Chinese Without Tears for Beginners is the first volume of the Chinese Without Tears series. It is recommended for absolute beginners. No prior knowledge of Pinyin or Chinese characters is required for learners studying this textbook.
Step by step, Chinese Without Tears for Beginners gives students the strong foundation that is required to start learning, efficiently, the Chinese language.
Using an originally designed repetition method and through a large number of exercises, Chinese Without Tears for Beginners will make you never forget your first 200 Chinese characters along with their structure, meaning, and sound.
And, to make sure that it sticks, using what you have learned, you will read a short story written in Chinese, and translate it into English.
REVIEWS
Chinese Without Tears for Beginners makes learning Chinese characters painless, while including the elements that make character study effective: radicals, real-life examples, and a range of engaging practice exercises. -ChinaExpat.com
This is incredible! I learned more characters from this book in 15 minutes than in 15 years from my usual awful teacher (myself). Brians clear, concise word-painting unlocks the meaning of the most baffling characters. Bravo. -Nury Vittachi, Author and Columnist
About the Author
Long before Brian Stewart -the author- had completed his Chinese studies, he discovered a host of useful explanations and tips which expedited his studies. This hard-won knowledge forms the basis for this book. Brian hopes readers will derive as much pleasure from learning something of this venerable language as members of his entourage have over the last half century.
The idea behind this book was born when Brian was studying Chinese in China. Since his first teacher spoke no English, he had to learn as a Chinese child would, by endless practice. The 3 P method (Practice, Practice and more Practice) was an excellent way to develop calligraphy but an inefficient way for an adult to learn. There are many books on this subject, but none have addressed it in the spirit of a wish to help an enthusiastic beginner make a quick, painless entry into the delights of the Chinese written language.
Today, most foreign students of the Chinese written language are faced with sentences which are not suited for first steps. Teachers try to teach beginners both the spoken language and the written language, at the same time.
Chinese Without Tears for Beginner is a shortcut to the Chinese written language. It is not a text book nor a conventional phrase book. Its purpose is to help non-Chinese enjoy the Chinese Sign Language that has been developing for 4,000 years. Until the 20th century, it was a language known only to a small minority of Chinese. Few foreigners, unless they were dedicated students, have ever had the courage, tenacity and determination to tackle this language.
Through this book, Brian and the coauthor, Adriano Lucca, intend to show that, although mastering the Chinese written language may take a lifetime, an understanding of the basics can be grasped in an afternoon, enabling visitors to become at least partially sighted as they move around China and Overseas Chinese communities throughout the world.
