Your Chinese learning guide

One lesson, a few useful steps

1. Read or listen to the Chinese text. Tap a word for pinyin and meaning. English is there when you need it.
2. Open the separate explanation after the first reading. Original passages and modern retellings are identified in the explanation.
3. Answer three questions in the culture, idiom, poetry and classical books. Go back to the evidence, then try the speaking or comparison activity.
4. Watch stroke order and practise a few focus characters. For paper, choose Reading, Think, Writing or Whole lesson in the print controls.
5. Next time, recall two words and retell one idea before opening a new lesson. Revisit a related lesson later in the week.

A Child’s Diary

Starter reading · 10 lessons

Ten everyday stories about rain, breakfast, friendship and small discoveries. Read familiar situations and learn to tell a small story of your own.

1. 今天下雨了 — A rainy dayWhat do you like doing when it rains? Say: “On rainy days, I like…”
2. 今天我早起了 — I got up early todayWhat do you do first after getting up? Use “first… then…” to tell us.
3. 我的早餐 — My breakfastWhat is your favourite breakfast? Say “I like eating…”
4. 上学路上 — On the way to schoolWhat do you see on the way to school? Say “I see…”
5. 我的新朋友 — My new friendHow would you invite a friend to play? Try “Would you like to… with me?”
6. 公园里的树 — Trees in the parkDescribe a leaf you have seen. Try “This leaf…”
7. 我来帮个忙 — Let me helpWhat can you help with at home? Say “I can help…”
8. 心情像天气 — Feelings are like weatherHow are you feeling today? Say “I feel… because…”
9. 周末的小计划 — A little weekend planWhere would you like to go this weekend? Say “I would like to…”
10. 我的第一篇日记 — My first diary entryTell one little thing you saw today. Start with “Today, I…”

Pictures in poetry

Poetry · supported readers · 6 lessons

Six short poems: notice moonlight and spring sounds, then colours, work, viewpoints and a quiet winter scene. Read the poem first; open the explanation afterwards.

1. 静夜思 — Thoughts on a quiet nightDraw the looking-up and looking-down scenes and label them with words from the poem. Name someone or somewhere you miss; compare the moon’s associations in the Mid-Autumn lesson.
2. 春晓 — A spring morningMake two columns: sounds heard and scenes imagined. Find evidence in the poem. Compare it with Snow on the River: which has more sound, and which feels quieter?
3. 咏鹅 — Song of the gooseDraw the white, green and red details, then use an action word to describe an animal you know.
4. 悯农（其二） — Every grain takes workTrace one mouthful of rice backwards from table to field. Whose work helped it reach you? Revisit the word seedling.
5. 登鹳雀楼 — Climbing the towerView one picture from different positions and describe what changes. Compare this with the frog’s limited view.
6. 江雪 — Snow on the riverCompare two poems using two features: colour, sound, action or feeling. Support each idea with a word from the poem.

Idiom stories

Everyday stories · growing readers · 10 lessons

Ten retellings about choices, evidence and consequences. Start with the first five; compare the characters’ reasoning in the last five.

1. 守株待兔 — Waiting by a stumpUse “Yesterday…, but that does not mean today…” and name one useful action you can take today.
2. 画蛇添足 — Adding feet to a snakeName a task that needs checking, but no unnecessary additions. Use “It is already…, so there is no need to…”.
3. 亡羊补牢 — Mending the sheep penDescribe a small mistake you can repair. Use “Although…, now I can…”.
4. 刻舟求剑 — A mark on a moving boatMove a paper boat while leaving a token on the table. Explain: “The boat…, but the sword…”.
5. 井底之蛙 — A frog’s small worldChoose a place you do not know and ask two questions. Revisit the moving-boat story: what did each character overlook?
6. 掩耳盗铃 — Covered ears, ringing bellExplain “Not seeing something does not mean it did not happen” with an everyday example unrelated to stealing.
7. 拔苗助长 — Pulling up seedlingsCompare waiting by the stump with pulling seedlings: one avoids useful work; the other uses a harmful method. What makes practice useful?
8. 狐假虎威 — Borrowing the tiger’s powerRetell with “It looked as if…, but actually…”. Identify the clue the tiger missed.
9. 自相矛盾 — Two claims that clashCan “This box is completely empty” and “There is still a book in it” both be true? Explain using “If…, then…”.
10. 杯弓蛇影 — A bow reflected in a cupChoose two of the frog, fox and reflected-bow stories. Explain what each character saw and what else they needed to know.

