to extend your vocabulary as needed.

Vocabulary and Phrases taught:

1.Vocabulary: Excuse me, please let me ask, English, Mandarin language, American person, I, you, can (not) speak, to be (am), (yes/no question particle), a little
I can(not) speak English.I am (not) American.
2.Vocabulary: Chinese person, hello, how are you?, (very/not) well, thank you, goodbye
I don't speak well.
3.Vocabulary: how about (you), but
4.Vocabulary: to understand (the situation), what, road, street, where, located, here, over there
I don't understand what you're saying.
You speak Mandarin very well.
Where is Long Piece Street?
College Road is over there.
5.Vocabulary: to eat, to drink, would (not) like, something, to know
I would like to eat something.
Do you know?
6.Vocabulary: my place, your place, when, now, later, to go
Where do you want to go to drink/eat?
7.Vocabulary: tea, beer, (not) OK
8.Vocabulary: restaurant, hotel, lunch, or (for questions), to do, to buy, to want(order), two (glasses), with, whom
I would like to order two beers.
I would like to eat lunch with you.
9.Vocabulary: o'clock, what time, one, nine, eight, or (for statements), impossible
What don't I understand?
10. Vocabulary: anything, five, three, four, am going to (want to), as for me,
What time is it?
Is it four o'clock?

PIMSLEUR BASIC MANDRIN CHINESE
WHAT A CD ,,IF YOU LISTEN WHILE ON LONG RIDE INTHE CAR IT IS AMAZING HOW GOOD THESE CD WORK,,,YOU REPEAT AND THEY REPEAT TWO TIMES ,,I CAN ACTUALLY SAY THAT IT HAS MADE ME UNDERSTAND THE CHINESE LANGUAGE,,,AND BE ABLE TO HEAR KEY WORDS,,,IT IS A GOOD LANGUAGE TOOL AND WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT,,

LIKE I SAY NEE HAU MA MAYBE NOT CORRECT SPELLING BUT CORRECT SOUND,

pretty nice program
Overall I really like this program, and it's helping me to learn some Chinese.
Things I like best: 1) They use two speakers, a man and a woman.In my opinion the woman speaks more clearly and I find it easier to hear and repeat after her lines, however having two speakers really helps when you're having trouble hearing exactly how they are pronuncing something.2) There is sufficient repetition to really learn the material well.
Things I don't like about the program: 1) There is absolutely no written material for the course.I understand that the purpose of the program is to teach you how to speak (and not read or write), but how difficult would it have been to include a 1-2 page transcript of the words and phrases that are being taught?They can say all they want about how "that's not how you learn a language naturally...you do it by listening,"...fine, but I still want to know how the words look in writing.And why hinder the people who want to reinforce their learning through seeing it in print, when it would seem so easy to just throw in a cheap transcript and leave the options to the learner. 2) Although the amount of repetition is warranted, it gets a little frustrating when after an hour or so into the CDs you're still working on a few variations of a very few sentences.I don't really fault the program for this however, its just a difficult language to learn I think.I haven't tried others, so I can't make comparisons with other products, but overall I think it's a decent program at a pretty reasonable price. ... Read more

Product Description

‘Very well structured and clearly explained’ –  Dr Kan Qian, The Open University, UK

Basic Chinese introduces the essentials of Chinese syntax. Each of the 25 units deals with a particular grammatical point and provides associated exercises. Features include:

• a clear, accessible format
• many useful language examples
• jargon-free explanations of grammar
• ample drills and exercises
• a full key to exercises.

All Chinese entries are presented in both Pinyin romanization and Chinese characters, and are accompanied, in most cases, by English translations to facilitate self-tuition as well as classroom teaching in both spoken and written Chinese.

Basic Chinese is designed for students new to the language. Together with its sister volume, Intermediate Chinese, it forms a compendium of the essentials of Chinese syntax.

Customer Reviews (11)

flaw
The pinyin on the kindle version only does not specify all the tones.Just the rising and falling tones and not the first and third tones.It does have the characters though.

in script and pinyin
Any beginner on Chinese should get this book, for the following reasons:

1. it explains things simply

2. it has both pinyin and Chinese script

3. the exercises are very varied

4. each chapter is short

In fact, this book could almost be used as a textbook in itself, as with each chapter you get:
+ new vocabulary, in script as well as pinyin, the book
covers around 400 new words
+ exercises that cover all ranges: translation, correcting sentences,
and other grammar exercises (usually 5 per chapter)

You need to be able to read pinyin reasonable well before you pick this book up, since it doesn't cover the pronunciation.

Another issue is that the chapters are somewhat sequential, so that you have to do them in order, like a textbook.
The exercises in the following chapters build to some degree on the previous ones.

But I don't think that the intention of this book is to function as a reference, like some reviewers seem to think, it is a workbook first and foremost.
If it is a reference book you want, the following book by the same authors and publisher should suit your needs: Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar (Routledge Grammars).

This book has significantly boosted my confidence in Chinese.

Good for review and intermediate students of chinese
My Chinese class required this book so I got it. The book is an excellent tool for learning grammar. The book is clear and concise. A beginner could use this book, but I think it's better if you already have a basic knowledge of some chinese (mostly because vocabulary is not covered - the book is purely grammar). The book does the job well and isn't overwhelming.

