Reading & Writing Chinese: Traditional Character Edition, A Comprehensive Guide to the Chinese Writing System

Score 11/10 !!I cannot say enough about how helpful this has been towards my learning traditional Mandarin:I love the history behind these beautiful characters, helps with recall too.Clear depiction of the sequence of strokes for each “word” - but logically skip some strokes with more multifaceted characters after the learner is already familiar with basic characters.

First of all, I would like to note that I own the old version of this book, the version that uses handwritten forms as opposed to the new version which uses Kaishu script, and the old version also uses the Yale system and not pinyin (which is slightly annoying, I'd reccomend getting the new version to people if that's an option for them). But I do have to say, this book (old/new/whatEVER version!) is good at ONE thing that is invaluable to people wanting to learn Chinese, and that is giving stroke order for 1,065 of the most commonly seen characters! I would reccomend this book for that reason and that reason alone as once you've mastered this first set, most times it's easier to figure out how to write other characters so it lays a GREAT foundation for studentsIf you're a beginner who is serious about wanting to learn Chinese it should be a no brainer to buy this book (or the simp. version of it if you want to focus solely on simp. forms)!!

Favorite features:- Shows "most likely" characters first so you learn what you need early on rather than esoteric ones you don't- Shows simplified characters as well as traditional. It's not as hard or important to learn the radicals (and butchered etymology) for simplified characters as it is for traditional, so including smaller simplified characters where appropriate offers the best of both worlds. Better than buying the Simplified version w/tiny traditional characters & less explanation. If you know stroke order for traditional, you can figure out simplified - not as easy the other way around.- Explains constituent parts/radicals just prior to more complex characters so you see how they're built.- Includes most common definitions & multiple pronunciations, plus helpful examples that tie to previous entries for reinforced learning.- It's $5-$10 cheaper here on Amazon than at local bookstores (if they even have it).Problem areas:- I have found some index errors & incorrect references between character entries, probably left over from the previous edition. They're minimal though.********************I've essentially been going through the book & copying down each entry for practice. I learned many of the characters through years of studying Japanese, but I've already learned more about the structure & logic behind the radicals, sound-loans, etc than I did w/Japanese.This is a great companion study guide to actual "reading" material and spoken language practice that reinforce each other. No single book will teach you a language by itself. Combine w/ChinesePod (awesome!), PlecoDict software or formal classes.

I speak Chinese but do not read or write, and had been looking for a good book for such learning. Got a reference to this book as the best for "Waiguoren."It is simply the best--assumes nothing, well organized, and starts with the basics. Furthermore, it adheres to Chinese way of teaching Chinese, beginning with strokes and PinYin.What would make this book more perfect would be if it were available in digital edition so I can carry it around in my Kindle and iPad for constant practice. Although the book is small and practical to carry, if digital as well, it could be a constant companion--for what is needed in learning Chinese is constant review, as learning Chinese is an exercise in memorization. If digital, it would be one less thing to carry around.I carried the book around with a pad and studied on the train.

Easily one of the best purchases I’ve made in teaching myself traditional Mandarin characters. I’m still very new, but this has stroke order, definitions, and even lists a simplified character when applicable. Thus far, I have never failed to find a word listed in here. I have also just gone through and picked out words for practice and learning.

I am totally beginner in learning Chinese. Since I believe that writing will help me to memorize the characters so I decided to buy this book. And the result? I am more than satisfied to own this book. Well, I like the index part the most, you can search using alphabetical letter so it's very easy especially if you know how the character looks like.The book is neither too big or too small in size, basically you can just put them in your bag as you wish.So far I haven't had something that I dislike about the book, so far so good! :)

A work that may easily tempt students to introduce themselves to the beautiful world of traditional characters, the true basis to begin understanding the language and the culture of China, ancient and modern... I suggest to everyone wishing to seriously learn Chinese to devote himself or herself to traditional readers, as only traditional characters continue the original lexicographical force of ancient pictograms, so that the interpretation of each character is made simpler than that of the corresponding "simplified" one - so, what simplifies the scripta, don't simplifies the lexical knowledge!

I love this book! I use this in conjunction with Chinese in a Flash and it makes learning the characters so much easier.The book is phenomenal because it is set up to teach you how to use a traditional Chinese dictionary and shows you how to write the character and even gives you some hints on learning them. It discusses radicals, meaning and idioms! I HIGHLY urge you to read the Student Guide in the book before using it.Overall, it's worth purchasing and I will forever go back to it to practice my writing and brush up on meanings.