The Last Book you'll need to buy on Chinese Grammar, May 28, 2004
　

This book is expensive, it is dry, it is complicated, and it is the last book you will have to buy on Chinese gramar.

This book, however, is not an instructional text. It is a reference. You will not lear Chinese by simply memorizing gramar points. Routledge provides an introductory text by the same author that covers that.

This book is an reference text for the intermediate to advanced student. It covers basicaly every gramar rule in contemporary Chinese. (It will teach you nothing about Classical Chinese, though, so it's better to look for a specialty book on that topic.) This is realy usefull if you, like myself, have gotten to the point where you are expected to write essays in proper Chinese. I bought my copy when I started my third year of Chinese at the University of Washington. That's probably about the right time, when the expense is counter-balanced by the necessity. If you are a first or second year student, it could still be usefull, but perhaps you should just borrow it from a friend or library, since the price to page ratio is not very good.

Still, when it comes to grammar, Routledge is the best in the buisness. Accross the board, their books are five stars. Just be sure that you find the one that's right for your needs.
　

awesome!, September 15, 2005
　

this book is really comprehensive...goes into alot of details and examples....good for those who plan to fine tune their chinese...not good for those who are beginners.

A cheaper alternative, April 26, 2005
　

I was looking for a Chinese reference book that explained complements and the verb aspect system. My Chinese instructor recommended _A Chinese Grammar for Foreigners_. Most likely, you will find it used (as it is sold to foreigners living in China) at around $20. The book provides examples of sentences in simplified Chinese and English. The layout is not the most ideal, but it provides a systematic approach to understanding the language.

Reads like a medical book, July 12, 2004
Reviewer: A reader
I just received this book and gave up reading it after the first few pages. It's definately a reference book but seems to be a thorough reference book. There are many linguistic terms that the reader will also need a dictionary. This makes the book a bit hard to read. It's more for advanced students. I've been studying Chinese for a year and wanted something a bit easier to read without too much detail. I'm going to return this one and try Basic Chinese : A Grammar and Workbook by the same author.

Way Too Expensive, June 27, 2004
Reviewer: A reader
This book must be used in a college setting due to its price. It seems college books are automatically priced 50 to 75 percent more than non-college books. I ordered this book and had it returned due to the size/content vs price. This would be an excellent book for around 30.00.

I think the content is good but should have much more examples and explanations.

If the book was priced at around 30.00 and had more examples and explainations I could give it 5 stars.

For an alternative, I found A Reference Grammar of Chinese Sentences by Henry Hung-Yeh Yee to be a better selection for me.

Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar, June 24, 2004
Reviewer: A reader
This is a very comprehensive book, with many well-explained examples. The book makes full use of simplified chinese characters (as used on the Chinese mainland), pinyin, and in some cases literal translations, as well as full english translations.

Key language concepts are well explained, and emphasis is placed on features which may pose an extra challenge to the learner of chinese as a foreign language.

This book treats the language from a fairly academic point of view. Thus it is excellent for those wishing to attain a deep understanding of the language, rather than to learn a few superficial phrases as is too often the case with travellers' phrase books.

However, this book 'is intended for readers who have some knowledge of the (chinese) language and are at ease with its written form'. This is certainly the case, as the book employs a wide range of complex vocabulary right from the outset. Thus, not for beginners.

Overall, an excellent reference book for those who already have at least a basic knowledge of chinese. Not recommended for beginners, but a separate book by the same authors entitled 'Basic Chinese' is a superb book for those new to chinese.