Oxford Beginner's Chinese Dictionary

As a parent of a sixteen-year-old daughter studying Chinese at a high school in Scotland, I have seen firsthand the challenges she faces in grasping the intricacies of the language. With two years of Chinese under her belt, she embarked on a journey of self-study at home to prepare for her exams. At the recommendation of her school teacher, we purchased the Oxford Beginner’s Chinese Dictionary, and it has proven to be an invaluable resource in her studies. One of the standout features of this dictionary is its user-friendly layout. The organization of the entries makes it easy for my daughter to navigate and quickly find the information she needs. Each character is accompanied by its pinyin pronunciation, meaning, and crucially, the stroke order of its radicals. This stroke order information has been particularly beneficial for my daughter as she can reinforce her understanding of character formation and stroke order, which are fundamental to mastering Chinese writing. Moreover, the inclusion of radicals and stroke order alongside each character has helped my daughter develop a deeper understanding of Chinese characters’ structure and meaning. By breaking down characters into their constituent parts, she has been able to deduce the meanings of unfamiliar words based on their radicals and context, thereby enhancing her vocabulary retention and comprehension. Another aspect that sets this dictionary apart is its comprehensive coverage of vocabulary suitable for beginners. It includes commonly used words and phrases that are relevant to everyday conversations and classroom learning. This breadth of vocabulary ensures that my daughter can find translations for a wide range of terms, from basic greetings to more complex expressions, allowing her to gradually expand her language proficiency. In addition to its content, the Oxford Beginner’s Chinese Dictionary also excels in its design and presentation. The clear font and layout, accompanied by illustrative examples and usage notes, enhance readability and comprehension. The inclusion of cultural insights and language tips further enriches the learning experience, providing valuable context and practical advice for language learners. Overall, the Oxford Beginner’s Chinese Dictionary has been an indispensable companion for my daughter on her journey to mastering Chinese. Its comprehensive coverage, user-friendly layout, and emphasis on stroke order and radicals make it an essential tool for beginners navigating the complexities of the Chinese language. I highly recommend it to anyone embarking on their Chinese language learning journey, whether in a classroom setting or through self-study.

This is a nice, chunky dictionary not a laugh-a-minute novel; it is very well presented with sky blue headers and pinyin translations supported by the Chinese characters which are very clearly printed. There is a useful section on the basic rules for writing those characters. However, for one or two, I could not find the English translation, and occasionally the reference to the additional section called Games and Sports in the case I was checking was not productive. The need to look up the Chinese Radicals may create inevitable eye strain....I am not qualified to comment on accuracy but I think this is an excellent product. The really scary bit is the awareness that this is 'just' for beginners......

This is an indispensable book for anyone trying to learn Chinese. It contains a wealth of information, yet it is pocketable (just!) and user friendly

This as usual from the Oxford dictionaries is quite superb and a must have for students who are starting to learn Chinese.The Oxford starter Chinese dictionary has identical content. If i had to choose ,i would choose the beginners as it is more up to date, but for the cheaper i think it is option the starter dictionary is almost identical. Basically the beginners is a follow on from the starter as the whole word exchange English to Chinese and Chinese to English dictionary is the exact same in both, the extra with the beginners is at the end, from the learning and lifestyle kit, giving numbers, invaluable words and phrases you must know which is a very basic tourist guide to getting by if you were travelling, which is a nice touch. This book would be an invaluable piece to have if travelling in China. My Chinese friends often refer to this book when teaching me.

This dictionary is great for learners/intermediate as it includes quite a few example phrases for each word. This is invaluable for a language like mandarin where word order can be daunting for first time learners, and has definitely helped me bulk out my essays and assignments to include phrases I wouldn't have otherwise used. The chinese-English half is ordered by pinyin, so this is only really useful when beginning chinese. You can also look up a completely unknown character using the short radical index, which is an excellent introduction into using a more advanced chinese dictionary. I'm now upgrading to a heftier dictionary but I think this book will still be well used as it's the perfect size to keep with you and reference easily.

I have been learning Mandarin at evening class for 3 years. We learn from 'Chinese in Steps', which is good for sentance structure and dialogue practice. However it does not give a good translation or explanation of characters and phrases. I carry this dictionary with me everywhere so I can study on the go. My shoulder is now aching from the extra weight so I have now ordered a copy for home and office. The radical list at the front is essential. What really sets this dictionary apart from others is its suggestion of phrases and how you might use a character within a sentance. If you want to learn Chinese, I recommend a course with a good teacher and get this dictionary! It is a slow process but it is satisfing when you can communicate when visiting China. Good luck!

I use this a lot, but quite often I can't find the word I'm looking for so it's not always my first go to. I also wish they had put in more simple sentence examples for more words to show context. I'm still a beginner but will probably buy another non-learner's dictionary and hope it has more words and examples. That said, it's still really useful, clear to read with words highlighted in blue.

Good dictionary for a beginner - but you will need a good chinese teacher to explain why for instance there is more than one word for the same person/object (as with english there are old fashioned formal words and more modern words). So do not rely on it without question (although its the same when english words are factually right, but just not in use any more/inappropriate for the occasion).

Um material muito útil para quem está dando os seus primeiros passos no Mandarim.

Dictionnaire correcte pour une première approche, cependant on cherche pas via les clefs et le niveau du vocabulaire est assez restreint. Le format est raisonnable et permet une mobilité correcte, attention au broché qui n'est pas très résistent, ajout de papier protecteur conseillé.

Übersichtliches Wörterbuch, das genau richtig ist für Chinesisch-Anfänger. Es ist nicht überladen, ausreichend groß gedruckt, dass man nicht überlegen muss, welcher Ton angegeben ist, und es gibt nützliche Erklärungen zu besonderen Themen sowie nützliche Beispielsätze für verschiedene Situationen. Das Format ist handlich und gut, wenn man es mitnehmen möchte.

と、上から申しましたが、私も中国語ビギナーなのです。 この辞書を購入した理由は一言、「安い」 中国人の友人が言うにはこの辞書の単語すべて覚えたら、「じゅうぶんだよ〜」とのこと ただし、いまでは使われていない単語もあるとのこと。それはどんな辞書にも言えますね。 文法については簡単な説明があります、丁寧ではないです。 しかし時制については「Be」のところに説明があったり、芸が細やか 覚えるべき単語や、数詞欄も掲載あります。例文は平易ではないでしょうか。 色々述べましたが、この辞書で一番驚愕したのは、中英・『英中』辞書であること...使えます...

A truly nice fresh approach. Excellent use of color. It isn't simply a dictionary. In the English-Chinese section there are many useful tables and teaching aids. For example: under "expression", at the end of the "E" words, is a page and a half of "Useful everyday expressions". under "have" is a whole page on how English expressions using the word "have" correspond with similar Chinese expressions under "measure" there is a page long table of length and weight measurements Often there are many examples of usage. Just after the table on measurements we have the word "meet". Several example usages are given. e.g. "she met him on the street" "have you met tom?" "can we meet next week" "can this meet your requirements" etc. I also has a well presented index and an appendix called "Learning and lifestyle kit" on subjects like "Dictionary Know How" - Chinese characters don't have an alphabetical order like the one I am accustomed to, so how does one arrange them in sequence? Very helpful and nicely presented. All I want, is to be able to communicate in Chinese. The finer points of fancy grammatical constructs and terminology are for a different category of learner. What a really neat (in both colloquial and traditional senses of the word) balance this publication achieves.