For a non-Chinese speaker, learning Pinyin, the Chinese romanizing system, the system to define the sound of each Chinese characters.

Learners may feel it is a waste of time learning Pinyin, since it is not the language. In fact, Pinyin is the unavoidable first step for any serious learners.

Learning Pinyin is the way to learn, in a systematic way, all sound of Mandarin, the "standard" Chinese. Some travelers who have never learned Chinese to go China and then find Chinese very interesting and are very encouraged by the fact that Chinese people are all very eager to teach them Chinese. This is one way of learning Chinese, or any other languages. I call it "picking the pieces" method. This method for sure will be useful for traveler to learn some daily expressions or phrases. This process of learning will add a lot of fun to the trip. However, this is not the most effective way to learn Chinese.

"Picking the pieces" method is good for the travelers who have never learner Chinese. This method is a good way to attractive people to Chinese language and Culture. However because they are just picking up the pieces of the language, they are limited expressions or phrases they have memorized. They know a little of "what", they do not know any about "why and how". This is why "Picking the pieces" method is not good for serious learners who really want to learn the language, not just so phrases. On the other side, "picking the pieces" travelers may be some attracted to the beauty of language and decide to "learn Chinese". This decision of learning will lead them to a serious learn process, which again unavoidably starts from learning Pinyin.

After learning Pinyin, learners will get to know the Chinese sound system comprehensively. That means they understand the Chinese pronunciation system. That means they would not only "what", but also the "why and how", which means they get the foundation for Chinese language. Their knowledge in Pinyin will enable them to check the meaning of a Chinese character according to what they have heard. They are able to teach THEMSELVES new sentences and expressions from the little Chinese learning handbook. For their next trips to China, they will be so amazed by their "surprising" Chinese people by "talking" in Chinese. Most importantly, they are ready to the next step of learning Chinese.

If a learner is seriously considering learning Chinese and is planning to learn Chinese in depth, the best way is to start from learning Pinyin.