A clear intorduction to Chinese Grammars
I am a Chinese who can speak the language but live in a foreign country and seldom use it. I thought it was very difficult if possible at all to lay down rules for Chinese grammars, until I came to use this book to teach my teenage son who was not brought up in Chinese. It make teaching and learning Chinese easier than I thought.

Excellent study material
I was able to browse through this book in the bookstore. I study Mandarin Chinese for one and a half year, speaking fluently, and I own quite a few different study books, so I can judge them easily. I was impressed with this book and certainly plan on buying it - just it's a bit pricy. Clear presentation of the grammar, AS it is used by the native speakers, advanced English without mistakes, and use of Hanyu Pinyin romanization *without mistakes* (as often seen as an obstacle in Chinese study books). The other book(s) from this author has the same but I suppose more advanced (as a follow up course). These are not books for the absolute beginner, though! It is not the kind of friendly course book with stories and all vocabulary laid out for each chapter, no it is not. It is, however, all presented in a very clear way. ... Read more

Product Description

This new edition of the best selling Colloquial Chinese has been revised and updated to make learning Chinese easier and more enjoyable than ever before.

Specially written by an experienced teacher for self-study or class use, the course offers a step-by-step approach to modern spoken Mandarin Chinese. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

What makes Colloquial Chinese your best choice in personal language learning?

• Dialogues and vocabulary sections given in characters and pinyin romanization
• English translations of all dialogues
• Full answer key and reference section
• Chinese–English and English–Chinese glossaries

Whether you're a business traveller, or about to take up a daring challenge in adventure tourism, you may be studying to teach or even looking forward to a holiday - if you'd like to get up and running with Chinese this rewarding course will take you from complete beginner to confidently putting your language skills to use in a wide range of everyday situations

This pack contains the book and 150 minutes of audio material recorded on CDs. These complement the book and will help you with your pronunciation and listening skills.

Another FREE 60 minutes of audio can be listened to online at http://www.routledge.com/books/Colloquial-Chinese-isbn9780415434157

Customer Reviews (11)

one of the most user-friendly books available for those starting out
It would be hard to imagine a beginning textbook which could set a novice learner of Mandarin more at ease.From the sections on pronunciation that start out this book, on to the carefully crafted dialogues and well-explained grammar, a student will never feel overwhelmed by the aspects of Chinese that are unfamiliar to a non-native speaker (nearly all of them,in other words). Unlike many other books in the Routledge Colloquial series, almost nothing is used in the lessons that is not clearly elucidated right then and there- Even in early lessons, where the occasional resultative compound ('kanshangqu', which idiomatically means 'it seems') there are no lurking surprises or unsolved mysteries left to plague the student in future lessons. Vocabulary is very useful and everyday,basic principles of writing Chinese characters are demonstrated very clearly (although handwritten examples would have been nice as well as printed forms) and best of all,there is a Book 2 to go on to- and by the time a student finishes this first volume, they should be able to go on to it with a great deal of confidence and anticipation.

Not good for the Kindle
Colloquial Chinese Mandarin: The Complete Course for Beginners
The Kindle version does not come with any audio CDs.As a result, I cannot learn the pronunciation of the Chinese words.The "text-to-voice" pronunciation is terrible.
So, do not buy this for the Kindle.

The best book i've ever had
I must admit the book's awesome. I had a couple of tomes before, but none of them was clearly so good. Definitely, it's really good to own the mp3 files. Therefore, I recommend you to buy one no matter what. The book focus especially on grammar and global understanding of mandarin. As long as you looking for a book where written characters are learnt, do not buy that.
Moreover, you likely should have one even if you want just study written characters.

So, that's all i wanted to share. Have you a good time associated with studying chinese. BYE

Excellent for the motivated self starter & beginner.
The CDs are a must, along with the book. Without which you are wasting your time IMHO. The dialogs I find are well thought out. The introduction to writing is actually what got me started with Hanzi and I recommend . One of the commentators talks about the translation into colloquial English which is correct. Also the teaching of sounds is not a bad best guess for the standard English speaker. But note if you are not a standard English speaker don't waste too much time, look else where (ideally with a native speaker, or some technicla white paper on tongue postions relative to pallete etc). Like another commentator said "Aunts Climbing a Tree" (Chaper 9) made me focus on other possible errors - But of course I am not Chinese so I wouldn't really know. Please post if you find any.

Gets 4 stars because of lack of some explainations and the odd error. But definately one of the best products out there to start with. You really wont be making a mistake using this. Which isn't bad since it was first written in 1995 !

The Next Best Thing To Formal Lessons for Beginners!
I got the audio cassette version just before cds became ubiquitous in my country and also because the cd versions were not available at the time and given my vast experience with tons of tapes over the years, I knew it was only a matter of time before the oxide layer would fall off and the sound quality would slowly but slowly degrade.I hence got a techie friend to immediately burn the tapes onto cds for me; he managed to squeeze everything onto 2 discs.

Why this long intro?I just wanted to explain why this product got 4 instead of 5 stars from me and I'd recommend getting the cd version immediately unless you absolutely have to listen to cassettes.The sound quality of cassettes is limited and you'll have to put up with the irritating hissing sounds that we in this modern day and age have become totally unaccustomed to.

