chinese essay starters

How to Write a Chinese Essay

Dec 16, 2020 | Guest Blogs & Media

The more essays you write, the better you get at communicating with Chinese. To write a good essay, you first have to reach a high language mastery level.

Do you admire the students who write seamless Chinese essay? If you do, then you should know that you too can achieve this level of proficiency. In the meantime, don’t be afraid to pay for your essay if you cannot write it on your own. Online academic writers are a resource each student should take advantage of.

Here are tips to help you get better at writing essays in Chinese.

Learn New Chinese Words

The key to communicating in a new language is learning as many words as you can. Take it upon yourself to learn at least one Chinese word a day. Chinese words are to essay writing what bricks are to a building. The more words you have, the better you get at constructing meaningful sentences.

Case in point, if you’re going to write a Chinese sentence that constitutes ten words, but you don’t know the right way to spell three of those words, your sentence might end up not making sense.

During your Chinese learning experience, words are your arsenal and don’t forget to master the meaning of each word you learn.

Read Chinese Literature

Reading is the most effective way of learning a new language. Remember not to read for the sake of it; find out the meaning of each new word you encounter. When you are an avid reader of Chinese literature, nothing can stop you from writing fluent Chinese.

In the beginning, it might seem like you’re not making any progress, but after a while, you will notice how drastically your writing will change. Receiving information in Chinese helps your brain get accustomed to the language’s sentence patterns, and you can translate this to your essays.

Be extensive in your reading to ensure you get as much as possible out of each article. Remember that it’s not about how fast you finish an article, but rather, how much you gain from the exercise.

Translate Articles from your Native Language to Chinese

Have you ever thought about translating your favorite read to Chinese? This exercise might be tedious, but you will learn a lot from it. The art of translation allows you to seamlessly shift from one language’s sentence pattern into the other. The more you do this, the easier it will be for your brain to convert English sentences into Chinese phrases that people can comprehend.

You can always show your Chinese professor your translations for positive criticism. The more you get corrected, the better you will get at translation. Who knows, you might actually like being a translator once you graduate.

Final Thoughts

by Adrian Lomezzo

Adrian  Lomezzo is a freelance writer. Firstly, he has been developing as a content manager and working with different websites, and the main goal of his was to develop the content making it in the first place. Secondly,  Adrian  had a big desire to help students and adults in self-development in this field and teach them to improve their skills. As a lover of traveling, he did not want to be in one place, and became a writer who could be closer to everyone, and share precious information from the corners of the world.

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9 Tips to Improve Your Chinese Composition Writing

• Primary School Chinese Composition

Composition writing is a challenging but key part of the Chinese examination, as it constitutes 20% of the PSLE Chinese grade. Many students struggle with this task as their Chinese proficiency is lacking.

Aiming for a better composition score? Check out our tips below on how to excel in your Chinese composition.

But before you go on reading… You might want to download a pdf copy of this article as it is quite long!

Click the blue download button, enter your email, and the pdf file will be delivered to your inbox! (Remember to check spam!)

Click here to Download

Tip 1: Learn From Past Mistakes

Your past compositions are precious; don’t throw them out! Analyse your mistakes, and identify two to three areas you need to work on. If you have multiple areas to work on, prioritise the ones that will lead to the biggest gain in marks (e.g. between writing out of point and confusing homophones, fix the content issue first as that is more major).

Here are some common mistakes and recommendations on how to address them.

Tip 2: Determine the Theme of Your Composition

Be it the introduction, the body, or the conclusion, your composition should revolve around a theme. Never let your content not go out of point (离题), or your marks will suffer greatly.

Always start by analysing the picture or title to determine the theme. For example, if the title is “这件事改变了我(2023 St Nicholas’ Prelims)”，the central idea would be about an incident and how it has changed you as a person. Generally, it is easier for students to deviate from the theme for title-based compositions, especially if they do not plan their story.

That said, picture compositions can be tricky too: A few themes may be possible as it depends on how you choose to conclude the story (picture 6). For instance, in 2020’s PSLE, an old lady who was counting money at the bus stop fell down unexpectedly. Her notes were strewn all over the floor. Picture 5 shows two schoolgirls helping the old lady up while a youth was trying to pick up the lady’s belongings. Was he planning to steal the money? Or was he a kind-hearted youth trying to help pick up the notes? You need to write in a way consistent with the theme you have chosen.

Tip 3: Choose Your Question Wisely

Consider whether the picture composition (看图作文) or title-based composition (命题作文) is more manageable for you.

There are a few things to consider:

• How well do you understand the pictures? Do you have the appropriate vocabulary to describe key events and details depicted in the pictures? How complex are the pictures? E.g. does the location change multiple times?
• How well do you understand the key phrase in the title? For instance, if the title is “一件让我印象最深刻的事”, ensure you understand the meaning of 印象 and 深刻if you decide to write this particular question.
• Which question do you resonate most with? Do you have any personal experience similar to that in the pictures/what you plan to write for the title-based composition? If so, you will find it easier to complete the essay.

Remember you only have fifty minutes, so play to your strengths and make a decision within the first three minutes. Do not change your mind thereafter, or you will not have sufficient time to complete your composition!

Tip 4: Choose The Correct Point of View

For picture compositions, do not write in the first person if the character is not present in all pictures. In such instances, no matter whose perspective you adopt in your writing, there will be gaps in the story (the narrator cannot be all-knowing). Thus, you should write in the third person.

For title-based compositions, pay attention to the wording. Titles such as “这件事让我明白了耐心的重要(PSLE 2022)” and “一份我最珍惜的礼物(PSLE 2021)” must be written in the first person.

Tip 5: Plan Before You Write

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Before you start writing, craft an outline of your story. This need not be in prose form. It can be simply key words that give you clarity on your story structure. Whilst the stronger ones can wing it without a written plan (they usually have the plan in their heads), everyone else should refer to a plan while writing. The time spent making a written plan should be no more than five minutes, but it goes a long way in enhancing efficiency in your composition writing.

For picture-based compositions, your plan should at least cover the following:

• Introduction (开头)
• Conclusion (结尾)

For title-based compositions, use the guiding questions to help you plan.

For example, for 一份我最珍惜的礼物 (PSLE 2021), the outline could be:

Introduction （开头）

• Describe the present you cherish the most. What is it? Describe its appearance. How is it special?

介绍你最珍惜的礼物（这是什么礼物？外观如何？如何特殊？）

• How did you get this present? Who gave it to you?

你怎么得到这份礼物？是谁送的？

• Why did you get this present?

为什么会得到这份礼物？

• Why do you cherish it so much? What is its significance?

你为什么珍惜这份礼物？它有什么象征意义？

Conclusion （结尾）

• Restate how much you cherish this present. Sum up the main points in the body text (e.g. What does it represent? How did it help you grow/change your life?). 再次表明你有多珍惜这份礼物。总结一下以上的要点（如：它代表了什么？如何让你成长/对你的生活有什么积极影响？

Tip 6: Start With a Relevant Introduction

Do not memorise good introductions you have been given and use it word-for-word without thinking. There is no point in including the most beautifully worded description of the weather if the entire story happens indoors and the weather has no influence over the development of the story. Relevance is key.

