Learning Chinese through Stories

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Episodes

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Using more than 99% target language, LCTS听故事说中文 creates authentic and immersive Chinese language podcast. It covers a wide range of topics and proficiency levels(Novice, Intermediate, Advanced). Every story has two parts: story (A) and story explanation (B), accompanied by annotated vocabulary and transcript. For example, an episode titled "2.3.12 A" means this episode is at the level of Intermediate High (2.3), is the 12th episode created for this level, and is the story, not story explanation. You can also read along with the stories and explanations by becoming our patrons.

Episodes

1.2.21 诗歌《四季》

This is a short poem about four season. In the poem, each season is represented by a plant, animal or a symbol. Those plants, animals and symbols will introduce what season it is. 四季 sìjì Noun phrase, four seasons 草 cǎo Noun, grass 芽 yá Noun, bud 尖 jiān Adj, pointed; sharp at the tip 小鸟 xiǎo niǎo Noun, little bird(s) 春天 chūntiān Noun, spring 荷叶 hé yè Noun, lotus leaf 圆 yuán Adj, round 青蛙 qīngwā Noun, frog 夏天 xiàtiān Noun, summer 谷穗 gǔ suì • Noun, beard of a cereal spike 弯 wān Adj, curved; bent V...

Oct 19, 2016•1 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.1.18 笑话《餐巾纸》

So a lot of public restrooms in China do not provide toilet paper. Have it ever happened to you that you just had a number 2 but could not find any toilet paper? Check out how this witted Chinese guy handled the emergency... Worksheet questions for this story can be found under the tab "练习题Worksheet" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 今天上厕所忘带纸了，好在我够机智，打电话说：喂，给我来份外卖啊！外卖小哥说：“好的，请问先生您的地址在哪？”我说：“就在你家店的东边的公厕右手边的第三个坑，记得多带点餐巾纸啊... ——摘自http://www.mahua.com/tags/jingdianxiaohua/ 餐巾纸 cānjīnzh...

Oct 17, 2016•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.18B 故事解读《小猫钓鱼》

Worksheet questions for this story can be found under the tab "练习题Worksheet" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 带 dài Verb, to take (along with oneself) 河边 hé biān Noun phrase, river bank; river side 蜻蜓 qīngtíng Noun, dragonfly 捉 zhuō Verb, to catch (animals) 空手 kōngshǒu empty hands; with hands empty 蝴蝶 húdié Noun, butterfly 气人 qì rén (this) makes me mad; a complaint to say when one is getting pissed Or 气死人了！气死我了！着 zháo Resultative particle word, verb +着 means one is able to comple...

Oct 17, 2016•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.18A 故事《小猫钓鱼》

This fable story is about whether one should multitask or not. Kitty went fishing with her mom and she failed to get any fish, even the small ones. Her mom concluded that it was because she could not focus on one task at one time. Worksheet questions for this story can be found under the tab "练习题Worksheet" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 猫妈妈带着小猫在河边钓鱼。一只蜻蜓飞来了，小猫看见了，就去捉蜻蜓。蜻蜓飞走了，小猫空着手回到河边，看见妈妈钓着了一条大鱼。一只蝴蝶飞来了，小猫看见了，又去捉蝴蝶。蝴蝶飞走了，小猫还是空着手回到河边，看见妈妈又钓着了一条大鱼。小猫说：“真气人!我怎么一条小鱼也钓不着。” 猫妈妈看了...

Oct 17, 2016•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.2.14B 故事解读《惊弓之鸟》

Worksheet questions for this story can be found under the tab "练习题Worksheet" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 古时候 gǔ shíhòu Noun phrase, ancient times 有名 yǒumíng Adj, well-known 射箭 shèjiàn Verb, to shoot an arrow; noun, archery 能手 néngshǒu Noun, a person who is skilled at something 郊外 jiāowài Noun, suburb 打猎 dǎliè Verb, to hunt; noun, hunting 猎人，hunter 大雁 dàyàn Noun, wild goose 远处 yuǎn chù Noun, a faraway place 近处，a nearby place 鸣 míng Verb, (birds) make noise 指 zhǐ Verb, to point...

Oct 14, 2016•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.2.14A 故事《惊弓之鸟》

While hunting at suburb, Genglei, a well-known archer from Wei told the king that he could get a flying wild goose without using an arrow. The king did not believe it until he saw what really happened... Worksheet questions for this story can be found under the tab "练习题Worksheet" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 更羸（léi）是古时候魏(wei4)国有名的射箭能手。有一天，更羸跟魏王到郊外去打猎。一只大雁从远处慢慢地飞过来，边飞边鸣。更羸指着大雁对魏王说：“大王，我不用箭，只要拉一下弓，这只大雁就能掉下来。” “是吗？”魏王信不过自己的耳朵，问道，“你有这样的本事？” 更羸说：“请让我试一下。” 更羸并不取箭，他左手拿弓，右手拉弦(xian2)，...

