Learning Chinese is notoriously difficult and has long put off the most linguistically savvy Westerners ... until now. Breaking down the Great Wall of language, ShaoLan Hsueh has unpicked Chinese characters and created a simple system for quickly understanding the basic building blocks of the written language. Working with renowned illustrator Noma Bar, she has developed a unique set of illustrations that are engaging and delightful, and offer a glimpse into the wonder of the Chinese language and culture. The books main section introduces the radicals the key characters on which the language is built and reveals how they can be combined to form a wealth of more complex words and phrases. In fewer than 200 pages, readers of all ages will have made the first steps towards a genuine appreciation of Chinese, loving every new character they learn.

Ch. 1 -- Introduction -- The Calligrapher's Daughter -- How to Use the Book -- Ch. 2 -- The Basics -- Building Blocks, Compounds, Phrases -- Advanced Sentences -- Story -- Peter and the Wolf -- Ch. 3 -- Reference -- Building Block Plates -- Index of Characters and Phrases -- Acknowledgements.