Learning Chinese

I have been studying Mandarin, or standard Chinese for many years now. Some of the resources that I have used are listed below with comments. Since first publishing this page in 1994 I have tried to keep this page up to date. Some of the comments I have received and answers to the many questions that have been asked of me can be found in my FAQ. NEW - You can now click on the book titles below to visit the Amazon.com page describing them (where available), and buy online.

books

• Ni Hao, An Introduction to Chinese, Shumang Fredlein & Paul Fredlein (ChinaSoft), Levels 1 to 5.
  These textbooks are available with an impressive array of complimentary resources (student workbooks, teachers handbooks, computer software, resource kit and audio cassettes). The books are very clear and well-presented with an extremely varied and interesting content. Lessons use cartoon conversations, explain grammar points and provide useful background information to present topics. Some lessons also contain rhymes, songs or stories. The background information, in particular, is in a very readable style and greatly enhances the usefulness of these books. Versions are available with either simplified or full-form characters (in addition to pinyin) which are very clearly printed and for which the stroke order is explained. Chinese-English and English-Chinese indexing is provided in each book. This series has been developed for use in schools, where it is currently very popular, but its presentation seems to be also useful for individual and group learners. The books are in an 11*8.5 inch paperback format and have around 120 pages. Book 1 (full-form) ISBN: 0-646-25096-5, book 1 ISBN: 0-646-06656-0 , book 2 ISBN: 0-646-13326-8 , book 3 ISBN: 0-646-22328-3
• Beginning Chinese Reader, John DeFrancis (Yale University Press), Parts 1 & 2.
  I only use the reader from this set of books which comprises Beginning Chinese, Intermediate Chinese, Advanced Chinese, the associated character texts and readers.
  I use the reader because it has a very wide variety of examples for each lesson. Sustained use of this book virtually guarantees that you understand and remember the use of each new word learnt. As a reader, it contains no grammar points or explanations and thus must be used in conjunction with another book. A major drawback with this book is its use of full-form characters, I do not know if a simplified version is available. The examples are very general and wide ranging; you won't get bored. The book has about 980 pages (between two parts) for my 10*7 inch hardback. Characters are large and well written. ISBN: 0-300-00058-8
• Intermediate Chinese Reader, John DeFrancis (Yale University Press), Parts 1 & 2.
  Like the more simple volumes above, this reader provides invaluable learning material for a number of characters, presented in order of frequency of use. Examples are realistic, subject matter is widespread and interesting and the reader will still not get bored.
  Again, this volume has the feel of a well thought-out teaching course, and gives the impression that utilising the book to its full potential will result in well rounded, impressive Chinese communication ability. My paperback book has 690 pages (part 1 only, part two adds another 700 or so pages), and measures about 10*7 inches. Characters are large and well written, but still only full-form. ISBN: 0-300-00065-0 (Note: my bookseller informs me that this book is out of print, part 2 has been out of print for many years, and BCR above will be discontinued in 1998. cost was UKP22).
• Chinese Through Pictures, Sinolingua, Beijing
  This book contains a lot of lessons each based around an introductory picture. The lessons and pictures relate well to everyday life in China (at least from the visitors point of view). A list of new words is given after each lesson, as are some simple exercises. The book contains no grammar explanations, tips on pronounciation or other information: it simply contains a number of interesting examples for the student of Chinese. If it is used with this in mind it will come in handy. My 10*7 inch paperback book has 192 pages. Characters are a little on the small side, but well printed. ISBN 0-8351-1918-1 (around UKP4.00)
• Colloquial Chinese, P.C.T'ung and D.E.Pollard (Routledge)
  This was my first Mandarin book, and I believe the best for a beginner. It contains very good grammar points and examples, and introduces the language gently. One detraction is that each lesson contain presentations, sketches and dialogues that in some cases can be annoyingly similar (although they are generally quite interesting). The index is clear and comprehensive. Note that the book contains no characters. My book has 322 pages and is a 7.25*5 inch paperback. Text is clearly written. ISBN 0-415-01860-9 (about UKP10.00)
• Character Text for Colloquial Chinese (see above)
  This accompaniment to the previous book repeats the lesson examples in simplified or ful-form characters (note the Amazon link above is to the full-form version). Characters, although hand written, are very clear and legible. A chart of stroke order is also given each lesson for new characters. I recommend this book to people interested in learning to write Chinese. My book has 198 pages and is an 11*8 inch paperback. ISBN 0-950-8572-1-1 (UKP11.90)
• Conversational Chinese 301 (Beijing Language Institute Press)
  This is a Chinese book contining both pin-yin and simplified characters. There are some grammar points but these are translated from Chinese: the different point of view actually means that the book is not so easy to understand. There are probably not enough examples in the book, although it is a good book for learning both pin-yin and characters. The index is very good, and printing is legible throughout. The book has 450 pages for an 8*5.5 inch paperback. ISBN 7-5619-0095-3 (UKP6.95)
• Teach Yourself Chinese, Elisabeth Scurfield (Hodder & Stoughton)
  This is a good general book which initially introduces pin-yin before moving on to characters later (although facilities exist for learning characters throughout if required). The grammar points are excellent and the whole book is well written. Unfortunately, many people complain that the introduction to Chinese is not at all gentle; the book becomes difficult quite quickly. There are not enough examples for my taste but the exercises are good with some also having answers. The book is well printed and interesting to use, and the indices are excellent. This is a very good all-round book to buy, although for the points mentioned above, I would not recommend it as a stand-alone course; you must use other sources or have a tutor to get the most from it. The book has 354 pages in an 8*5 inch paperback. ISBN 0-340-51959-2 (UKP8.99)
• Elementary Chinese Readers (Sinolingua, Beijing)
  Printed on poor quality paper, this book is initially unimpressive, however it does contain rich and varied examples of Chinese usage, and (unusually for a Chinese-published book) relatively comprehensive grammar explanations. Characters (simplified) are well written and large bodies of text often have tonal pronounciation guides above them - aiding in dictation fluency. My 8*5 inch paperback has 377 pages. ISBN 0-8351-2501-7 (UKP7.50).