That aside, this is a very good resource for beginners who cannot afford the time and expense of personal tutoring or attending formal classes; this is by no means a substitute for these but may well be the next best thing.The book is very comprehensive and explains what's probably the hardest part to grasp of the language which is mastering the 4 basic tones.Once you can get these down pat and the relatively simple grammar rules, the rest is all about adding to your vocabulary.

Of course if you want to go further than this spoken, beginners' course, you'll need to look for more advanced courses that teach the other headache of writing and reading the characters!As they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step and so this is a worthy first step indeed.Just try and get the cd version instead of this cassette version. ... Read more

Product Description
Not a how-to text, this beguiling book is instead a fascinating look at Chinese language and culture. Ranging through history, literature, folklore, linguistics, and sociology, this is a breezy, straightforward primer of surprising breadth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Ray and his wife are out of practice
This might be a harsh comment to say about this book.In fact, considering this is written in the 70s, when the Cold War is in full swing, I think this book has it place to make this seemingly inaccessible language available to the masses.

Generally a fascinating read, on the origins and the "logic" behind the written Chinese language, there are a few things that the reader should be aware.Again, I think these points come from the Changs's desire to make the language accessible to the American reader.

First, from time to time, for the sake of illustration, the book mixes up the Authentic ("Complex" as the Chinese would call it) script and the Simplified scripts.While they are colloquially interchangeable, where the simplified script is used in the same sense as informal abbreviations, it is more appropriate to stick with one script throughout the book.

Second, the authors seem to be stuck with the idea that each Chinese character has a corresponding one-word English meaning.I think the learners of Chinese as an additional language should get over this notion.Most Chinese Characters are abstract, and simply cannot be expressed in single words in English or, for that matter, other languages.There are Latin or Arabic terms that cannot even be fully translated into other languages, so why should we assume that it is not the case for Chinese?

Finally, some of the materials were wrong, or misrepresented.One such example is the "pastry" story that is presented early on in the book.The story, which had its historic roots, was altered significantly to suit the writers' vision.Sometimes, going back to the need to map every Chinese word to every English word, the translation is either incomplete, or done out of context.

The Chinese writing on the book is probably done by the author, and introduced into the book as images.While the writing is generally correct and legible, the handwriting suggests that he does not write or speak Chinese regularly.So I think while the authors have a reasonably deep theoretical knowledge in the Chinese language, they are also out of practice.

In evaluating this book, I also have to put it in context.It was written in a time when the Chinese language was still a very foreign and exotic entity, and that the American understanding of it still left much room to be desired.This book served the purpose of bridging the gap then.In this day, I think we need something more substantial.It makes a good introductory text nevertheless, only if the reader is aware of the quirks and is willing to avoiding falling for them.

Excellent
Excellent summary of the culture and history of language in China.Very readable.Helpful appendices of dynasties, historical feats, common radicals, and others.

Great for learning about Chinese language and writing.
This book is great for learning about Chinese language construction and writing. And its relationship to Chinese culture and history.But not for learning specifiaclly how to speak or write Chinese.

With that said, this is a very entertaing book and hard to put down.
Among the subjects it covers are:

* Langage construction.For exaample how questions are asked
in Chinese.And general sentence structure.

* How pictographs came about and how archologists traced their
orgins.

* How Chinese pictographs are taught to children in China.
(They have to memorize them--each one.)

* Chinese tongue twisters.

* How Chinese writing styles differ from the spoken word,
classical and contemporary. How this related to testing
for government officials, and how the Communist revolution
changed this.

* How Chinese language construction differs from English
language.

And much more.



I have been working at teaching myself Chinese, and it is so different that there is a lot of the concepts that I was not able to grasp until reading this book.

If you are going to study Chinese, I would highly recommend reading this book first.

If you are interested in Chinese culture, I highly recommend reading this book.Culture and language are intimately tied togeather.

Speaking of Chinese
Excellent!This little book is packed with information and is easy to read and follow.Topics covered:The written and spoken language, its historical roots, household communication, the future of the language and the impact of technology.I have perused other Chinese language books, but this one is by far the best I've seen.

A fascinating book...
OK, first and foremost, this is not a language learning book. What it is is a "learning aid" book that motivates your interest and curiosity of the structure and origins of the Chinese written language. What do I mean? If you are learning Chinese, it describes many relationships between characters that enhance your ability to remember them, as well as recognize insights to meanings of characters you do not even know. In some ways it is a narrative version of another excellent book, the more dictionary-like "Reading and Writing Chinese: A Guide to the Chinese Writing System" by William McNaughton and Li Ying. Both excellently address the origins and relationships between characters, but with very different styles.

Chang and Chang colorfully, interestingly, and amusingly describes contrasts, contradictions, and anomalies in character formation. It is a charming book that I would highly recommend to the language student.

Even if you are not learning the language, the book still offers interesting discussions about characters. Western languages, and many others, are truly different from the "phonetic" languages so many of us know. Chinese construction is old, yet novel, so meaning-rich, that it presents an interesting discussion and perspective. And the writing itself remains unchanged over a much longer period than western languages.

Read a few of its pages and see if you don't agree. ... Read more

Product Description
This Conversational program contains 8 hours of interactive audio-only instruction, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Mandarin Chinese structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Mandarin Chinese can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only these pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

Conversational Mandarin Chinese includes the 10 lessons from Pimsleur's Basic Mandarin Chinese plus an additional 6 lessons.

