A self-access course in Mandarin Chinese, this title should appeal to anyone who is learning alone or who needs extra material to supplement a course. There is comprehensive teaching of the Chinese script, but you decide whether or not to learn the script; if it's not necessary for you, the book makes it easy to follow the pinyin transcriptions. This new edition has been reset in a new style, which is designed to make it easier to use, and the accompanying recorded material is now available on CD as well as cassette. The units are carefully graded so that you consolidate your knowledge and build your confidence as you work through the book. The new language is introduced through dialogues based on everyday situations so you should learn what is most useful in preparation for a trip to China. The grammar explanations are simple and do not assume that you have learned Chinese or any other language before. Exercises throughout (with answers at the back of the book) so you can check your progress and identify areas that are causing you problems. Finally, there are English-Chinese and Chinese-English vocabulary listings for quick reference.

Table of Contents

Making friends I; making friends II; making friends III; at the Lis' I; at the Lis' II; in the house; my family; my home; hotels; weather, dates and seasons; in the restaurant; grammar review; an introduction to Chinese characters; shopping; buying tickets I; buying tickets II; directions and transport; at the post office; at the railway station; change money?; traveller's notes; farewell to all that!; key to the exercises; Chinese-English vocabulary; English-Chinese Vocabulary; character texts for chapters one-five and seven-11.