There are countless books and apps for learning Chinese, a Chinese student could become lost without the help of their peers, teachers, bloggers, or YouTubers, where hunting for an excellent Chinese book can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. And also, which ones are really worth your money? In this article, I list the 15 best Chinese books recommended by a Native Chinese speaker and professional teacher. All of them are written by Chinese native speakers so you'll get a Chinese learning experience that is close to a native Chinese speaker's. The list below is not only based on the popularity of the books, but also on the quality of each book, and feedback from native Chinese speakers and professional teachers. go through this book list, choose your favorite Chinese book to learn Chinese, and start learning from today!!!
One of the Best books to Learn Chinese Mandarin(For HSK/Exams)
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brasil / Buy worldwide
My favorite HSK textbook-HSK Standard Course (Series)-HSK 标准教程
I believe that the HSK Standard Course is one of the most outstanding books to learn Chinese.
The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, also known as the HSK, is a test of non-native speakers’ ability to the Chinese.HSK is the only official Chinese-Mandarin language test, just like TOEFL and IELTS for the English language. People enrolled for those exams are the target audience for this series. The content and test questions are highly relevant in this book, and learners are familiar with the HSK exam as they study.
Authorized by Hanban and jointly developed by Beijing Language and Culture University Press and Chinese Test International (CTI), the “HSK Standard Course” takes real HSK questions as the primary material, with a natural humorous style, familiar topics, scientific and rigorous course design. Not only applicable to Confucius Institutes in various countries, but also to other Chinese teaching institutions and individual self-study.
Lessons in the HSK Standard Course series are organized into levels of fluency, with HSK 1 indicating a starting level and HSK 6 denoting fluent. There includes an audio recording (CD) of every dialogue and vocabulary list for every chapter.
You’ll gradually improve at knowing the language as the difficulty level rises. Additionally, formal educational institutions follow the same system, so you know it works.
Best Books to Learn Chinese Mandarin(Spoken Chinese)
1, My Favorite Crash Course textbook-“Experiencing Chinese-Living in China”《体验汉语生活篇》
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brasil / Buy worldwide
This book is based on basic life needs, takes practical communication tasks as the main line of writing, and pays attention to the cultivation of listening and speaking skills. The whole book consists of a phonetic training unit and 12 study units.
This textbook is relatively new and can be said to be the best zero-start textbook that can be bought for SPOKEN Chinese. It is one of the few Chinese textbooks on the market that start with life. Write by taking a taxi, asking for directions, ordering food, shopping, and other real-life scenarios. Students can basically solve most problems in real life after learning this book.
Advantages: The text has a large number of color pictures, each scene is also very practical, and there are no very strange dialogues. The textbook writing is very standard, and the supporting CD is also very easy to use.
The texts and exercises have both pinyin and characters, suitable for everyone who wants to learn spoken Chinese, especially for beginners who do not want to learn Chinese characters or focus on the pinyin at the beginning. It is relatively easy for students to learn.
Disadvantages: some scenes appear too early, and the students’ grammar level seems to be unable to complete certain scenes and can only rely on rote memorization; there are not many text exercises, and the exercise book needs to be purchased additionally, and it is pure Chinese characters (But no worries, I specifically did the corresponding work on the website. The after-school exercises and pronunciation exercises are marked with pinyin, and they are all free, please click here for details).
Recommended for: Beginner learners of Chinese;Who want to learn SPOKEN Chinese;Learners who urgently need to speak Chinese but do not want to learn Chinese characters for the time being.
2, My Favorite Oral Chinese Textbook-Experiencing Chinese – Oral Course 体验汉语口语教程
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brasil
Many Chinese teachers say: This is the best textbook for speaking Chinese so far(not just one of the best). It is truly a textbook designed for spoken Chinese classes. It is suitable for both classes, one-on-one, or self-study, and can greatly improve students’ speaking rates. The content is new and up to date. Kudos!
Disadvantages: The exercises are just in Chinese characters; The content of the books is set around student life and may be less interesting to those who have graduated.
Recommended for: Beginner learners of Chinese who want to learn Oral Chinese.
Other popular Spoken Chinese textbooks
1, Conversational Chinese 301(3rd Edition)-汉语会话301句（第三版）
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brasil / Buy worldwide
Conversation Chinese 301 is a set of classic short-term oral teaching materials for beginner learners of Chinese, with light style, solid content, multilingual, and appendix audio CD. It is divided into two volumes, each with 20 lessons, totaling 40 lessons. Each lesson is divided into six parts: sentences, conversation, substitution and expansion, vocabulary, grammar, and exercises.
