Chinese

Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 3Icons Used in This Book 4Beyond the Book 4Where to Go from Here 5Part 1: Getting Started with Chinese 7Chapter 1: Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word 9Grasping Chinese Dialects 10P?ny?n Spelling: Beijing, Not Peking 11Sounding Off: Basic Chinese Sounds 12Starting off with initials 13Ending with finals 14Perfect pitch: Presenting . . . the four tones! 15Adding Idioms and Popular Expressions to Your Repertoire 17Chapter 2: The Written Word: Checking Out Chinese Characters 21Perusing Pictographs, Ideographs, and the Six Scripts 22The Chinese Radical: A Few Clues to a Character's Meaning 24Following the Rules of Stroke Order 25Rule 1 25Rules 2 through 9 25Up, Down, or Sideways? Deciphering the Direction of Characters 26Traditional versus Simplified Characters: When to Use Which 28Using a Chinese Dictionary . . . without an Alphabet! 29Chapter 3: Warming Up with the Basics: Chinese Grammar 31The Basics of Chinese Nouns, Articles, and Adjectives 32Nouns 33Definite versus indefinite articles 36Adjectives 38Getting into Verbs, Adverbs, Negation, and Possession 39Verbs 39Adverbs 44Bu and meiy?u: Total negation 44Getting possessive with the particle de 47Asking Questions 47The question particle ma 47Yes/no choice questions using bu between repeating verbs 47Interrogative pronouns 48Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions: N? H?o! 51Making Introductions 52Acquainting yourself 52Introducing your friends and family 52Asking people for their names 53Greeting and Chatting 55Addressing new friends and strangers 55Conversing around the clock 56Talking about the weather 59Finding out where people are from 61Taking (that is, rejecting) compliments 63Saying goodbye 63Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight 65Counting in Chinese 66Numbers from 1 to 10 66Numbers from 11 to 99 67Numbers from 100 to 9,999 68Numbers from 10,000 to 100,000 and beyond 69How 'bout those halves? 69Ordinal numbers 70Asking how many or how much 70Telling Time 71Asking and stating the time 71Specifying the time of the day 71Save the Date: Using the Calendar and Stating Dates 75Dealing with days of the week 76Naming the months 77Specifying dates 77Celebrating Chinese holidays 80Sizing Up Weights and Measures 81Chapter 6: Speaking Chinese at Home 85Hanging Out at Home 85Hunting for an Apartment 86Decorating Your New Digs 89Appointing Your Rooms, F?ngshu? Style 89The bedroom 91The bathroom 92The kitchen 92The living room 93The basement 94The attic 95Part 2: Chinese in Action 97Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 99Establishing a Connection 99Posing simple introductory questions 102Chatting about family 103Making small talk on the job 105Talking about where you live 108Chapter 8: Dining Out and Shopping for Food 111All about Meals 112Satisfying your hunger 112Sitting down to eat and practicing proper table manners 114Getting to Know Chinese Cuisines 115Dining Out 116Understanding what's on the menu 118Placing an order and chatting with the waitstaff 125Dipping into some dim sum 127Finding the restrooms 128Finishing your meal and paying the bill 129All the Tea in China 130Taking Your Chinese to Go 131Making comparisons 131How much is that thousand-year-old egg? 132Chapter 9: Shopping Made Easy 137Going to Stores 137Getting What You Want at a Department Store 140Just browsing 141Asking for help 141Shopping for Clothes 143What's your size? 143Comparing quality: Good, better, best 145Comparing two items 146What are you wearing? Chu?n versus dai 149Asking about the color and material 150Shopping for Other Items 151Hunting for antiques 152Getting a Good Price and Paying 153Negotiating prices at the night market 153Paying for your purchase (or demanding a refund) 154Chapter 10: Exploring the Town 157Attending a Performance 157Exploring different types of music 158Buying a ticket 160Asking whether someone has done something 