Learning Chinese Through Stories

下山 xiàshān Verb phrase, to go downhill 上山，to go uphill 块 kuài Measure word for “farming field”, a square unit of a farming field 一块巧克力,a piece of chocolate 玉米 yùmǐ Noun, corn 地 dì Noun, farming field 玉米地，corn field 结 jiē Verb, (fruit, flower) grow(s) 玉米结得又大又好。The corn is big and good. 又……又…… yòu……yòu…… ...(adj) and …(adj) 又大又红,big and red 掰 bāi Verb, to break in the middle with one’s hands 掰玉米，to pick up corns(break off corn cobs) 扛 káng Verb, to carry on one’s shoulder 扛着枪， to carry the gun on the shoulder 着 zhe Particle word, verb+ 着， it means some action is taking place at that moment 吃着饭，while someone is eating meal 扛着枪， while someone is carrying the gun 棵 kē Measure word for tree(s) 桃树 táo shù Noun, peach tree 底下 dǐxia Noun, the place that is underneath; the place that is under… 桃树底下有很多桃子。 Under the peach tree, there are a lot of peaches. （桌子）底下有一本书。 There is a book under the table. 满树 mǎn shù Noun phrase, the whole tree 满天，the whole sky 满眼，the whole vision 扔 rēng Verb, to throw 摘 zhāi Verb, to pick up

乌鸦 wūyā Noun, crow 口渴 kǒu kě Adj, (mouth is) thirsty or 渴 到处 dàochù Adv, everywhere 瓶子 píngzi Noun, bottle 可是 kěshì Conjunction word, but; however. Or 但是，然而 瓶口 píng kǒu Noun, the mouth of a bottle 着 zháo Particle word, an action to be complete. Verb + (不 )+着。 喝(得)着,can get to drink… 喝不着，cannot get to drink… 怎么办 zěnme bàn What should (I/he/she/they) do now? 呢 ne Question particle word, at the end of this sentence softens it and makes it more polite. 你喝水呢还是喝可乐呢？Would you like to drink water or coca? 旁边 pángbiān Noun, (someone or some object’s )side 她在我的旁边。She is next to me. 小石子 xiǎo shízǐ Noun, pebble(s) Or 小石子儿 办法 bànfǎ Noun, solution 放（进） fàng (jìn) Verb, to put… ( inside…) 把小石子放进瓶子里。Put pebbles inside the bottle. 渐渐 jiànjiàn Adv, gradually; little by little 升高 shēng gāo Verb, to go up 降低(jiàngdī)is the anonym New words and grammatical structures in the story are being taught in this episode. A lot of repetitions are used so that our learners can get master this story in no time! Please find the new word lis

This is a classic fable story about a thirsty crow trying to figure out how to get a drink from a water bottle that only has a little bit water inside. 一只乌鸦 口渴了，到处找水喝。乌鸦看见一个瓶子，瓶子里有水。可是，瓶子里水不多，瓶口又小，乌鸦喝不着水。怎么办呢？ 乌鸦看见旁边有许多小石子，想出办法来了。 乌鸦把小石子一个一个地放进瓶子里。瓶子里的水渐渐升高，乌鸦就喝着水了。 ——摘自小学一年级语文课本

从前 cóngqián Noun, long time ago 挂着 guàzhe Verb phrase, (something) is hanging on (somewhere) 门上挂着一个铃铛。 墙上挂着一幅画。 铃铛 língdāng Noun, bell 偷 tōu Verb, to steal 小偷，thief 明明 míngmíng Adv, (someone knows something)clearly 她明明知道吃巧克力会发胖，晚上还吃了两包巧克力。 碰 pèng Verb, to touch (usually without permission) 别碰我！Don’t touch me! 丁零丁零 dīngling dīngling Onomatopoeia, the sound of a bell 铃铛“丁零丁零”地响。 响 xiǎng Verb, (alarm, instrument) make a certain sound 被 bèi Passive word, Object + 被 + subject + verb/verb phrase. 铃铛被人偷了。The bell is stole by someone. 发觉 fājué Verb, to come to know; to be aware that… 掩 yǎn Verb, to cover 伸 shēn Verb, to stick out 捂 wǔ Verb, to cover 比喻 bǐyù Verb, to analogize; Noun, analogy 这个成语比喻做事要实事求是。This idiom analogizes that one should seek the truth from facts. 欺骗 qīpiàn Verb, to lie to; to cheat or 骗 却 què Conjunction word, but; however or 可是，但是 了 liǎo Particle word, action is complete 去得了，can go(the action of going can be complete) 去不了, cannot go(the action of going cannot be complete) 自欺欺人 zìqīqīrén Chengy

