For more than three decades, students and teachers of Chinese have used this guide as a standard. Why? Because via cleverly condensed grids, it places at your fingertips the essential 1,725 characters' up-to-date definitions, derivations, pronunciations, and examples of correct usage.

These characters are the ones officially prescribed by the Chinese government for the internationally recognized test of proficiency in Chinese, the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK). Key features of this newly-expanded edition include:

• More mnemonic phrases and etymologies to help you remember the characters.
  
• Completely updated/expanded English definitions.
  
• Updated and revised compounds, plus 25% more vocabulary now offered.
  
• Coded to assist those who are preparing for the AP exam or the HSK exam.
  
• Traditional characters (still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) are also included, making this a complete reference.

Convenient quick-reference tables of radicals are included too, along with an extensive introduction, alphabetical index, and index according to stroke count and stroke order. Reading & Writing Chinese focuses on the simplified characters now universally used in mainland China and Singapore. Traditional characters (still used in Taiwan and Hong Kong) are also included, making this a complete reference.