Likewise, do not try to use a “one-size-fits-all” introduction, such as: “Ring!” The alarm went off…… If you must use a sound, make sure the sound is linked to some event at the story. Else, your introduction will either be excessively long, or appear irrelevant, or have logical gaps as you jumped from the alarm ringing right into the thick of the action.

Whether you start by directly describing the scene/activity (开门见山), by using a flashback, or any other method, what matters most is that your introduction is relevant to the theme.

For flashbacks, note that the ending will need to address the flashback, or bring the readers back to the present (前呼后应). This method will usually add to the word count, so it is not recommended for weaker students who may not have time to complete the essay or check their work.

Tip 7: Flesh Out Your Conclusion

Avoid a situation of having a magnificent start but a skinny end to the story (龙头蛇尾). Kudos to students who take time to craft a killer introduction. However, if the conclusion is weak and abrupt, your readers will end up feeling disappointed.

It is insufficient to simply state how the problem was resolved or what happened at the end. You should also highlight how the characters felt, what lessons the character(s) learnt, what plans they have for the future, and, the most important of them all, highlight the theme. A simple way to address the theme would be to use a relevant proverb, for example:

所谓“天下无难事，只怕有心人”，只要我们勇于挑战自己，世上就没有任何能难倒我们的事。

Tip 8: Revise for Paper 2 and Composition Writing Together

Don’t let your efforts to revise for Paper 2 go to waste! Make sure you master the terms in the textbooks. Make a list of those that are versatile enough to apply to most compositions. For example, transition phrases like “不知不觉 (unknowingly)” and “光阴似箭 (time flies)” can be used in almost any story to describe how time has passed unknowingly or quickly.

Besides mastering terms, make an effort to apply sentence structures and literary devices mentioned in the textbook in your writing. For instance, in Lesson 8 of the Primary 6 Chinese textbook, you can get insights on what similes are and reference the examples in the textbook (6B textbook, p. 23: 美美像一阵风一样冲过来。打针一点儿也不痛，就像蚂蚁轻轻咬了一下。) Even the conjunction questions in Paper 2 can come in handy, if you learn to vary your sentence beginnings by using different connectors.

Tip 9: Keep a Word Bank

Start building a Chinese vocabulary word bank if you do not already have one. Collate the good phrases  and idioms used by others. You can start noting down good phrases from the textbook and also from the comprehension passages you have completed. Browse through your classmates’ work and other model compositions and highlight away!

Examples include (bolded):

• 我准备乘坐巴士去学校时，突然下起 倾盆大雨 。
• 老师听到我们说的话后，他 怒气冲冲 地离开了教室。

For new or unfamiliar phrases, write the entire sentence down for context. Try constructing a similar sentence on your own (get someone who is proficient in Chinese to check this if you can!). Flip through the past year questions and see if you can apply this new phrase to any of the pictures/titles!

Be disciplined and make it a point to compile the phrases regularly. As your word bank grows, you will be empowered with a list of handy phrases which you can then accurately use in your compositions.

When it comes to composition writing, it takes time, practice, and patience to improve. Apply the tips we shared above, and with tenacity and perseverance, you will see the fruits of your labour. 

See more related articles and information on Writing Samurai:

• 9 Tips for PSLE Chinese Oral Exams
• 9 Exam Smart Tips for PSLE Chinese Paper 2
• Top 30 Websites and Apps for Chinese Language Learning

You might want to download a pdf copy of this article for future reference!

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How to Write a Good Chinese Essay

Posted by Lilian Li 18646

For any kind of language, the essay is the most difficult thing to do in the exam. Generally speaking, writing articles is just to tell a story, after you make the story clear, the article also is finished. But it also different with speaking. A good article is like a art, is worth for people to appreciate, to taste. But how to accomplish such a good art? I think the most important thing is the three points: attitude, subject matter, emotional.

A good beginning is half done. For writing, material selection and design are not the start. The most important thing still is to adjust their mentality as well. When you decided to write, then dedicated yourself to write, not half-hearted, and your thinking nature won't be upset. Once the train of thought was interrupted, your speed will be slow and the point will be word count. So how can you write down a interesting article with a good quality? All in all, attitude is can decide the success or failure of the articles.

Subject is the biggest problem in our writing. It is from life, but not all people can observe life, experience life. The only point is to write the true things, maybe not so tortuous plots, but can write a really life. Moreover, when you get the subject, there are some tips for students to pay attention:

1. Make the topic request clear: The article should around the topic, pay attention to the demand of genre and number of words, some restrictive conditions and avoid distracting, digression.

2. Determine the center, choose the right material. To conform to the fact that a typical, novel, so it’s easy to attract the attention of people.

3. Make a good outline, determine the general, write enough words.

4. Sentence writing smooth, there is no wrong character, no wrong grammar in article.

Emotion, it is very important. If we compared an article to be a human. So emotion is his soul. Man is not vegetation, when they meet something, there must be personal thoughts and feelings. Sometimes it also tend to have their own original ideas. If you can put your own thoughts, feelings and insights into the article, then this article will be very individual.

Chinese essay is not just meaning some simple Chinese characters and make a simple sentences, it needs the Chinese grammar and sentence structure, if you don't familiar with Chinese grammar, you can learn our Chinese grammar course .

At last, adhere to write diary at ordinary times, it can practicing writing. Try to read some good articles, good words and good paragraphs with a good beginning and end. Learn to accumulate and draw lessons from them.

If you are interested in our Chinese grammar course, you can try our one online free trial , you will enjoy it.

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Improve Chinese Essay Writing- A Complete How to Guide

• Last updated: June 6, 2019
• Learn Chinese

Writing can reflect a writer’s power of thought and language organization skills. It is critical to master Chinese writing  if you want to take your Chinese to the next level. How to write good Chinese essays? The following six steps will improve Chinese essay writing:

Before You Learn to Improve Chinese Essay Writing

Before you can write a good essay in Chinese, you must first be accustomed with Chinese characters. Unlike English letters, Chinese characters are hieroglyphs, and the individual strokes are different from each other. It is important to be comfortable with writing Chinese characters in order to write essays well in Chinese. Make sure to use Chinese essay writing format properly. After that, you will be ready to improve Chinese essay writing.

Increase Your Chinese Words Vocabulary

With approximately 100,000 words in the Chinese language, you will need to learn several thousand words just to know the most common words used. It is essential to learn as many Chinese words as possible if you wish to be a good writer. How can you enlarge your vocabulary? Try to accumulate words by reading daily and monthly. Memory is also very necessary for expanding vocabulary. We should form a good habit of exercising and reciting as more as we can so that to enlarge vocabulary. Remember to use what you have learned when you write in Chinese so that you will continually be progressing in your language-learning efforts.

