One Minute Mandarin: A beginner's guide to spoken Chinese for professionals

Front Cover
Allen & Unwin, 2008 - Foreign Language Study - 168 pages
Heading off to China for a business trip? Don't know a word but want to impress? Grab One Minute Mandarin and make the most of your travelling time!

One Minute Mandarin is designed for anyone who hasn't got time to study Mandarin seriously, but wants the essential phrases to get by in the street and in meetings. It is written in pinyin rather than Chinese script to make learning easy, and it covers the basics of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, with an emphasis on spoken Mandarin.

It includes invaluable phrases and quotes that can be worked into speeches, and tips on etiquette and culture that will make even a brief stay in China a richer experience.

One Minute Mandarin is accompanied by a website with downloadable audio files for your iPod or laptop. You can use it to tune in your ear to key phrases in Mandarin and practise your pronunciation.
 

Selected pages

Contents

1 How do you do Mr Wang?
1
2 I am very happy to meet you
7
3 Welcome to China
12
4 Long time no see
16
5 Heshe is Chinese
22
6 Can you speak English?
27
7 Let me invite you to dinner
32
8 Who is he?
37
14 No problem
72
15 How do you know that?
75
16 What is this?
80
17 Let me think about it
85
18 Heavens above
90
19 Climb higher see further
94
20 Ladies and Gentlemen
100
21 A beginners vocabulary for adults
110

9 What time is it now?
41
10 I like to eat Chinese food
50
11 May I? Ok?
54
12 We are old friends
61
13 Beijing is beautiful
67
22 An introduction to the Chinese writing system
133
Common Chinese surnames and forms of address
140
Country names
144
Bibliography
146
Copyright

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2008)

Peter Coyne has had 30 years exposure to life and language in China as a student, teacher, corporate executive, business consultant and government official. He holds a Masters in Asian Studies from the Australian National University and is currently working in Taipei. This book is based on his experience of teaching Mandarin to CEOs and other leaders.

Bibliographic information