Beginner Reading Practice

Get ready to fall for one of the most beloved love songs in Chinese history.

This great Chinese myth is like two fables in one. It tells the story of how the king of heaven created the Chinese zodi Myths & Fables

Li Ming spent ages plotting the perfect bank robbery, but on the big day, fate had a different plan in store. Essays

Ever tried explaining something brilliant to someone who just didn’t get it? This classic Chinese story proves that know

In this wax-on, wax-off lesson, our narrator picks up the most important basic skill in Chinese cooking. Essays

Think you’re too old to start something new? This fifty-year-old auntie would like a word.

These two jokes prove that bad news has a way of getting worse. Jokes

In this classic short story, it turns out Lord Ye (叶公) doesn’t like dragons as much as he thinks he does. Myths & Fables

Ever cleaned your whole house before the cleaner shows up? Yeah, that’s a thing. This post has every word you ever wante Essays

In this dialogue, two soldiers from warring countries discover they have more in common than they thought. Dialogue

What treasures could possibly be hiding in a box Grandma never opens? Turns out it’s a whole lifetime of adventures—from Children's Stories

What can a barber learn from fifty years of cutting hair? Turns out, quite a lot about human nature. Dialogue

In this relatable dialogue, a convenience store clerk chats a bit with his customer, since both of them are awake in the Dialogue

Ever walked into someone’s house uninvited and helped yourself to their food? Yeah, probably not a great idea. Join Gold Children's Stories

One little pig learned the hard way that laziness doesn’t pay off when a hungry wolf comes knocking. Children's Stories

Everyone knows the story of the poor little bird that didn’t quite fit in – now you can read the classic tale in Chinese Children's Stories

Ever catch yourself daydreaming about where you’d live if you could choose anywhere? City lights, countryside quiet, or Essays

In this non-fiction essay, we learn why dinosaurs disappeared from the earth. Academic / Science

In this story, Wang Ming (王明) keeps forgetting that his friend Li Hong (李红) is a vegetarian. Essays

This childhood story – which needs no introduction, and which you no doubt heard growing up – is famous all over the wor Children's Stories

Xiao Ming is about to learn that persistence (and maybe some puppy-dog eyes) might just be the secret weapon to getting Dialogue

Follow along as our narrator navigates the universal struggle of getting online in a coffee shop. Essays

In this short passage, we learn some middle school science terminology. Essays

In this cute little story, the wind and the sun compete with each other to see whose powers are greater. This is a good Children's Stories

In this short joke, a doctor has to decipher his patient’s bizarre symptoms. Jokes

Get ready for some serious wanderlust vibes. This song, released by Taiwanese singer Chyi Yu (Qiyu) in 1979, captures th Poems and Songs

Have you ever felt like your home was too small for your dreams? A tiny fish once thought the same thing. But sometimes, Children's Stories

A young girl puts a smile back on a sad widow’s face. Children's Stories

You’re holding a book, writing on a notebook, maybe even wrapping a gift – but have you ever wondered who invented the p Academic / Science

A quick introduction to basketball star Yao Ming, with language tailored for beginner readers. Biography

Sometimes takes a stranger to remind you of what you’ve been taking for granted all along. This short story follows a te Children's Stories

In this quick lesson about judging others, we learn that those who live in dirty glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. HS Myths & Fables

This dialogue between a man and a sailor drives home a quick life lesson: there’s risk in anything you do, so there’s no Children's Stories

In this cutsey-face story intended for kindergarteners, Grandma Bear (熊奶奶 – xióng nǎi nai) comes down with an illness th Children's Stories

A not-too-bright fellow heads to the market to buy a pair of shoes. Includes a beginner’s introduction to classical Chin Myths & Fables

A man tries to make his treasured hunting bow (弓 gōng) even more perfect than it already is, but learns an obnoxious lif Children's Stories

A young man tries to copy the way people walk in the city of Handan (邯郸), but only succeeds in making a fool of himself. Idioms

A gentleman named Buzi (卜子) asks his wife (卜妻) to make him a new pair of pants (裤子), but he doesn’t give her very clear Children's Stories

