Chinese Language Learning

This delightful little story tells of a young girl's time with her grandmother as she relates a legend of where hummingbirds come from. Where Hummingbirds Come From may well become an all-time children's classic. A perfect book for young children.

Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo wants to marry Princess Wencheng of the Tang, so he sends his clever envoy, who travels all the way from Tibet to propose before the Tang emperor.

Two imperial concubines become pregnant. The emperor tells them that whoever gives birth to a boy first will be the queen. No one expected the emperor’s offer to embroil the palace in the gory intrigue that follows....

Hua Mulan was a brave and intelligent young lady who developed an interest in riding and archery at a young age. When her country was faced an enemy invasion, she was determined to fight the war in the place of her aging and fragile father. She put on a war robe and disguised herself as a man.

These four tales are based on very old stories collected and retold by Lin Yutang in Famous Chinese Short Stories, originally published in 1948. Lin wrote dozens of books in Chinese and English, and has been recognized for his witty and warm style of writing, and for bringing Chinese culture to an English-speaking audience. We have selected four of his best stories for inclusion in this book, and have retold them to appeal to modern listeners and use a limited vocabulary of just 700 different Chinese words.

These six wonderful folk tales are based on stories told by Norman Hinsdale Pitman in A Chinese Wonder Book, originally published in 1918. Pitman collected and published several collections of folk tales and other Chinese books. We have taken the liberty of retelling all six stories to be appropriate for a modern audience, and to use a limited vocabulary, most of which are in the standard 1200-word HSK4 vocabulary.

In ancient Chinese mythology, Nüwa was the goddess who created the universe. She was half woman and half snake. Legend claimed that she created human by kneading clay into her image. One day, heaven collapsed, the earth cracked and a flood occurred. A Black Dragon Demon devoured humans as they appeared and they were confronted with an unprecedented catastrophe. How would Nüwa help the humans? Would she defeat the Black Dragon Demon? Please listen to the story of Nüwa to find out.

Chunyu Yi has five daughters. However, the absence of a son always makes his heart sink. To his surprise, when he is in trouble, Tiying, his youngest daughter, bravely steps forward to help.

Long, long ago, people didn't know how to distinguish which plants were edible and which were not. Many suffered poisoning from eating the wrong food. Shennong, the chieftain of a tribe, decided to solve this problem.

A villager named Li Er found his cow’s tongue was mysteriously cut. He then reported his case to Bao Zheng. The judge used a clever way to find out the truth….

By Hangzhou’s picturesque West Lake lived a young man named Xu Xian. He fell in love with Bai Suzhen, a beautiful and kindhearted young lady. The two of them lived happily together, until Fahai, an evil monk, discovered Bai’s secret and tried to separate them by taking Xu away forcibly. To get Xu back, Bai fought against Fahai and summoned a flood using her magic powers.... Would Bai Suzhen succeed against Fahai?

How did people weigh an elephant in ancient China? A young child came up with a brilliant solution.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list. 20% of the words are used 80% of the time. The end goal is to get a sufficient level in one language to be able to hold simple conversations, to be able to understand simple exchanges, deal with with everyday life and start exploring the new culture that opens up to you.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list. 20% of the words are used 80% of the time.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list.

300 essential words and phrases, the 100 most common verbs. How to learn a language differently ? With our learning method : I listen, I repeat, I speak. We rely on pronunciation, oral rehearsal, listening, combined with words, essential phrases, and a vocabulary list.