SK Mishra's Chinese Short Stories
Level 1
Chinese Short Stories 1
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The current book volume, Chinese Short Stories 1, is a Level 1 Chinese reading practice book. It would introduce you to 8 famous Chinese folk stories. The 1st volume in the Selected Chinese Short Story Series (中国短篇小说精选) includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin Romanization. With about over 500 unique Chinese characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6).
Content
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68 pages
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2,089 unique words
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1,377 unique characters
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10,480 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 2 - Lady White Snake
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The Legend of the White Snake has a long history and is one of the four major folk love legends in China. The story matured and flourished in the Qing Dynasty and is a model of Chinese folk collective creation. It describes a twisted love story between an adult snake spirit and a human. The current book volume, Chinese Short Stories 2, is a Level 1 Chinese reading practice book. It would introduce you to the famous Chinese folk story of the Lady White Snake (《白蛇传》).
Content
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98 pages
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2,528 unique words
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1,404 unique characters
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15,300 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 3 - Cowherd and Weaver
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The Legend of Cowherd is a famous ancient Chinese Han folk love story, and also one of China's four classic folklore stories. It is the earliest story of the Chinese people about the stars. The story of the Cowherd and Girl Weaver, which contains romance in the classics, also reflects the precious twists and turns of love.
Content
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83 pages
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1,892 unique words
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1,170 unique characters
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11,720 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 4 - Butterfly Lovers
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The Butterfly Lovers is a very famous Chinese folktale of the tragic love between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. The Liang Zhu legend and love story include certain real events that have happened in history as they are supported by historical data and cultural relics. Since the Eastern Jin Dynasty (东晋, 317年－420年), the folktale has already been circulated for more than 1,700 years. In Chinese culture, the story is often described as an eternal song of love.
Content
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77 pages
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1,832 unique words
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1,172 unique characters
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10,600 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 5 - Lady Chang É Flying to the Moon
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
Helplessly, after eating an immortal medicine given to her husband Houyi (后羿) by the Queen Mother of the West (西王母), Chang E flew to the Moon Palace. According to Huainanzi, Chang E fled because she stole the medicine that her husband Houyi took from the West Queen Mother, and flew into the Moon Palace, turning into a poisoned toad.
Content
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146 pages
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2,762 unique words
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1,544 unique characters
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20,060 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 6 - Mulan Hua Legendary Warrior Woman
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The current book volume, Chinese Short Stories 6, is a Level 1 Chinese reading practice book. It would introduce you to the famous Chinese folk story, The Female Mulan Joins the Army in Place of Her Father (花木兰替父从军), of Mulan Hua, China’s legendary woman warrior. The 6th volume in the Selected Chinese Short Story Series (中国短篇小说精选) includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin Romanization. With about over 500 unique Chinese characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6).
Content
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128 pages
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2,193 unique words
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1,397 unique characters
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16,980 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 7 - Meng Jiangnu Crying the Great Wall
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The story of Meng Jiangnu (孟姜女的传说), as one of the four love legends in ancient China (the other three are the Cowherd and the Weaver, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and the Biography of the White Snake), has been widely circulated orally (口头传承) for thousands of years. There are two protagonists in the story, one is Meng Jiang (孟姜女) and the other is Qiliang (杞梁). The legend of Meng Jiangnu has a very early origin, and it has existed since the Warring States (战国, 475–221 BCE) period. In 2006, the legend of Meng Jiangnu was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists by the State Council (国务院), China’s State Department.
Content
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72 pages
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1,932 unique words
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1,252 unique characters
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10,090 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 8 - Heroes of the Qin and Han Dynasty
Features
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✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The story revolves around the lives of a large number of Chinese historical figures such as Zhang Liang (张良), Liu Bang (刘邦), Xiang Yu (项羽), Qin Shihuang (秦始皇), Li Si (李斯), Zhao Gao (赵高), Yan Le (阎乐), etc. The plot is in line with history, for example, after Qin unified China, Zhang Liang, who was dissatisfied with the rule of the Qin dynasty, planned to assassinate Qin Shihuang, the founder of the Qin Dynasty (秦朝) and the First Emperor of a unified China (统一中国的第一位皇帝). However, Zhang Liang’s premeditated plans were leaked to the government...
Content
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132 pages
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2,374 unique words
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1,366 unique characters
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17,530 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 9 - Ghost Stories Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
Ghost Stories, Strange Tales from the Liaozhai Studio (聊斋志异, Liao Zhai Zhi Yi), is a collection of classical Chinese short stories inspired by the work of Pu Songling (蒲松龄), a renowned Qing Dynasty (清朝) novelist. These stories expose the darkness of feudal society, attack the decay of the imperial examination system and resist the shackles of feudal ethics and education. The stories often depict the theme of love. Some of these tales express ideal romance and love between supernatural ghosts and human beings.
Content
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89 pages
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2,108 unique words
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1,246 unique characters
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11,340 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 10 - The Devil of Nezha is Born
Features
✔️ paperback or Kindle e-book
✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The Devil of Nezha is Born” (哪咤传奇之魔童降世) is a famous folktale adapted from the Chinese mythology and tells the story of Nezha's growing experience of "being born to be a devil" but "fighting against the sky to the end". The current book volume, Chinese Short Stories 10, is a Level 1 Chinese reading practice book. It would introduce you to the famous Chinese story, The Devil of Nezha is Born (哪吒之魔童降世). The 10th volume in the Selected Chinese Short Story Series (中国短篇小说精选) includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin Romanization.
Content
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134 pages
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2,346 unique words
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1,413 unique characters
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17,470 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 11 - Du Shiniang Sinks Her Jewel Box in Anger
Features
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✔️ pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
This story, with its delicate brushstrokes, portrays Du Shiniang (杜十娘), a female figure, who is persistently pursuing the good wishes in her own heart, and has achieved extraordinary and outstanding artistic milestones. Du Shiniang, a famous prostitute in Beijing, pursued true love in order to redeem her life, and entrusted her life to Li Jiasheng (李甲生), a college student and the rich son of Shaoxing (绍兴). However, Li Jiasheng was weak and selfish...
Content
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95 pages
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2,286 unique words
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1,377 unique characters
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12,040 total characters
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Chinese Short Stories 12 - The Foolish Old Man Who Moved the Mountains
Features
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❌ no audio
❌ no English translation
Description
The fable narrates the story of an old man named Yugong, who is almost 90 years old, and lives directly opposite the mountain. Suffering from the obstruction in the northern part of the mountainous area, he tried to dig up the steep mountain to make a road leading to the southern part.
Content
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93 pages
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- unique words
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- unique characters
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- total characters
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