160Exploring Museums and Galleries 161Visiting Historical Sites 163Going to the Movies 165Hopping Around Bars and Clubs 167Chapter 11: Taking Care of Telecommunications 169Getting Familiar with Telephone Terms 169Going Mobile with a Cellphone 171Making a Phone Call 172Calling your friends 173Ringing hotels and places of business 174Phoning a client 175Sorry, I Can't Take Your Call Right Now 177Listening to messages that people leave you 177Recording and understanding greeting messages 177Leaving messages 178Checking Your Email 180Going Online 182The Great Wall Firewall, That Is 183Chapter 12: Chinese at School and Work 187Going to School 188Schools and supplies 188Teachers and subjects 189Exams and semesters 190Degrees and diplomas 191Settling into Your Office Digs 192Conducting a Meeting 195Scheduling and planning a meeting 195Making the initial greeting 196Starting the meeting 198Making a presentation 198Ending the meeting 199Discussing Business and Industry 201Chapter 13: Recreation and Outdoor Activities 207Naming Your Hobbies 208Exploring Nature 210Tapping into Your Artistic Side 213Striking Up the Band 213Playing on a Team 215Part 3: Chinese on the Go 219Chapter 14: Planning a Trip 221Talking about When You Want to Travel 221Celebrating the Chinese Holidays 222Where To? Deciding on a Destination 223Passports and Visas: Don't Leave Home without 'Em 227Packing for Your Trip 228Enlisting the Help of a Travel Agency 229Chapter 15: Making Cents of Money 233Staying Current with Chinese Currency 234Renminbi (RMB) in the PRC 234X?n Taibi in the ROC 235Hong Kong dollars 236Singapore dollars 236Exchanging Money 236Spending Money 239Using cash 240Paying with plastic 241Doing Your Banking 242Making withdrawals and deposits 243Accessing an ATM 244Tips on Tipping 244Chapter 16: Getting Around 249Flying Around the Airport 249Making it past the check-in counter 250Boarding your flight 253Going through customs 254Navigating Around Town 257Hailing a cab 257Hopping on the bus 260Riding the rails 262Chapter 17: Asking for Directions 267Avoiding 20 Questions: Just Ask "Where?" 267Different strokes for different folks: Saying n?r versus saying n?l? 269Getting direction about directions 270Understanding the answers to "where" questions 271Expressing Distances (Time and Space) with Li 274Using Ordinal Numbers to Clarify Points of Reference 276Specifying Cardinal Points 276Chapter 18: Finding a Place to Stay 281Making a Room Reservation 282Checking In Before You Hit the Pool 285Taking Advantage of Hotel Service 287Counting on convenience 287Getting problems fixed 288Checking Out Before Heading Out 292Chapter 19: Handling Emergencies 297Calling for Help in Times of Need 297Receiving Medical Care 298Deciding whether to see a doctor 299Describing what ails you 300Discussing your medical history 305Making a diagnosis 306Treating yourself to better health 308Calling the Police 308Acquiring Legal Help 309Part 4: The Part of Tens 311Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Learn Chinese Quickly 313Listen to Chinese Being Spoken 313Check Out a Peking Opera Performance 314Cook with a Wok 314Shop for Food in Chinatown 314Search Online 315Watch Kung-Fu Flicks 315Exchange Language Lessons 315Make Chinese Friends 316Study Chinese Calligraphy 316Be Curious and Creative 316Chapter 21: Ten Things Never to Do in China 317Never Accept a Compliment Graciously 317Never Make Someone Lose Face 318Never Get Angry in Public 318Never Address People by Their First Names First 318Never Take Food with the Wrong End of Your Chopsticks 319Never Drink Alcohol Without First Offering a Toast 319Never Let Someone Else Pay the Bill Without Fighting for It 319Never Show Up Empty-Handed 320Never Accept Food, Drinks, or Gifts Without First Refusing a Few Times 320Never Take the First "No, Thank You" Literally 320Part 5: Appendixes 321Appendix A: Chinese-English Mini-Dictionary 323Appendix B: Chinese Verbs 355Appendix C: Fun & Games Answer Key 359Index 365