Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary Giveaway
Disclosure: I received a copy of Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary to assess. All opinions are my own.
For many English speakers, learning Chinese can prove challenging. The language encompasses four tones where the same word can have a different meaning depending on the tone. Chinese words use strokes to create word characters rather than an alphabet like in the English language. To become fluent in Chinese, a person needs to know a minimum of approximately 2,500 words. Native Chinese speakers have a vocabulary of 5,000 to 10,000 words. There are also five main Chinese dialects with the government recognizing Mandarin as the official one.
I attended Chinese School during my childhood in the Midwest, and now my daughter is attended Chinese School here on Long Island. There’s a lot of memorization involved, but I do find that having visuals helps my daughter retain the material better. This is not surprising given that research shows “visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text.”
That’s why I love the new Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary authored by Yi Ren [Tuttle Publishing]. The dictionary includes the 1,500 most useful Mandarin Chinese words and sentences and organizes them into 38 themes such as “Seeing a Doctor,”Daily Activities,” “Asking and Giving Directions” and more. Each theme includes 25 to 35 words and 5 to 8 sentences as well as full-color photographs.
It’s a great resource for not only kids learning Chinese, but also for adults. Travelers and expats living in Chinese-speaking countries will find this dictionary handy as well. Regarding test prep, the book states, “Since this dictionary covers all the words for the AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam as well as the Chinese HSK Levels 1 & 2, it is an ideal test prep resource for a visual learner.”
The dictionary includes a brief introduction to Chinese pronunciation and tones. A comprehensive index allows readers to quickly and easily search for words and phrases. This bilingual book features each word and sentence in Chinese characters with a Hanyu Pinyin pronunciation and English definition. As a bonus, the dictionary includes free online audio recordings of the vocabulary and sentences spoken by native Mandarin speakers.
I highly recommend the Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary for anyone interested in learning Chinese whether for personal enrichment or for their travels. This book is available via Tuttle Publishing, Amazon, and other major book retailers.
ENTER THE MANDARIN CHINESE PICTURE DICTIONARY GIVEAWAY
One lucky reader will win a hardcover copy of the Mandarin Chinese Picture Dictionary. Enter via the entry form below. The giveaway is open to readers 18+ years with a United States mailing address. Good luck!