The basic grammar is explained in an easy-to-understand manner, and the examples of sentences are kept simple and concise. The exercises are in various forms and have a large number of questions. The concept of writing is function-based, combined with Chinese grammatical structure, aiming at developing learners’ Chinese communicative ability. Some of the most basic and commonly used everyday phrases in modern Chinese are selected and expressed through a certain context and supplemented with corresponding substitution and extension exercises to help students become familiar with, master, and apply them as soon as possible.
Advantages: Conversation Chinese 301 is available in English, French, Japanese and Korean, etc, It can meet the needs of students of different native languages. It is one of the most sold Chinese language textbooks for foreigners in the world.
Disadvantages: It is a little old-fashioned. Some contexts are not clear, and the occasion of the conversation is not marked. Moreover, it covers all areas and the dialogue is not targeted. The exercise in the book is written in Chinese characters, it’s not suitable for those who just want to learn to speak Chinese.CD needs to be purchased separately.
Recommended for: Chinese language learners who are doing short-term Chinese language course training.
2, Our Chinese Classroom《我们的汉语教室》
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brasil
The text is available in English, Japanese, and Chinese. The text, exercises, and grammar explanations are all marked with pinyin, making it suitable for students who do not want to learn Chinese characters, and the exercises are rich. Many Asian students use this book to learn Chinese.
“Our Chinese Classroom” is the upgrade version of “My Chinese Classroom”. However, “My Chinese Classroom” has not been discontinued either and is still being used in the classroom. Both are two sets of short-term training Chinese textbooks written by iMandarin, a short-term Chinese training organization with some industry influence.
Targeting foreign staff in China, “Our Chinese Classroom” focuses on “relevance,” “rapid learning,” and the development of listening and speaking abilities with grammar as a tool. It also focuses on “practicality,” as the language materials chosen are mostly related to daily life in the workplace, which enhances the sense of communicative reality.
Recommended for: Adult-Learners who have graduated or who want to work in China.
3， Hanyukouyu《汉语口语》
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brasil
Since its publication in 1996, it has been revised twice and printed dozens of times, and has been a best-seller ever since. Its most important feature is that it is practical and close to life, so it can be said to be the most “grounded” set of teaching materials.
The textbook is divided into three levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced, with nine volumes in total. The text is fully oral and contains a large number of daily spoken expressions; the language points are easy to teach and learn; and the emphasis is on situational, functional, and communicative task-based training.
4，Short-term Spoken Chinese Series《汉语口语速成》系列
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brasil
This is the third edition of the most renowned short-term oral Chinese textbook, which has been popular for many years.
The series is written for short-term international students to develop their oral communication skills. After studying, they will quickly master the ability to communicate with Chinese people orally.
One of the special features of the textbook is a large number of pictures and illustrations. The book not only includes traditional exercises but also makes the exercises more realistic and natural with the help of rich pictures. Another feature of the textbook is the emphasis on communicative aspects, aiming to enable students to master and apply one or several communicative items in each lesson and to improve their communicative skills. Students can improve their language skills and communicative abilities in real-life communicative situations through learning and practice.
Pros: The grammar system is excellent, and many of the exercises at the end of the lesson are given in diagrams, which are more visual.
Cons: The topics are OK but the dialogues are a bit boring, and the sentence patterns and vocabulary are not up-to-date enough. Some of the knowledge is not very relevant.
Suitable for Intermediate students or as a supplementary textbook for beginners.
5，” New Practical Chinese Textbook”《新实用汉语课本》
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
As much as I dislike following a rigidly laid out curriculum, I have to acknowledge that there are occasions when a resource like a textbook is required, especially for something as challenging as studying Chinese. One of the most renowned Chinese learning textbooks is New Practical Chinese Reader.
The book, which spans six volumes, works on everything from conversational style and sentence construction to cultural quirks and even idioms, which are appropriate for starters to advanced students, and serves as an all-around guide that moves progressively from one stage to another.
The Chinese grammar explained in English in this book is very good, the exercises are precise and in place, the example sentences are rich, there are matching dialogue videos that are more convenient for students, and it is considered the best textbook for college and university classes.
Cons: Too many cultural topics are covered at the primary level, too many vocabulary words, no relevance, and too much content, students will be drowned without a guide or a tutor. Some of the texts in it are too advanced and illogical.