Traditions and classics

Traditions · guided reading · 8 lessons

Begin with three-character lines and riddles, explore four-character rhythms and paired words, then connect Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn.

1. 三字经：学习与习惯 — Three Character Classic: learningChoose one small habit and say how you can practise it today. Compare it with Pulling Seedlings: how does practice differ from rushing?
2. 弟子规：礼貌与提问 — Di Zi Gui: respect and questionsPractise calling and responding, then politely ask about something unclear. Practise saying no to an unsafe request and asking a trusted adult for help.
3. 元宵猜灯谜 — Lantern riddlesMake a character riddle using sun and moon, then another using two trees. Explain how every clue points to the answer.
4. 千字文：天地与四季 — Sky, earth and seasonsDraw four seasonal panels and add one local activity to each. Compare the three-character and four-character rhythms.
5. 声律启蒙：词语成双 — Words in pairsComplete “Mountain pairs with…” and “Flower pairs with…”. Explain your connections and clap the rhythm.
6. 春节：把祝福带回家 — New Year wishesWrite a wish for a particular person and explain in English why you chose it. Try a pair of short phrases with equal character counts.
7. 端午：粽叶与龙舟 — Leaves, paddles and teamworkClap a rhythm together instead of paddling. Then explain the zongzi steps using “First…, then…”.
8. 中秋：同一轮月亮 — A moon to shareMake cards for Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn. Add the lunar date, one custom and one question to each.

First classical Chinese

Classical Chinese · guided challenge · 6 lessons

Start with one saying, then explore snow comparisons, an appointment, a reasoned guess and wordplay. Finish by comparing two ways of learning.

1. 学而时习之 — Learning and revisitingClose the page and recall two words from today. Use them in a sentence. Recall them next time, then compare focused practice in Learning Go.
2. 咏雪 — What does snow look like?Make two comparisons: “Snow is like… because…”. Revisit Spring Dawn and compare how the texts show weather.
3. 陈太丘与友期行 — An appointment at noonHow could you apologise and make amends for being late? Clearly separate your invented dialogue from the original ending.
4. 王戎不取道旁李 — The plums beside the roadGive one sentence each for observation, inference and checking. Compare how this story and the reflected-bow story handle uncertainty.
5. 杨氏之子 — A quick replyExplain the Yang/Kong wordplay in English or Chinese. Does someone named Ma own every horse? Separate a joke from a factual claim.
6. 学弈 — Two ways of learningRevisit Learning and Revisiting and the seedlings story. Plan a short practice: what will you do, how will you focus, and when will you rest?

Using this on an iPad

Tap words instead of hovering. Use the lesson’s offline-save option after opening it online. The PWA installation and Apple Pencil experience still need final checks on a physical iPad. Printed worksheets and online writing can also be used independently of a reading lesson.

About the recordings and sources

Chinese and English recordings are produced locally and reused. Sentence playback uses recorded files rather than browser speech. Automated file checks do not replace listening review. This collection has an editorial source review; it has not yet received an independent teacher review.

Classic texts are public-domain passages in simplified characters with modern punctuation. English translations, modern retellings, explanations and activities were written for this collection. Different source editions sometimes use different characters, as explained in the relevant lesson and editorial notes.

Sources and credits · Edition: 8 September 2026