Introduction

This Open Educational Resource textbook on Elementary Chinese I is designed for those who are learning beginning Chinese in their first semester. By using this book, students will learn the Chinese phonological system, useful vocabulary words and expressions, important grammar knowledge, as well as relevant Chinese culture and customs. Simplified Chinese is used throughout the book.

This book has eight chapters, based on eight different topics. The first chapter is a brief introduction about the Chinese language, including its pronunciation system and written system. The other chapters cover seven different topics, including greeting and self-introduction, hobbies and nationalities, family members and occupations, talking about eating and drinking, inviting friends to dinner, making phone calls, and talking about classes and exams. Each topic contains two target dialogues, each starting with a dialogue and a list of new vocabulary, then followed by target grammar and culture notes.

This book aims at developing students’ elementary communicative skills and knowledge of the Chinese language and culture. It will be updated and modified based on users’ feedback.