Chinese characters : learn & remember 2,178 characters and their meanings : how to retain the meanings for more than 2000 of the most common characters in Mandarin Chinese

A systematic, building block-style plan for mastering the most daunting aspect of learning Chinese--how to remember the meaning of more than 2,000 of the most common characters--is provided in this handbook. Beginning with the simplest of strokes, such as those for numbers, scepter, and earth, and progressing to the extremely complex, such as destroy, insert, and mouse, this manual presents a methodology employing memory techniques to associate meanings with the characters' visual components. A sequence of numbered panels displays each character in two font styles, and a notation in the adjacent margin describes the character's pinyin pronunciation. Graphics that identify the components or characters from which the featured characters are drawn, and a listing of both the names of these root components, and the panel numbers that cite their location in the book augment the presentation. Beginners will be best served by using this guide in conjunction with the development of language skills, while those who are familiar with the language will find this book to be a comprehensive reference and refresher. Front Cover Copyright Page Preface Table of Contents Back Cover Preface Read Me First! Abbreviations Used 1 New Beginnings 2 Onion-Like Layers 3 Curiouser and Curiouser 4 Action and Inaction 5 Moving and Standing Still 6 Up and Down 7 From Side to Side 8 Getting Stroked 9 Wordplay and Word Play 10 In Nature’s Realm 11 More and More 12 Coming to Terms 13 Practice Makes Perfect 14 Hit the Ground Running 15 There’s Always a Tomorrow 16 A Fighting Chance 17 Notions and Trifles 18 A Mighty Fortress... 19 Movers and Shakers 20 Looking Good 21 A Time to Sow, a Time to Reap 22 A Time to Sew, a Time to Rip 23 Cleaning the Sewers 24 Bits and Bytes 25 Clean Living 26 Fame and Fortune 27 Saving Face 28 Dogs and Cats 29 Doing Something About the Weather 30 One Door Closes, Another Opens 31 Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better 32 Let Your Fingers Do the Walking 33 Here and There 34 Animate and Inanimate 35 Stop and Go 36 A Picture is Worth One Thousand Words 37 Time Waits for No Man 38 Prophet and Profit 39 Less is More 40 Curves and Straightaways 41 Mighty Fine 42 Sooner or Later 43 Silence is Golden 44 A Slice of Life 45 Looking Good 46 Twenty-four/Seven 47 Keeping Up 48 Not So Fast! 49 Hills and Dales 50 Clever Ducks 51 Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral 52 A Veritable United Nations 53 Looking on the Bright Side 54 Tomorrow is Another Day 55 Power of Suggestion 56 A Bird in the Hand 57 Whatever You Say 58 Big Doings 59 Not So Fast! 60 Slow Down and Smell the Flowers 61 Buy Now, Pay Later 62 In the Blink of an Eye 63 One World, One Dream 64 Life is Like a Dream 65 Stopping and Starting 66 Big Doings 67 Masculine and Feminine 68 Widdershins 69 Arms Akimbo 70 The Thing Speaks for Itself 71 Curiouser and Curiouser, Too 72 August Moon 73 Righteous Anger 74 Quaint Histories 75 Dance of Death 76 Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth 77 Categorical Imperatives 78 Shadowy Realms 79 Two Up, Three Down 80 Step by Step 81 Poise 82 Prickly Personifications 83 A Musical Comedy Administration 84 Foolish Consistencies 85 Silhouettes and Shadows 86 The Wretched of the Earth 87 Autumnal Thoughts 88 Pacific Overtures 89 Urban Trendsetters 90 Dastardly Effects 91 Finale Ultimo Appendix: On-line Resources Indices of Components and Definitions Component Index Definition Index Pin Yin Index Quick Order Form Back Cover