Books in the The Princeton Language Program: Modern Chinese series

Most Chinese-language textbooks today cater to beginners and intermediate-level students, but virtually none address the unique needs of advanced students seeking to expand or reinforce their language skills in one semester. Readings in Contemporary Chinese Cinema fills this gap through the use of critically acclaimed Chinese films to teach students Chinese while also broadening their knowledge about China. The authors have carefully chosen ten movies produced in recent decades by filmmakers from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Set broadly within the twentieth century, these classic films are representative of both urban and rural life, and vividly depict the diversity of perspectives that comprise contemporary Chinese society. The authors provide an informative synopsis and critique of each movie, and include selections of movie dialogue that allow students to practice and build proficiency. The comprehensive lessons are supplemented with exercises, sentence-pattern examples, English-language glossaries, and extensive vocabulary lists. There are also discussion questions that can be used in conjunction with screenings of the films. Readings in Contemporary Chinese Cinema is designed for students with three or more years of college-level instruction in modern Chinese, and can be used alone or as a sequel to Anything Goes: An Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese. It has been proven effective at Princeton University and in the Princeton in Beijing program, and is ideal for those returning from study abroad in China.

First Step is an elementary Chinese textbook for students with no previous background in the language. Focusing on the basics of modern Chinese phonetics and grammatical structure, the book uses everyday topics to help students establish a solid foundation in the Chinese language.The textbook, which includes color illustrations, contains thirty lessons, each of which can be covered in a week's worth of classes. Each lesson features a lively dialogue or a short essay, representing a real-life situation, which is then followed by vocabulary lists and grammar notes. Explanatory notes on Chinese culture and customs are also provided. The companion workbook for First Step is sold separately and includes comprehensive exercises and character writing sheets with information on the stroke orders of newly introduced characters. Free online audio files, accessible on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, allow students to listen to First Step dialogues and practice their pronunciation at their leisure. This vital audio supplement gives students the chance to learn Chinese intonation with greater accuracy.First Step provides students with the necessary tools to begin practical daily communication in Chinese.Emphasis is on basic grammar structure and principlesTextbook features both traditional and simplified characters, pinyin, and English translationPerforated workbook (which is sold separately) facilitates easy handling of homeworkFree audio recordings of dialogues and other content available onlineAppropriate for college and high school students

Featuring both traditional and simplified characters along with pinyin and English translation, this book includes comprehensive exercises and character writing sheets with information on the stroke orders of introduced characters.

Oh, China! meets the needs of advanced beginners or "e;heritage learners"e; who already speak some Chinese but require instruction in reading and writing fundamentals before moving to the intermediate level. In this fully revised edition, state-of-the-art lessons go over the basics of standard Mandarin pronunciation and introduce students to Chinese characters. The textbook moves at a faster pace than those designed for absolute beginners and allows students to rapidly develop strong foundations in grammar and vocabulary. It contains topics that are especially relevant to heritage learners, such as growing up in a bilingual, bicultural environment, and exposes students to essential issues for understanding contemporary China today, including economic development and political relations with Taiwan. This essential of Chinese language learning contains updated lessons, grammar notes, and exercises, and its new user-friendly format juxtaposes text and vocabulary on adjacent pages. Updated and revised edition Designed for advanced beginners who already speak some Chinese Offers strong foundations in pronunciation, characters, and grammar Covers topics relevant to heritage speakers and contemporary Chinese society Single volume user-friendly format

Suitable for upper-level students, usually in their fourth year of studying Chinese, this book contains literary works and essays related to the social sciences. It reflects the social issues China has faced in the years and presents a fresh approach to introducing students to various aspects of Chinese society.

Comprised of three parts - "Poetry," "Lyrics," and "Prose" - this supplementary volume presents texts, chronologically, that represent the artistic embodiment of China's Confucian and Taoist thought. Two introductions separately describe the structural and formal features of regulated verse and parallel prose.

Organized into four sections, this supplementary volume sets forth the key concepts and writings of Confucius, Mencius, Laozi, and Zhuangzi - providing insight into their beliefs and literary styles. It offers the students of Chinese a glimpse into the fountainhead of China's intellectual tradition.

Features lessons that are relevant to everyday life, concentrating on training of the ear and tongue in the sound system of Chinese. This title includes grammar notes, with attention to mistakes English-speakers are likely to make, and a sequenced character workbook embodying a practical approach to the learning of Chinese characters.

Available in two versions, one using the GR system of romanization, which employs different spellings instead of diacritical marks for different tones, the other using Pinyin romanization. This book features: training of ear and tongue in the sound system of Chinese; grammar notes; audiovisual reinforcement; and more.

Written by four experienced teachers of beginning Chinese, this introductory textbook includes lessons that are relevant to everyday life. The features include: concentrated training of ear and tongue in the sound system of Chinese; grammar notes with attention to mistakes English-speakers are likely to make; and a sequenced character workbook.

Classical Chinese is the most comprehensive and authoritative textbook on the language, literature, philosophy, history, and religion of premodern China. Rigorously and extensively field-tested and fine-tuned for years in classroom settings, it sets a new standard for the field. Originally published in three volumes, Classical Chinese appears here in one convenient and easy-to-use volume.Classical Chinese contains forty selections from texts written between the fifth century BC and the first century AD, during which the classical Chinese language was fully developed and standardized. These passages, which express key themes in Chinese humor, wit, wisdom, moral conviction, and political ideals, are arranged in the order of complexity of the grammatical patterns they exemplify. Uniquely, each text is translated into both modern Chinese and English. A detailed glossary defines unfamiliar terms and names found in the first part of the textbook, and the last section features in-depth grammatical analyses, in which every sentence in the main selections is fully diagrammed to show the grammatical relations between their various parts. Corresponding exercises review and reinforce the materials. Four supplementary volumes-an introduction to grammar, readings in poetry and prose, selected historical texts, and selected philosophical texts-are separately available for use in conjunction with this basic reader.Classical Chinese provides a definitive resource for students and instructors of classical Chinese language and culture.