Easy Chinese Phrasebook & Dictionary

by Lydia Chen and Wendy Tung

Two books in one--a practical phrasebook of essential Chinese vocabulary and expressions, plus a 3,500 English/Chinese dictionary.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0844285269
• ISBN13: 9780844285269
• Release Date: December 1990
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.8" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Easy Chinese

I received the book on schedule and the book was in the described condition. I am completely satisfied.

Very good if you have the time

I found the book very useful and it is well laid out. Where I got caught up though is that I needed something quick and nimble, where I could quickly look things up. My stay was limited. That is where I saw other titles with friends of mine that achieved that a little better. That is the only reason I rank it as 4 not 5.

Good for basic words

This book is good for basic words but lacks background information that would be helpful. Still, a greater starter book!

This is the only book you need to start learning Chinese.

I put 5 stars because it's worth nothing less. This book has more information in it than most of my $30-50 books. This book has some really useful phrases, which are all written out in 3 different ways. English translation, followed by standard PinYin, and last in line, Chinese characters for Mandarin. A final column on the phrase pages has a handfull of key, (useful) words, and small phrases labelled 'what you may hear'. The four basic tones or inflections are explained simply. The pronunciation guide in this book is a little abstract but sufficient. As for pronuciation of Chinese, NO BOOK will be able to teach the inflections and pronunciations accurately. However, if you've practiced Chinese with an experienced or native speaker, the book will give enough information to help you recall accurate pronunciation. This book is about half E-C / C-E dictionary with 3,500 entries, according to the cover. I've been looking at this book for about three years now, still I find new information in it all the time. The print quality is crisp black on @24lb. white paper, not thin paper. There are 2 different fonts used for the Chinese characters in the book. Unstylized strokes for the phrases, and stylized for addtional words, and dictionary entries. The illustrations are kinda cheezy, as it goes in language books. They're funny at least.