The selected jokes and anecdotes are short in length and offer students a great deal of fun in the learning process. Students are able to obtain a sense of accomplishment in a relatively short period of time, thus avoiding the frustration associated with reading long articles.
All the jokes and anecdotes are arranged with Chinese and English versionsand both simplified and traditional Chinese versions are provided. Explanations and pinyin (romanization) for vocabulary terms are offered.
This book may be used as supplementary reading for intermediate and advanced Chinese language students. It will add spice to any Chinese language class. A well-timed anecdote can be an energizer for a class and can even wake up students who didn't get enough sleep the previous night. A joke offered at the end of the class can make students and teachers leave the classroom in a happy mood.
This is a unique book, both for learners of Chinese and for native Chinese speakers familiar with simplified or traditional characters to study an unfamiliar writing system. It can also be helpful for native Chinese speakers learning English.
The next book in the series, It's Wise to Study Chinese, on Chinese proverbs and sayings of wisdom, will be published in the near future.
For this book project I would like to thank the assistance of Dr. Shaomei Wang, Dr. Xiaoyi Liu, Kanghua Lu, Dr. Hsuan-yin Liu, Kai-yuan Hsu, Dr. Jue Wang, Dr. Charles Rice and Chris Oakden for valuable input and suggestions, Sandy Tao for the cover design, and the staff at EHGbooks for assistance in publishing this book and making it available on amazon.com.