Oct 14, 2016•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.3.7B 故事解读《掌声》

文静 wénjìng Adj, quiet (describe girls only) 默默 mòmò Adv, silently 一角 yìjiǎo Noun, one corner 角落， corner 早早 zǎozǎo Adv, early We don’t say晚晚 for late. 小儿麻痹症xiǎo'ér mábì zhèng Polio 患有小儿麻痹症or 得了小儿麻痹症落下 làoxià Verb, a problem was caused by a disease and it never goes away 腿脚落下了残疾 (her) legs and feet were left handicapped because of the disease 残疾 cánjí Adj, handicapped 残疾人，handicapped people 愿意 yuànyì Verb, to be willing to do… 姿势 zīshì Noun, posture 轮流 lúnliú Verb, to take turns 讲台 jiǎngtái Noun,...

Oct 11, 2016•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.3.7A 故事《掌声》

As a handicapped girl who suffered polio when she was little, Yingzi always came to school very early and left at last because she felt embarrassed to walk in front of others. One day, Yingzi was called up by a new teacher to present a story in front of the whole class. Yingzi did not know that her life was going to changed... 上小学的时候，我们班有位叫英子的同学。她很文静，总是默默地坐在教室的一角。上课前，她早早地就来到教室，下课后，她又总是最后一个离开。因为她得过小儿麻痹症，腿脚落下了残疾，不愿意让别人看见她走路的姿势。一天，老师让同学们轮流上讲台讲故事。轮到英子的时候，全班同学的目光一齐投向了那个角落，英子立刻把头低了下去。老师是刚调来的，还不知道英子的情...

Oct 11, 2016•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.l.17 笑话《王子和公主》

The prince was under a curse and he could only say one word every one year. Hence, he did not speak for 5 years so that he could tell a princess something very important. Five years passed and when he finally could say five words, something shocking happened... Worksheet questions for this story can be found under the tab "练习题Worksheet" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 王子被施了魔法，一年只能说一个字。他五年没说话，攒够能讲五个字时，来到公主面前说:“公主我爱你”。公主只回答了一个字，王子就晕倒了。公主说“啥？” ——摘自http://www.jj59.com/gaoxiaowenzhang...

Oct 11, 2016•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.1.16 笑话《老人丢车》

Find the transcript of glossary under "Stories", "Joke stories" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com An old man decided to put three locks on his newly-bought bicycle after losing his previous one. And he also left a note to any potential thief. On the following day, his bicycle was kept well; however, he also saw something unbelievable... 一老人丢车，当他将新买的自行车放在楼下时，他上了三把锁并夹了张纸：“让你丫偷！”第二天，车没有丢，并多了两把锁和一张纸：“让你丫骑!” 丢 diū Verb, to lose 将 jiāng Pretransitive, same with “把” 自行车 zìxíngchē Noun, bi...

Oct 06, 2016•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.1.15 笑话《家里闹鬼》

A drunken man found his house was haunted. But when he told his wife the terrifying story, his wife slapped him. Listen to this episode and find out why. Find the transcript of glossary under "Stories", "Joke stories" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 醉汉回到家，对妻子说：“家里闹鬼了！”妻子满脸惊恐，问：“何以见得？”醉汉说：“我一拉卫生间的门，灯就亮了，而且阴风阵阵，寒气逼人！”妻字一巴掌打去：“你他妈的又尿冰箱里了。” 醉汉 zuì hàn Noun, drunken man 妻子 qīzǐ Noun, wife 闹鬼 nàoguǐ Verb phrase, to be haunted (by ghost) 这间房子闹鬼！ This room is haunted! 满脸 mǎn liǎn Noun ph...

Oct 05, 2016•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.1.14B 故事解读《小蝌蚪找妈妈》

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! Enjoy the lesson and please find the new word list on our website: www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 蝌蚪 kēdǒu Noun, tadpole 池塘 chítáng Noun, pond 游泳池，swimming pool 脑袋 nǎodai Noun, brain 甩 shuǎi Verb, to whip 歌曲《一个人的精彩》快活 kuàihuó Adj, happy 啊（哇） a (wa) Verb+啊+verb, doing something without a stop 吃啊吃，eat and eat 走哇走，walk a...

