Description
Book SynopsisFocusing on the basics of modern Chinese phonetics and grammatical structure, this book uses everyday topics to help students establish a solid foundation in the Chinese language. It includes color illustrations, contains thirty lessons, each of which can be covered in a week's worth of classes.
Trade Review"
First Step is the most recent step in the wonderful Y. R. Chao tradition of teaching Chinese language to speakers of English. It begins with essential foundation work in pronunciation, then offers simple, natural, and witty dialogues, followed by tight, clear explanations of grammar, notes on culture, introductions to reading and writing—in both simplified and traditional characters—and a comprehensive set of exercises. It is everything one could want in a first-year textbook."
—Perry Link, University of California, Riverside"C. P. Chou and his colleagues have produced a much-needed textbook for all those who truly wish to learn Chinese well.
First Step masterfully balances dialogues, texts, grammar, and exercises to help students achieve accuracy and fluency, as well as linguistic competence and cultural awareness. Its contents are intimately relevant to campus life and daily situations, and both the textbook and workbook supplements are easy to use and extremely helpful. Continuing the great tradition started by Y. R. Chao more than seventy years ago,
First Step provides a clear path to building solid Chinese skills."
—Lening Liu, Columbia University"I am impressed by this textbook's practical approach, its contemporary and colloquial feel, the variety of exercises included, and the detailed grammatical explanations in each lesson. The authors use current vocabulary and grammatical structures throughout, and their experience shines through. This book is a great addition to the field."
—Baozhang He, College of the Holy Cross"Like all the other Chinese-language textbooks produced over the years by C. P. Chou and his capable colleagues and collaborators, this is a work of extremely high quality. No one in the field of Chinese pedagogy can rival Chou's skill, expertise, and experience.
First Step is an outstanding, student-friendly primer of beginning Chinese."
—James M. Hargett, University at Albany, State University of New York"An excellent textbook for this level of Chinese instruction,
First Step reveals the authors' experience, knowledge, and thoroughness in teaching this difficult language."
—Qiusha Ma, Oberlin College"The materials in this book are up-to-date, bold, and lively. Professors, teachers, and instructors will find
First Step both useful and a source of inspiration."
—Yin Chong (Zhuang Yan), Boston UniversityTable of ContentsPreface vii Audio Content: Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation ix List of Abbreviations x Main Characters xi Hanyu Pinyin Romanization System 1 1 Teacher and Students 10 2 The Books Are on the Table 22 3 I Am Very Busy Today 32 4 Beijing Roast Duck 42 5 A Picture 52 6 My Two Friends 66 7 Choosing Classes 82 8 Cannot See Clearly 96 9 To Drink Tea or Coffee 106 10 Looking for Glasses While Wearing Them 118 11 Who Ate My Stuff 130 12 The Door Is Locked, I Cannot Get In 142 13 Buy Shoes 156 14 Cannot Get up and Late for School 168 15 It's Snowing! 176 16 Getting Fatter, What Shall I Do? 188 17 Ride a Bike 200 18 The Bike Was Stolen 210 19 Chinatown 218 20 East Asian Library 230 21 Chinese Table 238 22 Our Chinese Teachers 246 23 Individual Sessions 256 24 See a Movie 264 25 I'm Vegetarian 276 26 Speech Contest 284 27 I Have to Move 294 28 Living Off Campus Is Not as Good as Living in the Dorm 306 29 Xiao Ding and Susan 318 30 An Email to Parents 330 Pinyin Index 339 English Index 347