The 16 lessons in Conversational Mandarin Chinese are the same first 16 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Mandarin Chinese Level 1. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Excellent for communicating, not just memorization
This is the best, and I have tried others. The competition, which bosts about being the most sold, is the
cheapest, but not the best. The competition has you memorizing hundreds of words, without using them in sentences.

The pimsleur method trains your ear and brain. Later you get to learn two different ways of asking the same question. Basically, in Chinese yes/no depends on the verb. And you can ask questions with a high sounding pitch at the end, or say
yes or no with the verb.

I also learned how to add the numbers 1 through 99, and you get to perform adding with native
speakers.

Couldn't say how more thrilled I am with it.

I would even give it six stars, if I could.

Chinese Mandarin Learning Materials

There is a way of learning Chinese Mandarin that makes sense for any beginner. Teach Yourself Chinese Mandarin is an affordable way to learn Mandarin. The Teach Yourself Package comes with a book and two audio CD. You can put the audio into your MP3 or iPod. However, you can also spend time by learning from Schaum's Chinese Grammar Book. An essential book is learning how to write the Chinese Characters. There are two books that teach you how to read and write in Chinese.
The Chinese Language is a difficult language to learn. Until today, there are many old Chinese people who don't know how to read or write in Chinese. The written Chinese is understood anywhere in the Chinese community regardless of dialects like Cantonese. Once you learned how to read and write in Chinese, the speaking part will come naturally. It's like learning musical notes. You can't play Mozart or Vivaldi without reading the notes. Yes, Frank Sinatra sounds good; but Frank Sinatra uses improvisations to change the tunes of the lyrics. You can't do sound improvisations in the Chinese Language because the meaning of a word depends on the sound. The Chinese Language are based on four distinct sounds.
Learning Chinese Mandarin is a fun mental exercise.

Good, but you should know you won't learn too much
I really think this is a good method of learning, particularly Chinese. The people I know who speak English as a second language best are people who learned it by watching TV, not by studying. This second group of people often has the worst accents. Since the hardest part of Mandarin is the pronunciation, I figured the best approach would be to go alphabet-free for the first few years of my study. These CDs just allow you to listen and try to imitate, which I think is the best way.

Now the bad thing is that you really will not learn very much. You're not even going to learn the basics with these 7 CDs. What you will learn is several phrases (and most of the individual words in those phrases), but I've listened to these CD's over and over for the past year (to practice the pronunciation multiple times) and what I've learned from these CDs in the past year I feel I could have learned in about an hour or two in any European language (for which the pronunciation is a lot easier).

Also, the add above says this is the "first half" of the comphrehensive set. That's true only if you consider the comhrehensive set to consist in the first set (I out of III). It is indeed the first half of the first set of the comphrehensive set.

I would recommend these CDs to anyone just starting out. I didn't expect to learn a ton of Chinese, just to practice pronunciation, but even I was surprised at how little Chinese I ended up learning by the end. There are so many pauses and repeats in the CDs that I think they could easily have taught twice the material in the CDs provided. It might sound like a lot of pauses and repetition would be good, but I can just repeat the cd myself (and I did). I'd rather they put more material on the CD so I could learn more once I finished learning a CD.

Great Learning Tool
This product is amazing to put on your iPod. Because its aim is to teach through ideal amounts of novel material and repetition, no rewinding is required. I listened to each lesson 2-3 times before moving on. Best language learning tool I've encountered so far.

good approach
This approach is sound- it is similar to the one used at the MTC (Mandarin Training Center) in Taipei when I was there in 1990-1993, The center is under the Taipei National Normal University- I appreciated this approach over the typical USA approach (Audio-lingual method) because by starting with simple meanings, and whole context learning- your mind begins to develop new patterns of thinking, and the proper holistic and integrated foundation for communicating in a new language. When you really want to learn -studying in one of the countries is best to put everything together. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

Need more editing
I read several pages of the book and found there are typos or questionable statements in the book.

Page 26 The Train: The Chinese character for li is missing.
Page 23 Little Sister: The pinyin for "wa wa," and "ma ma" should be consistent.

About the language - Spoken Chinese
The book gave readers an impression that Chinese people started to use pinyin after 1913. Actually, Chinese people started to use pinyin after 1956.

The book states that "The simplified form is more simple and streamlined." and "Many characters are identical in the two forms." The statements are contradict to each other.

Book is good, CD is ok...depending on if you can tolerate out of tune music!
I really liked the book and wanted to like the CD.My husband and kids seem to like the CD but I have a hard time listening for long periods as the kids singing on the CD sing out of tune which is not very noticeable if you focus on the lady singing on the CD but since each track has children singing it becomes quite distracting that they don't sing in tune.I'd prefer to pay for a product that is well produced and musical and quite honestly even though I'd love to say this is, it unfortunately is not.

Great song for kid to learn chinese and vice versa
The songs are nice. My son and daughter loves it. My son learned to sing along, first the english song, then chinese song. My kids loves it so much, I bought another two books for my relatives as a gift.

