Survival Chinese: How to Communicate without Fuss or Fear Instantly! (Mandarin Chinese Phrasebook)
Author: Boye Lafayette De Mente
Series: Survival Series (Part of 10 books)
Publication Date: August 5, 2014
Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (86 ratings)
Language: English
Format: Paperback – 160 pages
ISBN-10: 0804844623
ISBN-13: 978-0804844628
Dimensions: 4 x 0.4 x 6 inches
About the Book
This handy Mandarin Chinese phrasebook is your ultimate guide to communicating effectively in Chinese without stress or hesitation. Perfect for students, tourists, or business travelers, Survival Chinese provides essential vocabulary and phrases for navigating everyday situations in China or Taiwan.
Unlike typical phrasebooks, this guide also includes a beginner-friendly introduction to the Mandarin language, offering deeper insights into pronunciation, tones, and basic grammar. The book is divided into four practical sections:
- Common Chinese Expressions and Key Words: Learn essential phrases for daily interactions.
- Essential Chinese Communication Tools: Master the basics of conversation.
- Chinese Travel Vocabulary: Navigate travel scenarios with ease.
- Making Your Own Sentences: Build confidence in creating your own phrases.
All words and phrases are presented in Romanized form (pinyin) and phonetically, making pronunciation simple. For example, "reservation" is written as yuding (yuu-deeng). Authentic Chinese characters (Hanzi) are also included, allowing you to show the text to others if needed.
Features:
- Hundreds of useful Chinese words and expressions.
- An A-Z index for quick reference, functioning as an English-to-Chinese dictionary.
- Romanized pinyin, phonetic spellings, and Chinese characters for all entries.
- A concise history and background of the Chinese language.
- A complete guide to Chinese pronunciation and tones.
- A brief introduction to Chinese grammar.
Editorial Reviews
"Learn a few words of Mandarin. Survival Chinese… has a useful pronunciation guide for the Romanised pinyin words." —The Telegraph
About the Author
Boye Lafayette De Mente has been deeply involved with East Asian cultures since the late 1940s. With experience as a U.S. intelligence agent, student, trade journalist, editor, and author, he has worked in Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Singapore. A graduate of Jochi University in Tokyo and The American Institute for Foreign Trade (now Thunderbird: The School of Global Management), De Mente has authored over 70 books, including Japan's Cultural Code Words, Business Guide to Japan, and Japan Unmasked.
