Customer Reviews

Tuttle Learner's Chinese-English Dictionary

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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This is a wonderful dictionary, especially for learning Chinese. It is loaded with example sentences. Words are in alphabetical order by pinyin. Both simplified and traditional characters are shown for each word. All example sentences are in simplified form. I have been using this book as a learning tool by simply reading through it. I am learning characters by reading the example sentences in character form and then looking at the pinyin on the next line. I have read the first 50 pages and have already solidified at least 200 characters in my mind, and am gradually building familiarity for a couple thousand more. My pace of reading this dictionary is getting faster and faster as I become more familiar with the basic characters. Highly recommend.

I have used a few English - Chinese dictionaries now, and this is by far the best. The simplicity is supurb. It uses a larger font than many similar dictionaries, so you can see the Chinese characters with more clarity. The example sentences for each word are excellent. The Chinese is simple and eloquent, and for a beginner, it is a brilliant reference. The pinyin allows words in the examples to be referenced quickly. I haven't found a word in any example that isn't also in the dictionary (this is very impressive). The reference section at the back is also very well laid out. I have used this dictionary for well over six months now and I have tested it fairly well. Of several English - Chinese dictionaries that I own, this has become my first reference, firstly because of the usage examples, but also because it is just easier to use than the rest. I'd love an electronic version as well though - preferably for a PDA - so that I could click around the examples - it wouldn't replace the book though.

I would asolutely recommend this book for anyone learning Chinese.

Speak Mandarin Chinese For BeginnersThe Michel Thomas Method (8-CD Beginner's Program)Michel Thomas Method Speak Mandarin Chinese Advanced

I am the author of the Michel Thomas courses to learn spoken Mandarin. One of my passions is innovative ways to learn and teach languages. What I learned from 10 years with Mr. Thomas has changed my entire attitude toward learning and teaching.

I own several Chinese-English dictionaries. This is my favorite. In its layout, type size, sample sentences ( with pinyin), scope of vocabulary, breakdown of word components ( very helpful in understanding the meaning behind the word and the Chinese mindset) as well as many other features mentioned by other reviewers on this page this text is outstanding.

One feature which I love is the inclusion of traditional characters. Though the simplified characters form the basis of the book wherever the traditional character varies it is listed. Many dictionaries lack this vital resource.

I use this now as my preferred beginner and intermediate level Chinese-English dictionary.

This will accompany you into your second year of studies or so. As many reviewers have pointed out, you can really hammer new words in by reading the example sentences given under each headword.
There are two ways to use this:
1) Read it from A-Z, which needs a lot of discipline (it took me 4-5 months). This has the advantage that you can impress (or dumbfound) people by telling them that you're actually reading a dictionary for a bedtime story.
2) Look up new words that come up in your textbook. At a certain level, you will need something like "Cheng & Tsui Chinese-Pinyin- English Dictionary for Learners" (ISBN 0887273165) which has ten times the number of words but is hard to get.

One big flaw in Tuttle's dictioanry is the number of typos (see what I mean?). Sometimes wrong characters are given, but what's really annoying is the constant misspelling in pinyin. I have found up to 8 wrong pronounciations on a double page. A second edition should fix that. All in all, indispensable.

This book is extremely user-friendly. The entries are words, not just individual characters, and there are example sentences to show you how to use them. It's also easy to look up a Chinese word, English word, or unfamiliar character once you know the system. Unfortunately, if the unfamiliar character is traditional, you're out of luck, because this dictionary is in simplified. It gives the traditional characters in parentheses in the actual entries, but you can't look up a character by radical if it's not a simplified character. Also, it's probably best for beginning or intermediate students of Chinese, since at a certain point you're probably going to know everything in this dictionary.

Overall, I am in love with this dictionary.

This is an excellent beginner's dictionary. Its words are arranged alphabetically by Pinyin, so it is easy to find words if you know the pronunciation. An English-Pinyin section is provided so it's simple to find translations. Of course, since it is a Learner's dictionary, the included vocabulary is not intended to be completely comprehensive, but to be useful in common situations.

Perhaps the best part of this dictionary is that it is replete with example sentences for almost every word. You often need more than just the translation of a single word; you want to know how to use it, and in that respect this dictionary is exemplary.

After returning from a conference in Beijing, I was looking around for a good dictionary and was so thrilled to find just what I was looking for - an intelligently written Chinese English Learner's Dictionary. I can positively say that I have learned more Chinese from this one book than any other book I have ever run across. I think the other reviewers have come to the same conclusion as me - the example sentences are truly great. I especially like the inclusion of so many new things, like internet language, modern society examples, history, poetry, and everyday activities. The short but very concise grammar section is just what a learner needs to know to fully utilize this book. I also like that the Chinese is in blue, the pinyin in bold black and the translations in italics. I am very ready now for an advanced learner's dictionary, and I think Professor Li Dong is the person to do a great job with this.

It's a very good dictionary to find Chinese words, the method to find Chinese characters is easy too. The index of English words is not bad but it would be more helpful to have the equivalent of the Chinese-English as English-Chinese too. Most authors forget that foreigners need words to speak, not just to read.

This dictionary is very nice and practical. Every entry has several examples of sentences that use the word, which is very useful to me, but what truly takes it apart from the other "Beginner's Chinese" dictionary that I also got (Oxford) is the fact that all compound words and broken apart into their basic components, so when learning a new compound word you actually learn 3 words all in once. For example 'computer' = 'diannao' where diannao=(dian=electricity)+(nao=brain).
By doing this, I actually only have to learn the two component words and remember that 'computer' is the combination of the two. That makes it much easier for me to learn these compound words, because I don't have to store and recall 'arbitrary' sequences of characters and tones for each concept, but instead just a sequence of two basic words. And since the basic words are reused over and over in compound words, my studying is made much easier.
This is a Chinese-to-English dictionary, but at the end there is a English-to-Chinese reverse index, that is it contains entries like queue=hang (p.87), so for the most part it can easily be used as an English-to-Chinese dictionary.

For me it was definitely worth every buck.
Warm Regards
Dimitris Staikos

Use the Tuttle Learner's Chinese-English Dictionary along with the Oxford Beginner's Chinese Dictionary. The Tuttle is better for Chinese-English in that it contains more entries and examples. The Oxford is better for English-Chinese. One very nice feature is that the measure words are included with the nouns. Use both dictionaries together for the most helpful learning experience, but keep in mind the dictionaries are geared towards students and will not be overly comprehensive.