Dear Readers:
There are twenty-two fables in this supplementary Chinese textbook on-line. All of the stories are from Chinese classical works which were written in classical Chinese one or two thousand years ago. I rewrote them in modern Chinese and tailored them to suit the reading level of Second-Year Chinese students.
The stories here demonstrate the wisdom of Chinese people of ancient times. The idioms derived from these stories are still alive in modern Chinese language. In this collection, the four character title for each fable is a commonly used idiom in modern Chinese derived from the story. Hence, in addition to helping you improve your Chinese language skills, these stories can also provide you with insights into Chinese culture.
Besides reading the texts, you can listen to my readings of the texts by clicking on the links above the text. Below each of the texts is a question and a multiple choice exercise which may give you some clues to help you understand the story and test your comprehension. If you like, you may submit your answer to me through email by clicking on the box.
Any suggestions and feedback you may have will be greatly appreciated. Please email me at youqin@leland.stanford.edu.
Confucius once said: "Is it not a great pleasure to study and practice what you have learned?" I hope your reading of the stories here will be a pleasant experience in learning and practicing the Chinese language.
Youqin Wang
January 6, 1998