This book, with included audio MP3, presents the first of a two-part intensive course that introduces Mandarin Chinese to beginning students. Forty lessons, each followed by review exercises, start by teaching greetings and expressions for getting acquainted, then go on to teach fundamentals of Chinese grammar and approximately 800 words and expressions commonly used in everyday life and activities. The authors emphasize conversational proficiency, integrating verbal communication skill with instruction in the fundamentals of grammar.

The audio MP3 complements the text and trains students to pronounce words and phrases correctly and to understand what they hear. Students who complete both parts of this course will attain the ability to speak and understand 301 basic conversational sentences that serve a wide array of communication needs. Volume 2 is available separately.