MANDARIN PHRASEBOOK & DICTIONARY 10TH E

As someone who understands and speaks some Mandarin, I find this book as a helpful refresher. I like that it's short/small but has a lot of relevant sections and phrases. I also own the Japanese version of this book, which is a lot smaller, and the Mandarin one has even more info, which I like.I notice they teach you Beijing style Mandarin. If you speak it as written, you end words with an R sound at the end of your words, which might make you sound like you are a foreigner learning Chinese in an American classroom. For example, the word for "here" is written in the book as "zhe-er" rather than "zhe li" (the latter is what is said by all the Chinese Mandarin-speaking folks that I know!).

During 2 recent whole-day layovers in Xiamen, China we were able to use this book along with a handy translation app on our phones to communicate our way around the city and Gulangyu. I attempted to pronounce the words but apparently my accent was bad so I would just point to the Mandarin characters in the book. I wouldn’t have ventured out on my own without it!

I gave this book as a gift to a wonderful friend from China who speaks Mandarin and wants to learn English. He likes it immensely!

Some of the phrases are a bit dated and Beijing style, but it is great for review and vocabulary building.

Take this book and read it first!!! Excellent help in China.