Acquire Grammar,Sentence Patterns and Function Words

In order to hone your Chinese writing skills , you must learn the grammar and sentence patterns. Grammar involves words, phrases, and the structure of the sentences you form. There are two different categories of Chinese words: functional and lexical. Chinese phrases can be categorized as subject-predicate phrases (SP), verb-object phrases (VO), and co-ordinate phrases (CO). Regarding sentence structure, each Chinese sentence includes predicate, object, subject, and adverbial attributes. In addition, function words play an important role in Chinese semantic understanding, so try to master the Chinese conjunction, such as conjunction、Adverbs、Preposition as much as you can. If you wish to become proficient at writing in Chinese, you must study all of the aspects of grammar mentioned in this section.

Keep a Diary Regularly to Note Down Chinese Words,Chinese Letters

Another thing that will aid you in becoming a better writer is keeping a journal in Chinese. Even if you are not interested in expanding your writing skills, you will find that it is beneficial for many day-to-day tasks, such as completing work reports or composing an email. Journaling on a regular basis will help you form the habit of writing, which will make it feel less like a chore. You may enjoy expressing yourself in various ways by writing; for instance, you might write poetry in your journal. On a more practical side of things, you might prefer to simply use your journal as a way to purposely build your vocabulary .

Persistence in Reading Everyday

In addition to expanding your view of the world and yourself, reading can help you improve your writing. Reading allows you to learn by example; if you read Chinese daily, you will find that it is easier to write in Chinese because you have a greater scope of what you can do with the vocabulary that you’ve learned. Choose one favorite Chinese reading , Read it for an hour or 2,000 words or so in length each day.

Whenever you come across words or phrases in your reading that you don’t understand, take the time to check them in your dictionary and solidify your understanding of them. In your notebook, write the new word or phrase and create an example sentence using that new addition to your vocabulary. If you are unsure how to use it in a sentence, you can simply copy the sample sentence in your dictionary.

Reviewing the new vocabulary word is a good way to improve your memory of it; do this often to become familiar with these new words. The content of reading can be very broad. It can be from novels, or newspapers, and it can be about subjects like economics or psychology. Remember you should read about things you are interested in. After a certain period of accumulation by reading, you will greatly improve your Chinese writing.

Do Essay Writing Exercise on a Variety of Subjects

As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” In order to improve your China Essay Writing , you should engage in a variety of writing exercises. For beginners, you should start with basic topics such as your favorite hobby, future plans, favorite vacation spot, or any other topic that you can write about without difficulty.

For example :《我的一天》( Wǒ de yì tiān, my whole day’s life  ),《我喜欢的食物》( Wǒ xǐhuan de shíwù, my favorite food  ),《一次难忘的旅行》( yí cì nánwàng de lǚxíng, an unforgettable trip  ) etc.

Generally the writing topics can be classified into these categories: a recount of an incident,a description of something/someone, a letter, formulate your own opinion on an issue based on some quote or picture etc.

Takeaway to Improve Chinese Essay Writing

Keep an excel spreadsheet of 口语(Kǒuyǔ, spoken Chinese) –书面语(Shūmiànyǔ, written Chinese) pairs and quotes of sentences that you like. You should also be marking up books and articles that you read looking for new ways of expressing ideas. Using Chinese-Chinese dictionaries is really good for learning how to describe things in Chinese.

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How to start a Chinese Composition easily!

Lost at the start of your Chinese composition writing?

If you always stuck at your compo starting or find yourself staring at a blank sheet of paper when you need to write a Chinese composition, this guide  will help you learn how to start writing your introduction easily.

Why compo writing is so hard

I’m sure we’ve all thought of these questions when we were students ourselves:

• How should I start my compo?
• What kind of compo starting is the best?
• What should I write about?
• Is there a Chinese composition introduction that I can use for every compo?

Yes, beginning a Chinese compo is always the hardest part of writing. It takes the longest time to think about but once you have the start, the rest is going to be much easier.

Luckily, after teaching Chinese composition writing to so many primary school children, I’ve found a useful introduction writing formula that can work for any Chinese compo!

So pay attention if you are just starting to learn about composition writing in Primary 2 or 3. This will be a life saver.

The fool-proof way of starting your Chinese composition

The formula that we are going to use is the 4W formula – the who-what-where-when formula.

If you prefer to watch a video instead, check out this video above where we’ll cover:

• What makes a good Chinese composition starting
• Chinese compo starting phrases that you can use
• Example of Chinese composition weather starting
• Example of how to write a complete Chinese compo’s beginning

Otherwise, here’s a breakdown of the each component:

Starting your Chinese composition introduction with the 4Ws

There is always a main character in any story. Identify that character and tell the readers who he or she is at the start so that they know whose story they are reading.

Your main character is always busy with something in the first picture. Describe “what” they are doing in the picture so that the readers will know what to expect.

This is simple. “Where” is the location that the story takes place. Is it at home? Is it in school? Telling your readers where the main character is at will help your readers create a scene in their minds for your story to happen.

Finally, think about when the story takes place. If your readers know the time of the day that your story is happening, they’ll have a clearer timeline of the events that follow.

Once you have these 4 elements in your intro, top it off with some good weather phrases and your chinese composition is good to go!

Start writing your Chinese composition confidently

Now that you’ve learn the formula to start a Chinese composition, it’s time to put it to practise.

Try writing your next composition introduction based on what I’ve shared and see if you can apply it. Once you’re used to it, starting a Chinese compo is going to be easy.

Besides describing the weather to start your Chinese composition, there are also other good ways to start such as introducing the main character’s personality traits or using flashbacks.

However, I’ve found that opening a compo with the main character’s personality traits or using flashbacks requires a higher level of thinking and may backfire if used wrongly. So unless you are taking higher Chinese, I would advise against using such openings.

Let me know in the comments below if you have any other questions about composition writing in Chinese! Otherwise, you might want to learn how to write a perfect ending for your compo next.

看图写话的开头 到底要怎么写呢？作文开头要有些什么？小一小二的学生在学会写看图作文前，都要学会看图写话的基本功。说到写作，很多学生都会在开头的时候卡住，不知道究竟要写些什么。

如果你也面对以上的问题，别担心！今天朱老师就教一二年级的同学怎么写出一段好的作文开头，让大家看看要怎么加入人物、时间、天气等等。只要你学会了这个 写作技巧，懂得怎么把开头写好，以后写看图作文的时候就不会这么头痛了哦！

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Ms Chen's 2024 Model Chinese Compo Pack

Learn the best composition techniques, tips and samples from ms chen , help your child gain a headstart and an advantage in  chinese compositions.

The  Situation

Secondary School Composition Format 

​There are 3 types of composition questions for O Level Higher Chinese Language / Chinese Language Paper 1.

​Narrative (记叙文) - Covered in Sec 1 & 2

Argumentative (议论文) - Covered from Sec 2 onwards or Speech (演讲词) - Covered in Sec 4 and only for HCL

News-based (材料作文) - Covered from Sec 3 onwards

The Problem

The model composition books in the market are too ‘simple’ and do not cater to Higher Chinese students

Many schools encourage students to write Argumentative / News-based (材料作文）during exams

However, many students do not read the news or remember enough evidence (论据) to ace their composition

How you can inspire your child and help him / her improve their Chinese Compositions?