This Chengyu (Chinese idiom) story is about a thief who was stealing a bell with a hand covering his ear. He thought if he covered his ear, then the bell owner would not hear the bell ring either. This Chengyu is used to describe someone who is being dishonest with himself/herself. 从前，有一个人，看见人家大门上挂着一个铃铛，想把它偷走。他明明知道，那个铃铛只要用手一碰，就会丁零丁零地响起来，就会被人发觉。可是他想：响声要耳朵才能听见，如果把耳朵掩起来，不是就听不见了吗？他掩住了自己的 耳朵，伸手去偷那个铃铛。谁知手刚碰到铃铛，就被人发觉了。 掩耳盗铃：捂住耳朵去偷铃。比喻自己欺骗自己，却骗不了别人。做人、做事都不能自欺欺人。

古时候 gǔ shíhòu Noun phrase, ancient times 古代的时候 朝代 cháodài, noun,dynasty 矛 máo Noun, spear 长矛, long spear 盾 dùn Noun, shield the same with 盾牌(pái) 街上 jiē shàng On the street 街上，有人卖水果，有人卖衣服。 叫卖 jiàomài Verb, to announce publicly as for sale 举 jǔ Verb, to hold up 举手，have one’s hand up 举起…来， to raise…up 夸口 kuākǒu Verb, to brag; to boast or夸下海口 锐利 ruìlì Adj, sharp (this word is used to describe sharp weapons, such as spear, knife and etc.) 不论什么……都…… búlùn shénme……dōu…… Conjunction, all of …(noun) apply to ...(verb/adj phrase) 不论什么巧克力我都吃过。I have tasted all sorts of chocolates. 戳穿 chuōchuān Verb phrase, to pierce through 戳得穿, can be pierced through 戳不穿，cannot be pierced through 坚固 jiāngù Adj, sturdy 哑口无言 yǎ kǒu wú yán Chengyu, speechless 比喻 bǐyù Verb, to analogize; Noun, analogy 这个成语比喻做事要实事求是。This idiom analogizes that one should seek the truth from facts. 前后不符 qiánhòu bùfú Verb phrase, the latter statement does not correspond with the former statement 你说的这些前后不符。What you said has not been consistent. 互相 hùxiāng Adv

This is an Chengyu (Chinese idiom) story about an ancient street vendor who was being inconsistent while advertising for his spear and shield. Spear and shield were thus used to describe contradictions since then. 古时候，有一个人，一手拿着矛， 一手拿着盾，在街上叫卖。他举起矛，向人夸口说：“我的矛 锐利得很，不论什么盾都戳得穿！”接着又举起盾，向人夸口说：“我的盾坚 固得很，不论什么矛都戳不穿它！” 有人问他：“用你的矛戳你的 盾，会怎么样呢？”他哑口无言， 回答不出来了。自相矛盾：用自己的矛戳自己的盾。 比喻说话、做事前后不符，互相抵触。说话、做事要实事求是， 不能夸大其词，否则只会自相矛盾。

上海 Shànghǎi Chinese metropolitan city, Shanghai 70后 70 hòu Noun phrase, people who were born during 1970-1979 80后，90后，00后，10后 城管 chéngguǎn Noun, Chinese urban management officer 次 cì Noun, time(s) 一次，once 两次， twice 三次， three times 无偿 wúcháng Adv, voluntarily 献血 xiànxiě Verb phrase, to donate blood 救 jiù Verb, to save one’s life “救命(mìng)！”means “Help!” 眭 Suī Noun, surname (uncommonly seen) 区 qū Noun, district 土生土长 tǔshēngtǔzhǎng Adj, to be born and grow up in the local community 个头 gètóu Noun, a person’s height synonym or 个子 黝黑 yǒuhēi Adj, tanned skin color (usually caused by outdoor physical work) 话语 huàyǔ Noun, utterance 话语不多， quiet 留着 liúzhe Verb phrase, 留着 +name of hair style 留着长发/短发/平头 小平头 xiǎo píngtóu Noun phrase, flat(hair style) or平头 坚持 jiānchí Verb, to persist; to keep doing without quitting 再坚持一下! Be persistent, you will finish it soon. 来 lái Particle word, a period of time word+来 : in the past a period of time 10年来，in the past ten years 捐献 juānxiàn Verb, to donate 这个公司给学校捐献了10万元钱。This company dona

