This is a one-year subscription to the e-book version of the Language of the Dragon Volume 1 Textbook. An Internet connection is required to access this title.

The Language of the Dragon Volume 1 Textbook is designed to help students read simple classical Chinese materials with ease and discuss academic and scholarly topics more articulately. Volume 1 concentrates on the close reading and analysis of richly annotated short texts, providing students with a solid foundation in the phonology, lexicon, and syntax of classical Chinese. The most frequently occurring monosyllabic function words are introduced.

Each of the twenty lessons centers on an excerpt culled from a famous and important work of literature or philosophy, containing a saying that is still common in modern Chinese. Accurate and exacting explanations of vocabulary and grammar are given in both modern Mandarin and English, inviting learners to make connections between contemporary and classical Chinese. Writing exercises at the end of each lesson help solidify classical Chinese grammar patterns in students’ minds by providing addition composition, translation, and punctuation practice.

While Language of the Dragon can be taught in English, the series was designed to be taught in Chinese, and three years’ experience in modern Mandarin Chinese is assumed.