A Chinese Phrase a Day

A Chinese Phrase a Day Practice Pad: Learn Chinese, one day at a time! by Sam Brier and Xa Liu

384-pp. memo block; 16-pp. reference booklet, audio available online

A Chinese Phrase A Day is a fun, less-intimidating way to learn Chinese! Part of Tuttle's best-selling page-a-day line, this new edition teaches useful everyday phrases and words.

Although more people are studying the Chinese language than ever before, others are still wary of starting because they believe, "it's too difficult." But A Chinese Phrase A Day will show absolute beginners that Chinese is in many ways much easier than other languages and it will help intermediate Chinese learners review and improve upon their past studies and practice Chinese everyday. With almost no grammar or tense, no verb conjugation and a consistency that English, Spanish, French and Japanese learners can only wish for, Chinese enables you to start conversing relatively quickly. After a few weeks of gradual progress your ability to read Chinese, write Chinese and speak Chinese will grow tremendously.

This calendar-like desk companion is divided into monthly topics and builds upon itself, one day at a time. Chinese phrases are kept short, simple and functional.

Each of the 365 pages include these four components:

• The simplified Chinese characters. 
• The romanized Chinese (hanyu pinyin). 
• The English phrase. 
• A related cultural note to put the phrase into context. 

Audio for all of the A Chinese Phrase A Day entries is available online. Listening and repeating after the native speakers in the audio files will help you practice Chinese regularly and polish your spoken Mandarin Chinese and Mandarin listening comprehension. To get started, turn to Day One and begin studying the phrase, its meaning, pronunciation and cultural context. Then tear off the sheet and practice writing it a few times. In a matter of days you'll be on your way to reading and writing Chinese!

A Chinese Phrase a Day Practice Pad: Learn Chinese, one day at a time! - About the Authors

Sam Brier is the owner of Academic Experiences Abroad (www.AEA-Asia.com), which creates customised study abroad programs to Asian countries. He holds degrees in journalism and Asian Studies, and is active in a variety of efforts to increase cultural exchange between the U.S. and China.

Xia Lu is a translator. She has taught Chinese in Houston, Texas, with AFS, and is currently a high school English teacher in Hefei, China.