This introductory course not only serves as a textbook but also as a guide through which a variety of routes (etymology, semantics, linguistics, graphics and culture), can help you think in Chinese.
   
The aim of this course is to present the Chinese language as it is: a world of signs with their origin and the logic of their composition, represented by the most frequently used ones.
  
The 400 characters featured in Volume I will enable you to recognize at least 70% of the characters used in books and newspapers.
  
A unique language like Chinese necessitates an original approach and teaching method. More than just a guide to reading and speaking Chinese, this course is above all a way of embracing the culture and mentality of the Chinese people.
   
A great adventure for the mind!

Joel Bellassen, born in 1950, studied at the Beijing Language Institute and Beijing University from 1973 to 1975. At present he is an associate professor at the Seventh University of Pads and chairman of the French Association of Chinese Language Teachers. He is a specialist in Chinese language didactics and author.