Mastering Mandarin: Expert Hacks for Expats or Anyone to Fly from Zero to Fluency with Maximum Efficiency

by Lawrence E. Feldman, Geoffrey Verity Schofield (Editor), Andy Long Cui (Editor)

There are many books for learning Chinese. There are books that can teach you survival phrases or the first 300 characters, but I have yet to come across a book that teaches you everything you need to know to master the language through self-study. I know this because I bought so many Chinese learning books years ago, and while some were a bit helpful for starting out, none of them taught me step by step what I needed to do to truly master the language. The HSK books by the Confucius Institute are phenomenal and I am a big fan of them, but even they do not tell you HOW to study... Many expats living here in China for more than ten years are still struggling to get by with their beginner Chinese. Quite a few have gotten slightly beyond the beginner level but unfortunately are just stuck in a state of complacency because they believe that they do not have the time or energy to take Chinese seriously. They seem to be willing to spend the rest of their time here with just whatever they have picked up along time way. Expats from both of these groups often become extremely sensitive when the topic of Mandarin is brought up, because almost all of them secretly wish they had taken their studies more seriously and are thinking about getting back on the horse and learning for real this time. If this describes you, then congratulations, because this book will help you tremendously and save you so much time and energy! I have strived and learned so much in such a short period of time; however, I must admit there are some truly remarkable expats that I have come across who have lived here for many years and have a much better handle on Chinese than I do. They are some of the most awe-inspiring people I have ever met! I am not the expat with the best Chinese in all of China, heck I’m not even in the top three in Sichuan Province… but I did go from zero to fluency in an incredibly short period of time, and I want to save you a ton of frustration and time as I share my secrets with you. ***Testimonials*** "Lawrence has developed a clear road map of how to go about learning Chinese, which he created out of his desire to simplify the process for himself and others. It will save you a lot of time and make the process much easier. He is very motivational, and his enthusiasm will rub off on you! Highly recommended!" – Justin D. (expat, writer, and researcher) “Lawrence是一个目标感很强的人，他不达目标绝不放弃。“锲而不舍,金石可镂”，正是因为他的坚持不懈，才有了他今天所取得的巨大进步。他可用汉语就广泛领域的话题进行谈论、演讲，欣赏汉语影视节目，阅读汉语书籍等。相信书中很多方法也可以帮助你更高效地学好汉语，或者任何一门语言.” ——安君香（汉语老师）(Chinese teacher) “I have witnessed the author's grasp of Mandarin in person so I am eager and excited to get my hands on his book. I have been looking for a guide to help me improve my Mandarin and in the quickest way possible. Lawrence was able to become fluent in just a couple years so I am looking forward to reading his insight.” – Nathan G.

131 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2020

Reviews

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

It had some good tips, I don’t like the annotation for the pinyin though, I wish he just used the annotation for the English letters.

[Daniel R. Pinto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A substantial and informed pep talk

The author has a success story to tell, about how he managed to develop fluency in Mandarin after a few years in China. Based on his own experience, he shares with readers the methods, apps, and, more importantly, the mindsets that led him to victory. It works. The book is convincing, pleasant to read, and very informative about cultural aspects of language usage. It also contains a ton of sensible advice. The author comes across as an interesting character, a guy you would be pleased to meet someday to have a good conversation.

So, if you are planning to live in China, or to do business with Chinese companies, this is a great starting point. If, however, you are looking for deeper reasons for learning Mandarin, like familiarity with Chinese classical literature, philosophy, or poetry, you’ll have to supplement this very good book with other materials.

Anyway, 谢谢 (thank you) to Lawrence Feldman (李夏天) for sharing his enthusiasm with us, and for being so honest about the hurdles and the amount of effort required to achieve proficiency in Mandarin. At the end of the book, I’m sobered, but more motivated than before.

[Forte · Rating 1 out of 5]

NOT SO

Not an instruction book. Material here, anyone can figure out by themselves. Waste of time and money! Was useless and don't recommend it.

[Wira Aditama · Rating 4 out of 5]

give tricks to learning chinese for you who's starting to learn chinese