Ms Chen  is here to help

Ms Chen's Model Chinese Composition Pack

By subscribing to Ms Chen's Model Composition Pack, you get access to model compositions with topics that are geared towards the latest news and spotted topics for O Level and school exams.

Ms Chen’s past and current students have benefitted from these spotted essay topics.

All the composition topics are from past year top schools' exam papers and O Level exam topics.

Clear annotation and explanation in model compositions to highlight best practices and techniques.

Check-in with Ms Chen if you have any questions.

Model Chinese Compositions (Secondary)

Preview by clicking the buttons

Model Chinese Compositions (Primary)

Preview by clicking the buttons

" 我在考试之前想要复习范文却找不到，无意中发现了陈老师的范文配套。感谢陈老师的范文，涵盖了多方面的话题，包括在O水准的材料文话题，在我准备O水准会考的过程中提供大大的帮助。"

王丹莹，新加坡女子中学 (中四, 2020), the packages.

Ace your Compo

20 Model Compositions (Jan-Oct 2024)

2 Model Compositions sent every first Wednesday of the month (For 10 months) 

Narrative + Argumentative (Suitable for Sec 1 and Sec 2 HCL students)

Fee: Contact us to find out

40 Model Compositions (Jan-Oct 2024)

4 Model Compositions sent every first Wednesday of the month (For 10 months)

Narrative + Argumentative + Speech + News-based  (Suitable for Sec 3 and Sec 4 HCL/CL students, lower sec students who wish to have a head start in news-based composition)

Primary School Package

4 Model Compositions sent every last Wednesday of the month (For 10 months)

4 Compo Types - 看图作文, 命题作文 (普华), 情境作文, 完成文章 (高华).

Who is it suitable for? 

Primary School students taking PSLE

Secondary School students taking Higher Chinese Language

Secondary School students taking Chinese Language and would like to stretch your Composition skills and knowledge

Mode of payment for Ms Chen's Model Composition Pack is via bank / Paynow transfer.

1) Bank transfer (FAST): UOB 456-345-3375 OR

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The Guide to Writing Your First Mandarin Essay

When you want to be able to make writing your first Mandarin essay nice and easy, it pays to put plenty of thought and effort into the preparation. As the old saying goes ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’ To give you plenty of food for thought we’ve put together everything you need to know to get things moving. All you need to do is work through the following steps, and you’ll be submitting your essay in no time at all.

Check you understand the basics

There are so many things you have to think about when writing an essay, particularly when it’s not in your native language. But as with any cognitively demanding task, the process for getting started is always the same. Check you understand the following basics and you’ll be heading in the right direction:

• Do you know what the question means?
• Have you made a note of the final submission date?
• Make sure you read some past examples to get a feel for what’s expected of you
• Do you understand the question that has been set?
• Do you know who you can talk to if you need advice along the way?
• Are there any restrictions on the dialect you should be aware of?

Once you can write the answers to the above down on a single side of the paper, you are ready to tackle the main part of the problem: putting pen to paper.

Set aside time to write

The chances are that you’re not going to be able to pen the entire essay in a single sitting, and that’s okay. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or to worry about, and it’s natural that you need to work across multiple days when writing your first essay.

If you want to be able to make great progress, the most important thing is sticking to a routine. You need to have consistency in your application, and you need to be able to know when you are at your most productive. It’s no good staying up late one night and then carrying on early the next morning. You’d be far better off writing for the same amount of time but on two successive afternoons. Think about how your studies fit in with the rest of your daily life, and then choose the time that seems most appropriate. If you box it off and decide it’s only for writing, you’ll be in a great routine before you even know it.

Clear space so you can focus

As well as having time to write each day, you need a place to write too. The world is full of distractions (most of them are digital and social) so that means you’re going to want to keep yourself to yourself, and your phone in a different room. It might seem a little boring or uncomfortable at first, but you need to practice the habit of deep work. It’s what will allow you to create the most in the shortest time — ideal if you want to have plenty of time leftover to spend doing the other things that matter to you.

Have a daily word count in mind

Telling yourself that you want to write an essay today is one thing, but if you’re really going to push yourself to stick to your goal then you need to get quantitative. If you have a word count in mind that you need to hit, then it will prevent you from giving up and throwing in the towel the minute you start having to think and concentrate more than feels normal. Just like working out in the gym, it’s the temporary moments of extra effort that really drive the big differences. It’s when you’ll see the biggest improvement in your writing ability, and the lessons you teach yourself will stay with you for years to come. Ideal if you want to become a fluent Mandarin writer, as well as an engaging face-to-face speaker.

Read widely to provide context

When you’re immersed in an essay it can be all too easy to become blinkered and fail to pay attention to everything else that’s going on around you. Of course, you want to be focused on the task at hand, but you don’t want to be single-minded to the point of ignoring other great learning resources that are just a click away.

Reading widely is one of the best ways to improve your essay writing because it exposes you to techniques and approaches used by the best of the best. You’re not expected to be able to instantly write like a native speaker after an hour of reading. But what you will be able to do with consistent application is build up confidence and familiarity with written Mandarin. Over time this will reflect on the quality and depth of your writing as you gradually improve and take onboard lessons you’ve learned.

Take a break before you proofread

Last but not least, you need to remember that essay writing is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s all about taking the time to get things written before you hand them in, not racing through to try and finish on time. If you want to get the most out of your writing you need to take a day off between finishing your draft and proofing it. That way your brain will have had plenty of time to reflect on the work you’ve produced, and you’ll be able to spot many more little mistakes and places for improvement than you would if you proofed right away.

Final Thoughts

Writing Mandarin is a challenging task that will test your language skills and make you think hard about how to apply what you’ve learned so far. It might be slow going to begin with, but that’s great as it means you’re pushing your limits and building on your existing skills. If you want to be able to master Mandarin, you need to persevere and stay the course. Once you do, you’ll start to improve a lot faster than you expect.

By Diana Adjadj | A Super Chineasian

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How to Write a Chinese Essay?

However, this is not an option.

Chinese essay writing is an important part in GCE O level Higher Chinese Language or Chinese Language exam.

Then, what are the students suppose to write in an essay?   For GCE O level Chinese exam in May 2017, many parents complained about the essay questions set were too difficult ( link ).  However, this is the direction we are heading in O level Chinese and the students need to level up necessarily.

Before we even talk about what to write, we must first know what will be tested.

For GCE O level Chinese exam , essay writing is in section 2 of Paper 1.

In this section, students are expected to choose to write 1 out of 3 questions, and the 3 questions will be  in one of the following categories:

• 情景文 (Scenario essay writing)
• 说明文 (Expository)
• 议论文 (Argumentative)
• 材料作文 (Material essay writing)

Each category would need students to write the essay using different skill set. Students need to master the required skill set in order to write essays that meet the criteria.

