Chinese for Beginners: Mastering Conversational Chinese

by Yi Ren, Xiayuan Liang

Overview

Chinese for Beginners is an excellent, user–friendly book for learning the Chinese language.

Yi Ren has taught thousands of Americans to speak Chinese fluently. Now, she and co-author Xiayuan Liang share their secrets for fast mastery of Mandarin Chinese with you. China has 1.3 billion people, and due to initiatives to phase out regional dialects in favor of Mandarin Chinese, nearly all of them can communicate in Mandarin. Don't let yourself be intimidated by this rewarding language. Although it is true that mastery of the Chinese language takes time, Mandarin Chinese has simpler grammar than English, and there are no conjugations—meaning anyone can learn a few critical phrases in no time.

Chock full of extra hints and tips from the authors' many years of experience teaching Mandarin Chinese in adult evening classes, Chinese for Beginners focuses on realistic situations you'll encounter when you meet people in China. New words are explained concerning how you'll use them to communicate with new friends. The audio-CD is another excellent way to learn Chinese and lets you listen and repeat and remember the sentences with ease, and will help you soon declare with pride, "I can say that in Chinese!"

Chinese for Beginners includes:

• Lighthearted approaches that bring Chinese to life in a down-to-earth fashion.
• Real-life dialogues and situations to help you converse with confidence.
• An "Extend Your Vocabulary" feature in each chapter helps you to remember and understand more words that you'd think possible.
• Native-speaker audio recordings teach you to pronounce Chinese tones accurately.
• Answer Keys help you keep track of your learning process.
• Interesting notes, idioms, sayings, photos, poems, and insider tips about China's culture, unique places, and everyday life add to the adventure.

This user-friendly guide to learning the basics will work for anyone who wants to speak and understand Chinese for business, for pleasure, or for travel—and who wants to enjoy the process of learning a new language while they're at it!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804842358
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	09/10/2012
Edition description:	Revised Edition, Paperback with Disc
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	437,064
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Yi Ren taught and researched in Beijing after graduating from Tsinghua University. On moving to the U.S., she began to teach Chinese to children at weekend Chinese Schools, and also to tutor others in Chinese. After years of being worn down by her adult students' begging her to do it, Yi decided to capture her special teaching methods on paper, in a book to help other adult Chinese learners. She lives with her family in Denver, Colorado.

Xiayuan Liang practiced medicine in China before coming to the United States in 1986. She did biomedical research at Washington University in St. Louis and Georgetown University, then resumed her career as a physician. She currently is an associate professor at University of Colorado School of Medicine. In her spare time, Xiayuan likes to read and to discuss interesting topics with friends—in Chinese, of course!

Editorial Reviews

"As a teacher myself, I have always been impressed with Yi's knowledge of language acquisition. As her pupil, I found her passion and determination inspiring. Learning with Yi gave me the feeling of being in China all over again." —Karen Enos, Mandarin learner

"One other thing I really enjoyed about this book is the inclusion of traditional Chinese poetry. Before, I never dared approach Chinese poetry, but this book gives me the understanding to read great poems without needing a specialty text." —Silvia Gleizer, Vision Times

"A fantastic place to start... offers a less intimidating barrier to Chinese than other textbooks."—Greg Bell, En Route To Fluency blog

"I really liked how the book is packed with cultural details. It's a nice touch that gives you some background knowledge about Chinese culture. Indeed, I was impressed to see Chinese poems from the Tang dynasty appearing at the end of most chapters!" —Perapera Language Tools blog

"...well-written and helps you speak Chinese in no time." —FluentU.com

"This is a good book for non-native speaking parents. Each chapter included vocabulary, dialogues and culture information. This is a book written by an experienced Chinese instructor." —Miss Panda Chinese

"I loved my Chinese classes with Yi Ren. She didn't just teach the language—but also Chinese culture and history. Her new book reflects her warmth and breadth of teaching." —Mike Farer, former student, and City Planner

"Thanks to Yi Ren, I actually learned about the Mandarin language, to speak phrases, to understand snippets of Mandarin conversations when I hear others speak, and to have the confidence to tackle this very complex language." —Beth A. Buonanno, Mandarin learner

From the Publisher