Chloe's view

• Why did you choose <Chinese Made Easier>?

It's an excellent starter textbook for beginners. The grammar is clearly explained and logical, and the lessons are reasonably practical, focused on daily conversation.

If you would like to learn how to write or recognize characters, this textbook is designed to reduce your dependence on the pinyin from lesson 6, with eight characters to remember in subsequent chapters. The pinyin of learned characters also disappears in the following lessons.

Many Chinese textbooks are designed to be taken as part of formal courses - and can be a bit stuffy - but this one is far more suited to practical, everyday Chinese.

• Be careful about the small flaws.

The Chinese characters are simplified only (mainland), which means it's not suitable for studying or working in Taiwan or Hongkong using traditional characters.

Some of the words are a little outdated. It was published in 2007, and as an example, in lesson three, the terms" yóujú 邮局" (post office) and" ɡuàhàoxìn 挂号信" (registered letter) are rarely used in China nowadays. You may need a teacher to supplement the words, e.g., for "kuàidì 快递" (express delivery), which is commonly used now in China.

• Anything else?

On average, there are 30 words, three grammar points, and three dialogues in each lesson. It's content-rich, so it's best to have some dedicated time to Chinese and be prepared to enjoy the challenge...!

There're a few more bits below, but I hope this review has helped!

Basic stats

Suited for: New learners

Author: Martin Symonds, Tian Haohao

Publishing house: Shaanxi Normal University Press

Number of pages: 302 

Content of this textbook:

Vocabularies: 308

Chinese characters: 40

Grammars: 32

Topics: 10

• Introducing Yourself

• The Classroom

• The Post Office

• The Market

• Making compliments

• Making an appointment

• Days & Dates

• Giving Directions/Address

• Getting Public Transport

• Eating Out

Original free Chinese learning materials made by experienced native Chinese tutors!