Undoubtedly, Mandarin Chinese is very different from many other languages. However, that does not mean that it is difficult to learn. One of the greatest challenges in learning Mandarin is mastering its vocabulary, but Mandarin builds its lexicon system in a very unique, interesting, and reasonable way. Once you know the secrets, you can easily achieve a geometric increase in your Mandarin vocabulary. You will be surprised to know that rote memorization is not needed. Ease of learning, fun, and efficiency-that's what this word book brings to you. Contents 001 THE GENES OF THE CHINESE LANGUAGE: TAO OF TAO 002 THE CHINESE LANGUAGE AND MANDARIN CHINESE 003 ABOUT PINYIN 004 TONES 005 CHINESE CHARACTERS 006 ORIGIN OF CHINESE CHARACTERS 007 EVOLUTION OF CHINESE CHARACTERS 008 SIMPLIFIED CHARACTERS AND TRADITIONAL CHARACTERS 009 CHARACTERS AND WORDS 010 MULTIPLE MEANINGS OF A WORD 011 NOUNS 012 VERBS 13 ADJECTIVES 014 ADVERBS 015 PRONOUNS 016 PREPOSITIONS 017 CONJUNCTIONS 018 AFFIXES 019 INTERJECTIONS 020 ONOMATOPOEIA 021 INTERROGATIVES 022 ABBREVIATIONS 023 REDUPLICATIONS 024 THE COMBINING METHOD TO PRODUCE MORE WORDS 025 THREE BASIC TYPES 026 ONE-OFF PRINCIPLE 027 COMBINATION SEQUENCE 028 AN OVERVIEW OF WORDS PRODUCED BY THE COMBINING METHOD 029 WORDS TYPE: NN-1 030 WORDS TYPE: NN-2 031 WORDS TYPE: NN-3 032 WORDS TYPE: VV-1 033 WORDS TYPE: VV-2 034 WORDS TYPE: VV-3 035 WORDS TYPE: AA-1 036 WORDS TYPE: AA-2 037 WORDS TYPE: AA-3 038 WORDS TYPE: NA-3 039 WORDS TYPE: NV-3 040 WORDS TYPE: DV-3 041 SOMETHING MORE A LETTER TO THE READERS

Learning Chinese can be frustrating and difficult, partly because it's very different from European languages. Following a teacher, textbook or language course is not enough. They show you the characters, words and grammar you need to become proficient in Chinese, but they don't teach you how to learn them! Regardless of what program you're in (if any), you need to take responsibility for your own learning. If you don't, you will miss many important things that aren't included in the course you're taking. If you study on your own, you need to be even more aware of what you need to do, what you're doing at the moment and the difference between them. Here are some of the questions I have asked and have since been asked many times by students: How do I learn characters efficiently? How do I get the most out of my course or teacher? Which are the best learning tools and resources? How can I become fluent in Mandarin? How can I improve my pronunciation? How do I learn successfully on my own? How can I motivate myself to study more? How can I fit learning Chinese into a busy schedule? The answers I've found to these questions and many others form the core of this book. It took eight years of learning, researching, teaching and writing to figure these things out. Not everybody has the time to do that! I can't go back in time and help myself learn in a better way, but I can help you! This book is meant for normal students and independent language learners alike. While it covers all major areas of learning, you won't learn Chinese just by reading this book. It's like when someone on TV teaches you how to cook: you won't get to eat the delicious dish just by watching the program; you have to do the cooking yourself. That's true for this book as well. When you apply what you learn, it will boost your learning, making every hour you spend count for more, but you still have to do the learning yourself. This is what a few readers have said about the book: "The book had me nodding at a heap of things I'd learnt the hard way, wishing I knew them when I started, as well as highlighting areas that I'm currently missing in my study." - Geoff van der Meer, VP engineering "This publication is like a bible for anyone serious about Chinese proficiency. It's easy for anyone to read and written with scientific precision." - Zachary Danz, foreign teacher, children's theatre artist About me I started learning Chinese when I was 23 (that's more than eight years ago now) and have since studied in many different situations, including serious immersion programs abroad, high-intensity programs in Sweden, online courses, as well as on the side while working or studying other things. I have also successfully used my Chinese in a graduate program for teaching Chinese as a second language, taught entirely in Chinese mostly for native speakers (the Graduate Institute for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University). All these parts have contributed to my website, Hacking Chinese, where I write regularly about how to learn Mandarin.

