Learn Chinese with Beginner Stories

Shaolin Temple is an important Buddhist monastery in China. Shaolin kung fu has appeared in many Chinese films, such as "Shaolin Temple" starring Jet Li. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your understanding, one-click dictionary, new words, etc. Got...

Sichuan, China is famous for two things - pandas and hot pots. The hotpot, which originated in Sichuan, has recently made its way to major cities around the world, capturing the hearts of many "foodies". Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your underst...

Kerry is a university alumna of Gao Yue, graduating two years earlier than Gao Yue. She works as an English teacher after graduation. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your understanding, one-click dictionary, new words, etc. Got a question or commen...

China's family planning policy was introduced in 1982. Since then, China has entered the era of one child per couple. However, this policy ended in 2016 and Chinese officials began to encourage couples to have two children to face the impending aging of the population. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in...

Gao Yue is in Beijing on business and wants to have dinner with her relatives who live here. But she doesn't know where the restaurant is. She is asking the waiter at the hotel. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your understanding, one-click dictiona...

Bilibili, or "B站" for short, is considered by the Chinese to be the Chinese version of YouTube. It is growing rapidly. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your understanding, one-click dictionary, new words, etc. Got a question or comment? Reach out t...

Gao Yue likes watching English videos made by foreign people on Bilibili. She wants to improve her Oral English. What will she do next? Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your understanding, one-click dictionary, new words, etc. Got a question or comm...

In City Nanjing in China, when a fire happened, the husband tried his best to keep his wife safe. They are a couple of workers here who comes from other small cities. Here are more details about the fire and the couple. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to t...

Li Yang and Gao Yue are watching TV series. What are they talking about? Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily Chinese reading in Mandarin Chinese in your inbox. Full text in Chinese, daily quiz to test your understanding, one-click dictionary, new words, etc. Got a question or comment? Reach out to us at contact[at]maayot.com

Sharing a house is a good option for many students or people who have just started working, as long as they find a flat mate who is suitable and pleasant to talk to. In today’s story, we will see that one of our protagonist’s friends is trying to find someone share the apartment with him. Let’s take a look if our protagonist is interested. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning jou...

Today is the Spring Equinox, which is one of the 24 solar terms in China. The spring equinox is the fourth solar term in spring. It is not only a solar term representing climate change, but also of great significance to astronomy. In today’s story, we are going to discuss the features of Spring Equinox, and some special customs of this season. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning...

In Chinese history, there are seven very special characters who lived in the turbulent Wei and Jin Dynasties. Although they were born in a noble families and well-educated, they were indifferent to fame and wealth and formed their own unique way of seeing the world. They are called the "Seven Sages in the bamboo forest" who are considered to represent the demeanor of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In...

It ‘s spring season now, the weather gets warmer and warmer, nature has regained its vitality. For people who live in north part of China, we can see a lovely figure again is flying back, it is swallows. In China, the swallow is known as the messenger of spring and is a very popular bird. Moreover, people have endowed them with many auspicious meanings. So many poems and songs are associated with...

For the choice of career, different people have different considerations. Our protagonist of today’s story is a journalist. She has to travel a lot because of her job. There is no doubt that this kind of work is hard and stressful. Let's take a look how herself, her parents and boyfriend feel about her job. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily...

We all know that in Chinese culture, there are taboos on certain numbers or combinations, such as "4", "514", etc. This is because the homonym of these numbers has an unlucky meaning in Chinese. In addition, there is a special phrase about numbers in Chinese - 250, which is used to refer to people who are stupid. In today’s story, we are going to look at the origin of this phrase, understand why p...

There are many Chinese idioms to describe the relationship between husband and wife, and each idiom has a story behind it. "A broken mirror joined together" is a Chinese expression referring to a couple who make up after being separated. Today, we are going to look at a story, which is the source of this Chinese idiom. The story is about the twists and turns of a married couple. According to the a...

In Chinese, there is an idiom called "agree on a three-point law". Today, the meaning is very clear. It means that two or more parties make a simple, clear agreement or stipulation that restricts the behavior of others. In today’s story, we are going to look at a historical event, which is the origin of this idiom. As we can see, the rules sound like a simple thing, but its purpose is not. And it...

Nowadays, on Chinese TV and multimedia platforms, we can see many videos related to foreign friends, who take interviews or filmed with their daily life in China. They talk about their views on China, their life in China and so on. These programs or videos have high ratings and views. In today's story, our protagonist went out with his friends, they met two journalists and the journalists asking t...

At this year's Chinese New Year gala, a dance program captivated the audience with vivid colors and graceful gestures. The program is based on the famous painting called "A Panorama of Rivers and Mountains," which vividly depicts the picturesque scenery in the painting. The dance brought great attention of this painting to the public. Today, we are going to look at one of the ten most famous Chine...

When we have started to learn Chinese, our teachers usually ask us to introduce ourselves and our hobbies in Chinese to our classmates after we have learned some basic words. In today’s story, we will see that our protagonist needs to do a homework during the weekend about her hobbies. However, there was one hobby she felt she could not introduce because she thought people would laugh at her if sh...

There is an old Chinese saying, "Food is the most important thing in people's lives", which illustrates the importance of eating in people's lives. Of course, eating is very important for each of us. But in Chinese, we'll find that many of the words associated the character of "eat" have nothing to do with food or the action itself. In today’s story, we are going to discuss the different uses of t...

Mogao Grottoes is one of the largest and most abundant Buddhist art site in the world. It is also a World Heritage site. The murals and statues here are gorgeous and exquisite, blending the characteristics of many ethnic groups and cultures. In today’s story, we are going to talk about how it was founded, why the art works in the grottoes were so diversified. Join other motivated learners on your...

While we all know we're supposed to tell the truth and not lie, it's inevitable that we tell some lies in real life. In today’s story, we are going to look at a Chinese fable. It is about a man who learns how hard it is to tell the truth by asking someone the question about who is more handsome. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily chinese rea...

Peking Opera is the quintessence of China. Many foreign friends come to Beijing would go to the theatre and watch a Peking Opera show. In today’s story, we will see our protagonist went to a Peking Opera show with her friend. She found something strange when watching the show. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily chinese reading in Mandarin Ch...

In the traditional Chinese concept, being kind to others is an important principle of doing things. As a result, many people do not want to offend others, but become a “people pleaser”. They always say yes to people and try never to offend anyone. In today’s story, we are going to take a look at a story about a “people pleaser”. The story teaches us a truth, sometimes, being too nice does not get...