The Chinese Language for Beginners
£7.60
Reading basic Chinese becomes simplified in this highly attractive and unique manual designed for readers of all ages. Chinese writing, pronunciation, and vocabulary are described here in an entertaining and interesting manner to help beginners learn Chinese quickly. The author starts with simple characters and then combines these to make sentences and stories. This step-by-step process allows the reader to develop a basic knowledge of the complex Mandarin Chinese language with maximum comprehension. A section dealing with pronunciation and intonation and a vocabulary list of the characters used in the book are included as an aid for the reader. Beautiful, imaginative Chinese characters, hand painted by a professional calligrapher and amusing illustrations by the author supplement the text and make learning to read Chinese fun along with fancy.
Read more
Additional information
| Publisher | Illustrated edition (22 Dec. 1997), Tuttle Publishing |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 40 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0804809186 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0804809184 |
| Dimensions | 15.24 x 0.76 x 22.86 cm |
by SusieW
This is a nice introduction to some basic Chinese characters. It uses pictures and basic characters, and explains very simply the logic behind the characters, in very easy to read, child friendly pages.
eg it first teaches you the symbol for ‘man’, then ‘big’, then ‘sits’. Then it shows how you can read that as a tiny story.
It is very basic, but fun – and would be great for child learners or adults who want to find a way into the logic of Chinese. It’s very clear and well laid out.
The only reason I’ve knocked a star off, is that it’s very short – it’s not a guide to learning the fundamentals of Chinese, just really a taster into the basics. While that is invaluable to anyone starting out – I’ve not found a better first step – I just wish it were twice or three times as long! The fact it’s only 40 pages long makes it quite expensive at full price, but if you can get it for a £1 on Amazon market, it’s a bargain.