Customer Reviews
good dialogues but not a stand alone - By: Huasen, 30 Aug 2008 
As others have said the dialogues are good, the subjects contemporary & the language is very much as it is spokenin China. But it does throw you rightin at the deep end, & I can imagine a lot of people despairing & giving up.
I bought it before going to China to work, & it was worth it to see my Chinese teacher's face when I was able to pronounce the Chinese for 'I'm pleased to meet you' apparently first time. In reality it was because I'd spent a good hour playing the phrase on the CD.
But without a teacher to go through the things like basic pronounciation, which this book really skates over, I wonder how useful it would really be.
I also think you're better learning the characters from the start, because that is what the language is really composed of. Although this book covers a bit about the characters, it really is nothing like enough to gain any real understanding. And the characters which are shownin the later dialogues are too small for a beginner to read comfortably.
The Best Beginners' Chinese Book So Far - By: Dr. P. Christie, 10 Jul 2007 
I have been looking at books on Mandarin Chinese for over 12 years, both those publishedin China & those published elsewhere. This is by far the best & most useful book of its kind produced so far. The choice of expressions included is the most appropriate & useful for any visitor to China. And so far I have found only one typographical error. If you buy this book & use it diligently you may not need another book on Mandarin Chinese grammar, reading or writing - just a good dictionary.
A great way to start learning Chinese - By: E. A. Wade, 31 Mar 2003 This is a really excellent, well-structured package that will quickly get you to a level where you can improvise basic conversations & read a few signs. The accompanying audio is included on CDs AND on tapes, which means you've got no excuse not to be listening to it wherever you are. At first I was a bit scared as the book does throw youin at the deep end somewhat, but you soon learn to go with it & trust that it will all become clear. The learning curve is quite consistent after this - there are no horrendous jumps where you suddenly want to give up. The author introduces things cleverly, for instance an example conversation will be structured to include both meanings of a new word, so that you don't learn one only to get confused by anotherin the next unit. As the name suggests, the tone is colloquial & natural. I never worry, as I do with some other Chinese books (especially ones from China!) that I am learning something a bit stilted & formal. The main focus is on listening, but each chapter ends by teaching you how to write a few characters, & as the units progress there is more reliance on characters & less on English (although pinyin is provided throughout so you don't have to learnt the characters if you don't want to). I have been using this bookin conjunction with a few lessons, & I would recommend that anyone wanting to learn Chinese investsin half a dozen lessons to get their pronunciation off to a good start. But after that, you can work alone with this book & it'll keep you going for a good few months.
Highly recommendable - By: , 06 Jun 2001 
A highly recommendable entry to beginner's Mandarin - also through self study. It has it all: grammar, pronunciation, useful vocabulary (in pinyin & characters)and exercises - all presentedin a very concise & helpful manner. Together with a textbook specifically on Chinese characters I find myself well on the way.
