Features
◇Words and expressions of elementary and intermediate levels for teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages are selected.
◇544 groups of similar words and expressions, totaling 1172 words and expressions (including 830 words and expressions of intermediate level) are selected in the body of the book.
◇149 groups of similar words and expressions, totaling 315 words and expressions, are included in the appendices.
◇Three parts, similarities, distinctions, exercises and answers, are offered for each group.
◇Language used in explanations and example sentences is easy to understand.
◇Abundant examples and commonly used collocations are provided.
◇A vocabulary index to facilitate searching is available.

Target Users
Learners of Chinese language at intermediate level
Candidates for the tests of NEW HSK
Teachers of Chinese as a foreign language

There are many words and expressions in Chinese that are similar in terms of pronunciation, form, meaning or usage. They are called similar words and expressions. The similarity between these words may cause problems for learners to correctly understand and use them.
This book is targeted at intermediate Chinese language learners, focusing on the common words at elementary and intermediate levels. It includes altogether 1,172 similar words and expressions falling into 544 pairs/groups, of which 830 are at the intermediate level. Each pair/group is dealt with in three sections - "Similarities", "Distinctions" and "Exercises and Answers". First the similarities between the words/expressions in each pair/group are briefly enumerated, then the distinctions between the words/expressions in terms of meaning and usage are emphatically pointed out, supported by ample collocations and examples to help with understanding, and finally a set of blank-filling exercises are provided for reinforcement and practice. Each and every exercise is provided with an answer. The appendix includes 315 intermediate-level words and expressions in 149 pairs/groups, which are similar (or same) in form or pronunciation. For international students, these are also an important part of similar Chinese words and expressions. It helps to draw students’ attention and improve their learning efficiency by comparing these words and expressions in pairs/groups and providing their pronunciations, grammatical functions and collocations.
With its explanations and examples written in simple language, this book is suitable for intermediate Chinese language learners as well as candidates about to take the intermediate or advanced new HSK test. CFL teachers can use it as a teaching reference.

Fang Xujun, a Ph.D., is a professor of Shanghai Normal University whose postdoctoral research focuses on the subject Language Testing: Theory and Practice. Prof Fang has published more than 40 papers and books in total.