Chinese Reading Practice: 280+ Free Graded Stories with Pinyin
This is free, interactive Chinese reading practice built for learners. Read real graded Chinese short stories, then tap any word for its pinyin and dictionary definition — no dictionary app, no copy-pasting, no guessing. Every story mimics the reading experience inside the Literate Chinese app, right in your browser.
Every story has three switches: turn on pinyin above the characters, show the English translation under each sentence, and swap between Simplified and Traditional — and your settings carry from story to story. Learning traditional? See the dedicated traditional Chinese reading practice page. The stories are grouped into levels and themes so you can start easy and work up: from absolute-beginner dialogues to classic Chinese idioms, fables, and chapters of Journey to the West.
With 280+ free stories, it's ideal comprehensible-input reading whether you're a complete beginner, studying for an HSK exam, or a heritage speaker rebuilding fluency. Pick a category below and start reading.
Daily Life 16 stories
Stories about everyday activities and daily routines
Chinese Idioms 19 stories
Classic stories behind famous Chinese idioms
- The Crane Among Chickens
- Sai Weng Loses His Horse
- Breaking Pots and Sinking Boats
- Fox Borrows Tiger's Might
- Cao Cao and the Plum Trees
- The Shield and the Spear
- The Thief and the Bell
- Yu Gong Moves the Mountains
- The Farmer and the Rabbit
- Drawing a Snake and Adding Feet
- The Painter and the Horse-Tiger
- Give Up Halfway
- The Impatient Farmer
- Rise at the Rooster’s Crow
- The Sky-Fearing Man of Qi
- Blind Men Touching the Elephant
- Playing the Qin to a Cow
- Three Days Fishing, Two Days Drying Nets
- Dotting the Dragon's Eyes
John and Xiaoting 13 stories
Conversations between John and Xiaoting
Kitten and Puppy Adventures 7 stories
Heartwarming stories about friendship between a kitten and puppy
Business Stories 8 stories
Stories and case studies about innovative businesses and founders
A Day in the Life of Lil Jon 9 stories
Explore Lil Jon's daily routine and experiences
Classic Fables 11 stories
Timeless fables and stories that teach important life lessons
Journey to the West 10 stories
The classic Chinese novel about Monkey King and his companions on a pilgrimage to India
- Chapter 1: The Birth of the Monkey King
- Chapter 2: Apprenticeship and Skill Training
- Chapter 3: The Havoc in Heaven
- Chapter 4: Tang Sanzang’s Pilgrimage for Scriptures
- Recruiting Bajie at Gao Village
- Chapter 6: Recruiting Sha Monk at the Flowing Sand River
- Chapter 7: Three Battles with the White Bone Demon
- Chapter 8: The Clever Battle with the Red Boy
- Chapter 9: Crossing the Flaming Mountain
- Chapter 10: The Kingdom of Women and the True Scriptures
Christian Stories 9 stories
Stories from the Bible and Christian teachings
- The Sermon on the Mount - Part 1 (Matthew 5)
- The Restoration of the Gospel
- Noah and the Great Flood
- Abraham's Great Test
- Nephi and the Brass Plates
- King Benjamin's Last Speech
- The Sermon on the Mount - Part 1 (Matthew 5)
- The Sermon on the Mount - Part 2 (Matthew 6)
- The Sermon on the Mount - Part 3 (Matthew 7)
A Day in the Life 30 stories
Follow a chef, a nurse, a farmer, a flight attendant and other workers through an ordinary day in everyday Mandarin.
- A Chef's Morning (Part 1)
- The Breakfast Rush (Part 2)
- First Order (Part 1)
- Morning Deliveries (Part 2)
- A New Morning (Part 1)
- The Nervous Child (Part 2)
- An Engineer's Morning (Part 1)
- At the Office (Part 2)
- Before Sunrise (Part 1)
- In the Fields (Part 2)
- Ā Róng's Day Begins (Part 1)
- The Emergency Call (Part 2)
- New Flight (Part 1)
- Busy Cabin (Part 2)
- A New Start (Part 1)
- The First Guest (Part 2)
- Finding Inspiration (Part 1)
- The Morning Video (Part 2)
- A Marketer's Morning (Part 1)
- The Morning Meeting (Part 2)
- A Nurse's Morning (Part 1)
- The Morning Shift (Part 2)
- Morning Light (Part 1)
- In the Studio (Part 2)
- A Plumber's Morning (Part 1)
- Fixing a Leak (Part 2)
- A Student's Morning (Part 1)
- Morning Classes (Part 2)
- Morning (Part 1)
- At School (Part 2)
Adapted Classics 6 stories
Seneca, Sun Tzu and Lu Xun, adapted into readable modern Chinese.
AP Chinese Themes 49 stories
Stories organised by the six AP Chinese themes: families, language and culture, art, science, contemporary life and global contexts.
