Chinese For Dummies (3 page)

Your goal in life isn't to become an interpreter of Chinese at the U.N.; you just want to pick up some useful words, phrases, and sentence constructions to make yourself understood in a Chinese-speaking environment.

You have no intention of spending hours and hours memorizing Chinese vocabulary and grammar patterns.

You basically want to have fun while speaking a little Chinese.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided by topic into parts, chapters, and appendixes. Each part focuses on one aspect of the Chinese language, and the chapters cover different useful topics, such as how to dine at a restaurant, how to handle emergencies, or how to plan a vacation. The following sections tell you what types of information you can expect to find in each part.

Part I: Getting Started

This part familiarizes you with some basics of Chinese: how to pronounce words, how to create the proper pitch (also known as
tone
) for each word, and so on. Because Chinese is a tonal language, if you pronounce a word with an incorrect tone, you may say a whole different word. Sometimes the only way to know whether you've said something you didn't intend is by the look on the listener's face, so you should pay particular attention to the tones as you speak.

Part II: Chinese in Action

In this part, you really begin to use Chinese. Instead of focusing strictly on grammar, this part helps guide you through everyday situations that you encounter while meeting people, eating at restaurants, going shopping, or yakking on the phone.

Part III: Chinese on the Go

This part of the book gives you the tools you need to use Chinese in any number of practical real-world settings. You find out how to change money, how to ask for directions, how to book a room at a hotel, and how to tell a doctor what ails you. Whether your travels take you all the way to Shanghai or just to your cubicle at work is up to you.

Part IV: The Part of Tens

This part begins with some tips on how to learn Chinese quickly, and it offers reminders of what not to do in a Chinese setting.

Part V: Appendixes

This part contains helpful references that you may want to refer to occasionally as you snoop through the rest of the chapters.
Appendix A
is a handy mini-dictionary of both Chinese to English and English to Chinese. Feel free to check this section when you encounter unfamiliar words on a need-to-know basis.
Appendix B
contains a useful verb list, which can help in any setting.
Appendix C
provides a list of the audio tracks that come with this book. This appendix comes in handy when you're ready to hear a selection of the Talkin' the Talk dialogues from the book. Finally,
Appendix D
contains the answers to the Fun & Games exercises at the end of each chapter.

Icons Used in This Book

Cute little icons occasionally appear in the left-hand margins, next to sidebars, and with the Talkin' the Talk dialogues throughout this book. These beacons shed light on what kind of information you're looking at and can help you locate certain types of information in a hurry. The six icons used in this book are as follows:

The bull's-eye appears wherever I've highlighted a great idea to help make your study of Chinese easier.

This icon, appropriately showing a string around a finger, should serve as a reminder about particularly important information concerning Chinese.

The bomb in this icon should act as a stop sign in your mind. It warns you about things to avoid saying or doing so that you don't make a fool of yourself overseas or with a new Chinese-speaking acquaintance.

This icon clues you in on fascinating bits of information about China and Chinese culture. Knowledge of a culture goes hand in hand with knowledge of a foreign language, so these icons help light the way as you embark on your journey.

This icon highlights various rules of grammar that may be out of the norm. Even though this book doesn't focus primarily on grammar, your successful execution of the language can only be enhanced by paying attention to little grammatical rules as they pop up.

The audio tracks that come with this book give you the chance to hear native Chinese speakers so you can better understand the way Chinese really sounds. This opportunity proves especially helpful because of all the tones you have to keep in mind. This icon indicates the basic sounds and Talkin' the Talk dialogues you can find in these tracks.
Note:
If you're reading this text in an electronic format, please go to the table of contents for access to the additional content.

Where to Go from Here

Chinese is often considered one of the toughest languages in the world to master. Don't worry. The good news is that you're not trying to master it. All you want to do is be understandable when you open your mouth so that you don't ask for the men's room when you really want the ladies' room. All you have to do now is keep listening to and repeating the words and phrases you find in this book. Turn to whichever chapter piques your curiosity, listen to the accompanying audio tracks at home or in your car, and keep practicing your favorite Chinese phrases when you're with your family and friends in Chinatown.