Mandarin Phrasebook (Lonely Planet)

This book is a great travel companion if you go to China and speak little mandarin. It saved me on numerous occasion (train station, shopping, restaurant); I like it so much that i bought the Italian and French one for other trips.

I like the topics covered and having the characters, pinyin and english translation side by side is very convenient. I often pointed at a sign or a sentence to get some help. Tourist books vocabulary section are really useless for a weeklong trip.

Quick note: the back cover states: USA 7.95$...

a HAPPY TRAVELER

Yep, the latest edition of Lonely Planet Mandarin Phrase book, (5th) edition, is indeed next to useless for those of us actually trying to learn the language. In their wisdom the publishers decided to drop Pinyin for a phonetic system that no one understands. Word is from LP they have had plenty of 'feedback' on this issue, but are not planning to change anything at the moment. The only alternative is to find the $50 or so for a used 4th edition, or try Berlitz or other competitor.

I have to admit great disappointment when I picked up the latest edition of the Mandarin Phrasebook. I've studied Chinese for about 2 years, but enjoyed the quick, portable convenience of LP's previous phrasebook editions. The removal of pinyin in this one, however, was idiotic. Pinyin is used on a great many things (signs, ads, street names, etc) in China, and can be decently understood by the time one's plane touches down. Only a few letters differ significantly from standard English speech. For me, and anyone else who is used to pinyin, it's a pointless hassle trying to decipher this book's non-standard pronounciation system.

This book has two uses, for people who know nothing about the language it can be used as a way of pointing to the phrases so people can read the characters from the book. I wouldn't rely on the book as a translator for that purpose. It has quite a few basic phrases but the two way dictionary does have many typo's as well as it isn't always two way.

When you have some experience with how to pronounce pin-yin (which will require some immersion in the language either through some formal course, or a chinese friend) you MAY start to be able to use the book to build your vocabulary. As mentioned it is focused on the beijing speak, which a lot of Chinese will understand) However you may not understand them.

If you have never learnt to pronounce Chinese you simply can't just read the pin-yin and have people understand you. Buy a language course to complement this book.

This little book includes the basics that you would expect from a pocket phrasebook and also includes a two-way dictionary which may come in handy. This latter feature is an addition to the previous edition and it adds considerably to the heft of the book. It is pretty much what you would expect from a phrasebook with the requisite inclusion of the counting system (with pictures of the hand-signs which is helpful), useful expressions, and help getting around. It also includes both pinyin and simplified Chinese characters which means that if you cannot pronounce the tones correctly (you won't!) you can show it to someone. Be warned, I have met taxi drivers who cannot read Chinese.

A major caveat is that most Chinese do not speak Mandarin but a local dialect. They mention this in the introduction but it could be stronger. Even in the large cities there are some who do not speak Mandarin and although you may be able to make yourself understood, you will not understand them!

There are a few problems with the book, beginning with several typographical errors and exclusions. This seems troublesome when you may be relying on it to get you out of a jam. Secondly, this edition includes a list of profanity with the caveat that if "you hear these words you should be on your way." Users of this book will not know enough Mandarin to recognise what they are hearing and it seems an invitation for assault to consider using them yourself.

This book is excellent for those who are being tourists in Beijing or Shanghai for a few days but you will want to consider something more substantial if journeying around the country without a guide. If in doubt look for students, inevitably you will meet some who have studied English and are proficient enough to help you.