A delightful bridge between cultures
With gorgeous, kid-friendly illustrations, this book provides a much-needed bridge in the world of a multi-cultural child - and that means everybody! A wonderful gift for anyone looking to expand their horizons and understand the songs and poetry that unite the human family. A treasure!

What a beautiful book!
This beautifully illustrated and well written book was a great purchase.Who knew that at 44 years old, I would be learning something from a children's book?The fun facts and music are a great way to learn about another culture. My kids and I have really enjoyed it! ... Read more

Product Description
For many years now, the world has been insisting that everyone should speak English. But across the world, countries have provided their young with initiatives to learn other languages also. Yet in recent months, Americans have now come to realize that there is now a need for people to able to speak languages that are more specialized. Certainly the fact is that one language which many schools are now considering including within their curriculums, not just in the USA, but around the world, is Chinese. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A complete waste of time
Sorry to write such a negative review but every bit of the poorly written Introduction to Learning The Chinese Language is either incorrect, incomprehensible, or obvious even to anyone who hasn't studied a word of Chinese. The author should be ashamed to have published this. ... Read more

Product Description
Titles in BarronÂ's Easy Way series are self-teaching manuals that cover a wide range of subjects and skills.Among them are several language-learning books for beginners. This second edition of Mandarin Chinese the Easy Way comes with an audio compact disc that supplements the book, providing pronunciation help and listening comprehension material in the form of spoken dialogues. This book-and-CD combination introduces basic sentence patterns and practical vocabulary by dramatizing many true-to-life and often humorous conversational situations in Mandarin Chinese. An introduction to Chinese written characters is presented in the bookÂ's final chapter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Overall good.Dialogues need improvement.
I'm a native Chinese, teaching an adult beginner Chinese class in my community as a volunteer.I've been looking for a suitable text book but failed to find one, until a friend recommended this book.This book doesn't teach reading/writing Chinese characters and is suitable as introductory material for a course up to 1/2 year length.

The pros: The book attempts to explain the language phenomena from the viewpoint of English.For example, it emphasizes that Chinese sentences have more rigid structures.It's good for an English speaker to understand the differences and the fine points that many other books fail to explain.

The cons: The dialogues are somewhat forced at the best and outrageous sometimes.For example, see this exchange in Chapter 8 when a couple is trying to rent a room:

Renter: Are there cockroaches in your rooms?
Landlord: No.There aren't cockroaches in our rooms.There're one or two roaches in my house.But it doesn't matter - they won't bite.

Anyway, I still plan to use this book as a reference book for my class.As for dialogues, I'll pick and choose, certainly skipping cockroaches.

Great learning tool!
I didn't expect to get so much out of such a compact, inexpensive tool, but it is great.The explanations and exercises are very clear and well concieved.I love the appendices with Chinese characters and the fact that you can use the CD and book without learning the characters if you would rather do that.We had been using an all-audio program by Pimsleur, and this was a great addition -- way exceded expectations.

Mandarin conversations with many vocabulary to learn
I got to the eighth chapter and realized that after listening to the CD conversations and reading the the lessons in each chapter, that there were fifty-three words to learn, but not enough lessons to fully learn them.I wish there were more lessons. But I am a teacher, so I wrote my own sentences with the vocabulary and searched online for a site that could help me correct my sentences. I wish they had provided more practice with the vocabulary or at least mentioned a website where one could find more practice with the vocabulary. Overall, though, I do like the format of the book and the premise that one must learn a new language through conversation and then practice of the words and grammar through lessons. Each chapter ends with a summary of the skills learned, which was helpful for review. I added tabs with the titles of each chapter, so I could easily find them for review. I can tell you that learning Mandarin is made easier with this conversational workbook, but I really would like it if more practice was included in each chapter. But for the price, it's a pretty good deal.

Great book for a private tutor
I use this book with my tutor, a native Mandarin speaker, and it works great.^_^ ... Read more

Product Description
Confusing Textbooks? Missed Lectures? Not Enough Time?

Fortunately for you, there's Schaum's Outlines. More than 40 million students have trusted Schaum's to help them succeed in the classroom and on exams. Schaum's is the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills.

This Schaum's Outline gives you:

• Practice problems with full explanations that reinforce knowledge
• Coverage of the most up-to-date developments in your course field
• In-depth review of practices and applications

Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know. Use Schaum's to shorten your study time-and get your best test scores!

Schaum's Outlines-Problem Solved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

No table of contents !!
The old version of the book, which I lost, was identical and had a table of contents.
I can't find my way through the book without it, and it makes the experience very painful.
This is pretty basic !!

Not perfect but...
Organization of the book is a bit chaotic (no table of contents!), but nevertheless it contains good support material for students of mandarin.Not appropriate for self study, but for consultation.

Great book
Great book- good explanations with good examples and exercises.
One thing that is missing is the "Table of Contents"!!! I don't understand why...

One of the most easiest and best Chinese grammar!!!
One of the most easiest and best Chinese grammar!!!
Highly recommended by me!
Easy to use, easy to pronounce, easy to handle!
What more can I ask for about it?!

