Say It Now—A Handbook of Functional Spoken Chinese is a practical spoken Chinese handbook compiled from the perspective of functional spoken Chinese and focuses on the way Chinese expressions are used. It aims at helping beginner-level students of Chinese express themselves using appropriate Chinese on different communication occasions.

This handbook selects 93 most common topics in interpersonal communication to meet the basic needs in Chinese beginners’ daily communication. In terms of the arrangement, the “Sentence Pattern” section lists diversified expressions for one meaning; the “Explanation” section briefly explains several different expressions to help learners understand the nuances among them. In the “Expansion” part, specific example sentences are provided to further enhance learners’ understanding of different expressions. The “Situational Dialogue” section shows how each expression is used in a specific conversation.

Guo Minghui, a graduate of University of Toyama with a Master’s degree in Human Sciences, has engaged in the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language for almost 20 years, successively serving at University of Toyama, Toyama Citizens’ International Exchange Center, and Chinese Networking in Toyama. Guo has published several Chinese language books, including Learn Chinese & Know China, Point and Learn Chinese Conversations, 1,500 Homonyms in Japanese and Chinese and Say It Now—A Handbook of Functional Spoken Chinese.

1. Typical topics

This handbook selects 93 most common topics in interpersonal communication to meet the basic needs in Chinese beginners’ daily communication.

2.  Providing diversified expressions for one meaning

This handbook, divided into the “Expression” part and the “Inquiry” part, selects 93 most common topics in interpersonal communication to meet the basic needs in Chinese beginners’ daily communication. Therefore, it can either be used as a spoken Chinese teaching material for systematic learning or as a supplementary teaching material for selective learning.