Vivian Ling - Böcker

A collection of 15 classic Chinese folk stories—passed down from generation to generation—presented in both Chinese and English.Welcome to the fascinating world of Chinese folklore. The fifteen stories in this book address universal concerns such as the origins of humankind, the impact of wars and natural disasters, the great deeds of cultural heroes, the struggle for dignity and justice for the common man, and the yearnings of the human heart.For readers from around the world, this book is a window to some of the historical and cultural facets of China that remain relevant today. These stories can be enjoyed in English by readers with no knowledge of Chinese, while the bilingual format and vocabulary lists are an added bonus for language students.Each story is given in parallel Chinese and English versions, and is accompanied by a short essay about its historical context, a vocabulary list, discussion questions, and native speaker audio recordings. Enjoy fifteen classic Chinese folk tales, including: "Taming the New Year's Beast" — How the Lunar New Year festival came about, celebrated after the ferocious monster Nian was frightened off by sparks, explosive noises and the color red when it came hunting for children and animals."Two Virtuous Mothers of Ancient China" — The true story of two widowed mothers who raised their sons to become great men. One used gentle persuasion; the other used strict discipline. It is left to the reader to decide which method is the more effective."The Chinese Romeo and Juliet" — A classic tale of tragic love, Zhu Yingtai, the beloved daughter of a local official, is disguised as a young male scholar to study in Hangzhou — some distance away from her home. While she was in the academy she met a soulmate, Liang Shanbo, and as they studied together for three years, she developed feelings for him… "Judge Bao Takes On the Emperor's Son-in-Law" — The famous Judge Bao decided to right a wrong when the emperor's son-in-law, Chen Shimei, committed bigamy by pretending to be single in order to become the imperial son-in-law. He even attempted to hide this crime by obliterating his wife and two children, but was thwarted by Judge Bao, who risked his own life and career to carry out justice.

Essential Chinese Grammar is a systematic overview of Chinese grammar, oriented toward self-study, English-speaking students.Through explanations of common mistakes learners make, useful example sentences and exercises with an answer key, this book provides a detailed introduction to the unique grammar structures of the Chinese language.Ideal for any student who is interested in taking their skills to the next level, this book makes the difficult task of perfecting grammar efficient, interesting and rewarding. Essential Chinese Grammar is a perfect tool to help you form correct and natural-sounding sentences, and determine how to best use the grammar you need for reading or writing Chinese.Each example and exercise is written in both pinyin and Simplified Chinese Characters to accommodate learners with varying levels of character literacy, including those who have learned only to speak but not read.

The highly anticipated next book in Tuttle's Stories for Language Learners series is here!This book presents 22 classic Chinese proverbs and the traditional tales behind them. The stories are bilingual, with the Chinese and English versions presented on facing pages. Each includes an explanation of how the proverb is used today, cultural notes, vocabulary and discussion questions. Audio recordings of the tales read by native speakers are included—giving students a chance to improve their pronunciation and comprehension.Some of the proverbs featured in this collection include:"Painting the Eyes on the Dragon"Based on the story of a famous court painter in 6th century China who painted dragons, this proverb refers to the finishing touches needed to bring a work of art or literature to life. In a discussion, it refers to the final statements used to clinch the argument."Waiting for Rabbits by a Tree Stump"Based on an ancient folktale about a foolish farmer who sees a rabbit kill itself in front of him by running into a tree stump, then gives up tilling his field to wait for more rabbits by the stump. This saying is applied to people who wait passively for luck to strike again. It also refers to impractical people who stick to one way of doing things only because it has worked for them once in the past."Pure Water Has No Fish; Perfect People Have No Friends"Many versions of this historical tale exist. The one told here is about a 2nd century AD official sent to govern a far-flung outpost on the Silk Road who is fastidious in applying strict rules and thereby causes the local people to rebel against him. In the professional world, it is used to refer to people who do not like to work with an overly strict supervisor or colleague.Whether being used in a classroom or for self-study, Chinese Stories for Language Learners provides an educational and entertaining way for intermediate Mandarin learners to expand their vocabulary and understanding of the language.

