Integrated Chinese: Simplified Characters Textbook, Level 1, Part 1 (English and Chinese Edition) 3rd Edition

Integrated Chinese: Simplified Characters Textbook, Level 1, Part 1 (English and Chinese Edition) 3rd Edition is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to learn Chinese, especially for modern students and heritage families. As someone who wanted to teach my children how to read and write Chinese, I found this book to be incredibly helpful and engaging.The textbook focuses on everyday use Chinese, making it highly relevant for practical communication. It covers a wide range of topics, from greetings and daily routines to shopping and dining, ensuring that learners will be well-equipped to navigate daily life in a Chinese-speaking environment.The 3rd edition has been thoughtfully updated to reflect modern language use and cultural practices. The authors have done an excellent job at presenting the material in a clear and structured manner, breaking down complex concepts into manageable parts. The lessons are organized in such a way that they build upon each other, allowing students to progress naturally as they gain confidence in their language abilities.One of the standout features of this textbook is the inclusion of both simplified and traditional characters, catering to various learning preferences. The ample exercises, engaging dialogues, and relatable illustrations make the learning process enjoyable and effective.The book also contains a wealth of supplementary materials, such as audio recordings and online resources, which aid in reinforcing the material covered in the textbook. These additional tools make it easier for learners to practice their listening and speaking skills, further enhancing their overall language proficiency.As a heritage family, I found the cultural notes to be particularly valuable. These sections provide fascinating insights into Chinese customs and traditions, fostering a deeper appreciation for the language and culture.In conclusion, Integrated Chinese: Simplified Characters Textbook, Level 1, Part 1 (English and Chinese Edition) 3rd Edition is a highly recommended resource for anyone looking to learn Chinese. Its up-to-date content, clear structure, and engaging materials make it an indispensable tool for teaching and learning this beautiful language.

This is a great book for complete beginnings who want to learn Chinese (Mandarin). First, a little about me. I'm a first-year student of Chinese, and this is the book used by my class. I've learned a couple romance languages, but never any language as dissimilar to English as Chinese. This book has been my main tool for study at home.I won't say that this book makes learning Chinese easy. Whenever you see a book or a piece of software promising that you'll "learn with ease" or "gain fluency in 8 weeks or less!" you should have alarms going off in your head. Language learning does not have to be painful or burdensome, but it takes time. It can be fun, but it is never easy. You have to put in the hours, you have to open your mouth, and you have to learn effective ways to memorize vocabulary. Daily conversations with a native speaker are the best answer to all of these. Unfortunately, most of us don't have access to such a person.While nothing can make you fluent in Chinese without effort (short of being born in Bejing), this book does make the experience more enjoyable, and less frustrating. Lessons start out slowly, with manageable topics. The first chapters contain almost no grammar rules. This allows students to focus on learning about the four tones and reading pinyin (Chinese spelled out with letters instead of characters), which are prerequisites for all further learning. The lessons then walk students through basic conversations. There are vocabulary lists in each chapter, but the book focuses on conversation usage, starting with dialogs, and then progressing to exercises that invite students to create original conversations. Cultural sections along the way provide a lot of genuinely useful information about how people in China live and interact.Everything is written in Chinese characters (simplified), pinyin, and English. This makes it possible to focus as much or as little on writing as you like. I'm focusing on my conversational skills, but I've been able to pick up some of the more common characters just by paying attention as I read the dialogs. If you are all about the written language, you'll find information of stroke order, radicals, and more. Naturally, there is also a glossary in the back, alphabetized by pinyin spelling.Will you be able to speak Chinese after going through this book? Not without a lot of time and practice. The same is true of any book or language learning software. The book won't do the work for you. But this book provides you with a lot of the tools you'll need to get started, and I highly recommend it for beginners.