Zhu De (朱德) is an early Communist folk hero, and the founder of the People’s Liberation Army (解放军), also called the Red Biography Politics & Communism

This song is a relic of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The melody was adapted from an old farmer’s folk song back Politics & Communism

One picky little horse doesn’t appreciate the food he is served, until he sees what everyone else is eating. Upper-begin Children's Stories

In this short story, a garden rake (草耙 – cǎo pá) teaches one stuck-up kid a lesson in humility. HSK 3-4. Children's Stories

A little thrush (画眉 huà méi) trades one cage (笼子 lóng zi) for a bigger one, and doesn’t much like the upgrade. Suitable Myths & Fables

This is the first 成语 backstory I recall reading in class. It’s about a guy who can’t help but flaunt his superior skill Idioms

This story is believed to have originated from a Buddhist sutra, the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra 《大般涅槃经》, donated to Idioms

Mr. Coward’s home is invaded by mice, but he doesn’t have the gumption to do anything about it. Or does he? This little Children's Stories

This well-known nursery jingle that Chinese kids learn in kindergarten was written 1400 years ago, by Tang Dynasty poet Poems and Songs

In this one-paragraph read (HSK 2-3), Little Brother wants to help dad get ready to leave the house, but his contributio Essays

Poor little Mile (米乐) is so shy (害羞 – hài xiū), she never speaks, and her face turns bright red whenever someone speaks Children's Stories

Aw, reciprocity. An old man does a kindness for a little bird, and he receives a kindness in return. Children's Stories

A bite-sized story with repetitive sentence structure which seems to be about a fickle monkey who can’t focus long enoug Children's Stories

This bittersweet 1000-year-old rhyme from China’s artistic golden age is perhaps the country’s most well-known verse. Ev Poems and Songs

Yayzors, horsies. I know that when you first start reading, it’s hard to hold a narrative thread through a longer post, Children's Stories

A fairly simple read for newbies about a self-hating rabbit. Children's Stories

Yang over at Learn Mandarin Now is spoiling me with all these guest posts. I’ve been struggling to find something that s Idioms

Though this post is beginner-level, it’s also very condensed. I’d say you’ll have to stop and remind yourself what somet Essays

A quick and simple poem about morning dew. Poems and Songs

I love it when I find a longer story that’s suitable for beginning readers. This one, which is either a tale that remind Children's Stories

Eeps – bad medicine! In this story, the mischievous Monkey – always a trickster figure in Chinese stories – pulls the wo Children's Stories

Hey hey! This site has made it through two years online and 100 posts! That makes an average of 50 posts a year, which a Jokes

A single-paragraph essay about the results of a family jump rope competition. Essays

For those of you new to Chinese culture, one thing a Chinese child most looks forward to all year is the time during Spr Essays

This essay is about a kid who takes his father’s advice a little too literally (with amusing results). Essays

This is an upper-beginner level texta. It’s good for beginner readers in the sense that a) it’s short, and b) it’s extre Children's Stories

And now a break from all the intermediate and advanced exercises I’ve been posting lately. This one is a straightforward Essays

I apologize for not posting a month or so, I’ve been in the process of – ta da – moving back to China, so life’s been ex Children's Stories

A short, sweet, very simple read about a boy, his dog, and a new pair of shoes. Children's Stories

A quick child’s essay about two toy bears – a present from mom. Essays

A young child’s thoughts about watermelon, their favorite fruit. Essays

A short first-person essay about a kid lighting firecrackers with his parents. The weirdest part about this, I think, is Essays

A sweet essay about a young child doing something nice for her mother. Essays

Another super-simple and very short children’s joke. Jokes

A story about a young elephant who learns a valuable life lesson. Children's Stories

A short story about an older cat teaching a younger cat a lesson as they fish together. Children's Stories

A very simple story about three friendly butterflies who stick up for each other. Children's Stories

A passage from a BLCU textbook in which a university student laments about catching a cold. Essays

This short essay, taken from the Beijing Language and Culture University beginner comprehension textbook, is written fro Essays

A very short children’s story about a bear’s search for a new home. Children's Stories