Very responsive seller
The seller in question is a very responsive and friendly one. The book I received in a perfect condition even though it was advertised, on Amazon, as a used one, very fast, and what I am pleased especially - I received a friendly message from the seller with a high concern that its customer be satisfied. This seller can be trusted. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

SIMPLEEASY TO UNDERSTAND
Only 39 Pages. But you LEARN to READ THE CHARACTERS,Breaks down complicated Chines Characters into simple things you can easily memorize and remember. Build a small READING VOCABULARY. Fun Book, Small, Thin, Booklet, you can LEARN CHINESE on Bus, Waiting, or in a car as passenger, makes learning fun.

Bollocks
This book bollocks, it barely teaches you anything useful.
It teaches you like "the sheep is on the mountain" and stuff.
If you wants something more practical try some conversational book.

nice and easy
This book is very easy to understand and gives the reader a fundamental view of the chinese language. I just wish thebook was a little longer. The author though really makes it easy and clear.

A little too simplistic
This is a great book for small children, but not for anyone who cares to really learn Chinese.It is very interesting with some simple words and builds both characters and sentences.I thought is was helpful in gaining an understanding of how the language works and how characters are related.My biggest complaint is only the very small size and the small number of words you actually learn.If you want to get a flavor of Chinese and learn about 50 words, it's OK; for anything more serious, it is too simple.

fun little book
If you have any interest in the Chinese language, this is a fun book to start with. You will read a simple Chinese sentence easily in the first few pages. (You will appreciate this when you get to page 17, 'Man too much big') The author quickly introduces you to the basic components necessary to get started, some of which are not explained well or hidden in more sophisticated texts. Very fun to read! ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first book to approach the study of Classical Chinese through verse instead of prose. Script, grammar and vocabulary are taught from scratch. The work can be used as a first introduction to traditional literary Chinese by anyone with no knowledge of the language.It is also suitable as part of a course in Classical Chinese for private study with or without previous knowledge of Chinese. The exercises are progressive in that each is restricted to the vocabulary and grammar met so far.The book serves as an introduction to Chinese verse for its own sake. It will be of great interest to ethnic Chinese wishing to recover their cultural roots. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent Introduction to Classical Chinese and More
Professor Barnes has left us a wonderful gift in "Chinese Through Poetry".I have been working my way through the lessons over the past several months, and have not only advanced in my understanding of Classical Chinese, but have also had my experience of Chinese poetry deeply enriched.The grammatical notes are models of clarity, and the cultural and literary references provide a wealth of contextual information.

A wonderful addition to learning aids for classical Chinese
It was Chinese poetry, then later painting, that began my continuing fascination with Chinese culture. I have struggled to learn classical Chinese and have been frustrated by the poor teaching materials available. This, together with A New Practical Primer of Literary Chinese (Harvard East Asian Monographs) by Paul Rouzer, is the best. The author was one of those immensely learned scholars who put his energy into teaching rather than writing. Fortunately some of his colleagues are putting together his teaching materials, of which this is the first to be published.
Not only does it make study of literary Chinese interesting by selecting tests of interest,rather than dull exercises, there is an immense amount of information about Chinese poetry that I have seen nowhere else.
If you have any interest in the literary language of traditional China, or its poetry, but this book.

This book is a gift to Chinese learners and lovers of poetry
I have dozens of books on Chinese and Chinese poetry, but this is one of the best.Archie Barnes was a true teacher, and this book is a gift to those of us who want to learn both Chinese and Chinese poetry."Chinese through Poetry" is so good I went to the Monterey Language Institute to study Chinese so I could get more out of this book.Even if you haven't had the good fortune to study Chinese, "Chinese through Poetry" is valuable.

An excellent book!
I've been enamored of Chinese poetry for some time now.This is by far the best book I've seen for someone with no background in Chinese who wants to study the poems in the original language.Highly recommended.

Amazing - well worth the read
It is probably better if you know some chinese (modern or classical) before dipping into this book, but even without, there is much to learn and pick up. The style is easy to read and as an ABC to classical chinese poetry there is really nothing like it at all. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you need one book to start to appreciate the language and the poetry of ancient China, this book is definitely it. ... Read more

Product Description
China has become a major influence in the world today. Not only is China full of opportunities in business and politics, but Chinese culture, such as movies and literature, are also making their way into the western world. And with Chinese as the second most widely- spoken foreign language in America, more and more Americans are exposed to its language and culture. This revised edition of Chinese for Dummies shows you the basics of Mandarin Chinese and culture points that will make great impressions while communicating.

Many Americans are taking time to learn Chinese, especially since it is becoming one of the most widely used languages in the world. Currently, there are:

• Over 1 billion people speak some form of Chinese
• More Chinese speakers in the United States than French or German speakers
• 102.6 million internet users who obtain access using Chinese
• At least 25 million people worldwide who are learning Chinese

Chinese For Dummies will show you how to communicate effectively in Chinese as well as inform you on Chinese culture. Some of the topics this book covers include:

• Basic vocabulary
• Everyday conversations, including phone dialogue and small talk
• Speaking in perfect pitch and tone
• Easy-to-understand grammar rules
• Getting around in a Chinese-speaking country
• Cultural references like maintaining face, dining etiquette, and social mores

Also included is an audio CD that features actual Chinese conversations by native Chinese speakers, which allows you to hear how Chinese is really spoken. Written by a leading Chinese language teacher in the United States, Chinese for Dummies will introduce an often daunting language to you in a fun-and-easy For Dummies manner. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

absolute crap, worst book ever published, no chinese in it!
Chinese for Dummies by Wendy Abraham,

ISBN 978-0471788973

Chinese for Dummies,

by Wendy Abraham

ISBN 978-0471788973

[...]
This is the worst book in the entire Chinese language field.