Oct 04, 2016•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.1.14A 故事《小蝌蚪找妈妈》

This is the story that all Chinese people grew up with. It aimed to teach kids the scientific knowledge about tadpoles' life cycles into frogs. The story was also adapted into a watercolor animation and it gained a great success. Find the transcript of glossary under "Stories", "Scientific stories" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 池塘里有一群小蝌蚪，大大的脑袋，黑灰色的身子，甩着长长的尾巴，快活地游来游去。小蝌蚪游哇游，过了几天，长出两条后腿。他们看见鲤鱼妈妈在教小鲤鱼捕食，就迎上去，问：“鲤鱼阿姨，我们的妈妈在哪里？”鲤鱼妈妈说：“你们的妈妈四条腿，宽嘴巴。你们到那边去找吧！” 小蝌蚪游哇游，过了几天，长出两条前腿。他们看见...

Oct 04, 2016•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.2.13 笑话《农民和警察》

A farmer was driving his bullock cart to the city, while a cop stopped him for driving a cart without a car plate. The farmer got really angry. He did one thing that made the cop so mad that he fainted and fell... Find the transcript of glossary under "Stories", "Joke stories" on http://www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 一农民赶牛车进城被警察拦下，理由是没有车牌。农民愤怒,找来一木板写了一牌挂上，警察当场晕倒，只见牌上写着：牛B—74110。农民 nóngmín Noun, farmer 赶 gǎn Verb, to drive (a bullock cart, a coach) 牛车 niú chē Noun, bullock cart 警察 jǐngchá...

Oct 04, 2016•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast

3.3.1B 解读《乡村孩子与奥运会》

We went through this commentary article with you with a focus on new words, sayings and cultural references. Transcript of this article can be found with the searching bar on the top left corner of our website www.learningchinesethroughstories.com

Sep 29, 2016•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast

3.3.1A《乡村孩子与奥运会》

This is a commentary article that targets on advanced-high learners. While China gets on the top-3 gold medal list of the Olympic Games, many kids from countryside barely get any physical education in school. Check out this article by Mr. Changjun Wang from a famous Chinese periodical "Sanlian Shenghuo Zhoukan". 乡村孩⼦与奥运会马长军奥运会开幕后，我在微信群里做了⼀个小调查，问家长们，孩⼦喜欢看哪项比赛，⼤多数家长都说孩⼦根本就不看体育节目，只有四五个家长提到孩⼦看了奥运会节目，但兴致不是很⾼，“看不懂”。有些家长还提到自⼰也不看体育节目。要说这样的结果我不该感到意外。多年来⼀直教小学语⽂课，我曾经让学⽣写过“我最喜欢的体育活动”之类的作⽂，可孩⼦们写得真是“惨不忍睹”，...

Sep 29, 2016•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.16 笑话《乌龟和蜗牛》

Turtle got injured and his friend snail went to get him some medications. After a long wait for 2 hours, the turtle started to lose his patience and make complaint. And surprisingly, he found... 乌龟受伤了，让蜗牛去买药。过了两个小时，蜗牛还没有回来。乌龟急了就骂它：“哼，这蜗牛，再不回来我可就死了!” 这时候门外传来了蜗牛的声音：“你再说我，我就不去帮你买药了！” 乌龟 wūguī Noun, turtle 受伤 shòushāng Verb, to get injured 药 yào Noun, medication 蜗牛 wōniú Noun, snail 急 jí Verb, to feel anxious 骂 mà Verb, to call names; to curse 时候 shíhou Noun, moment 这时候，at this moment 那时候，at that...

Sep 27, 2016•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.2.20 笑话《妈妈和儿子》

It is time to go to bed and mom asked her son to go to check the light in the kitchen. The son came back to mom, bringing back a hilarious response. 妈妈：“儿子，你到厨房里去看一下，看看电灯有没有关？”儿子去了一下回来说：“妈妈，那里黑咕隆咚的，什么也看不见。我怎么知道？” 儿子 érzi Noun, son 厨房 chúfáng Noun, kitchen 电灯 diàndēng Noun, lighting bulb 关 guān Verb, to turn off; to switch off; to close 黑咕隆咚 hēigūlōngdōng Adj, extremely dark

Sep 27, 2016•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.15 笑话《爸爸和儿子》

This is the first episode of our joke telling series. We want to thank our listeners for this great idea! Click on "like" or "I want more!" if you want more Chinese jokes like this. 爸爸问儿子：你将来娶谁做老婆？儿子说：我要娶奶奶，她疼我！爸爸说：胡说，你怎么可以娶我妈呢？儿子说：你可以娶我妈做老婆，为什么我就不能娶你妈呢！ ——摘自http://m.jj59.com/gaoxiaowenzhang/030757.html 将来 jiānglái Noun, future 娶 qǔ Verb, (a male) marry (his partner) 老婆 lǎopó Noun, wife 疼 téng Verb, to care a lot about someone 胡说 húshuō Non-sense...

