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• Cover
• Introduction
• About This Book
• Foolish Assumptions
• Icons Used in This Book
• Beyond the Book
• Where to Go from Here
• Part 1: Getting Started with Chinese
• Chapter 1: Chinese in a Nutshell: The Spoken Word
• Grasping Chinese Dialects
• Pīnyīn Spelling: Beijing, Not Peking
• Sounding Off: Basic Chinese Sounds
• Adding Idioms and Popular Expressions to Your Repertoire
• Chapter 2: The Written Word: Checking Out Chinese Characters
• Perusing Pictographs, Ideographs, and the Six Scripts
• The Chinese Radical: A Few Clues to a Character’s Meaning
• Following the Rules of Stroke Order
• Up, Down, or Sideways? Deciphering the Direction of Characters
• Traditional versus Simplified Characters: When to Use Which
• Using a Chinese Dictionary … without an Alphabet!
• Chapter 3: Warming Up with the Basics: Chinese Grammar
• The Basics of Chinese Nouns, Articles, and Adjectives
• Getting into Verbs, Adverbs, Negation, and Possession
• Asking Questions
• Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions: Nǐ Hǎo!
• Making Introductions
• Greeting and Chatting
• Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight
• Counting in Chinese
• Telling Time
• Save the Date: Using the Calendar and Stating Dates
• Sizing Up Weights and Measures
• Chapter 6: Speaking Chinese at Home
• Hanging Out at Home
• Hunting for an Apartment
• Decorating Your New Digs
• Appointing Your Rooms, Fēngshuǐ Style
• Part 2: Chinese in Action
• Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk
• Establishing a Connection
• Chapter 8: Dining Out and Shopping for Food
• All about Meals
• Getting to Know Chinese Cuisines
• Dining Out
• All the Tea in China
• Taking Your Chinese to Go
• Chapter 9: Shopping Made Easy
• Going to Stores
• Getting What You Want at a Department Store
• Shopping for Clothes
• Shopping for Other Items
• Getting a Good Price and Paying
• Chapter 10: Exploring the Town
• Attending a Performance
• Exploring Museums and Galleries
• Visiting Historical Sites
• Going to the Movies
• Hopping Around Bars and Clubs
• Chapter 11: Taking Care of Telecommunications
• Getting Familiar with Telephone Terms
• Going Mobile with a Cellphone
• Making a Phone Call
• Sorry, I Can’t Take Your Call Right Now …
• Checking Your Email
• Going Online
• The Great Wall … Firewall, That Is
• Chapter 12: Chinese at School and Work
• Going to School
• Settling into Your Office Digs
• Conducting a Meeting
• Discussing Business and Industry
• Chapter 13: Recreation and Outdoor Activities
• Naming Your Hobbies
• Exploring Nature
• Tapping into Your Artistic Side
• Striking Up the Band
• Playing on a Team
• Part 3: Chinese on the Go
• Chapter 14: Planning a Trip
• Talking about When You Want to Travel
• Celebrating the Chinese Holidays
• Where To? Deciding on a Destination
• Passports and Visas: Don’t Leave Home without ’Em
• Packing for Your Trip
• Enlisting the Help of a Travel Agency
• Chapter 15: Making Cents of Money
• Staying Current with Chinese Currency
• Exchanging Money
• Spending Money
• Doing Your Banking
• Tips on Tipping
• Chapter 16: Getting Around
• Flying Around the Airport
• Navigating Around Town
• Chapter 17: Asking for Directions
• Avoiding 20 Questions: Just Ask “Where?”
• Expressing Distances (Time and Space) with Lí
• Using Ordinal Numbers to Clarify Points of Reference
• Specifying Cardinal Points
• Chapter 18: Finding a Place to Stay
• Making a Room Reservation
• Checking In Before You Hit the Pool
• Taking Advantage of Hotel Service
• Checking Out Before Heading Out
• Chapter 19: Handling Emergencies
• Calling for Help in Times of Need
• Receiving Medical Care
• Calling the Police
• Acquiring Legal Help
• Part 4: The Part of Tens
• Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Learn Chinese Quickly
• Listen to Chinese Being Spoken
• Check Out a Peking Opera Performance
• Cook with a Wok
• Shop for Food in Chinatown
• Search Online
• Watch Kung-Fu Flicks
• Exchange Language Lessons
• Make Chinese Friends
• Study Chinese Calligraphy
• Be Curious and Creative
• Chapter 21: Ten Things Never to Do in China
• Never Accept a Compliment Graciously
• Never Make Someone Lose Face
• Never Get Angry in Public
• Never Address People by Their First Names First
• Never Take Food with the Wrong End of Your Chopsticks
• Never Drink Alcohol Without First Offering a Toast
• Never Let Someone Else Pay the Bill Without Fighting for It
• Never Show Up Empty-Handed
• Never Accept Food, Drinks, or Gifts Without First Refusing a Few Times
• Never Take the First “No, Thank You” Literally
• Part 5: Appendixes
• Appendix A: Chinese-English Mini-Dictionary
• English-Chinese Mini-Dictionary
• Appendix B: Chinese Verbs
• Appendix C: Fun & Games Answer Key
• About the Author
• Advertisement Page
• Connect with Dummies
• Index
• End User License Agreement