preface
academic committee
acknowledgments
introduction

introductory unit： "you'll pick it up fast"
introduction to chinese
1： tones and numbers
fyi the neutral tone
fyi tonal shifts （sandhi） on yi （the number one）
more on numbers
2： chinese syllables
fyi about chinese sounds
the initial consonants + y and w
the final vowels + n and ng
3： poems from the tang dynasty （618-907 ce）
"thoughts on a quiet night"
"climbing stork tower"
4： introduction to chinese characters
recognizing radicals
recognizing numbers
reading real-life texts
radicals and numbers on signs
unit rap
5： writing
learning to write characters
一，二，三，四，五，六，七，八，九，十，火，口，木，人，山，水
cultural bits what is culture？
recap
checklist of "can do" statements

unit one："we're all one family"
introducing yourself by nationality and background
1： greeting people and introducing yourself
greeting people
fyi greetings in chinese
fyi other common greetings
introducing yourself
fyi introductions
grammar： personal pronouns
2： leave-taking and more introductions
saying goodbye
fyi saving goodbye
grammar bits stative verbs · equative verbs
grammar： negation
fyi more on tone sandhi： the negative adverb bu
formal and informal speech
fyi levels of formality
3： talking about where you come from
grammar bits the particle mo
recognizing tones
grammar： question words nar, shenme,shei
4： asking for and giving phone numbers
grammar bits review of question words
5： expressing thanks, apologizing, and asking forclarification
thanking and apologizing
asking for clarification
putting it all together
6： reading and writing
recognizing traditional vs. simplified characters
fyi development of simplified characters
recognizing radicals
reading real-life texts
familiar terms in signs and handwritten notes
learning to write characters
我，你，他，們／們，好，嗎／嗎，是，姓，叫，什／甚，么／麼，名，字，請／請，謝／謝，再，見／見，對／對，不，起
writing a note
exchanging names with a classmate
cultural bits introductions, greetings, and goodbyes
recap
grammar
stative verbs · equative verbs · question words · plurals ·particles ma and ne
adverbs · possessive marker de · negation with bu
checklist of "can do" statements

unit two："friends from the start"
unit three： "don't leave before i arrive"
unit four："if only we had met sooner"
unit five："family and friends"
unit six："happy at home and work"
unit seven： "meeting our needs"
unit eight："early to bed, early to rise..."
unit nine： "you get what you pay for"
unit ten："good quality at a low price"

reference section
chinese-english glossary
english-chinese glossary
credits
chinese place names