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The fun way to learn to speak Chinese
With more than 1.2 billion speakers across the globe -- and with nearly 3 million in the U.S. alone -- Mandarin Chinese claims the top spot as the world's most common language. If you want to learn this language to get ahead at school or work, or to make your travel to China easier, this is the handy reference you'll want by your side.
Chinese For Dummies teaches basic grammar, as well as the necessary vocabulary to make introductions and greetings, use proper etiquette, make small talk, make transportation arrangements, order food and beverages, ask directions, deal with money, shop, access recreation, and handle an emergency.
Concentrates on Mandarin Chinese and features new and revised content
Includes major updates to all the necessary foundational information needed to speak Chinese
Covers grammar, verb conjugations, and pronunciations
Offers a refreshed mini-dictionary complete with even more vocabulary
Find free conversational audio tracks online
As the Chinese economy continues to grow, the importance of Chinese as a trade language will also increase. If you're a student or business professional who has a basic understanding of the language, you'll be poised to surpass your peers when it comes to dealing with international markets. So get started today!
Auteur
Dr. Wendy Abraham is an award-winning public speaker who has taught Chinese language, literature, and culture at universities throughout the U.S. Wendy is the creator and director of international academic, cultural, and travel programs, holds a doctorate from Columbia University, and pursued a PhD in Chinese literature at Stanford University. FREE access to conversational audio tracks online
Texte du rabat
Find FREE conversational audio tracks online Learn to speak Chinesewith ease If you want to learn Mandarin Chinese to get ahead at school or workor to make your travel to China easierthis is the handy reference you'll want by your side. Inside, you'll find easy-to-follow coverage of basic grammar, as well as the necessary vocabulary to make introductions and greetings, use proper etiquette, make small talk, make transportation arrangements, order food and beverages, ask directions, deal with money, shop, access recreation, and handle an emergency. Inside
Résumé
The fun way to learn to speak Chinese
With more than 1.2 billion speakers across the globe and with nearly 3 million in the U.S. alone Mandarin Chinese claims the top spot as the world's most common language. If you want to learn this language to get ahead at school or work, or to make your travel to China easier, this is the handy reference you'll want by your side.
Chinese For Dummies teaches basic grammar, as well as the necessary vocabulary to make introductions and greetings, use proper etiquette, make small talk, make transportation arrangements, order food and beverages, ask directions, deal with money, shop, access recreation, and handle an emergency.
Contenu
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 3
Icons Used in This Book 4
Beyond the Book 4
Where to Go from Here 5
Part 1: Getting Started with Chinese 7
Chapter 1: Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word 9
Grasping Chinese Dialects 10
Pnyn Spelling: Beijing, Not Peking 11
Sounding Off: Basic Chinese Sounds 12
Starting off with initials 13
Ending with finals 14
Perfect pitch: Presenting . . . the four tones! 15
Adding Idioms and Popular Expressions to Your Repertoire 17
Chapter 2: The Written Word: Checking Out Chinese Characters 21
Perusing Pictographs, Ideographs, and the Six Scripts 22
The Chinese Radical: A Few Clues to a Character's Meaning 24
Following the Rules of Stroke Order 25
Rule 1 25
Rules 2 through 9 25
Up, Down, or Sideways? Deciphering the Direction of Characters 26
Traditional versus Simplified Characters: When to Use Which 28
Using a Chinese Dictionary . . . without an Alphabet! 29
Chapter 3: Warming Up with the Basics: Chinese Grammar 31
The Basics of Chinese Nouns, Articles, and Adjectives 32
Nouns 33
Definite versus indefinite articles 36
Adjectives 38
Getting into Verbs, Adverbs, Negation, and Possession 39
Verbs 39
Adverbs 44
Bù and méiyu: Total negation 44
Getting possessive with the particle de 47
Asking Questions 47
The question particle ma 47
Yes/no choice questions using bù between repeating verbs 47
Interrogative pronouns 48
Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions: N Ho! 51
Making Introductions 52
Acquainting yourself 52
Introducing your friends and family 52
Asking people for their names 53
Greeting and Chatting 55
Addressing new friends and strangers 55
Conversing around the clock 56
Talking about the weather 59
Finding out where people are from 61
Taking (that is, rejecting) compliments 63
Saying goodbye 63
Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight 65
Counting in Chinese 66
Numbers from 1 to 10 66
Numbers from 11 to 99 67
Numbers from 100 to 9,999 68
Numbers from 10,000 to 100,000 and beyond 69
How 'bout those halves? 69
Ordinal numbers 70
Asking how many or how much 70
Telling Time 71
Asking and stating the time 71
Specifying the time of the day 71
Save the Date: Using the Calendar and Stating Dates 75
Dealing with days of the week 76
Naming the months 77
Specifying dates 77
Celebrating Chinese holidays 80
Sizing Up Weights and Measures 81
Chapter 6: Speaking Chinese at Home 85
Hanging Out at Home 85
Hunting for an Apartment 86
Decorating Your New Digs 89
Appointing Your Rooms, Fngshu Style 89
The bedroom 91
The bathroom 92
The kitchen 92
The living room 93
The basement 94
The attic 95
Part 2: Chinese in Action 97
Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 99
Establishing a Connection 99
Posing simple introductory questions 102
Chatting about family 103
Making small talk on the job 105
Talking about where you live 108
Chapter 8: Dining Out and Shopping for Food 111 All about Mea...