For context, I am a white man who took Mandarin Chinese in college - about 10 years ago - but have been trying to get back to it for some time. This book was recommended to me, and I have been very happy with the purchase.
As the title suggests, the user of this book is expected to have some background and familiarity with basic vocabulary, pronunciation, syntax, and writing style of Mandarin Chinese. While most books with the word "beginner" in the title will focus on the very fundamentals of these elements, the few of us who have had some exposure and background with the material would find those resources unhelpful, and frustratingly slow. This book dives right in, omitting instruction on more obvious words (pronouns: wo, ni, ta, for example) and gets going on simple paragraphs and dialogues for learning.
This is the perfect book for someone with a background that covers the fundamentals of Chinese, but not sufficiently advanced to warrant an intermediate-level book. Vocabulary is useful, appropriate for typical conversations, and the stress on writing is important for getting stroke order correct. There is no audio component, so practicing speaking and hearing the language will require another resource. Although the material covering grammar isn't very deep, it is useful.

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A Primer for Advanced Beginners of Chinese: 1 Paperback – 6 August 2003
by
Duanduan Li
(Author),
Irene Liu
(Author),
Lening Liu
(Author),
Hailong Wang
(Author),
Xie Yanping
(Author),
Zhirong Wang
(Author),
Yanping Xie
(Author)
&
4
more
Edition: 1st
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Product details
- Publisher : *Columbia University Press; 1st edition (6 August 2003)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0231125550
- ISBN-13 : 978-0231125550
- Dimensions : 27.81 x 21.46 x 1.52 cm
-
Best Sellers Rank:
263,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 269 in Regional Geography
- 839 in Study & Teaching Reference (Books)
- 1,103 in Foreign Language Instruction (Books)
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Product description
Review
It is rare to find a Chinese language textbook that is linguistically accurate, culturally rich, and pedagogically sound.... The attention paid to the principles of character formation makes Chinese character learning an unexpected pleasure. The emphasis on culture and literacy addresses most directly the needs of heritage language learners. The ample opportunities for reading and writing and the varied and flexible exercises make teaching and learning a truly productive and creative experience. Agnes Weiyun He, SUNY-Stony Brook
About the Author
Duanduan Li is a lecturer of Chinese, and currently director of the Chinese Language Program at Columbia University. Irene Liu was director of the Chinese Language Program at Columbia University. Lening Liu is a senior lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University. Hailong Wang is a lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University. Zhirong Wang is a lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University. Yanping Xie, a speech and language pathologist, was a lecturer of Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.
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Customer reviews
4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
6 global ratings
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doc314
5.0 out of 5 stars
Advanced Beginner is the perfect way to think about this book
Reviewed in the United States on 9 February 2012Verified Purchase
One person found this helpful
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Bargain hunter
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not for self learning
Reviewed in the United States on 4 February 2013Verified Purchase
This book is not for a self learner. Answers to exercises are not provided. Defeats my purpose of wanting extra practice in learning.