For 情景文 , students need to use the skills of writing 记叙文 and characters descriptions ; for 说明文 , they need to use the skills of expository essay writing ;  议论文 needs the 3 key elements; as for 材料作文 , depending on the question, students will either need to use the skills for 记叙文 or 议论文 .

When students are clear with all these skills, they will find Chinese essay writing a lot more easier.  When equipped with these necessary writing skills , they will be able to focus more on acquiring their language skills.

With our help, we are confident that our students are able to master all these essential Chinese essay writing skills.

Call 97690373 today to register for our class.

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Tag: Essays

Essay: 《不死鸟》the immortal bird by sanmao.

• Post author By Kendra
• Post date March 25, 2023
• 4 Comments on Essay: 《不死鸟》The Immortal Bird by Sanmao

In this tear-jerker essay, famous Taiwanese authoress Sanmao ponders on the value of her own life. It was written as she grieved the drowning of her beloved Spanish husband in 1979, and is all the more tragic in light of her suicide 12 years later.

• Tags Essays

Essay:《爱》Love by Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang)

• Post date June 12, 2020
• 5 Comments on Essay:《爱》Love by Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang)

A tragic, dreamlike little essay from writer  Zhang Ailing  (张爱玲, English name Eileen Chang) about love and destiny. This is one of her more well-known works of micro-prose, written in 1944. HSK 5-6.

Essay:《打人》Hitting Someone by Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang)

• Post date June 10, 2020
• 1 Comment on Essay:《打人》Hitting Someone by Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang)

An essay from Chinese lit diva Zhang Ailing about a scene of police brutality she witnessed in Shanghai in the 1940s. HSK 6 and up.

Essay: 《感谢困难》Thanking Life’s Challenges by Lin Qingxuan

• Post date May 19, 2020
• 5 Comments on Essay: 《感谢困难》Thanking Life’s Challenges by Lin Qingxuan

You can skip your Instagram yoga gratitude break today, here’s another one from Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan (林清玄). HSK 4-5.

Essay: 《蝴蝶的种子》Seed of a Butterfly by Lin Qingxuan

• Post date May 7, 2020
• 2 Comments on Essay: 《蝴蝶的种子》Seed of a Butterfly by Lin Qingxuan

Taiwanese Buddhist essayist Lin Qingxuan marvels at the wonders of nature, time, space, and reincarnation. This piece is all about awe of the natural world, and you’ll learn some Discovery Channel vocab, like “pupa”, “mate”, “breed”, “spawn”, and lots of animal names.

• Tags Essays , Science

Letter: Ba Jin’s Correspondence with “Young Friends Searching for Ideals” – Part II

• Post date May 5, 2020
• 3 Comments on Letter: Ba Jin’s Correspondence with “Young Friends Searching for Ideals” – Part II

In Part II of this two-part series, we’ll read acclaimed author Ba Jin’s reply to the 10 elementary school students who wrote him a letter asking him for moral guidance in 1987. I’m not a super weepy person, but I legit cried reading this. This is a noble, elevating piece of writing, and reading it, I’m reminded that in all societies, there are those who struggle with the materialism that engulfs us.

Essay:《帮忙》 Helping Out

• Post date May 4, 2020
• 3 Comments on Essay:《帮忙》 Helping Out

In this one-paragraph read (HSK 2-3), Little Brother wants to help dad get ready to leave the house, but his contribution falls flat.

Essay: 《丑石》The Ugly Rock by Jia Pingwa

• Post date April 29, 2020
• No Comments on Essay: 《丑石》The Ugly Rock by Jia Pingwa

Jia Pingwa (贾平凹) is one of China’s modern literary greats, and in this short story, it shows. I don’t know how this guy crammed so many insights on the human condition into a few paragraphs about a rock, but he undeniably did.

Letter: Ba Jin’s Correspondence with “Young Friends Searching for Ideals” – Part I

• Post date April 27, 2020
• No Comments on Letter: Ba Jin’s Correspondence with “Young Friends Searching for Ideals” – Part I

In the first of a two-part post, we’ll look at a letter sent in 1987 from a group of elementary school students to the anarchist writer Ba Jin (most famous for his 1931 novel The Family) as they struggle to cope with China’s changing social values. In Part II, I’ll translate Ba Jin’s reply.

Essay: Desk-chairs of the Future

• Post date May 28, 2014
• 15 Comments on Essay: Desk-chairs of the Future

This kid was asked to imagine the perfect desk-chair of the future – what it would look like, and what it would do – and boy, does he ever. The chair turns into all kinds of utopian machinery. It flies, it helps you sleep, and it carries your books to school. Sentence structure is pretty […]

Essay: Catching Frogs

• Post date May 7, 2014
• 52 Comments on Essay: Catching Frogs

Though this post is beginner-level, it’s also very condensed. I’d say you’ll have to stop and remind yourself what something means every few words or so.

Essay: My First Telephone Call

• Post date June 11, 2013
• 24 Comments on Essay: My First Telephone Call

Though the conclusion of this essay might fall a bit flat for all of us who are very used to having a telephone, this is an interesting glimpse into what a monumental rite of passage it is for children in rural areas to have one or use one for the first time.

Essay: Papa, Please Don’t Smoke!

• Post date June 3, 2013
• 17 Comments on Essay: Papa, Please Don’t Smoke!

In this essay, a child desperately (and very angrily) pleads their father not to smoke. Though this is classified as “Intermediate”, beginners should definitely try this read, leaning heavily on the hover word-list. The difficult parts are the mid-level turns of phrase, which are all explained below.

Guest Post: The exam of life

• Post date May 6, 2013
• 26 Comments on Guest Post: The exam of life

Well well well, lookie here. A guest post! Today we’ll be reading Rebecca Chua’s (Chinese name: 蔡幸彤) translation of an essay from her textbook. The post is about the rewards of honesty. I remember my own textbook being full of these types of essays, so thank you, Rebecca, for the traditional read.

My Gluttonous Elder Brother

• Post date January 8, 2013
• 10 Comments on My Gluttonous Elder Brother

I set out to do a beginner post since I haven’t done one in a while, but no joy, I think I have to classify this as intermediate. Beginners are welcome to try this out, as most of the words are simple and the subject matter is a bit immature (so of course it totally […]

News: Snowstorm has caused 15 deaths and 2000 flight delays or cancellations

• Post date January 2, 2013
• 8 Comments on News: Snowstorm has caused 15 deaths and 2000 flight delays or cancellations

In the spirit of the holiday season, which is winding to a blissfully overweight close, I give you an article about something you may or may not have just struggled through if you flew home for the holidays (which I did).

Our Family’s Jump Rope Contest

• Post date October 2, 2012
• 17 Comments on Our Family’s Jump Rope Contest

A single-paragraph essay about the results of a family jump rope competition.

