Simon & Schuster N.Y. Mey, M: Modern Mandarin Chinese for Beginners: With Online A

(back cover) The Easy Way to Learn Modern Mandarin Chinese First, you see a passage written in Chinese characters . . . Second, you read and pronounce the passage as it 's presented phonetically in the Western alphabet (Pinyin) . . . Third, you read its literal, word-for-word English translation from Mandarin Chinese . . . Finally, you get an English translation that presents the passage 's general sense and intended meaning. And as you learn the language, the author takes you on a fascinating guided tour of China 's various regions. Two enclosed audio CDs present the text 's vocabulary and dialogues while they teach you correct Mandarin pronunciation and give you practice in listening comprehension.