- Quiet Night Thoughts (静夜思)
- Ode to the Goose (咏鹅)
- Spring Dawn (春晓)
- Pity the Farmer (悯农)
- Climbing Stork Tower (登鹳雀楼)
- Love's Yearning (相思)
- River Snow (江雪)
- The Pear Seller
- The Wall
- The New Year Gift
- After Twenty Years
- Fifteen Strings of Cash (Part 1)
- Can't Take It Anymore (Part 1)
- Pictures vs. Reality (Part 2)
- This Is My Mom
- Big News (Part 1)
- Getting Ready (Part 2)
- A Walk on a New Street (Part 1)
- The Kitten and Puppy Arrive (Part 2)
- New Friends (Part 1)
- Fish and Meat (Part 2)
- Spain Wins the World Cup
- A New Home for the Pandas
- The Sky's Big Day
- Good News for Elephants
- The Tall Crane
- The Old Man's Horse
- No Way Back
- Moving the Mountain
- Touching the Elephant
- The Snake with Feet
- The Frog in the Well
- Mending the Sheep Pen
- The Sword in the River
- Lord Ye and the Dragon
- The Old Oil Seller
- The Iron Rod and the Needle
- Dongshi Copies a Frown
- The Man Who Measured His Feet
- The Box and the Pearl
- The Nian Monster (年兽)
- The Great Race (十二生肖)
- The Robot Games
- A Visitor from Far, Far Away
- The Astronauts Come Home
- A New Project Begins (Part 1)
- The Model Has a Problem (Part 2)
- The Big Project (Part 1)
- The Engineer's Night (Part 2)
Book Summaries 5 stories
The big ideas from popular non-fiction, retold in graded Chinese.
Character Stories 4 stories
Slice-of-life serials that follow one character through everyday ups and downs.
Detective Shen Mo 4 stories
Sherlock Holmes cases reimagined in Chinese, with Detective Shen Mo on the trail.
Grammar in Context 46 stories
Short stories built around one grammar pattern each, so you meet the structure in a real situation instead of a rule table.
- Little Habits (Part 1)
- A New Route Begins (Part 1)
- The Child Who Forgot His Lunch (Part 2)
- A New Morning at the Bakery (Part 1)
- The Customer Who Came Back (Part 2)
- A New Beginning (Part 1)
- A Small Farm Problem (Part 2)
- The Challenge (Part 1)
- Getting Ready (Part 2)
- One Rainy Day (Part 1)
- A Tired Day (Part 1)
- A Saturday of Choices (Part 1)
- The Rice-Only Brother (Part 1)
- A Busy School Day (Part 1)
- Grandpa's Map (Part 1)
- The Old Photos (Part 2)
- A Day of Near Misses (Part 1)
- The Picnic That Almost Wasn't (Part 1)
- Will Grandma Come? (Part 1)
- The Heavy Backpack (Part 1)
- A Week Before Payday (Part 1)
- The Phone on the Bench (Part 1)
- Looking for Clues (Part 2)
- Packing Up (Part 1)
- The Big Move (Part 2)
- The Saturday Surprise (Part 1)
- Mom's Birthday Surprise (Part 1)
- A Day of Small Mysteries (Part 1)
- We Stop Comparing (Part 1)
- Morning Runs (Part 2)
- The Amazing Classmate (Part 1)
- The Phone Call (Part 1)
- Hard to Stop (Part 1)
- Old Place or New Place? (Part 1)
- The One-Minute Decision (Part 1)
- A Rainy Saturday (Part 1)
- Back to Dad's City (Part 1)
- Who Ate the Cake? (Part 1)
- The Cat's Conditions (Part 1)
- Everyone Can Do Something (Part 1)
- Learning to Swim (Part 2)
- The First Package of the Day (Part 1)
- A Lost Afternoon (Part 2)
- Mom Knows Best (Part 1)
- Morning Feeding Time (Part 1)
- The Missing Little Lamb (Part 2)
Historical Figures 10 stories
Confucius, Li Bai, Wu Zetian, Zheng He and more, retold in graded Chinese.
- Confucius: The Teacher Who Turned No One Away (Part 1)
- Li Bai: The Sword and the Wine Cup (Part 1)
- Sima Qian: His Father's Last Wish (Part 1)
- Su Dongpo: The Most Talented Man in the Song (Part 1)
- Sun Yat-sen: The Boy Who Asked Questions (Part 1)
- Sun Yat-sen: The Doctor Who Chose Revolution (Part 2)
- Wu Zetian: The Girl Who Would Not Stay Quiet (Part 1)
- Xuanzang: Leaving Without Permission (Part 1)
- Yue Fei: Four Characters on His Back (Part 1)
- Zheng He: From Captive to Admiral (Part 1)
Survival Chinese 12 stories
Hotels, taxis, markets, restaurants and pharmacies: the dialogues you actually need on a first trip.
- Checking into a Hotel (Part 1)
- A Problem at Midnight (Part 2)
- Shopping and Bargaining (Part 1)
- A Gift for Mom (Part 2)
- Ordering at a Restaurant (Part 1)
- That's Not What We Ordered (Part 2)
- At the Pharmacy (Part 1)
- Seeing a Doctor (Part 2)
- Asking for Directions (Part 1)
- The Famous Noodle Shop (Part 2)
- Taking a Taxi (Part 1)
- The Phone in the Taxi (Part 2)
Other Stories 11 stories
A mix of standalone tales, myths, and journeys
