Learn Chinese with Beginner Stories

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...

Acupuncture is a unique method of treating diseases in China and an important part of Traditional Chinese medicine. For many people, when they first see acupuncture, they would think it looks scary, with long needles sticking into people’s bodies. But the treatment isn't as painful as it looks, and it has a good therapeutic effect on pain. In today’s story, we are going to discuss the origins of a...

Although it is just the beginning of spring, the temperature is still a little cold, but people have been eager to go for spring outing after a long winter. In today’s story, we will see that our protagnoist has got ready for a spring outting event organoised by their faulty’s student union. Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily chinese reading...

Discussing the role of the Great Wall is a big topic, because the Great Wall has a profound and significant influence on Chinese history. The Great Wall is a fortification, most people believe that because China built the Great Wall, to ensure the continuity and development of Chinese civilization. That's true, however because of the Great Wall, there are other ways in which it has influenced the...

Chinese people have a unique way of seeing flowers and trees. The ancient Chinese endowed flowers and trees with the same life as human beings, and imaged some plants as their friends with some kinds of personality. In today’s story, we are going to introduce three particular plants, which have a name like people. They are called the three companions of winter.  Join other motivated learners on yo...

If we want to join a chorus, the basic quality we need to have is to sing well. But our protagonist of today’s story, Xiao Xing, although he doesn't have this qualification, he really wants to join the chorus. Let’s see if his wish came true? 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 C...

Siheyuan is a kind of traditional Chinese residential building, which can be seen in both north and south China. However, Beijing is a city that retains the most Siheyuan, so the Siheyuan here is quite most famous. In today’s story, let's take a look at the Siheyuan in Beijing. What does it look like and some of the architectural features of Siheyuan. This architectural feature has significant inf...

There are many famous emperors in Chinese history, but there are three people, although they are not emperors, they have the same status as emperors, they are Yao, Shun and Yu-- three tribal alliance leaders in ancient times. In today's story, we are going to look at the characteristics of Yao, Shun and Yu. By understanding their characteristics, we can understand why Sima Qian used them as a mode...

From our previous story, we have learned that Edward has a girlfriend he’s been with for three months. He had told his friend Xiao Hua about her. In today’s story, he recounted how he and his girlfriend went from knowing each other to become boyfriend and girlfriend. We could see although they are not love at first sight, when they first met, there are something Edward was attracted to.  Join othe...

Speaking of Confucius, we believe there is no need to make too much introduction, we all know who he is. There are many titles in Confucius, such as “mater of all ages”, “the supreme master” etc. However, he received far less honor in his lifetime than he did after he passed away.  This is because his ideology had been gradually accepted many years after he passed away. In today’s story, we are go...

Sometimes, when we are in a bad mood, we may not feel like talking. But in our today’s story, the protagonist has implemented a plan for keeping silent for a week. We will see that she did so not because she was in a bad mood, but for some other reasons. Let’s take a look why did she come up with this plan and how did her plan work out.  Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journ...

The Chinese New Year is approaching, during this period of time, for many office staffs in China, this is a busy time. They need to be productive in order to finish all the tasks before Chinese New Year. In today’s story, we will see what a typical Chinese office staff’s day looks like.  Join other motivated learners on your Chinese learning journey with maayot. Receive a daily chinese reading in...

In Chinese history, we have heard of many famous emperors, such as Tang Taizong, Qin Shihuang, Kangxi and Qianlonge,etc. However, during the Warring States period, there was a king named king Zhao Wulingwang. Because he promoted a military reform, he was called "the first great man after the Yellow Emperor" by Mr. Liang Qichao, a modern Chinese thinker. The military reform he carried out was calle...