Chinese Chengguan (urban management officers) usually have a very bad reputation. Check at today's news story about an awesome Chengguan doing good deeds by donating blood for 101 times in 10 years and the reason why he is doing this. 上海“70后”城管101次无偿献血救人 2016年8月29日，上海，眭庆是一名城管，在静安新城十区工作。37岁的他是土生土长的上海人，个头不高，黝黑的脸，话语不多，留着 小平头。从2006年起，眭庆坚持 无偿 献血，10年来，眭庆已捐献 全血7次累计2600毫升，血小板94次累计178人份，在熟悉他的人中传为佳话。 眭庆，穿上城管制服，他是穿梭在城市街头的一名城管队员；脱下制服，瘦小的他显得微不足道,普普通通。就是这样一个普通的年轻人，101次无偿献血救人。 要问眭庆献血到底为了啥？憨厚的他笑着说：“不为别的，想着能救人一命就觉得快乐。” ——摘自腾讯新闻http://news.qq.com/a/20160901/007808.htm#p=1

This is a real story about a Chinese man, one of the many who are working hard and trying to make more money for their family at Shenzhen. Shenzhen is a metropolitan city in Guanggong, where there are many big manufacturers, such as Foxconn, which assembles apple products. Many Chinese people from other parts of the country come to work, in pursuit of more money and a good life. 他的深圳故事 作者：周雨施 深圳市 宝安区观澜镇蚌岭村，大小工厂 星罗棋布，随之而来的是大量的外来 廉价 劳动力。 他是其中 之一，二十多岁时南下，进入一个生产 耳机的厂工作。在村里租了一间老旧的平房，每个月130元，有了落脚的地方。 十五年以后，他仍住这里。七年前妻子也来了，房子外面桌上放了台小电视，悄悄 架了天线，晴天的时候能看到十几个台，房子里面是床，煤气炉。地方虽小，五脏俱全。 墙上挂着一支笛子，蒙上 厚厚的灰。“太久不吹了，老婆觉得吵。”他拭去灰尘，拿着笛子，几次靠近嘴边，最终还是拒绝了我听一曲的愿望。这笛子，或许会永远挂着吧。 他是我奶奶的侄女婿，我应该称他表姑爷。 为了多赚 几百块，他们夫妇总是加班。供两个孩子读书、养活 农村的父母，这就是动力。十五年，回家过了两次春节。每年加班到腊月二十九，买不到火车票，汽车票又抬价太高。“太不划算，回家一趟要花好多钱。”他说。大儿子中考考上了县的高中，于是奖励他暑假来深圳玩，也就来过一次。小女儿养在外公家，只有在电话里才能听到声音。 谈到未来，他笑着说：“肯定不会永远在这里。”珠三角 转型 升级的号角 响起，他所在的厂已经有车间 转移到惠州。他会不会一同搬走？不知道。他不甘心的是在这个厂子做了十多年，精明的台湾老板没有给员工他们买养老 保险。 他只去过深圳市区几次，高物价 令他望而却步。一年复一年，生活在蚌岭，自行车可以达到的范围就是活动区域。 蚌岭村口，一道 铁 栅栏 横亘 路中央，一侧是铁门挡道的新村，当地

山东 Shāndōng Place name, Shandong Province 青岛 Qīngdǎo Place name, Qingdao city 无 wú Verb, not to have, eaquals to 没有 无糖 táng， sugar-free 腿 tuǐ Noun, leg 少年 shàonián Noun, a 10 to 16-year-old 迎 yíng Verb, to welcome Same with 迎接 jiē 新 xīn Adj, new 学期 xuéqī Noun, semester 经过 Jīngguò Prep, after (a period of time) 经过一天的努力 经过一个暑假的生活 近 jìn Verb, “ 近 +a period of time” means “almost + a period of time” 近两年， almost two years 近一天，almost a day 暑假 shǔjià Noun, summer break 寒假，winter break 假期，vocation 久违 jiǔwéi Verb, long time no see. It can also be used as an adj “久违了！”is the same with “好久不见！” 久违的朋友, friends who I haven’t seen for a while 伙伴 huǒbàn Noun, friends, peers, mates 玩伴，plamate 升 shēng Verb, to raise(the flag) 升旗 国旗 guóqí Noun, national flag 五星红旗 奏 zòu Verb, to play(the national anthem) 奏国歌 国歌 guógē Noun, national anthem 步入 bù rù Verb, to enter into; to start 步入大学， to start college 显得 xiǎndé Verb, to appear 兴奋 xīngfèn Adj, excited; exciting 显得很兴奋 期间 qíjiān Noun, period;duration 暑假期间， during the summer break 工作

