Chinese For Dummies

Wendy Abraham

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781119475507
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Languages
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

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!

Part 1

Getting Started with Chinese

IN THIS PART …

Get the lowdown on all the essentials of Chinese.

Find out how to pronounce Chinese sounds (and tones) like a native.

Discover how to make sense of the Chinese writing system.

Practice stringing Chinese words together so that they make sense.

Figure out how to count in Chinese.

Try speaking Chinese around your home.

Communicate in Chinese with all the cultural trimmings.

Chapter 1

Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word

IN THIS CHAPTER

Exploring Chinese dialects

Taking a look at the pīnyīn system

Getting a handle on basic Chinese sounds

Understanding basic Chinese idioms, phrases, and gestures

Time to get your feet wet with the basics of Chinese. This chapter gives you guidelines that help you pronounce words in standard Mandarin (the official language of both the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan) like a native speaker and helps you get a handle on the four tones that distinguish Mandarin Chinese. You also find out about the kind of Chinese characters used to write in Taiwan (traditional) versus the kind of characters written in the People’s Republic of China (simplified). (Spoiler alert: To get a jump-start on China’s thousand-year-old writing system, check out Chapter 2.) After you have the basics down, I show you how to construct basic Chinese phrases.

But before you dive in, here’s a bit of advice: Don’t be intimidated by all the tones! The best thing you can do when learning a foreign language is to not worry about making mistakes the minute you open your mouth. Practice speaking Chinese first to your dog or cat, and then work your way up to a couple of goldfish or a niece or nephew under the age of 10. When you finally get the nerve to rattle off a few phrases to your local Chinatown grocer, you’ll know you’ve made it. And when you visit China for the first time, you discover how incredibly appreciative the Chinese are of anyone who even remotely attempts to speak their language. All the hours you spent yakking away with the family pet start to pay off, and you’ll be rewarded greatly. Still have doubts? You’ll be amazed at how much you can say after snooping through Chinese For Dummies, 3rd Edition.

Encountering the Chinese culture is just as important as exploring the Chinese language. In fact, you can’t quite master the language without absorbing a little of the culture by osmosis. Just making the effort to speak Chinese is an act of positive diplomacy. Don’t worry about how you sound when you open your mouth — you’re contributing to international friendship no matter what comes out.

Grasping Chinese Dialects

Give yourself a big pat on the back right now. Yup, right now — before you even begin to utter one iota of Chinese. If you don’t do it now, you may be too shocked later on when it sinks in that you’ve taken on a language that has hundreds (yes, hundreds) of dialects — each one mutually incomprehensible to speakers of the other ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1: Getting Started with Chinese
• Part 2: Chinese in Action
• Part 3: Chinese on the Go
• Part 4: The Part of Tens
• Part 5: Appendixes
• About the Author
• Advertisement Page
• Connect with Dummies
• Index
• End User License Agreement