The characters listed have been carefully selected and sequenced for rapid and effective learning and are intended for beginning Chinese students. Each Chinese character is shown separately on a single page, along with its English definitions, pinyin romanization, alternate form (if any), a stroke-order guide and ample space for writing practice. The gray stroke-order guides introduce the student to the standard stroke sequence used in writing the characters by tracing them. After learning the correct stroke order, the student can then practice writing the characters on their own, thus reinforcing the recognition and memorization. Large boxes with grid lines for correct proportions are provided.

Related compounds and phrases containing each character are also included to assist in vocabulary building. Three indexes--alphabetically arranged by the English meanings, by pinyin romanization, and by radicals--are provided at the back of the book for quick and easy reference.

This Chinese character book features:

• The second 100 most frequently-used characters
• Foundation characters for HSK Level 1 test
• Standard pinyin romanizations
• Step-by-step stroke order guides and ample space for writing practice
• Special practice boxes with grid lines
• Lots of extra practice sheets
• Over 500 words and phrases containing the basic characters
• Concise English definitions