This is an authentic news cited from Tecent News. It is about an 11-year-old handicapped boy Gao Zhenyu, who just started his 6th grade school year. Zhenyu had a high-level amputee who lost both of his legs in a car accident during his 1st grade. Now, Zhenyu is using a pair of wood blocks to help himself walk, with the support of his hands. He has been always studying hard in school and has been very successful academically. His dream is to practice sports and attend the next Paralympics in 2020. 山东青岛：11 岁“无腿少年”迎新学期 2016 年 08 月 29 日，山东青岛即墨市环秀街 道办事处城南小学11岁的“无腿少年”高志宇走 进学校，迎来了新学期的第一天。经过 近两个 月的暑假生活，高志宇终于见到了久违的小伙伴 们。发新书、讲新课、升 国旗、奏 国歌……步 入六年级的第一天，高志宇显得十分兴奋。2005 年出生的高志宇，一年级暑假期间因遭遇 车祸 双腿高位截肢。医院治疗的半年时间里，因为有 老师的悉心呵护和自己的刻苦努力，所以小志宇 没有落下一节课程。入学后，他凭着对读书的渴 望，让爸爸给他做了两个小木块当鞋，勇敢地 “站”了起来，用“手”撑起了坚强的上学路。 四年来，小志宇坚强不屈、不向命运低头、积极 笑对人生的生活态度 感染了周围的同学和老师， 赢得了大家的敬佩和赞誉。在上一学期的期末考 试中，三门主要课程都在95分以上，其中语文以 97 分的成绩，夺得全班第一名。暑假期间，里约奥运会中国运动员顽强拼搏的竞技 精神，开启 了小志宇新的梦想，他的期望是在这个学期里选 学一项体育运动，在下一届 残奥会上为祖国争光！ ——摘自腾讯新闻，http://news.qq.com/a/20160829/035471.h

谈 tán Verb, to talk about, to discuss 谈论，to talk about 谈到，to talk about the topic of… 未来 wèilái Noun, future 肯定 kěndìng Adv, definitely Synonym,一定 珠三角 zhū sānjiǎo Noun, a triangle area on the Zhu River in Guangdong 珠江， the Zhu River 转型 zhuǎnxíng Verb, to transform; noun, transformation 升级 shēngjí Verb, to upgrade 号角 hàojiǎo Noun, horn 吹响号角 号角响起 响起 xiǎngqǐ Verb, (sound) is on 音乐响起, the music is on 号角响起, the horn is blown 车间 chējiān Noun, production department 转移 zhuǎnyí Verb, to move, to transfer 从北京转移到上海 惠州 huìzhōu Noun, city name in Guangdong 搬 bān (zǒu) Verb, to move (to some place) 搬走，to move away 搬到……， to move to… 不甘心 gānxīn Verb phrase, cannot forget about it; cannot let it go; cannot give up 精明 jīngmíng Adj, shrewd; street smart 老板 lǎobǎn Noun, boss 员工 yuángōng Noun, staff; faculty 养老保险 yǎnglǎo bǎoxiǎn Noun, retirement insurance 市区 shìqū Noun，downtown 物价 wùjià Noun, (commodity) prices 房价，house price 令 lìng Verb, to cause 高物价令他望而却步 望而却步 wàng'érquèbù Verb, 成语， to shrink back at the sight 一年复一年 yī nián fù

墙 qiáng Noun, wall 墙上， on the wall. 墙上挂着一支笛子。 一支笛子挂在墙上。 挂 guà Verb, to hang something on 脖子上挂着一串项链。 把衣服挂在钩子上。 笛子 dízi Noun, flute 长笛，短笛，竖笛，牧笛 蒙 méng Verb，to cover 墙上的笛子上蒙了一层厚厚的灰。 孩子把衣服蒙在脸上。 来了一个蒙面人。 厚 hòu Adj, thick (only used on flat subjects, such as books, money, snow fallen on the ground, dirt, etc.) 厚厚的灰。 厚厚的一沓钱。 一本大厚书。 薄(báo),the antonym 灰（尘） Huī(chén) Noun, 1.dust 2. color grey(灰色) 也可以说“灰尘”。 久 jiǔ Adj, long time 很久很久以前，long long time ago 久而久之，gradually 吹 chuī Verb, to blow 吹笛子, to play a flute 吹口哨，to whistle 吹牛，to brag 老婆 lǎopó Noun, wife (colloquial) 老公，colloquial way to say “husband” 妻子，formal way to say “wife” 丈夫，formal way to say “husband” 吵 chǎo Adjective, noisy 吵死了！It’s too loud/noisy! 拭 shì Verb, to wipe(formal)擦(ca1) is the informal way 擦拭 拭去灰尘 靠近 kàojìn Verb, to get close to; to approach 靠近一点儿，再近一点儿,get closer 往左靠,lean to the left 最终 zuìzhōng Adv, eventually 拒绝 jùjué Verb, to reject 接受(jiē shòu), to accept 曲 qǔ Noun, song 一曲，one song 歌曲，song 愿望 yuànwàng Noun, wish 我从小就有个愿望。I have been wishing

