Chinese For Dummies

Authors: Wendy Abraham

Chinese For Dummies
^Â®, 2nd Edition

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Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012955832

ISBN 978-1-118-43666-0 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-118-43654-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-43657-8 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-118-43658-5 (ebk)

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Author

Dr. Wendy Abraham
has taught courses on Chinese language, literature, history, and culture at Hunter College, Georgetown University, NYU, and Stanford University. She spent a year researching Shang Dynasty oracle bones in Taiwan, which sparked her deep interest in the development of China's written language. Wendy has directed Chinese language programs for American students in Beijing and Shanghai, and she has interpreted for high-level arts delegations from China. Her doctoral dissertation was on the Chinese Jews of Kaifeng, a subject about which she has written widely and continues to lecture frequently throughout the United States. Her interest in all things Chinese since the age of three continues unabated.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Oszkar and Shandy, with love for the Iakab family â then and now.

It is also dedicated to my father, GyÃ¶rgy, my mother, Marilyn, my sister, Susan, and my new brother-in-law, Michael.

Author's Acknowledgments

The first million thanks go to my mother for making this past year (and me) possible. It would never have happened without her and our late night Scrabble games, and I will be forever grateful.

The next million thanks go to my father for filling this past year with amazing new conversations, lots of love, and a letter to his newly found cousins.

Thanks also go to my sister and brother-in-law for their collective sense of humor and for reminding us about all the things in life for which we should be grateful.

To Gerard and Jean Russak for extending the welcome mat, music, and deep friendship to me and the ever-growing brood of cats on the Upper West Side.

To all those who made miracles happen this year: Csongor Nyulas (Hungarian translator par excellence), Bob Edelstein, Anna Mekulinova, Hila Turkienicz, Itzhak Fouxon, Nehama Rosenberg, Malka Spitzberg, Leon Fishbein, my wonderful Elly Ne'eman, and Am Hazikaron. My family will always be grateful for your help in finding Oszkar and Shandy while writing this second edition of
Chinese For Dummies
.

Needless to say, this book would not have been possible without the remarkable folks at Wiley: Stacy Kennedy (the wonderful and efficient Acquisitions Editor), Tim Gallan (the calm and collected Project Editor), Constance Carlisle (who labored tirelessly to get the audio CD just right), and Megan Knoll (whose eye for Chinese typos without even knowing the language was stupefying). Great team, all.

Finally, thank you Cynthia Reidlinger, Ollie, Tommy, and the extended Sargent clan for contributing so much to this book and providing a great dose of inspiration along the way.

Publisher's Acknowledgments

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Chinese For Dummies

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