First Step is an elementary Chinese textbook for students with no previous background in the language. Focusing on the basics of modern Chinese phonetics and grammatical structure, the book uses everyday topics to help students establish a solid foundation in the Chinese language.The textbook, which includes color illustrations, contains thirty lessons, each of which can be covered in a week's worth of classes. Each lesson features a lively dialogue or a short essay, representing a real-life situation, which is then followed by vocabulary lists and grammar notes. Explanatory notes on Chinese culture and customs are also provided. The companion workbook for First Step is sold separately and includes comprehensive exercises and character writing sheets with information on the stroke orders of newly introduced characters. Free online audio files, accessible on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, allow students to listen to First Step dialogues and practice their pronunciation at their leisure. This vital audio supplement gives students the chance to learn Chinese intonation with greater accuracy.First Step provides students with the necessary tools to begin practical daily communication in Chinese.

Preface viiAudio Content: Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation ix
List of Abbreviations x
Main Characters xi
Hanyu Pinyin Romanization System 1
1 Teacher and Students 10
2 The Books Are on the Table 22
3 I Am Very Busy Today 32
4 Beijing Roast Duck 42
5 A Picture 52
6 My Two Friends 66
7 Choosing Classes 82
8 Cannot See Clearly 96
9 To Drink Tea or Coffee 106
10 Looking for Glasses While Wearing Them 118
11 Who Ate My Stuff 130
12 The Door Is Locked, I Cannot Get In 142
13 Buy Shoes 156
14 Cannot Get up and Late for School 168
15 It's Snowing! 176
16 Getting Fatter, What Shall I Do? 188
17 Ride a Bike 200
18 The Bike Was Stolen 210
19 Chinatown 218
20 East Asian Library 230
21 Chinese Table 238
22 Our Chinese Teachers 246
23 Individual Sessions 256
24 See a Movie 264
25 I'm Vegetarian 276
26 Speech Contest 284
27 I Have to Move 294
28 Living Off Campus Is Not as Good as Living in the Dorm 306
29 Xiao Ding and Susan 318
30 An Email to Parents 330
Pinyin Index 339
English Index 347