Chinese For Dummies -- About the Author -- Dedication -- Author's Acknowledgments -- Contents at a Glance -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Conventions Used in This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- How This Book Is Organized -- Icons Used in This Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part I: Getting Started -- Chapter 1: Chinese in a Nutshell -- Grasping Chinese Dialects -- Pīnyīn Spelling: Beijing, Not Peking -- Sounding Off: Basic Chinese Sounds -- Adding Idioms and Popular Expressions to Your Repertoire -- Chapter 2: The Written Word: Checking out Chinese Characters -- Perusing Pictographs, Ideographs, and the Six Scripts -- The Chinese Radical: A Few Clues to a Character's Meaning -- Following the Rules of Stroke Order -- Which Way Did Those Characters Go? Unraveling Character Order -- Separating Traditional and Simplified Characters -- Using a Chinese Dictionary . . . without an Alphabet! -- Chapter 3: Warming Up with the Basics: Chinese Grammar -- The Basics of Chinese Nouns, Articles, and Adjectives -- Getting Into Verbs, Adverbs, Negation, and Possession -- Asking Questions -- Chapter 4: Getting Started with Basic Expressions: Nǐ Hǎo! -- Making Introductions -- Greeting and Chatting -- Chapter 5: Getting Your Numbers, Times, and Measurements Straight -- Counting in Chinese -- Telling Time -- Save the Date: Using the Calendar and Stating Dates -- Sizing Up Weights and Measures -- Chapter 6: Speaking Chinese at Home -- Hanging Out at Home -- Hunting for an Apartment -- Decorating Your New Digs -- Appointing Your Rooms, Fēng Shuǐ Style -- Part II: Chinese in Action -- Chapter 7: Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk -- Establishing a Connection -- Making Small Talk on the Job -- Talking About Where You Live -- Chapter 8: Dining Out and Shopping for Food -- All About Meals -- Getting to Know Chinese Cuisines -- Dining Out.

All the Tea in China -- Taking Your Chinese to Go -- Chapter 9: Shopping Made Easy -- Going to Stores -- Getting What You Want at a Department Store -- Shopping for Clothes -- Shopping for Other Items -- Getting a Good Price and Paying -- Chapter 10: Exploring the Town -- Attending a Performance -- Exploring Museums and Galleries -- Visiting Historical Sites -- Going to the Movies -- Hopping Around Bars and Clubs -- Chapter 11: Taking Care of Telecommunications -- Getting Familiar with Telephone Terms -- Going Mobile with a Cellphone -- Making a Phone Call -- Sorry, I'm Not Home Right Now . . . -- Using the Internet -- Checking Your E-Mail -- Chapter 12: Chinese at School and at Work -- Going to School -- Settling into Your Office Digs -- Conducting a Meeting -- Discussing Business and Industry -- Chapter 13: Recreation and Outdoor Activities -- Naming Your Hobbies -- Exploring Nature -- Tapping into Your Artistic Side -- Striking Up the Band -- Playing on a Team -- Part III: Chinese on the Go -- Chapter 14: Planning a Trip -- Talking about When You Want to Travel -- Celebrating the Chinese Holidays -- Where To? Deciding on a Destination -- Passports and Visas: Don't Leave Home without 'Em -- Packing for Your Trip -- Enlisting the Help of a Travel Agency -- Chapter 15: Making Cents of Money -- Staying Current with Chinese Currency -- Exchanging Money -- Spending Money -- Doing Your Banking -- Tips on Tipping -- Chapter 16: Getting Around -- Flying Around the Airport -- Navigating Around Town -- Chapter 17: Asking for Directions -- Avoiding 20 Questions: Just Ask "Where?" -- Expressing Distances (Time and Space) with Lí -- Using Ordinal Numbers to Clarify Points of Reference -- Specifying Cardinal Points -- Chapter 18: Finding a Place to Stay -- Making a Room Reservation -- Checking In Before You Hit the Pool -- Taking Advantage of Hotel Service.

Checking Out Before Heading Out -- Chapter 19: Handling Emergencies -- Calling for Help in Times of Need -- Receiving Medical Care -- Calling the Police -- Acquiring Legal Help -- Part IV: The Part of Tens -- Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Learn Chinese Quickly -- Listen to Chinese-Language Tapes, CDs, and CD-ROMs -- Check Out a Peking Opera Performance -- Cook with a Wok -- Shop for Food in Chinatown -- Surf the Net -- Watch Kung-Fu Flicks -- Exchange Language Lessons -- Make Chinese Friends -- Study Chinese Calligraphy -- Be Curious and Creative -- Chapter 21: Ten Things Never to Do in China -- Never Accept a Compliment Graciously -- Never Make Someone Lose Face -- Never Get Angry in Public -- Never Address People by Their First Names First -- Never Take Food with the Wrong End of Your Chopsticks -- Never Drink Alcohol Without First Offering a Toast -- Never Let Someone Else Pay the Bill Without Fighting for It -- Never Show Up Empty-Handed -- Never Accept Food, Drinks, or Gifts Without First Refusing a Few Times -- Never Take the First "No, Thank You" Literally -- Part V: Appendixes -- Chinese-English Mini-Dictionary -- English-Chinese Mini-Dictionary -- Appendix B: Chinese Verbs -- Appendix C: On the CD -- Track Listing -- Customer Care -- Appendix D: Answer Key -- Index.