Good for beginners interested in learning how to write the characters. Each entry includes a "writing chart" such as found in most any good Intro level textbook that shows each character in sequence of proper stroke order. The idea behind a "3000 character" dictionary is that both Chinese governments (Taiwan and the PRC) have compiled similar lists of 3000 characters which define full literacy in Chinese. For those interested in learning enough to "get by" you can focus on the first 1500 in the list. This dictionary makes that easy by including with each entry a frequency number. A low number indicates a higher rank in the number of times the character appears in a large sample of written work read by most Chinese people. (In other words, the number 1 character is the most frequently used in writing, the number 3000 character is the least used of the 3000). A frequency index will make identifying the most used characters very easy. I find a good way to check on your progress in learning characters is to scan the frequency index to see how many you already know before you find one you do not.

Criticisms: The font size of the characters in the indexes and in the examples of compound words and phrases is quite small, making the dictionary a little difficult to read for people with poor eyesight. The indexes are not very well laid out, but usable. It also lacks a difficult characters index that proves very valuable in other dictionaries.

Despite these flaws this is still one of the best tools for learning to write the characters. ( )