Remembering Simplified Hanzi 1


Book Description

At long last the approach that has helped thousands of learners memorize Japanese kanji has been adapted to help students with Chinese characters. Book 1 of Remembering Simplified Hanzi covers the writing and meaning of the 1,000 most commonly used characters in the simplified Chinese writing system, plus another 500 that are best learned at an early stage. (Book 2 adds another 1,500 characters for a total of 3,000.) Of critical importance to the approach found in these pages is the systematic arranging of characters in an order best suited to memorization. In the Chinese writing system, strokes and simple components are nested within relatively simple characters, which can, in turn, serve as parts of more complicated characters and so on. Taking advantage of this allows a logical ordering, making it possible for students to approach most new characters with prior knowledge that can greatly facilitate the learning process. Guidance and detailed instructions are provided along the way. Students are taught to employ "imaginative memory" to associate each character’s component parts, or "primitive elements," with one another and with a key word that has been carefully selected to represent an important meaning of the character. This is accomplished through the creation of a "story" that engagingly ties the primitive elements and key word together. In this way, the collections of dots, strokes, and components that make up the characters are associated in memorable fashion, dramatically shortening the time required for learning and helping to prevent characters from slipping out of memory.




Hacking Chinese


Book Description

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.




My First Mandarin Words with Gordon & Li Li


Book Description

Learn English and Mandarin words with panda cousins Gordon and Li Li in this charming and colorful bilingual first words book! Gordon and Li Li are cousins. Li Li is from Beijing, China, and speaks Mandarin. Gordon lives in Brooklyn, New York, and speaks English. When Li Li visits Gordon for the first time, the cousins must learn to communicate using simple, everyday words. Children and caregivers can read along with Gordon and Li Li as they learn basic English and Mandarin words and their correct pronunciation. Each spread of this sturdy book spotlights a different theme, including greetings, colors, numbers, and animals! And every word features the English and pinyin spelling along with the Chinese character and the phonetic Mandarin pronunciation to help readers practice. This is an adorable and informative must-have first words book for any family who wants to get little ones excited to open the door to learning a second language -- and future language success!




Learn Chinese Visually 3: Meet the Chinese Alphabets


Book Description

New Way to Learn Chinese VISUALLY! Created for toddlers, students learning Chinese as a second or foreign language. Also suitable for adults young at heart! Explained in English so parents who do not speak Mandarin can also guide their children. The third book in the Foundation Series, developed to help learners develop visual skills to decode Chinese characters without writing. Covers the the basic blocks of Chinese characters - Start with 32 Chinese Alphabets to help you familiarise with their names The alphabets are presented as cartoons and have easy-to-remember names (e.g. T-Shape, Half Ladder, Split) to describe their appearance No writing, just trace the strokes from head to tail with your finger according to the colour code to learn the order the strokes have to be written. LEARN CHINESE VISUALLY (FOUNDATION SERIES) BOOK 1: MEET THE STROKES IN CHINESE CHARACTERS BOOK 2: COUNT IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH BOOK 3: MEET THE CHINESE ALPHABETS BOOK 4: 32 TEAMS OF CHINESE ALPHABETS BOOK 5: MORE CHINESE ALPHABETS BOOK 6: MY FIRST WORDS BOOK 7: HOW TO ‘SPELL’ CHINESE WORDS BOOK 8: MORE WAYS TO ‘SPELL’ CHINESE WORDS BOOK 9: UNIQUE WAYS TO 'SPELL' CHINESE WORDS BOOK 10: HOW TO GUESS THE MEANING OF CHINESE WORDS




Learn Chinese Visually 1: Meet the Strokes in Chinese Characters


Book Description

New Way to Learn Chinese VISUALLY! -Created for toddlers, students learning Chinese as a second or foreign language. -Also suitable for adults young at heart! -Explained in English so parents who do not speak Mandarin can also guide their children. The first book in the Foundation Series, developed to help learners develop visual skills to decode Chinese characters without writing. Covers the most basic parts of Chinese characters - 35 STROKES. The strokes are presented as cartoons and have easy-to-remember names (e.g. Vertical, L-Bend, Hunchback) according to the features they have (e.g. hook, bend, curve) No writing, just trace the strokes from head to tail with your finger to learn the stroke direction.




