An easy-to-read introduction, from a modern but uncommitted theoretical perspective, to the phonology of Mandarin Chinese, this work is a useful overview of the field, previously obtainable only from out-of-date works or by extensive study of academic journals. After a brief introduction on Chinese dialects, history and linguistic tradition, Duanmu provides chapters on, among other things, the segmental sounds of Chinese, the syllable, the word, stress, the [R] suffix, tone and tone 3 sandhi. Inadequately covered are larger units of prosodic structure and their features: intonation, for example, earns only around 2 pages. A useful appendix lists all the syllables of standard Chinese. Duanmu also offers brief accounts of tone sandhi in Wu (Shanghai area) and Min (Fujian, Taiwan) dialects.