This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin
Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters.
At last--there is a truly efficient and enjoyable way to learn Chinese
characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the
meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise
daunting task is made more accessible by the use of techniques based on
the psychology of learning and memory. Fundamental principles include
the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the
systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic
building blocks.
Although Learning Chinese Characters is a comprehensive book intended
for students, it can be used by anyone with an interest in Chinese
characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used
alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language.
All characters are simplified (as in mainland China) but traditional
characters are also given, when available.
Key features:
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Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way
to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing
the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum.
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The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the
meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included
on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems.
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Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives
priority to learning the most common characters first.
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Modern simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in
pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including
radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on
writing the character.
This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout,
and it is well-indexed with clear lookup methods. The 800 Chinese
characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A
proficiency test are covered.