深圳 Shēnzhèn Place name, a metropolitan city in Guangdong 市 shì Noun, city as an administrative division \ 北京市，上海市，纽约市…… 区 qū Noun, district as an administrative division 深圳市宝安区，北京市朝阳区 镇 zhèn Noun, town as an administrative division 镇子，小镇，镇上 村 cūn Noun, village as an administrative division 村子，村民 工厂 gōngchǎng Noun, factory 也可以说“厂子”。在工厂工作的人是“工人”。 星罗棋布 xīngluóqíbù Verb, 成语，spread out like stars and chess pieces 随之而来 suí zhī ér lái Verb phrase, 成语，……comes along with it ……随之而来。 随之而来的是……。 大量 dàliàng Adjective, a large amount of… 外来 wàilái Adjective, foreign; subjects that are not from here 外来人口，外来物种 廉价 liánjià Adj, cheap 劳动力 láodònglì Noun, labor 其中之一 qízhōng zhīyī Noun phrase, one of them 他是其中之一。 南下 nánxià Verb phrase, travel to the south part 北上：travel to the north part 进入 jìnrù Verb phrase, get into; enter into 生产 shēngchǎn Verb, to produce 耳机 ěrjī Noun, ear phone 租 zū Verb， to rent 房租，租金：house rent 旧 jiù Adj, old, not new 老：old, not young 平房 píngfáng Noun, flat(s) 楼房：building 落脚 luòjiǎo Verb, to live in tempor

This story tells the origins of Chinese Lunar New year, which is called "Nian" in Chinese. 中国古时候，有一种叫＂年＂的怪兽，“年”的头上长着尖角，非常凶猛。＂年＂兽住在海底，每到除夕，就爬上岸来吃人和牲畜，所以每到除夕，人们都要到深山里躲起来。 这一年的除夕，乡亲们正忙着收拾东西躲到山里去。就在这时候，村子的东头来了一个白发老人。他对一位村民说，只要他可以在村里住一晚，就能将＂年＂兽赶走。大家都不相信。村民们都劝老人到山里躲一躲。老人不听，一个人留了下来！ 当＂年＂兽准备进村吃人的时候，白发老人开始放起鞭炮，＂年＂兽看见鞭炮，吓得混身发抖 ，再也不敢向前凑了，原来＂年＂兽最怕红色，火光和炸响．这时大门开了，一位穿着红色衣服的老人哈哈大笑，＂年＂兽大惊失色，仓惶而逃． 第二天，当村民们回到村里时，发现家里安然无恙，这才恍然大悟！原来那位白发老人是神仙，他帮助大家赶走了＂年＂兽。人们还发现了白发老人驱逐＂年＂兽的三件法宝！从此，每年的除夕，家家都贴红对联，放鞭炮，户户灯火通明，“年”兽再也没有出现了。这个风俗 越传越广，成了中国最隆重的传统节日––“过年”。

A camel and a sheep started an argument about the advantage of heights. The camel argued being tall is good, while the sheep discussed being short got more advantage.They finally learned their lessons from a third-party. 骆驼长得高，羊长得矮。骆驼说："长得高好。"羊说："不对，长得矮才好呢。"骆驼说："我可以做一件事情，证明高比矮好。"羊说："我也可以做一件事情，证明矮比高好。" 　　他们俩走到一个园子旁边。园子四面有围墙，里面种了很多树，茂盛的枝叶伸出墙外来。骆驼一抬头就吃到了树叶。羊抬起前腿，扒在墙上，脖子伸得老长，还是吃不着。骆驼说："你看，这可以证明了吧，高比矮好。"羊摇了摇头，不肯认输。 　　他们俩又走了几步，看见围墙上有个又窄又矮的门。羊大模大样地走进门去吃园子里的草。骆驼跪下前腿，低下头，往门里钻，怎么钻也钻不进去。羊说："你看，这可以证明了吧，矮比高好。"骆驼摇了摇头，也不肯认输。 　　他们俩找老牛评理。老牛说："你们俩都只看到自己的长处，看不到自己的短处，这是不对的。"