●The author of this little book does not agree with the general saying that the Chinese language is a very difficult one, not th e spoken or conversational Chinese at least. An average Chinese baby starts to learn to speak at about one year old and expresses itself quite well at about two. It is, therefore, the opinion of the author that a foreigner, with an adult's experience and background in learning things, can do the same within a shorter peroid. ●The aim of this course is to enable any foreigner, who can spare a few hours every week within one year, to acquire the ability of expressing himself(or herself) adequately in daily encounters with spoken Chinese, and to provide for those who are more interested in a foundation for further study of both spoken and written Chinese. ● The text of this course is planned in the following manner: ‧There are thirty lessons. Each lesson contains the most practical and frequently used words, phrases and sentences. The Wade system of romanization is used throughout this course. An explanation of this system will be given seperately. Considering the fact that there are more than 40000 different Chinese words and only about 411 Chinese sounds, there are too many words for every one sound. Therefore, in many cases, when one Chinese word is pronounced on its own its meaning cannot be clearly understood. Since most Chinese expressions are made up of combinations of two or more words, it is important for students to learn these combinations as well as the individual words. There are four tones for each Chinese sound. The best and easiest way to learn the pronunciation and tone of a Chinese word is by listening and practicing. ●This course can be used as a book for self-study or as a Chinese phrase book. Also, while it is for beginners, it will surely help more advanced students of Chinese in perfecting their pronunciation and idiomatic expressions.