There is not a single Chinese character in this book or a single Pinyin word/syllable in it. This books holds the ridiculous position that a learner does not need to study tone.

This is without a doubt the absolute worst book written on learning Chinese.

Stupid is what stupid writes. This is more like a novel with occasional Pinyin thrown in. There are many errors in Pinyin word construction, errors in tone markers and errors in the English writing!!!!

"Chinese" is a written language, i.e. the characters. There is not one Chinese character in the book.

Although this may seem ideal to the initiate learner, if the Chinese characters were not necessary to learn the language, 1.5 billion Chinese would not have learned them.

This book makes no attempt to demonstrate homophones and the representative characters that they phonate. The worst part of this book are the "Talking the Talk" sections. Pinyin stacked on top of a new "dummy phonetic" code and English on the bottom is just too confusing to sort out. With many examples the Pinyin, "Dummy phonetic" and English are all on the same line. Tables would have solved this. And why squeeze it into a narrow column and waste half the page??

And what is this "dummy phonetic" code. The whole idea of Pinyin was to construct a phonetic code to represent the Roman/English alphabet. Most letters and letter combinations are pronounced the same. Why create a whole new phonetic system?? So now there is IPA, Hanyu Pinyin, Wade-Giles and Dummy Pinyin Code. Why not just point out the ones that are different rather than filling this book with a new phonetic system. Then there is the issue of the joined Pinyin words and the separated "dummy phonetic' words.

There is in fact very little Chinese learning in this book.

The attempts at humour are lame and irritating, offensive really. There is too much effort to make things funny and they just come over as stupid.

The CD is horribly indexed, like how hard is it to create a useful file name?

Then there is the translations. They do not follow grammatical rules and many take great liberty at rearranging word order when it is not necessary.

Ultimately this is a phrase book with a very mediocre CD.

And $31.99? I could have bought 3 useful book for that price.

And what is with these "Words to Know" with black backgrounds??? It is hard to read!!!

This is a shameful effort and a deception. What a wast of money.

Not a Great Starting Text
I started with Rosetta Stone, and while it is extremely expensive, is well worth the price if you will put in the time. So, this is not a great first text given that background.

The book jumps right in with full sentence structures and long vocab lists.Unlike Rosetta Stone, this book provides some basic grammar and usage rules, as well as a good view on cultural mores and potential trip-ups.

Don't rely on this alone, but in conjunction with another system, it may be a good resource to have on hand.Xie xie.

Dissapointing & waste of money
The book has a lot of material that you don't know how to pronouced because is not included in the cd and based on a language where tone is essential because can change the meaning complete differentis not good at all.

Limited in Usage, Distracting for the Serious Learner
Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language.This means that the meaning of a word is determined not only by the vowels and consonants that compose its sound, but also by the change in pitch in the speaker's voice.While "Chinese for Dummies" claims to help beginning learners navigate this difficult sound system with its chatty and casual writing style, it instead encourages replacement of the Pinyin pronunciation system that 1.4 billion Chinese speakers world-wide have used for decades with a new English-based approximation that brashly ignores tone completely. Speaking Chinese without proper tone is akin to speaking English using only one vowel. "Chinese for Dummies" seems to repeatedly ignore this point (mentioning that readers will "eventually" get to tones) and I fear thatthis neglect, at best, confuses and frustrates casual learners, and at worst, distracts and hinders serious students of Mandarin Chinese.I can't comment on the book's effect on learners who are also dummies.

Nathan Dummitt
author of Chinese Through Tone & Color

Entirely useless!
I cannot recommend this book to anybody who does not already have a basic knowledge of Chinese. If you intend to learn some Chinese as a beginner, please avoid this [...] and seek different literary introductions.
All this book does, is teaching you sentences and phrases and what they mean.

It would tell you, how to tell a person, that you are not Chinese:

Wô bú shì zhöng guó rén. (I can't do all phonetics correctly)
I am not Chinese.

That's all it does. It would have been so easy, to make this a helpful exercise by pointing out what you were literally saying, namely:

I not be middle-land-man.

Concealing this fact, this book almost deliberately disables you from putting sentences together yourself because it won't tell you how to!

Again: It is consisting only of sentences and phrases that one must learn by heart. Maybe that's the Dummie's way, but - unless you are a chimp - I don't think anybody would be dull enough to learn an entire language this way.

DO NOT BUY if you are really interested in learning Chinese as a beginner. ... Read more

Product Description

Gateway to Chinese Language is a comprehensive package of course material for first-year Mandarin Chinese. It is in two volumes, each comprising a textbook and a workbook.Volumes I and II have ten and twelve lessons respectively. Each lesson contains dialogues, annotated vocabulary with illustrated sentences, sentence patterns, sentence building exercises, questions and responses, cultural notes in English, and a reading section. For the lesson texts, both pinyin and Chinese characters are provided. The pinyin text focuses on pronunciation, accuracy of intonation, and fluency of speech, while the Chinese character text stresses character recognition and reading comprehension. The workbook is designed to help students consolidate what they have learned from the lessons. A special feature of this course package is that an interactive tutorial software accompanies the text, aiming to help students prepare class assignments in a focused, interactive, and interesting way.

