My own interest in the work of Chinese mathematicans arises from their significant contributions to the qualitative theory of ordinary differential equations and, in particular, of plane quadratic systems. However, Chinese mathematics covers a very wide range. This is hardly surprising, since a quarter of the world's population is Chinese. It is predictable that during the next quarter century the importance of Chinese mathematics will increase greatly.

Although a number of Chinese mathematicians read English they may prefer to write in Chinese, either because writing is more difficult than reading or because they give the home market priority. Thus an ability to read Chinese mathematical papers will become increasingly useful.

Unfortunately the Chinese language presents special difficulties to a Western reader - even consulting a dictionary is a problem! The accompanying Word Lists and Index of characters are intended to alleviate these difficulties for those, like myself, who have neither the time nor the capacity to undertake a thorough study of the language.