The 8 Best Chinese Language Books (2023 reviews)

The william mcnaughton chinese language book's high-end materials makes sure that it ages well with use. This book puts an emphasis on mnemonics, bringing this chinese character learning method to the mainstream. The specific order in which characters are presented is very helpful for differentiating and remembering those characters with similar components, but different pronunciations, tones, and meanings. The characters are arranged in an order that is meant to help the reader remember and understand the characters, which is helpful. The reviser has both prolonged william mcnaughton's "classic" and reworked it, rendering it an even more useful reference book and learning tool.

If you are in the long process of learning to read and write chinese, this is an excellent resource, well worth the cost. It will make the process of characters learning more interesting and easier. This guide is not only complete and comprehensive but it is easy to use for someone who has only general knowledge about languages. If you want to improve your stroke order or word connections, this book could be a good match.

Why We Like This:

All character entries are carefully coded as to hsk proficiency levels
An excellent resource for beginners to those more fluent in the language
Very orderly presentation with easy to read fonts
Great book as reference for beginner chinese language learner

Best For Beginners of All ages: Yi Ren Chinese Language Book

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention yi ren chinese language book for regular usage. This is a really good book to start as a beginner. It makes learning easier, than trying to figure out the characters by yourself, this way, you learn and is able to understand at the same time. It is perfect for stroke orders for learning chinese again. It shows you how to do it and gives you plenty of space to practice.

The method proposed in this book allows to absorb Chinese characters, and retain them in memory. This book structures the characters efficiently alongside enjoyable stories to help you remember them.

Why We Like This:

Great first step for learning character writing
Great book with lots of practice exercises
One of the new comers and featured product

Best For Intermediate: Lingo Mastery Chinese Language Book

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Lingomasterys books with the most common words are really convenient for getting a look at the most frequent words in a language so you can start reading faster. This is a very fine introduction to chinese vocabulary that may arise when you visit china or simply conversing and understand the chinese population here at home. If you want to have a clear path on what characters to prioritize, this is it.

This book is great for all levels of chinese learners, with the very simplistic design being efficient at its task. It pairs great with an app like Pleco so you can see other sentence structures alongside the example in the book. It is meant to be a review text, and reviewing quickly is what this book excels at. Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced Chinese language learner, this book is extremely useful.

Why We Like This:

A nice, minimalistic approach to learning common vocabulary
Very useful for learning basic words and sentences
Great book for beginners and intermediate learners alike
Great intro reference for high frequency words

Best For English speaker: Yi Ren Best Book

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Next on the list, we've got yet another book that manages to win our hearts. It's the yi ren best book and it's widely considered as book that has the most suitable features. This book is the inclusion of traditional chinese poetry combined with the website for sound and pronunciation. It is pronounced, means either fish, rain, jade, or to become silted up. The CD that comes with it helps get the pronunciation correct to sound like a native. It's a nice touch that gives you some background knowledge about chinese culture.

The way that the book is written, the method used to chunk information, makes it easy for anyone to learn Mandarin. This makes the book and audio a cumbersome item that can not be taken with you as a single item. It is simple and very easy to understand. The book is very well developed and clearly written.

Why We Like This:

Well-written and helps you speak chinese in no time
Has fine illustrations and is great for vocabulary learning
Wonderful user-friendly workbook and cd for learning beginnining conversational chinese
Excellent book for beginner-level practical conversation

Best For beginner: Leo w Chang Chinese Language Book

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Leo W Chang line of book come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. If you’re looking for a school textbook quality book this isn’t going to be it, but it will give you some decent background information to start with.

Why We Like This:

Good brand reputation
Lot of satisfied buyers

Best Book: Vivian Ling Chinese Language Book

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To lay readers, it’s an introduction to Chinese proverbs and their associated folk tales. They help Western readers recognize the relevance of Chinese culture to themselves, and bring to Chinese readers a sense of pride. If you just want to learn Chinese, study new vocabulary, proverbs, and idiomatic expressions, this book is absolutely perfect. This book does that, it has the Chinese story in a traditional setting, the English translation, a vocabulary after each story, comprehension questions, and most importantly, the modern usage of the proverbs illustrated in a story set in the modern period. It is good for learners with some knowledge of chinese characters.

This book is a “light read, but it carries quite a bit of gravitas. The bilingual format allows anyone who is literate in English or Chinese to enjoy this book, but bilingual readers can have even more fun hopping between the two languages. This is a very rich book on several levels, making it appealing to readers with different backgrounds and interests.

Why We Like This:

A fun book to expand your knowledge of chinese language and culture
A very rich book for both western and chinese readers
Useful and thoughtfully designed language textbok

Best And complete Book: Ling Chinese Language Book

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This exceptional series of books is an absolute must-have for anyone truly dedicated to mastering the Chinese language. The book includes chinese folk tales, idioms, fables, and proverbs. The expertise and passion of the brilliant Teacher Ling Ling shines through in every word, making this an unparalleled resource for Chinese language learners everywhere.

This book is so complete for Beginner lerners as it includes the Audio with native speakers, pinyin and the English translation. The audio is very useful for learning. It comes with free audio of the stories in chinese as well as additional pdf materials.

Why We Like This:

Improves overall understanding of chinese culture and language
Good investment for long term

Best little pocket Book: Boye Lafayette de Mente Chinese Language Book

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention boye lafayette de mente chinese language book for regular usage. It is a great start to planning your trip.

Why We Like This:

Handy book to take on a trip
Good brand reputation