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Graded Chinese reading · Pinyin · Audio

Read Chineseshort storiesat your level.

Read free graded stories online, with natural audio, character-aligned pinyin, English translation, useful vocabulary, and a recommended HSK reading level.

Read your first story →Browse the library
5levels available
3audio speeds
144stories to begin
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Latest story螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后The Mantis, the Cicada and the Yellow Bird · HSK 4 · 2 min
Listen first“吴王想攻打楚国，说：“谁来反对，我就杀了谁！””wú wáng xiǎng gōng dǎ chǔ guó shuō shuí lái fǎn duì wǒ jiù shā le shuí▶
Start with a story

Small journeys into Chinese

All levelsBeginnerHSK 2HSK 3
STORY 141雀
HSK 4 · 3 questions

螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后

The Mantis, the Cicada and the Yellow Bird

2 min212 HanziRead →
STORY 140荆
HSK 4 · 3 questions

负荆请罪

Carrying Thorn Branches to Apologize

3 min260 HanziRead →
STORY 139鹿
HSK 4 · 3 questions

指鹿为马

Calling a Deer a Horse

2 min165 HanziRead →
See all 144 stories →
How each story works

One story.
Three ways to learn.

Listen first, read with just enough support, then keep the language and context you want to remember.

See the reading guide →
01

Listen

Hear natural Mandarin first. Slow the pace when you need more time to follow each sentence.

02

Read with support

Keep pinyin attached to each character, reveal English on demand, and tap a sentence to hear it again.

03

Keep what matters

Save useful words and use the culture note to understand why each story is remembered.

继续

Choose another story.
Keep your Chinese moving.