Pocket Oxford Chinese Dictionary

Purchased as study tool for learning the language

Listed as new, but it is clearly not, with roughed edges. But not worth the trouble to return. It is the classic Chinese dictionary just like I used in graduate school. Just much reduced in scale.

Well written

So far, this has proven to be a good dictionary. However, the purpose for this review is to give others an undiscovered solution to this not being a true "pocket" dictionary. I have discovered that this dictionary is, word-for-word/character-for-character, the exact same as the Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary (4th Edition) (ISBN: 9787100059459). Also, the large print edition of the Concise English-Chinese Chinese-English Dictionary (4th Edition) (ISBN: 9787100082815) not only has the exact same printing as the Pocket Oxford Chinese Dictionary, but it also has the exact same number of pages as well. For example, if you go to page 500 in the English-Chinese part of both books, the first words at the beginning of the page will be "did you find it?", and if you go to page 500 in the Chinese-English part, the first characters at the beginning of the page will be "心怀".So, my fellow Amazonians, if you truly want the pocket version of this exact dictionary, get the Concise version (ISBN: 9787100059459). Just make sure your eyesight isn't lacking, because the printing is pretty small to be able to make 90,000 words and phrases fit in your back pocket.

So I bought this dictionary thinking I could use it and carry it around in my pocket as I live in China and do a lot of "real life" studying in Chinese. I had the real Pocket Oxford Chinese Dictionary a few months ago, but like the true genius that I am, I left it on a bench in a restaurant, or fan dian if you will, in Beijing. And to show how good my Chinese is, I didn't know how to say "I left my dictionary in your restaurant." I was out of luck to get the old one back.So, I ordered this from Amazon and had a friend bring it to me while visiting me in China. He gave me the box to open whereupon I found that this is only a pocket dictionary if I'm a kangaroo. The book itself is the size of my head (7 3/4 New Era Cap size so we're not talking small here) and about as thick as an acoustic guitar. And someone at Oxford still had the balls to print on the front that this was a "Pocket" dictionary. The only pockets these are fitting into are the pocket in my laptop bag or the back pocket of my mid 1990s Stussy shorts that came to mid calf that I wore because I hated my parents for not letting me dye my hair green.Other than the fact that this is the size of a Dickensian tragedy, the dictionary is good. The words seem to be right, there's a ton of them because it's bigger than a bible, and it's well laid out. It's just too big to CARRY IN YOUR POCKET! I hope I was able to make my message clear, concise, and helpful. Zai jian.

Oxford brand dictionaries are comprehensive, and tend to be bulky. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary consists of many volumes, and consumes an entire library shelf. Relatively speaking, this Oxford Chinese "pocket" dictionary is indeed very compact. Maybe too compact. I have trouble reading its smaller print. It should ship with a "bookmark magnifier" to cut down on reader eye strain. I've only been working with my dictionary for a week, but have already found some words missing. But no abridged "pocket" reference tool will be perfect. For the money paid, I am happy with my purchase.

I've been looking to expand my langauge knowledge to the fullest extent. Oxford's chinese dictionary provides the necessary translations I need to further my skills.I don't think to look further than oxford's stamp of approval.

This is the best Chinese-English, English-Chinese dictionary I have found to date. It is easy for both individuals who have no Chinese language and for Chinese speakers to use. The English-Chinese, although British English, shows characters and PinYin so words can quickly be looked up and the PinYin pronunciation deciphered. The Chinese-English is rather like a traditional Chinese dictionary. One can either look up the PinYin to find the character - both simplified and traditional are listed - or reference the radical, cross-reference the character by stroke count, and find the PinYin for the character, then look it up in the alphabetical listing. No one ever said Chinese was easy for Westerners, but this dictionary really works for me.

First note that this is not a book for ANY kind of pocket. While it may look like a medium-sized book in the picture, it is THICK, and HEAVY. Since it's both a Chinese-English dictionary, and an English-Chinese dictionary, it's like two books glued together. But as a dictionary, this was exactly what I was looking for, especially after having previously bought a completely awful, useless one that was highly recommended and highly rated for some reason. Others have said this dictionary is not very comprehensive for more advanced learners, but as a beginner I am only really concerned with the most commonly used words at the moment, and though I haven't tested it very much yet, I'm finding all the common words I'm looking for, with good definitions and alternative meanings, examples of usage and other useful things.The English-Chinese section is in standard alphabetical order, and the Chinese-English section is in pinyin alphabetical order. But it also includes a radical index for identifying characters from their appearance, which then gives you the pinyin pronunciation. The Chinese characters vary in size, and even when they are smallest they are still reasonably clear to see. But while the English text was fine, in the pinyin words the letters "a" and "o" are almost identical in appearance. From context it's usually obvious which it's supposed to be, but they are just oddly far too similar!

Good everything but I brought it to my uni exam and no words that I don't know is on this dictionary- and I am not searching for academic terms. I am Chinese living in the UK for 3 years, and this book is way too basic for me.

Very easy to use and arrived quickly. Beginner friendly and would recommend for all learners. Sometimes the Chinese supplied for the English word searched is not the one taught most commonly in schools (either more formal or less common) but still very valuable resource

Helpful

Indispensable weapon in the arsenal of a Mandarin learner.