Book Description
The Easiest Way to Learn Mandarin applies more than a dozen established memory techniques to the study of Mandarin, nearly all for the first time. The mnemonic methods include a mnemonic dictionary of over 1,500 Mandarin words; 660 clipart illustrations; a dozen large image maps; the 100 most common Mandarin words; illustrated body parts; spelling, sound, and meaning of Chinese names; and more. The book’s greater value lies in its potential for helping users expand their knowledge of Mandarin beyond the material presented here through the use of mnemonic methods.

Excerpted from The Easiest Way to Learn Mandarin by James J. Counsilman. Copyright © 2005. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Overview of Methods For the student of Mandarin today, many learning tools are available, from simple word lists to sophisticated computer programs with voice-analyzing functions. All have one thing in common: they all require a massive amount of time because they are based on rote memorization. This book is the first to provide multiple short-cuts to learning Mandarin. The book’s short-cuts, more formally called "mnemonics," aid memory through clues to something unfamiliar in something familiar. For example, the phrase, "Mnemonics Neatly Eliminates Man’s Only Nemesis---Insufficient Cerebral Storage," is a mnemonic for remembering how to spell "mnemonics." It is a type called an "acrostic," which uses the first letter of words in a phrase (something familiar) to identify another series of words (something unfamiliar). By far, most mnemonics are acrostics. For learning Mandarin, however, they have limited value because of the large number of Mandarin (pînyîn) syllables that begin with j, q, x, y, and z; absence of any that begin with i, u, or v; and few that begin with o. As the graphic below indicates, many other types of mnemonics can be applied to Mandarin. And rather than just being visual in nature, these mnemonics may provide clues that are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or combinations of these modes of learning.