ection>
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759 USA and 61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12, Singapore 534167.
Copyright © 2008 by Samson Brier
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 978-0-8048-3985-3
ISBN 978-1-4629-1552-1 (ebook)
Distributed by
| North America, Latin America & Europe | Asia Pacific |
| Tuttle Publishing | Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd. |
| 364 Innovation Drive | 61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12, |
| North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A. | Singapore 534167 |
| Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930; fax: 1 (802) 773-6993 | Tel: (65) 6280-1330; fax: (65) 6280-6290 |
| [email protected] | [email protected] |
| www.tuttlepublishing.com | www.periplus.com |
First edition
12 11 10 09 08 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Hong Kong
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Audio files for all of the Chinese Phrase A Day entries are available online. Listening and repeating after the native speakers will help you to polish your Chinese. Visit www.tuttlepublishing.com for the audio files.
Contents
DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS & COUNTING
THE OUTDOORS, SPORTS & SHOPPING
TAKING CARE: APPEARANCE, DOCTORS, AND HEALTH
COFFEE SHOPS & ON ELECTRONICS STREET
MEETING PEOPLE, & OUT ON THE TOWN
How to Download the Bonus Material of this Book.
1. You must have an internet connection.
2. Click the link below or copy paste the URL to your web browser.
http://www.tuttlepublishing.com/chinese-phrase-a-day-practice-pad-downloadable-cd-content
For support email us at [email protected].
Introduction
Although more people are studying Chinese than ever before, others are still wary of starting because they believe “it’s just too difficult.” But A Chinese Phrase A Day will show absolute beginners that Chinese is in many ways much easier than other languages; and it will help intermediate learners review and improve upon their past studies.
With almost no grammar or tense, no verb conjugation, and a consistency that English, Spanish, French and Japanese learners can only wish for, Chinese enables you to start conversing relatively quickly.
This calendar-like desk companion is divided into monthly topics and builds upon itself, one day at a time. Phrases are kept short, simple and functional.
Each page includes three components:
1. the Chinese characters,
2. the Chinese transliteration, and
3. the English phrase.
Audio for all of the Chinese Phrase A Day entries is available online. Listening and repeating after the native speakers in the audio files will help you to polish your Chinese. Go to www.tuttlepublishing.com to practice your pronunciation each day!
To begin, let’s learn the basics about Chinese pronunciation and the tones. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that each consonant and vowel in Chinese has only one pronunciation with only two exceptions. A few tone marks have been changed to best reflect the spoken word.
Learning the Tones
Chinese is a tonal language; there are 4 tones.
́ 2nd Tone: Rising from low to high (like the end of a question in English).
一 Yi first tone becomes 2nd tone when followed by 4th tone.
ˇ 3rd Tone: From high to low to high (dip your chin toward your chest and raise it again, as you say the syllable).
When 3rd tone marks are next to each other, the consecutive 3rd tone marks preceding the last 3rd tone mark become 2nd tone.
̀ 4th Tone: From high to low (a sharp quick sound like you’re chopping wood. Drop your head as you say the syllable).
不 Bu fourth tone becomes 2nd tone when followed by a 4th