After I Got My New Years’ Money

• Post date September 10, 2012
• 20 Comments on After I Got My New Years’ Money

For those of you new to Chinese culture, one thing a Chinese child most looks forward to all year is the time during Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) when they get to go ask their neighbors and other adults for red envelopes containing some money – it’s a bit like trick-or-treating for cash. This essay […]

Essay: A Foolish Affair from my Childhood

• Post date August 29, 2012
• 20 Comments on Essay: A Foolish Affair from my Childhood

This essay is about a kid who takes his father’s advice a little too literally (with amusing results).

Dear Diary: Mama Please Believe Me

• Post date May 3, 2012
• 18 Comments on Dear Diary: Mama Please Believe Me

And now a break from all the intermediate and advanced exercises I’ve been posting lately. This one is a straightforward beginner Chinese diary-style essay about a student whose mother is displeased with his (or her, it’s never clarified) homework.

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5 Secret Ingredients to Writing a Good Chinese Compo

For many secondary school students in Singapore, writing a Chinese essay can be a daunting task. However, with a little preparation and practice, it is possible to produce a well-written essay that will impress the examiners. If your child is aiming to score well in Chinese composition, here are a few tips to get them started.  

Before the exam

Have a robust vocabulary.

When it comes to writing, vocabulary is key. This means not only being able to recognise many words, but also understanding how to use them in different contexts. If your child only knows a few words, they will be limited in what they can say. But if they have a wide range of words memorised by heart, they will be able to be more imaginative in their writing and express emotions better. 

There are a variety of memory techniques that your child can use to improve their recall. While there are no hard and fast rules about which words to learn first, building up a solid foundation of Chinese vocabulary is a good place to start. 

Read model essays

To improve their Chinese language skills , your child can also study from examples of good writing. Your child can learn how to effectively structure their own essays by paying close attention to the structure and the overall flow of the piece. Your child can also familiarise themselves with the use of dialogues and transitions to smoothly move from one paragraph to the next. 

Additionally, your child can also take note of any new words that they come across to build up their vocabulary. By reading as many essays as possible, your child will get a better sense of what works and what doesn’t – and they can use that knowledge to improve their own writing. 

Put what they have learnt to practice

Apart from remembering phrases and quotes, your child should also know how to make use of the most appropriate ones to convey their meaning. By writing about different topics, they can learn to flex their “composition muscles” and become better at thinking creatively and constructively about various issues. The more different topics your child writes about, the more exposure they have to different sentence structures, vocabulary words, and idiomatic expressions – all of which come in handy during exam time. 

Remember that practice makes perfect; the more your child writes, the better they will become at applying their knowledge to new and more complex problems . By familiarising themselves with a range of common exam topics, your child can also quickly and easily find the right words to express their ideas.

During the exam

Read the question properly.

When it is finally time to sit for the exam, it is important to read the question thoroughly before writing down any answer. This is especially true for Chinese composition, where misreading the question can result in a completely different essay. As such, reading and understanding the question will be the key to writing a good Chinese composition. This is because the question will contain keywords that need to be included in the essay, as well as provide guidance on what sort of content is required. 

With this in mind, your child will need to comprehend the question carefully before starting to write. This will help to ensure that their composition is on-topic and focused. At this stage, your child would also know what phrases and quotes they can incorporate into their writing. 

Double-check their work 

Finally, remind your child to spare some time to double-check their work before the exam ends. A few small mistakes can mar an otherwise excellent composition. Even if your child is a careful writer, it is easy to overlook a mistake when they are focused on the content during exams. As such, it is essential that they check their work to catch any spelling or grammar errors that they may have missed. These can be costly mistakes that can easily be avoided. 

Study better with Superstar Teacher

On top of these five secret ingredients, your child can also make full use of our online Chinese tuition lessons in preparation for their exams. With Superstar Teacher in Singapore, they will have access to our online tuition classes, Instant Homework Help and other resources that can be extremely helpful in preparing for their Chinese exams. For more information, check out our Secondary Chinese online classes for a glimpse into the learning experience with us.

Let us be part of your child’s learning journey today! Do call us at 63415516 or email us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

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How do native speakers structure their essays?

When analyzing Chinese speeches or essays, I often have difficulty understanding how their the authors organized their ideas.

In North America, for example, a common template for writing an essay is the five-paragraph essay . This organizes the paragraphs and the sentences within each paragraph. Most English-language writing in academia follows a somewhat similar structure to this.

Do Chinese follow any particular structures when planning speeches or essays? Are there any ancient scholars who heavily influenced this structure?

• whoa, nice question. i really hope someone can dig up some information about this. –  magnetar Commented Dec 25, 2011 at 21:13
• 1 You might want to provide some examples. It might be that the authors really didn't follow any specific structures, either because they are very good at their job, or because they are utterly incompetent. –  Wang Dingwei Commented Dec 30, 2014 at 0:58
• 1 I have never seen a five-paragraph essay in English-speaking media. It's more like training wheels for high school writers. –  K Man Commented Nov 16, 2019 at 13:31
• very helpful, i really liked it. thank you. you helped me a lot on my essay –  verynicepost Commented Feb 22, 2021 at 13:21

2 Answers 2

The Chinese have a device called 起承转合 . First you start (起) narrating on some topic. Then you continue (承) to develop the topic with added material. Then you turn (转) the narrative, either by seeking different aspects, or creating conflicts and resolving them. Finally you conclude (合) the topic.

Often it goes like this:

It also work in poems and songs. Here is a modern example, a song by by 张玮玮, titled 《织毛衣》

This idea has its classic roots, so we can see it being used in classical poems as well. For example, 《登高》 by 杜甫, my all time favorite:

It's rather akin to the Hollywood three-act structure , where you plan the plot, develop the plot, reach the climax, then draw the happy ending.

Note that it's just one of the common devices that could be used on any type of writing. As for scientific theses, I think most of them try to follow western standards.

• also interesting to consider possible influence of 八股文 /时文 on this kind of organization... –  Master Sparkles Commented Dec 29, 2014 at 22:00
• @MasterSparkles Yeah how can we forget 八股文 ? Though it's almost certainly dead, it did have served its time. –  Wang Dingwei Commented Dec 30, 2014 at 0:23
• yup, it has a largely deserved bad rep, but it's hard to imagine that baguwen training didn't strongly influence late Qing reformers' ideas about what to replace the form with. The Wikipedia article weirdly fails to mention Dr Benjamin Elman's "A Cultural History of Civil Examinations in Late Imperial China" - late chapters of which detail baguwen's downfall. I don't know if anyone has gone back and studied if/how that influence played out regarding teaching Chinese composition. –  Master Sparkles Commented Dec 30, 2014 at 1:02

In university I had to write quite a few essays in Chinese, they follow the same basic structure of introduction, point 1, point 2, point... conculusion.

I have also spent time correcting thesis and academic writing and it's pretty much identical to in the West.

One point about learning to write better in Chinese that my wife taught me; don't get hung up on how to write something properly in Chinese. Thing about exactly what you want to say in your native tongue (English etc.) and then think about how to translate that into Chinese rather than going for the tricky approach of trying to get your point across in Chinese.

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The Step-By-Step Guide To Write A Good Chinese Composition: Picture Composition For Higher Primary

Before getting down to a Chinese composition, the student needs to learn what makes it excellent—knowing how the questions work lets you cope with them efficiently.    

