SECOND EDITION
LI Dong 李 冬
TUTTLE Publishing
Tokyo | Rutland, Vermont | Singapore
The Tuttle Story: “Books to Span the East and West”
Many people are surprised to learn that the world’s leading publisher of books on Asia had humble beginnings in the tiny American state of Vermont. The company’s founder, Charles E. Tuttle, belonged to a New England family steeped in publishing.
Immediately after WWII, Tuttle served in Tokyo under General Douglas MacArthur and was tasked with reviving the Japanese publishing industry. He later founded the Charles E. Tuttle Publishing Company, which thrives today as one of the world’s leading independent publishers.
Though a westerner, Tuttle was hugely instrumental in bringing a knowledge of Japan and Asia to a world hungry for information about the East. By the time of his death in 1993, Tuttle had published over 6,000 books on Asian culture, history and art—a legacy honored by the Japanese emperor with the “Order of the Sacred Treasure,” the highest tribute Japan can bestow upon a non-Japanese.
With a backlist of 1,500 titles, Tuttle Publishing is more active today than at any time in its past—still inspired by Charles Tuttle’s core mission to publish fine books to span the East and West and provide a greater understanding of each.
Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Copyright © 2015 by Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd
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.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2004115974
ISBN 978-0-8048-4527-4
ISBN 978-1-4629-1768-6 (ebook)
North America, Latin America and Europe
Tuttle Publishing
364 Innovation Drive,
North Clarendon,
VT 05759-9436 USA.
Tel: 1(802) 773-8930
Fax: 1(802) 773-6993
Asia Pacific
Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd.
61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12,
Singapore 534167
Tel: (65) 6280-1330
Fax: (65) 6280-6290
18 17 16 15 6 5 4 3 2 1 1505CM
Printed in China
TUTTLE PUBLISHING® is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.
Contents
A Guide for Learners of Chinese
1 Pronunciation
1.1 The Pinyin Romanization System
1.2 Vowels
1.3 Consonants
1.4 Tones
1.5 Syllables
2 Written Chinese
2.1 “Chinese characters,” a unique writing system
2.2 The composition of Chinese characters: Meaningful components
2.3 The writing of Chinese characters
2.4 Simplified and Traditional Characters
3 Vocabulary
3.1 Words in this Dictionary
3.2 The importance of Chinese characters
3.3 Word-formation methods
3.4 Definitions
3.5 Example Sentences
4 Grammar: Main Features
4.1 Topic+Comment Structure
4.2 Ellipsis of Sentence Elements
4.3 Word Classes: Flexibility, No Inflection
4.4 Measure Words and Particles
4.5 Word Classes
5 Cultural and Usage Notes
6 How to Look Up a Word in the Dictionary
6.1 By Pinyin Romanization
6.2 By Radical
6.3 By Number of Strokes
6.4 By English Meaning
List 1 Meaningful Character Components
A