《趣简中国话》是一本可读性极强的汉语言概览书。作者将自己二十多年来学习汉语的经验、收集到的各种生动有趣案例，甚至是自己闹过的笑话都和盘托出，毫无保留地与读者分享。
适读人群 ：广大读者 \"Totally authentic.\"
\"It's not a textbook; it's just stuff you should know.\"
\"I wish a book like this existed when I moved to China\"
知道笔画*多的汉字是哪一个吗？
如何听出中国人的话外之音？
为什么在中国大家都喜欢8讨厌4呢？
“我要出门”和“我要出家”的区别在哪里？
这不是一本汉语教学书，而是作者学习汉语的心酸血泪史！
Forewrod
My first job in China, 11 years ago, was as academic director and host of a language-learning podcast called ChinesePod. Each podcast contained a short, practical Chinese Dialog that helped learners communicate information crucial to daily life in China. But simply covering the vocabulary and grammar was never enough; what gave ChinesePod its charm was the way we delved into the culture behind the language, through the lens of our own individual experiences. Although we saw ourselves as language teachers, I came to discover that some of our listeners, far from being on the fast track to fluency, were listening precisely for the cultural insights. For them, it wasn't about building a massive vocabulary or achieving one hundred percent comprehension; it was about the direct human connection made possible through the language.
China Simplified: Language Empowerment is all about the experience: enabling you, the reader at any skill level, to get more benefit and pleasure from speaking Chinese. This book is not a textbook or a language course, however. Authors Stewart and Katie impart plenty of encouragement, spinning story after story about the many pitfalls of learning Mandarin, and urge you to forego the paralysis by analysis which holds back many students.
For many future language students, this book will mark the beginning of a lifelong adventure into the rich terrain of the Chinese language (or better said, family of languages) which is as unique and varied as the land it embodies. And just as you can't see every part of China on your journey, you can't expect to learn the language through books alone. Mandarin itself offers a stunning array of territory any learner can delve into, even with only a smattering of words and phrases as a starting point. And that's the key, isn't it? To get started somewhere.
No matter whether you're already serious about your Chinese studies, or simply hope to improve your cultural awareness before your next interaction with CHinese friends, China Simplified: Language Empowerment will point you in the right direction. It provides just enough knowledge for you to be dangerous, and entertains you the whole way. This is precisely how any good China adventure should begin: with a big smile on your face.
John Pasden
Founder and CEO, Allset Learning
Shanghai, September 2019
Contents
Why China Simplified?
Foreword by John Pasden
The Sound of Somebody Falling Down
Why Mandarin is the easiest (and Hardest) language in the world
A picture's Worth Ten Thousand Words
The mystical origin of characters and East-West perspectives
Embracing the Ambiguity
Exploring the hazy space between what is said and meant
Sorry, There Is No Chapter Four
Chinese superstitions at play in our daily lives
A lifetime in Four Characters
Using idioms to capture an idea's essence in an instant
Fish, Pearl, Coral, and Ocean Go Swimming
The high-stakes challenge of choosing the right name
Never Use the F-word
How to become more fluent than you ever imagined
We Let the Boss Die First
Stirring up trouble with dialects, topolects, and slips of the tongue
The Lingua Franca of the 22nd Century
Will we all be speaking Chinese in the near future?
Resources
References
Gratitude
About the Authors
书单推荐