Before we get into the step-by-step process of writing a tip-top Chinese Picture Composition, here’s a brief of you should know.

For a Picture Composition, there will be six pictures provided in the question. The first five depicts the beginning and climax of an incident, while the last image shows a question mark which requires students to plan and write a logical conclusion to the story.

Related: 8 Tips To Improve Chinese Composition In Primary School

The writing process

Try the following four-step process to write a piece of Chinese composition that’s up to the mark (and feel free to apply it to subsequent ones).

Step #1 Read the instructions carefully

Ah, the sweet, age-old advice. It’s a rule that seems so simple, but yet so hard to fulfil. Students often rush in exams when they get nervous. Teach your kid not to rush when they’re reading the instructions such as the minimum number of characters required.  Also, the reference terms and phrases are great for setting the direction of the story context if students are at a loss.  

Step #2 Observe the details of the pictures 

While reading, it’s unimaginable how one can miss out on specific facts and details. Highlight keywords and/or phrases—anything that comes off as brow-raising or notable, or questionable—as well as making mental notes. Digression from the topic can cost huge marks, and this first step will ensure that pupils don’t get sidetracked. But, it’s wise not to spend too much time on this step as incompletion of work costs marks too! Also, the observation doesn’t end here. Train your child to interpret their observations. Carefully think about what these observations add up to—this will make step #4 easier. 

Step #3 Think and decide on the prologue

Simply put, the prologue is the image before the first image. A preface is like a starter. It opens up the patron’s, in this case, the reader’s, appetite and provides a hint of what’s to come. Exceptionally accurate for picture composition, it’s implausible to create a story with rationale and reasoning by simply narrating what’s shown. A well-thought-out prologue gives necessary information on why the scenario in the pictures or the passage happened , helping readers understand the story better. 

Related: 7 Expert-Approved Primary School Chinese Composition Writing Examples

Step #4 Think about the 5ws and 1h (or list them if there’s time)

There’s nothing worse than being caught in a jumble of messed-up thoughts. The 5ws and 1h—the final step in getting the skeleton of the composition secured—gives your little one a clear guideline of how the story should unfold, from the introduction to the passage, climax and the conclusion. 

A simple guide to improving primary school composition   

Students from primary three onwards will start to write compositions. The initial stages could be confusing, strange and discouraging. For parents to guide students through the writing process, take note of the following:

1. Speak more 

“Speaking” means expressing what you see, hear, and think in words. Make it a habit of listening to your children speak. They can introduce people, things, natural scenery or hobbies, etc. Here’s a good activity: Hear them out for roughly 3 minutes and rearrange thoughts at certain parts where they seemed confused.

2. Read as much as possible

There’s a reason why reading has such a huge buzz. The novelist Stephen King once said, ‘If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the tools to write’. Set aside time to read every week, and make it a habit for your child to pick their reads.  

3. Write more 

Writing materials come from daily lives; things that you can see and hear. Encourage your kid to write down anything , be it a scene from a movie, or a piece of exciting news.

4. Correct mistakes often

The greatest teacher your kid will ever have is ‘mistakes ’. After writing, read the work through, identify mistakes, then suggest amendments. Refrain from reprimanding mistakes. Instead, have genuine discussions or conversations with your child about these blunders. This little move can strengthen their comfort level at making mistakes and encourage them to face errors at ease in future. 

5. Encourage generously   

Not every piece of your child’s work will be spectacular. But there’s always something interesting in their writings. Anything counts; it could be great sentences, the emotions portrayed, concise train of thought, etc. Discover sparks in their papers and don’t be stingy with your praises! 

Related: 8 Tips To Improve Chinese Composition In Primary School  

As we mentioned, reading holds an unquestionably crucial part to improve writing, and it’s sensible to read religiously. Take 15 minutes each day to read extracurricular books. To make the most out of these minutes, jot down uncommon words, sentences, and your comments. 

Kids having trouble learning, remembering and using new Chinese idioms, terms and phrases? Our tutors are trained to engage students in the lessons where they’ll be able to pick up new knowledge, and eventually produce promising and sophisticated pieces of writing in time to come. Hurry and sign up for a free trial lesson now! 

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8 Best Resources to Read Chinese Short Stories Online

A good short story can be the perfect complement to a Sunday afternoon or Tuesday work break. With these eight resources, you can now read Chinese short stories online.

2. 短美文网 (duǎn měi wén wǎng) — Short and Beautiful Writings

• 3. 短文学网 (duǎn wén xué wǎng) — The Art of Short Writing
• 4. 成语故事大全 (chéng yǔ gù shì dà quán) — Chinese Chengyu Short Stories

5. Chinese-Tools.com

6. chinese reading practice, 7. chinese stories, 8. mandarin companion, why you should read short stories in chinese, handy tools for reading chinese short stories, zhongwen: chinese-english dictionary, offline resources.

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Wattpad is a popular website for reading online stories in general (mostly in English), but did you know there are also Chinese authors on Wattpad?

Although Wattpad stories have chapters (called “parts”), they’re generally much shorter than full-on novel chapters, and cater to mobile reading.

Note: This site uses traditional Chinese, which is why the recommended titles below are also written in traditional characters.

Recommended Stories:

• “這樣的我 , 是否能夠喜歡那樣的你”   (zhè yàng de wǒ, shì fǒu néng gòu xǐ huān nà yàng de nǐ)  The Way That We Are, Can We Still Fall in Love — A modern romance exploring the lives of urban working millennials.
• “人生「徐」筆 (一) : 人與事”   (rén shēng xú bǐ yī : rén yǔ shì) Life Thoughts Part One — Short essays on practical wisdom, thoughtful reflection and life tips.

Here’s a collection of recommended short writings, including poetry. You’ll see all the categories listed at the top of the website. 

Check out their page of classics  and other categories such as “ relationships ” and “ short stories ,” or scroll down to see featured and specially curated stories.

• “有一种青春叫宿舍”   (yǒu yī zhǒng qīng chūn jiào sù shè)  Dorm Life — On the little things only those who’ve lived in a school dorm would appreciate.
• “品 ‘笑'”   (pǐn xiào) On Laughter — A short reflection on humor.

3.  短文学网 (duǎn wén xué wǎng) — The Art of Short Writing

On the right, you’ll see rankings for the most popular stories of the week. Scroll down a little bit, and you’ll see rankings for the best authors as well.

• “有一种友情叫平时不联系” (yǒuyī zhǒng yǒuqíng jiào píngshí bù liánxì) — This thoughtful piece shows that friendships can last even if you haven’t talked in a while.
• “男人和树”   (nán rén hé shù) — A nostalgic story about how trees can connect several generations. 

4.  成语故事大全 (chéng yǔ gù shì dà quán) — Chinese Chengyu Short Stories

Chéng yǔ — Chinese proverbs —are important to know for every Chinese student. They crop up in a lot of literary writing and even in speech as idioms. This site gives you all the short stories behind Chinese chéng yǔ .