Customer Reviews (1)

To study Traditional Chinese by yourself or with a teacher.
Thanks to the brilliant idea of Amazon's " search inside " the books, I could decide to buy both the volumes - 1 and 2 -for, at the time I was studying alone ( it is not easy to find a taiwanese teacher here).
But this year I found a taiwanese school ( ! ) and showed this book to the teachers, who showed their books from Taiwan: they use the same method: first the complete lesson - text and exercises -in Pinyin,
followed by the same complete lesson in chinese characters. Intrigued, I asked why didn't they put the Pinyin altogheter the chinese, and they explained that this is product of a long, long experience: with the Pinyin at the side of the ideogram, one becomes lazy and that is bad for memorizing the strokes, etc. So, if you do have first the pronunciation
( pinyin ) and have to search it some pages ahead, you, little by little, get acquainted with the chinese strokes and so don't forget it. In a few lessons it prooved to be right: now I am reading straight from the chinese text. I strongly recommend them for those that study chinese language - in traditional characters. There is also a good cd to help.
It is a course of 22 lessons, plus the grammar, plus the exercises. The reason it has( togheter ) almost 800 pages! A must. Difficult to find.
Another point to Amazon! ... Read more

Product Description
Learn Chinese (Mandarin) in 4 Simple Steps.

With Living Language Complete Chinese: The Basics, you’ll start by learning words, and then you’ll progress to phrases, sentences, and conversations. This simple four-step building block approach will have you speaking with confidence right from the beginning, and you’ll be able to learn gradually and effectively. If you’re confident in your pronunciation, then this coursebook includes everything you need - vocabulary, grammar, culture, and practice.

This comprehensive coursebook includes:
• 40 step-by-step lessons
• Practical vocabulary and authentic everyday usage
• Simple explanations and plenty of examples
• Supplemental sections, including e-mail and internet resources
• A comprehensive grammar reference section ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good for absolute beginner, but several faults
First of all, this is a book completely based on pinyin, if you want to learn to read and write hanzi (Chinese characters) this book is not for you.

The Good:
* Great for an absolute beginner in Mandarin: it goes out of its way to teach you the tones and pronunciation. In fact the first 5 chapters are devoted to this! Yes there is some non-correlation with the CD but this is corrected by chapter 6, and by chapter 10 it's a non-event.
By the way, don't take this for granted, I have a Korean book by another publisher, it assumes on chapter 1 your mother is Korean...

* Up-to-date and complete CONTENT for tourists and business travelers: chapters on computers and internet, and travel and tourism. In fact every possible basic situation is covered, from the weather, to checking in at the airport!

* The Dictionary included: read below why(!)

The bad:
* Typos with the tones throughout! Yes, you read correct, typos! With Chinese being a difficult tonal language, this is inexcusable...tones might be missing, or might be incorrect altogether...you'll just have to research the word to find the correct tone.

* Vocabulary, or lack thereof...there is no vocabulary at the beginning of the lesson for the new words you are learning. There is a vocabulary at the end of each chapter, which is unrelated to what you just learned! I found myself resorting to the provided dictionary every 5 minutes to figure out words and tones, which makes the dictionary invaluable.

I haven't tried other Mandarin sets, so I can't directly compare it...if you are patient with its faults, it's worth it.

If you know how to use it
I purchased this book/cd set at a local bookstore, hoping it would teach me some basic Chinese. And I was surprised! If you are a good independent learner, than this book should be great. It is very inexpensive (you might as well just forget the cd if you already can master Chinese sounds), and it covers all the basics, including a few useful characters.
WARNING: If you have trouble with memorization, this book may not be for you.
BUT: It is like Pimsleur because it gives you words, and then puts them into phrases. Example:

zao morning
angood
zaoan good morning!

What I like to do is make flash cards of each word in a coversation, and then after I have learned them, review the conversation.

They really messed up on this one
Due to the complex pronunciation system in Chinese, getting started in studying Chinese for a beginner can be quite difficult. So, it makes sense that this book/cd starts with practicing the pronunciation. This portion is essential. BUT, as noted in the other review (which I sorely wished I read before buying this), the order of words/phrases in the CD do not correspond to the book.

For those who have already bought this book, you can decipher the order of reading for the first few lessons. The word lists were probably originally printed in a four column format and then moved to a two column format.
Originally:
A1D4
B2E5
C3F6

(letters are the Chinese words, numbers are the English words)

Then moved to:
A1
D4
B2
E5
C3
F6

The people making the audio recording were obviously reading off of the original format, left column then right column. So, if you understand the difference in structure, you can compensate for this mess.

Not what I'd hoped
I've been spoiled by Pimsleur, having used Pimsleur materials to study other languages. This approach is light years behind and very cumbersome. I don't recommend it.

Great intro, but.....
This set provides a great introduction to Mandarin.This otherwise fine intro does have one large problem with it though....in the beginning chapters, the words and phrases are repeated in a different order than as they appear in the book.Because some of the spellings look similar, it is not possible to discern which word you're actually trying to repeat.This is a pretty sloppy error and should have been spotted. ... Read more