Customer Reviews

ABC Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs (ABC Chinese Dictionary Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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Rohsenow has collected and codified hundreds of proverbs from the Chinese peasant oral tradition in this volume. These proverbs are not Chengyu from the great literary works and are seldom seen in written form. The introduction includes an extremely insightful take on the subtle differences between proverbs, idioms and other devices in Chinese language and how they reflect on the culture as a whole.

Chinese proverbs are in many ways the heart and soul of the Chinese language, and Dr. Rohsenow has done a marvelous job compiling so many of them together in one book. I like it's size, its organization, translations and explanations. I have learned a great deal of Chinese going through page after page of the book. I have also inserted a number of them in my letters to friends in China, and they think I am a genius for knowing such proverbs. Should I tell them the truth??? Actually, I did tell them about the dictionary and will mail them copies. In terms of improvements, I would like to have bigger print and possibly different color print for the Chinese, such as large bold blue print for the characters, to make it easier on the eyes. The English can stay small as is. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to deepen their understanding of Chinese language and its culture. The Chinese really love their proverbs and knowing them is one step closer to understanding their culture. Highly recommended.

Having lived in foreign countries it can be very amusing or even awkward to understand the meaning of proverbs in other languages. I am so glad there are people still out there doing this kind of detailed research and allowing people like me to benefit from the expertise and dedication it requires. It is a labor of love and I loved the book. You can't understand someone else if you don't start to learn how they think. It is not a book you may read from cover to cover but it is an interesting slant on understanding another culture and how I can compare it to mine. i highly recommend this even if you don't read it from cover to cover.

Reading some neg. comments on this title, well - it's worth a 5 out of 5 for those who really are interested and want to learn something ... from another culture. For those who just need some proverbs to impress on the next meeting, well - I'm not sure if this is the right stuff for you.