Learn Chinese Visually 10: How to Guess the Meaning of Chinese Words


Book Description

New Way to Learn Chinese VISUALLY! Created for toddlers, students learning Chinese as a second or foreign language. Also suitable for adults young at heart! Explained in English so parents who do not speak Mandarin can also guide their children. The tenth book in the Foundation Series, developed to help learners develop visual skills to decode Chinese characters without writing Chinese words that share common parts may be related in their meanings (e.g. many animal names share the same part). The common part they share is called ‘RADICAL’. This is an introduction to 39 FREQUENTLY-USED RADICALS. Learn to ‘guess’ the meaning of words with these radicals See the part order of Chinese words through COLOURS. LEARN CHINESE VISUALLY (FOUNDATION SERIES) BOOK 1: MEET THE STROKES IN CHINESE CHARACTERS BOOK 2: COUNT IN CHINESE AND ENGLISH BOOK 3: MEET THE CHINESE ALPHABETS BOOK 4: 32 TEAMS OF CHINESE ALPHABETS BOOK 5: MORE CHINESE ALPHABETS BOOK 6: MY FIRST WORDS BOOK 7: HOW TO ‘SPELL’ CHINESE WORDS BOOK 8: MORE WAYS TO ‘SPELL’ CHINESE WORDS BOOK 9: UNIQUE WAYS TO 'SPELL' CHINESE WORDS BOOK 10: HOW TO GUESS THE MEANING OF CHINESE WORDS




Chinestory - Learning Chinese Through Pictures and Stories (Storybook 1) In the Beginning


Book Description

Chinestory: Learning Chinese through Pictures and Stories is a groundbreaking pedagogical innovation, designed for overseas Chinese learners and non-native Chinese speakers. Students will learn 2000 simplified Chinese characters with Chinese pinyin (pronunciation and tone) to achieve a 98% proficiency level, will master the skill to decode characters and construct phrases, and be on their way to read, speak and write like a native. Through the meticulously designed sequencing of Chinese characters based on etymological research; through historically and culturally rich stories; through the artfully designed images of the ancient Oracle bone script dated to 1500 B.C.; through interactive games; through iterative cycles of the Leaner-Centered Design process, the Chinesetory series delivers a brand new language learning experience that promises to be meaningful, long-lasting and fun! Chinestory is designed for learners of all ages. As long as you have an appetite for stories, a heart appreciative of beauty and art, or an inquisitive mind, then the book is right for you. Independent readers from 2nd grade and up should be able to read the English text without many difficulties. Learners in first grade and below should also be able to enjoy the storylines and the images, as well as to identify the symbols of the Chinese characters by having the stories read to them.




Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary


Book Description

A fun and helpful resource for anyone interested in learning some Mandarin--whether you're 5 or 100! This picture dictionary covers the 1,500 most useful Mandarin Chinese words and phrases. Each word and sentence is given in Mandarin characters--with a Romanized version to help you pronounce it correctly--along with the English meaning. The words are grouped into 40 different themes or topics, including basics like meeting someone new and using public transportation to culture-specific topics like celebrating Chinese holidays and eating Chinese food. This colorful picture dictionary includes: Hundreds of color photographs 1,500 Mandarin words and phrases 40 different topics--from social media and WiFi to paying and counting Example sentences showing how the words are used Companion online audio recordings by native Mandarin speakers of all the vocabulary and sentences An introduction to Mandarin pronunciation and grammar An index to allow you to quickly look up words Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary makes language learning more fun than traditional phrasebooks. This resource is perfect for beginners of all ages--curious kids, visual learners and future travelers to China.







Chinese-English Visual Bilingual Dictionary


Book Description

Look and learn to recall a wealth of everyday vocabulary in Chinese with this intuitive easy-to-use visual language dictionary Whether it's for business or pleasure, pick up 6,000 key Chinese words and phrases on a range of subjects: from shopping and eating out, to sport and beyond quickly and easily. Find every word you need to know fast using the clearly labelled colour illustrated scenes from everyday life. Plus, find helpful features on key Chinese nouns, verbs and phrases to improve your understanding. Pocket-sized so you can take it wherever your travels take you.