Whatever your purpose, this book is a great place to start your Chinese language learning journey.

A handy Mandarin Chinese phrasebook and guide to the Chinese language, Survival Chinese contains basic vocabulary necessary for getting around. This book contains all the necessary words and phrases for speaking Mandarin Chinese in any kind of setting. Perfect for students, tourists, or business people learning Mandarin or traveling to China or Taiwan, it also contains a beginner guide to the Mandarin language, allowing for a deeper understanding of Chinese than a typical Mandarin phrasebook or Chinese dictionary. The book is broken into four basic sections: Common Chinese Expressions and Key Words, Essential Chinese Communication Tools, Chinese Travel Vocabulary, and making your own sentences. All Chinese words and phrases are written in Romanized form (pinyin) as well phonetically, making pronouncing Chinese a breeze. For example, the word for "reservation", yuding is also written as yuu-deeng. Authentic Chinese characters are also included so that in the case of difficulties the book can be shown to the person the user is trying to communicate with. Key features of Survival Chinese include: Hundreds of useful Chinese words and expressions. An A-Z index which allows the book to function as a English to Chinese dictionary. Romanized forms, phonetic spellings, and Chinese Characters (Hanzi) for all words and phrases. A concise background and history of the Chinese language. A complete guide to Chinese pronunciations. A concise guide to using Chinese tones. A brief introduction to Chinese grammar.

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.

Welcome to Shanghai is a helpful language phrase book for the most common words and phrases needed by newcomers to China. This simple guide will provide you with the basic knowledge to survive your first year in Shanghai

This updated edition of the best-selling travel guide to China is your ticket to the trip of a lifetime. Compact, affordable, reliable, a delight to read—these qualities are what has made China Survival Guide so popular with first-time and seasoned China travelers. This third edition has a brand new section on train travel, plus updates and fresh recommendations. Includes practical strategies for lodging, walking, haggling, medical and bathroom emergencies, etiquette, crowds, and learning the twin arts of patience and persistence.

Essential Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook & Dictionary presents the practical language of everyday interactions, conveyed in a way that's clear, concise, accessible and enjoyable. It includes significant sentences used when meeting people, starting conversations, and asking and replying to questions, as well as a basic Chinese grammar and pronunciation guide to help you start speaking Mandarin right away. Terms and phrases covering mobile phones, wireless, and social media help you make the most of the language. Also, sentences on the essentials of travel help visitors navigate the basics of arranging accommodations, dining out, dealing with transportation and emergencies, and more. All Chinese words are presented in both Romanized form and Chinese script. Essential Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook & Dictionary includes: Over 1,500 crucial sentences for everyday use A glossary containing over 2,000 terms and expressions A handy format for finding the information you need quickly and easily Latest Chinese vocabulary and phrases for smartphones, social media and more

Deborah Fallows has spent a lot of her life learning languages and traveling around the world. But nothing prepared her for the surprises of learning Mandarin, China's most common language, or the intensity of living in Shanghai and Beijing. Over time, she realized that her struggles and triumphs in studying learning the language of her adopted home provided small clues to deciphering behavior and habits of its people, and its culture's conundrums. As her skill with Mandarin increased, bits of the language - a word, a phrase, an oddity of grammar - became windows into understanding romance, humor, protocol, relationships, and the overflowing humanity of modern China. Fallows learned, for example, that the abrupt, blunt way of speaking which Chinese people sometimes use isn't rudeness, but is, in fact a way to acknowledge and honor the closeness between two friends. She learned that English speakers' trouble with hearing or saying tones-the variations in inflection that can change a word's meaning-is matched by Chinese speakers' inability not to hear tones, or to even take a guess at understanding what might have been meant when foreigners misuse them. Dreaming in Chinese is the story of what Deborah Fallows discovered about the Chinese language, and how that helped her make sense of what had at first seemed like the chaos and contradiction of everyday life in China.