- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 6th Revised edition edition (1 Sep 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1741042305
- ISBN-13: 978-1741042306
- Product Dimensions: 13.8 x 16.2 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
221,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #20 in Books > Languages > By Language > Chinese > Mandarin
- #72 in Books > Languages > Grammar, dictionaries & phrasebooks > Chinese
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
National Geographic Traveler, September 2006
'Lonely Planet Phrasebooks. Portable, pocket-size, cheap, and available for almost any country you might want to visit...'
'Lonely Planet Phrasebooks. Portable, pocket-size, cheap, and available for almost any country you might want to visit...'
Product Description
The essential tool for the Beijing Olympics 2008. Now includes Pinyin pronounciation guide to help travelers translate Chinese characters into English.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This phrasebook covers the fundamentals for a visitor to China with useful topics (directions, reservations, business, restaurants blah blah blah) and a very helpful local talk section which brought some laughs among my friends and work collegues here when I told them they were great kissers or that I wanted to be touched...although some of the slang is inaccurate and kinda not very cool. Its still a nice feature though. There are also some nice cultural points of information.
However, the author has attempted to replace Pinyin (the Romanised written form of Mandarin) with a pronounciation guide which is sadly, a little off the mark. There are also some mistakes in the written translations. Although some work, there are other examples that definatley do not work as some of the u, e and a sounds are a bit mixed up.
This book will however get you around in what is a challenging place to visit short or long term due to the complex language.
Great as a phrasebook (except for the small mistakes)...but to actually learn the language from, not overly useful.
I would actually recommend the previous edition of this very book if you can get your hands on a copy.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On a trip to China I ordered this phrasebook as I have absolutely no knowledge of Mandarin and was told China was quite difficult to get around in due to the low level of English spoken over there.
In truth, at places like airports staff there will speak English and signs will be written in English. In Beijing airport I was even able to ask a janitor a question in English and he understood me. In more rural China (specifically I went to Fujian province) it's very unlikely that you'll come across someone that can speak English, but places still have some signs in English.
Following on from my previous point, the writing system will pose a problem and is one this book cannot solve, not that it aims to. Rather you will just have to be adventurous and hope for the best. Restaurant menus are a good example. If you're not the adventurous type or you don't fancy risking it in a restaurant, don't rely on this book for getting around.
When it comes to speaking, however, this book does a fairly good job when taken into consideration how hard Mandarin pronunciation is for beginners. The phonetic pronunciation in the book is not too far off the correct pronunciation and if you do get misunderstood (which will happen) you can just point at the Chinese version of the phrase/word.
One problem the book has which I would not have known about is that the phrases and translations given are not exact. I had a Chinese native translator with me who told me the book was 'not very good'. Apparently the translations provided for each phrase in English/Chinese are not particularly accurate and could be misinterpreted.
Overall, it's a handy book to take with you and a starting point for people with no knowledge of the language. Thanks to the uniform writing system, it's good in Hong Kong too as you can still point at the Chinese!
In truth, at places like airports staff there will speak English and signs will be written in English. In Beijing airport I was even able to ask a janitor a question in English and he understood me. In more rural China (specifically I went to Fujian province) it's very unlikely that you'll come across someone that can speak English, but places still have some signs in English.
Following on from my previous point, the writing system will pose a problem and is one this book cannot solve, not that it aims to. Rather you will just have to be adventurous and hope for the best. Restaurant menus are a good example. If you're not the adventurous type or you don't fancy risking it in a restaurant, don't rely on this book for getting around.
When it comes to speaking, however, this book does a fairly good job when taken into consideration how hard Mandarin pronunciation is for beginners. The phonetic pronunciation in the book is not too far off the correct pronunciation and if you do get misunderstood (which will happen) you can just point at the Chinese version of the phrase/word.
One problem the book has which I would not have known about is that the phrases and translations given are not exact. I had a Chinese native translator with me who told me the book was 'not very good'. Apparently the translations provided for each phrase in English/Chinese are not particularly accurate and could be misinterpreted.
Overall, it's a handy book to take with you and a starting point for people with no knowledge of the language. Thanks to the uniform writing system, it's good in Hong Kong too as you can still point at the Chinese!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love this little book and I brought this when I went to Bejing. Very useful and very easy to find something to want to say. Small pocket book which you can carry this with you all the time when you go to China or read this when you are travelling. Love it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
lives made easier
My son and his girlfriend are in China for a year and they were extremely happy when I sent this book to them. They take it everywhere with them and say it is a great help.
Published 18 months ago by susieq
Lonely Planet English/Mandarin Phrase Book 6th Edition
First class little book with added colour and more illustrations. Only regret is that there is no Pinyin/English dictionary at the back. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Bertram Clay
It seems there is no perfect Mandarin phrasebook!
I bought this plus the RoughGuide version. The RoughGuide had a better pronunciation guide (phonetic as well as pinyin) but didn't actually help - no-one understood me, but I... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Suz
Lonely Planet Mandarin Review
Small and compact ideal for travelling. Cotains all the basic phrases for every day situations/discussions.
Published on 27 May 2010 by Mr. Paul Lawrenson
mandarin
I bought this book for my Son who is working in China.
He says it has come in very useful and is easy to use.It has been a great help helping him to learn the language
He says it has come in very useful and is easy to use.It has been a great help helping him to learn the language
Published on 7 Feb 2010 by Mr. P. M. Dudley
a must have if you're going to China
Very useful and ideal for my 2 weeks in China, easy to use and perfect size for travelling..
Published on 18 Oct 2009 by N. Janik
pinyin is great for travellers
If you have had a grounding in being taught how to pronounce all of the different syllables in pinyin, it is very useful in getting yourself understood in China. Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2009 by C. Monk
Very useful book
I bought this book for a business trip to Beijing (plus Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Shanghai) in September 2009 and found it very useful. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2009 by Clive Woodley
revised edition
This edition (1 Sep 2006) has been revised to include pinyin. I think now that the pinyin has been put back in, it is a better choice than the rough guide one.
Published on 26 July 2007 by Mark Anthony Larkin
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