Suitable for: Students who study extraordinarily hard， or who want to have a solid grammar foundation in Chinese Mandarin.(Recommended study with a tutor)
6， Integrated Chinese (4th Edition)
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Integrated Chinese is a top-tier Chinese textbook that you should add to your library.
This Mandarin learning textbook, which is currently in its fourth edition, concentrates on the fundamental linguistic abilities you’ll need to speak Mandarin fluently. This implies that speaking, reading, and writing are all included in the curriculum.
For learners to pick up the language rapidly, Integrated Chinese incorporates a variety of techniques, such as audio snippets (streamed online), visual cues, and traditional Hanyu Pinyin activities.
The reviews, which are given after every five chapters, are especially useful for reviewing and assessing your progress.
It is recommended for those who want to: Establish a solid Mandarin foundation; Achieve fluidity and accuracy in speaking; Constantly revisit lessons from the past
Best Books to Learn Chinese Mandarin（Business Chinese)
1, Experiencing Chinese Business Communication in China《体验汉语—商务篇》
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
This is a good beginner’s business Chinese textbook. Students do not have to have a high level of Chinese to learn this book. Generally speaking, students with 100 hours of learning experience are ready to learn. Once students get past the first one or two lessons, they will be able to understand it very smoothly. The business vocabulary is very rich, but not too difficult. Secondly, the main content of each lesson is listening (unless you don’t like to practice listening), so listening and reading are practiced together.
Pros: This textbook does not have the kind of fancy stuff that many business Chinese textbooks have, and the content is solid and effective. It is not too difficult, but not too simple either.
Cons: Some of the business terms in the book can only be used in specific situations.
Suitable for: Beginner-level learners who want to learn business Chinese.
2, Business Chinese for Success: Real Cases from Real Companies《成功之道：中级商务汉语案例教程》
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
This is a professional and excellent intermediate/advanced business Chinese textbook, the analysis logic is very much in line with foreigners’ thinking, and many language organizations use it for business Chinese.
This book focuses not on some specific business behaviors, but on learning some business vocabulary through cases, and then using these business vocabulary to make specific analysis of some business cases in business Chinese. The first half of the book is about how foreign companies can succeed in China, and the second half is about how Chinese companies can succeed in foreign countries, and the two aspects complement each other.
Recommended for: Those who have an intermediate foundation and want to learn business Chinese.
3,New silk road business Chinese(series)《新丝路•速成商务汉语》系列
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
The Elementary textbooks are suitable for beginners to learn Business Chinese. The layout is based on daily life conversations and simple business activities, and the teaching content is arranged in accordance with the Business Chinese Test (BCT) Syllabus, with a large number of pictures and diagrams in the text and exercises. The exercises are rich and varied, highlighting listening and speaking skills training and providing background and cultural knowledge related to business activities.
Recommended for: Students who want to take the Business Chinese Test or those who want to learn business terms.
Experiencing Chinese and Culture in China
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Recommended Chinese Dictionaries
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
One of the best books to learn Chinese for teenagers
Easy Steps to Chinese 1 (Simplified Chinese)轻松学中文
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil / Buy worldwide(versão espanhola)
“Easy Learning Chinese” is a set of Chinese textbooks mainly for teenagers, suitable for foreign middle school students and students of Chinese international schools to learn and use. The whole set of textbooks is written for AP and IB Chinese exams. Its unique feature is that it adopts the “communicative method” and takes into account the differences between Chinese and Indo-European language teaching.
This set of textbooks teaches Chinese as a whole and pays great attention to the cultivation of the four communication skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in the teaching process. A classic textbook for international schools, with clear topics, vivid pictures, and appropriate levels of difficulty. One of my favorite classic textbooks.
Disadvantages: a bit repetitive.
Good Books to Learn Chinese for Kids
YCT Standard course（YCT标准教程）
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Chinese Made Easy for Kids 2nd Ed轻松学汉语
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Monkey King Chinese美猴王汉语
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Chinese Paradise汉语乐园
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Chinese Character Practice Workbook for Kids: 100 Essential Chinese Characters Made Easy
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Chinese Myths and Legends: The Monkey King and Other Adventures
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Chinese Character And Pinyin Writing Practice Book
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Chinese Grammar books
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Other recommended books(Storybooks etc,.)
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
Click to: Buy on Amazon Brazil