Complete Mandarin Chinese is a comprehensive book and audio language course that takes you from beginner to intermediate level. The all-new edition of this successful course has been fully rewritten by top Chinese teachers to incorporate the most essential language you'll need to communicate in Chinese with confidence. New learning features will support you in your mastery of the four skills as well as your understanding of Chinese characters. Do you want to develop a solid understanding of Mandarin and communicate confidently with others? Through authentic conversations, vocabulary building, grammar explanations, and extensive practice and review, Complete Mandarin Chinese will equip you with the practical skills you need to use Mandarin in a variety of realistic settings and situations, developing your cultural awareness along the way. What will I achieve by the end of the course? By the end of Complete Mandarin Chinese you will have a solid intermediate-level grounding in the four key skills - reading, writing, speaking, and listening - and be able to communicate with confidence and accuracy. Is this course for me? If you want to move confidently from beginner to intermediate level, this is the course for you. It's perfect for the self-study learner, with a one-on-one tutor, or for the beginner classroom. It can also be used as a refresher course. -Maps from A1 to B1/B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages -HSK references and vocabulary benchmarking -24 learning units plus verbs reference, word glossary and revision section -Discovery Method - figure out rules and patterns to make the language stick -Teaches the key skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking -Learn to learn - tips and skills on how to be a better language learner -Culture notes - learn about the people and places of China -Outcomes-based learning - focus your studies with clear aims -Authentic listening activities - everyday conversations give you a flavour of real spoken Mandarin Chinese -Test Yourself - see and track your own progress *Complete Mandarin Chinese maps from Novice Low to Advanced Low level proficiency of ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) and from A1 Beginner to B1/B2 Intermediate level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) guidelines. It also contains the vocabulary needed for the HSK (Chinese proficiency test). The audio for this course is available for free on library.teachyourself.com or from the Teach Yourself Library app. Also available: Get Started In Beginner's Mandarin Chinese (ISBN 9781444174809). Rely on Teach Yourself, trusted by language learners for over 75 years.

Ms. Frizzle takes her kids on a whirlwind tour, from the Arctic to the equator so they can see telltale signs of climate change.

This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.

Ever tried to learn Mandarin Chinese and found it too hard? Bestselling language coach Paul Noble has a quick and easy way to get you back on track with his unique tried-and-tested method.

In this entertaining and groundbreaking book, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, creator of the renowned Pimsleur Method, the world leader in audio-based language learning, shows how anyone can learn to speak a foreign language. If learning a language in high school left you bruised, with a sense that there was no way you can learn another language, How to Learn a Foreign Language will restore your sense of hope. In simple, straightforward terms, Dr. Pimsleur will help you learn grammar (seamlessly), vocabulary, and how to practice pronunciation (and come out sounding like a native). The key is the simplicity and directness of Pimsleur’s approach to a daunting subject, breaking it down piece by piece, demystifying the process along the way. Dr. Pimsleur draws on his own language learning trials and tribulations offering practical advice for overcoming the obstacles so many of us face. Originally published in 1980, How to Learn a Foreign Language is now available on the 50th anniversary of Dr. Pimsleur’s publication of the first of his first audio courses that embodied the concepts and methods found here. It's a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the mind of this amazing pioneer of language learning.

Benny Lewis, who speaks over ten languages—all self-taught—runs the largest language-learning blog in the world, Fluent In 3 Months. Lewis is a full-time "language hacker," someone who devotes all of his time to finding better, faster, and more efficient ways to learn languages. Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World is a new blueprint for fast language learning. Lewis argues that you don't need a great memory or "the language gene" to learn a language quickly, and debunks a number of long-held beliefs, such as adults not being as good of language learners as children.

At long last the approach that has helped thousands of learners memorize Japanese kanji has been adapted to help students with Chinese characters. Book 1 of Remembering Simplified Hanzi covers the writing and meaning of the 1,000 most commonly used characters in the simplified Chinese writing system, plus another 500 that are best learned at an early stage. (Book 2 adds another 1,500 characters for a total of 3,000.) Of critical importance to the approach found in these pages is the systematic arranging of characters in an order best suited to memorization. In the Chinese writing system, strokes and simple components are nested within relatively simple characters, which can, in turn, serve as parts of more complicated characters and so on. Taking advantage of this allows a logical ordering, making it possible for students to approach most new characters with prior knowledge that can greatly facilitate the learning process. Guidance and detailed instructions are provided along the way. Students are taught to employ "imaginative memory" to associate each character’s component parts, or "primitive elements," with one another and with a key word that has been carefully selected to represent an important meaning of the character. This is accomplished through the creation of a "story" that engagingly ties the primitive elements and key word together. In this way, the collections of dots, strokes, and components that make up the characters are associated in memorable fashion, dramatically shortening the time required for learning and helping to prevent characters from slipping out of memory.