Department of Chinese

These books have accumulated over the four years I've been going to Mandarin class (at the City Lit). They sit right above the computer, so I can reach up and refresh my memory on something-anything while Blogger is taking its sweet time to upload the photos.

The memory constantly needs refreshing. Rote learning doesn't stick with me any more -- but the latest acquisition, "The Most Common Chinese Radicals", aims to have you understanding how the characters are built up. It starts with the easiest radical - the one horizontal stroke - and gradually gets more complex. I need to work through this book, then get back to its companion and follow-on, "Rapid Literacy in Chinese", which is made up of 25 lessons, each introducing 30 characters; it has readings and exercises containing the characters you've already learned, so doing the reading is very encouraging.

Much as I like the unexpectedness of the class, I've always loved working through a book -- at the end you feel you have achieved something. The class makes you flexible and alert -- the book gives a different kind of satisfaction.