All their stories are shown on the same page, listed according to the idiom. You can pretty much click on any idiom and get an interesting quick read.

• “九牛一毛”   (jǐu níu yī máo) One Hair from Nine Oxen — The story behind the idiom that means something small and insignificant.
• “三人成虎”   (sān rén chéng hǔ) Three Men Talking Makes a Tiger — The story behind the idiom describing how rumors spread.

This is another website that features short chéng yǔ stories. The stories help you with idioms, as they have pop-up definitions and pinyin above all of the characters.

You can even venture beyond the idiom stories here and explore their collections of poetry and songs , which offer all the same tools and on-site features that make reading easier.

• “对牛弹琴”   (duì niú tán qín) Play the Lute to a Cow — It’s a story about what happens when you overestimate the sophistication and intelligence of your audience.
• “一日千里” ( yī rì qiān lǐ) A Thousand Li a Day  — The main character in this story is 造父 (zào fù) , a man who’s famous for being good at riding horses. 

If sites entirely in Chinese are overwhelming, this site should be a relief.

It offers short Chinese readings with an English translation, along with notes for language students. These short stories are categorized by skill level.

The site is set up like a blog, with stories shown by date and newer stories at the top. You can find categories on the right-hand column.

• “Catching Frogs”   — This is a beginner-level piece about respecting nature. A quick read, with plenty of new vocabulary related to the environment.
• “The History of Chinese Americans”   — This is an intermediate-level story on how the Chinese first started immigrating to North America, suitable for those interested in history or social studies.

Here’s a great website with numerous free Chinese short stories for beginner, intermediate and advanced learners.

You’ll have the option of downloading the stories as free e-books or going with the mobile app.

There are separate apps for different skill levels, and each one offers both free and paid stories that you can read.

Just keep in mind that the stories here are written in traditional characters.

• “中国情人节” (zhōng guó qíng rén jié) Chinese Valentine’s Day — This is a story about the holiday found within the apps and e-book for beginners.
• “年糕的由来” ( nián gāo de yóu lái) The Origin of Rice Cake — This advanced story explores the ancient legend behind 年糕 ( nián gāo ), which is a rice cake that’s served during Chinese New Year.  

Mandarin Companion has taken Western classics like “The Secret Garden” and translated them into easy Chinese for learners, with some adaptations.

Most readers will be somewhat familiar with the plots already, so you won’t have to worry about losing the story thread. These are long books, not really short stories, so they take more time commitment.

Each story is available in printed format and for digital download to your Kindle.

• “六十年的梦”   (liù shí nián dí mèng) The Sixty-Year Dream — You can learn 300 characters by reading this adaptation of “Rip Van Winkle.”
• “美好的前途” ( měi hǎo de qián tú) Great Expectations — This is based on the famous book by Charles Dickens and comes in two parts. 

It goes without saying that reading in Chinese will help with your language skills. Here are some reasons why I especially like short stories:

• They’re short. Trying to read a book in Chinese can be intimidating at first, so short stories are a fantastic way to ease yourself into reading in Chinese. Most short stories can be consumed in less than 30 minutes, and some may take only 10 minutes. This makes the stories perfect for snack-sized Chinese studying whenever you have a little bit of time to spare.
• They’ll grow your interest in Chinese.  Stories really draw out our emotions and entertain our minds. Reading Chinese short stories can increase your interest in Chinese culture and help you enjoy learning more.
• They’ll improve your instinct for natural-sounding phrases. I’m sure you’ve already noticed that when you speak a language fluently, you’re speaking partly by instinct. You’re no longer thinking about good sentence structure or what colloquialisms are most appropriate. Rather, it all comes from your “gut” knowledge. Similarly, with Chinese, you need to develop an inner “gut” knowledge for what sounds right. Reading Chinese short stories immerses you in more popular ways of expression and helps you build this instinct.
• They’ll push you to the next level. We all need a little challenge to keep improving. A Chinese short story, with all the new words and phrases you might encounter, will provide just that. If you persist by continuing to read, learning through context and committing new words to memory, you’ll take your Chinese skills to the next level.

Conveniently, you can use apps and online dictionaries for quick translations and definitions while reading short stories online. Here are the tools I recommend you keep on deck.

This Google Chrome extension acts like a popup dictionary that follows you around the Internet.

Anytime you encounter Chinese text in your web browser, you can hover your mouse over the text and see definitions and pronunciations right away.

MDBG is an online dictionary that provides both traditional and simplified characters, as well as Mandarin and Cantonese pronunciations.

So for someone who’s spending time in both China and Hong Kong, or wanting to get a broader understanding of Chinese, MDBG is quite helpful.

FluentU uses video clips from authentic Chinese media to help you build your vocabulary and comprehension. You can find movie trailers, scenes from TV shows, news segments and more in the expansive video library.

Each video comes with interactive subtitles available in Chinese, pinyin and English. With the flashcard feature and personalized vocabulary quizzes, you can review new words you’ve learned from the videos. 

Learning how to use a hardcopy dictionary forces you to learn Chinese radicals (the only way to look up words in the Chinese dictionary), which is extremely beneficial for mastering Chinese.

Just because you’re reading short stories online doesn’t mean that you can’t combine it with offline learning.

Consider printing out one of those stories (which is more convenient for reading on the bus without overusing your data plan) so that you can mark it up with pencils, colorful pens and highlighters.

Chinese short stories can be a fresh and fun addition to your regular study regimen. I hope the above short story recommendations will get you inspired!

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Rostov-on-Don , city and administrative centre of Rostov oblast (province), southwestern Russia . It lies along the lower Don River , 30 miles (50 km) above the latter’s mouth on the Sea of Azov .

The city was founded in 1749 as the customs post of Temernika, when the river mouth was still in Turkish hands. It then became a flourishing trade centre. Between 1761 and 1763 the fortress of St. Dmitry of Rostov was built there, and a town developed around it, near the Armenian settlement of Nakhichevan-na-Donu, which later merged with Rostov. In 1797 town status was granted, and in 1806 it was named Rostov-on-Don. Because of its key position as a transport centre and port, the town grew steadily with the 19th-century Russian colonization and development of the north Caucasus region and conquest of the Transcaucasia .

These functions remain of great importance. The Don River route to the interior was improved by the opening of the Volga-Don Shipping Canal in 1952, linking the town to the entire Volga basin; a dredged channel gives access to the sea. Rostov lies on road, rail, and oil and natural-gas pipeline connections between central European Russia and the Caucasus region. This nodal location and the nearness of the great Donets Coal Basin have led to major industrial development, especially in engineering. Two huge plants make Rostov the largest producer of agricultural machinery in Russia. Other engineering products include ball bearings, electrical and heating equipment, wire, self-propelled barges, road-construction equipment, and industrial machinery. There are ship and locomotive repair yards and a range of consumer-goods industries. Rostov State University was founded in 1917, and there are numerous other institutions of higher education and scientific-research. Pop. (2002) 1,068,267; (2006 est.) 1,054,865.