Reading and Writing Chinese: A comprehensive guide to the Chinese writing system

This guide is a comprehensive resource for reading and writing Chinese characters, essential for mastering the language. For over three decades, it has served as a standard for students and teachers. The revised edition features 1,725 essential characters with current definitions, derivations, pronunciations, and usage examples presented in condensed grids. It emphasizes Pinyin, the official system for transcribing Chinese characters into Latin script, widely used in mainland China and Singapore, while also including Traditional characters for Taiwan and Hong Kong. The characters included are those prescribed by the Chinese government for the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) proficiency test. The text reinforces students' reading and writing skills throughout. Key features of this expanded edition include: the 1,725 most frequently used characters in Simplified and Traditional forms, all 2,633 characters and over 5,000 compounds required for the HSK Exam, standard Hanyu Pinyin romanizations, additional mnemonic phrases and etymologies, an extensive introduction, and various indices. It also offers updated English definitions, quick-reference tables of radicals, revised compounds, 25% more vocabulary, and codes for AP and HSK exam preparation.