This beautiful notebook of blank writing templates is perfect for practicing your written Chinese!Each double page spread has squared paper on the right-hand side for practicing formation of the Chinese characters, and lined paper on the left-hand side for note-taking. Ideal for HSK and AP exam prep, the notebook includes a ten-page reference section on how to write Chinese characters and 48 basic characters with practice templates. The back of the notebook provides Mandarin character charts, key vocabulary, and basic grammar tips.Over 100 pages of alternating lined and square grid paper for note-taking and writing practice, as well as easy-to-reference tips and charts, including:Chinese character chartsKey vocabulary listsBasic grammar and pronunciation tipsThe 100 pages of blank lined and square-grid paper offer students all the space they need to write, write, write, and master their written Chinese! Practice writing Mandarin characters, words and phrases on the squared paper and use the lined pages to take notes alongside your textbook or video.

The timeless wisdom of Chinese folktales presented in parallel English and Chinese texts!Switch up your bedtime reading with this memorable bilingual anthology. These traditional Chinese tales are fun to read and each one contains a gentle moral telling kids how to be a good person and live a good life. The stories are presented with parallel English and Chinese texts on every page, along with dozens of charming color illustrations by illustrator Yang Xi.The ten traditional folktales in this volume include:"Gold and Silver Hatchets" — Showing children the rewards that honesty can bring"How Can You Weigh an Elephant?" — It takes a small boy to solve an impossible task" How Silk Was Invented" — And how women contributed to the development of Chinese cultureAnd many more!Sure to delight readers of all ages, A Bilingual Treasury of Chinese Folktales is perfect for parents who want their children to absorb the timeless wisdom of Chinese folk stories and also perhaps learn some Chinese along the way!

Twelve Traditional Stories That Children Will Love!This bilingual children's book presents a charming collection of folktales and fables on the timeless theme of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. All of these stories are very popular in China, retold and adapted here to appeal to young readers and children all around the world. Each story explores a moral dilemma that young readers can easily understand, and provides a gentle lesson that they will discover for themselves. The twelve stories in this book include:"How a Monkey Was Doomed by His Own Pride" A monkey is rescued by a dolphin after a shipwreck but is dumped back into the sea when his pretense of being rich and famous is discovered."What Kind of Music Do Cows Appreciate?" A master musician does not blame the cows when they don't like his music, but instead learns to create music that the cows will appreciate.How Do You Make Dragons Come to Life?" An artist obeys the emperor's command to add eyes to his painted dragons, but when the dragons come to life and fly away, it tuns out this was not what the emperor wanted after all. And nine other stories!This book is intended for children 7-12 years. It is for young language learners as well as general readers.

Talks on Chinese Culture (TOCC) is a post-basic Chinese language textbook intended for students who possess solid mastery of at least two years of college-level Chinese. It is designed to serve as a bridge along the path from basic command to professional level functionality.  TOCC takes the view that the student of Chinese needs to be conversant with both forms of the Chinese character: simplified and traditional/complex. Text materials are thus presented in both forms and in a manner which challenges the student to master both forms. The various topics presented in TOCC serve as vehicles for the mastery of the kind of basic vocabulary that characterizes the conversations and writings of educated Chinese speakers. TOCC is based on the widely-known "Yale" series of Chinese language texts, which even today retains an unsurpassed degree of correlation with currently used vocabulary and sentence patterns. However, students from different curricular backgrounds may also use this text with success. The goal of TOCC is to advance the student's skill levels in listening and speaking as well as reading and writing.

This book will be the first account of the development of Chinese as a foreign language in the U.S., as it interacts with the relevant entities in China and beyond. There are virtually no systematic retrospective reflections on the field outside of the greater China region; and yet over the past decades the field has grown by leaps and bounds, and it is critical now that we pause to reflect on what has happened and what we can learn from the past. The contributors are among some of the most influential pioneers in the field whose entire academic lives have been dedicated to its development. The Field of Chinese Language Education in the U.S.: A Retrospective of the 20th Century is aimed at those who are currently engaged in Chinese language education, as teachers or as students.