Schaum's Outline of Chinese Vocabulary

Rating:
Summary: Great Vocab Builder for Intermediate Mandarin Learner
Review: I have been using this book for quite a while. What I can say is that this book is not for beginners. You must know some hundreds of vocabs (especially various Chinese verbs and conjunctions) before you can use this book effectively, because this book teaches you a lot of noun vocabs (items or objects). This book is totally awesome to increase your vocabs. It gives you a passage or dialog with the new words being printed in bold and their English definition put on the far right column. After each passage you'll be given some practice sections to train you on how to use or put the new vocabs you just learn in some sentences. All of the Mandarin words are supplied with both hanzi (Chinese characters) and the corresponding pinyin, as well as the English translation.

Each chapter teaches you a whole new setting. Chapter one is the things you do when you want to check in at the airport along with some items you normally carry for your travel and the activities you do to check in or boarding the plane. The next chapter takes you in the situation where you already boarded the plane. There's another chapter for boarding the train and it even has a chapter that tells you about computer and Internet in Mandarin. Each chapter is supplied with some illustrations to give big help in comprehension. This book is really powerful. And actually you do not need to follow chapter by chapter. You can just go to the chapter that interests you most. If you want to know what the Mandarin words for all the stuffs in your bedroom then just go to that certain chapter. Oh also, at the back there are answer keys to the practice section! This sure gives another big plus for your vocab learning, unless of course you cheat during the practice :)

Overall this book is a must for Intermediate learner or anybody who has mastered some hundreds of Chinese vocabs. It is also awesome for your reference. It is sort of like your pictionary.

Rating:
Summary: Finally a modern book for high-intermediates.
Review: The thing that is so exciting about this book and made me buy it right away is that it actually is at my level. There are so many books for beginning Chinese. All beginner books will present a few different words that others will not, but finding challenging vocabulary that is presented in the context that assumes a foundation of Chinese is a godsend.

What makes this book particularly strong is its ability to recycle the words with the right timing so that as you are beginning to forget the word, you get reminded of it. The exercises force you to recall or at least know that you have just learned the new word and go to look for it. Often times, a couple of sentences down, you will see that new word as part of the exercise question. This really reinforces vocabulary study and makes memorization somewhat effortless.

Chinese is really the language where this approach works since most people can't associate Chinese words with familiar words. Also mastering the basics of grammar are not that bad in this language and vocabulary has been my weak point, which is probably true among other high-intermediate students as well.

This is not for beginners, but if you are ready to take your Chinese to the next step with all the most modern vocabulary, including computer terms, this is the book.