other resources

• Times Advanced English-Chinese pinyin dictionary (Federal Publications)

This book is clearly printed and easy to use, although it suffers from listing typical Malaysian/Singaporean Chinese words-these are sometimes different from the terms used in China (and, in a small number of cases, the use of the substitute word can cause offense). ISBN 981-01-3909-8 (RM22.25 - about UKP3.50)
• A Modern Chinese-English Dictionary (United Publishing House)

After a lot of careful searching I found this reasonably large print dictionary with very clear characters. Entries are ordered alphabetically by pinyin transcription, although a stroke-order chart is given. Note that this chart suffers from being ordered by total number of strokes and is not subdivided into radical. One small problem is that pinyin is given only for the main word referenced, whereas all subreferences (i.e. two-character meanings beginning with the character listed) have just characters and English meaning given. ISBN 983-820-115-4 (around RM25 - about UKP4)
• A Little Chinese-English Dictionary

This tiny 2.5*4 inch 588 page dictionary is Chinese printed, with extremely thin paper. It is very handy and packs a lot into a small size, but the characters are very hard to read and are printed poorly. For phrases the pinyin is written only for the first character, but the one serious problem is that the characters are ordered alphabetically in pinyin, and the stoke index is unusually ordered by total number of strokes (including the radical). ISBN 7-5015-5179-0 (very cheap .... RMB5 - about UKP0.40)

courses

From February 1998 until May 1998, I learnt Chinese at Parkside Community College in Cambridge. The lessons (there are 3 levels) are varied and interesting, and there is an emphasis on business Chinese. The cost is approxmiately UKP30 per term (I could be wrong here). For more information telephone (+44/0)1223 355233.

If you enjoy examinations, the London Chamber of Commerce hold regular exams for Chinese, with emphasis on communication for business purposes. The London examinations board (and possibly other boards) have a Chinese GCSE examination.  In addition, the Beijing Languages Institute hold examinations twice yearly in verious locations throughout the world, mostly capital cities. Advertisements for the latter can be found occasionally in the Ren Min Re Bao (The Peoples' Daily Newspaper), overseas edition.

In the quest for scarce foreign currency, many universities in China have opened their doors to foreign students for short or medium term language courses.  Since the motivation for this is money, their is no guarantee of quality.  Experiences vary wildly from excellent to appalling, and costs vary in a similar fashion.  Be prepared to learn the Chinese way, which may take some getting used to!  To find such a course, choose the city you are interested in and then surf the websites of the universities there.  Look around because there is good choice.

computer resources

If you wish to read Chinese that has been produced elsewhere, it is important to use a viewer that is capable of displaying text in the format used. There are a number of standards for Chinese text such as GB, Big 5, HZ etc.  See my FAQ for more details.

hints and tips

enjoy:  Watching Chinese films is useful: not only are they usually interesting but they afford a glimpse of Chinese culture and the norms of everyday life. Many people believe it is impossible to learn a language without reference to culture, and any help in this respect is invaluable.

read:  Finally, reading books about China will encourage the learner to learn faster and provide useful background information that ties in culturally with the language that they are learning.  Later (much later....) you can even switch to reading these in Chinese!  However for the meantime, here is a very small selection of some books, in English, that I recommend;

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Jung Chang, HarperCollins, 1991: a remarkably interesting and absorbing book presenting the modern history of China in an extremely readable form.

Alone on the Great Wall; William Lindesay: recounts the authors journey as the first person to run along the great wall. He had no official permission to do this and fell foul of the authorities on a number of occasions. Part diary, part history and part commentary, this book is interesting and informative.

Harrap Guides Bleus; China, pub. Harrap, 1984: a good guide book having the first 200 or so pages devoted to an introduction to China.

The Ugly Chinaman; Bo Yang, Allen and Unwin, 1992: an analysis of the Chinese culture and civilisation. Not entirely negative, as the title would suggest!

Life and Death in Shanghai; Nien Cheng, Grafton, 1986.

The White Tiger; Robert Nathan, Collins, 1987: a fairly perceptive and accurate novel set in modern China.

Riding the Iron Rooster; Paul Theroux, Hamish Hamilton, 1988.

Go Gently through Peking; A Westerner's Life in China; Lois Fisher, Souvenir Press, 1979 (ISBN 0-285-62366-4).

In conclusion, learning Chinese can be hard going at times, you may even feel that you are going nowhere, but the continued study is worth it. It is one of (if not the) worlds major languages, one of the oldest, and most interesting. The feeling of succes at actually being able to communicate, although simply at first, with native Chinese is worth the effort. Above all, IT CAN BE DONE; don't expect quick results, but you will get there eventually! Good luck.