Sep 26, 2016•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.2.12B 故事解读《黄山奇石》

闻名中外 wénmíng zhōngwài Adj, world-famous; well-known to both locals and foreigners 风景区 fēngjǐng qū Noun, scenic area Or 景区安徽 Ānhuī Anhui province, capital city is Hefei 景色 jǐngsè Noun, scene; view; landscape Or 风景秀丽 xiùlì Adj, beautiful(only used to describe mountain, forest and natural scenes that have trees) 风景秀丽，景色秀丽神奇 shénqí Adj, magical 尤其是 yóuqí shì Conjunction word, especially… 有趣 yǒuqù Adj, interesting Or 有意思，好玩落 luò Verb, to land (on…) 落在… 飞机落在国际机场。The plane landed on the internation...

Sep 21, 2016•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.2.12A 故事《黄山奇石》

Have you been to the Yellow Mountain in China? If you haven't, you should put it on your bucket list. This story gives you a glimpse of the most famous boulders on the Yellow Mountain. Anyway, check it out, I mean both this story and the Yellow Mountain. Going through the new word list before you listen to this episode will help you have a better understanding. The word list can be found on www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 闻名中外的黄山风景区在我国安徽省南部。那里景色秀丽神奇，尤其是那些怪石，有趣极了。就说“仙桃石”吧，它好像从天上飞下来的一个大桃子...

Sep 21, 2016•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.3.6A 新闻《因病致贫的白血病儿家庭：父亲欲卖肾救女》

This father decided to sell a kidney, so that he could have the money to save his little daughter from leukemia. 75% of the Chinese leukemia patients are from countryside and those families made less than 5000 US dollars each year. The leukemia comes as a devastating blow.You can leave a comment and contact us if you would like to make a donation to help out this family. 因病致贫的白血病儿家庭：父亲欲卖肾救女据统计，我国400万名白血病患者中，50%是儿童，其中有超过75%的患儿来自农村，年收入不足3万元。几十万元到上百万元的治疗费用，对于普通家庭，特别是农村贫困家庭来说，将面临着灾难性医疗支出。 2015年9月...

Sep 20, 2016•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.1.12B 故事解读《小伙伴》

小伙伴 xiǎo huǒbàn noun, companies (that one hang out with) 春游 chūnyóu Noun, spring outing 秋游，冬游午餐 wǔcān Noun, lunch Or 午饭早饭，早餐:breakfast 晚饭，晚餐：dinner 一旁 yì páng Noun, one side; away from the majority of the people Or 一边站在一旁，stand alone 背包 bèibāo Noun, backpack 书包，book pack 丢 diū Verb, to lose 把背包丢了。Lost the backpack. 面包 miànbāo Noun, bread 矿泉水 kuàngquán shuǐ Noun, mineral water 大口 dàkǒu Adv, mouth wide open so one can eat/drink more 大口吃饭，to eat with big bites 大口喝水，to drink with the mouth open w...

Sep 19, 2016•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.1.12A 故事《小伙伴》

At this beautiful spring field trip day, Masha found she lost her backpack that had her lunch box in it. Three buddies had different reactions and Masha might have just learned who could become her best friend. Going through the new word list before you listen to this episode will help you have a better understanding. The word list can be found on www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 春游那天，到了中午，小伙伴都在吃午餐，只有玛莎站在一旁。维加问她：“你怎么不吃呀？” 玛莎说：“我把背包丢了，里面装着面包和矿泉水……” 维加一边大口地吃着面包，一边说：“真糟糕！离回到家还有好长时间呢！” 安娜说：“你把...

Sep 19, 2016•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.2.11B 新闻故事解读《男子持假信用卡买高档烟酒》

男子 nánzǐ Noun, male; guy; man Anonym 女子天 tiān Noun, day 内 nèi Prep, within (a period of time); inside (a space) 一天内，within one day 学校内，inside school 持 chí Verb, to take; to hold 假 jiǎ Adj, fake 信用卡 xìnyòngkǎ Noun, credit card 刷 shuā Verb， to swipe 刷卡，to swipe a card 点 diǎn Noun, dot 13.4 十三点四万 wàn Noun, 10 thousand 高档 gāodàng Adj, high-end; fancy 烟 yān Noun, cigarette 酒 jiǔ Noun, wine; alcohol 面 miàn Noun, the top(of a flat object, such as table, credit card, stage) 卡面，桌面，台面信息 xìnxī Noun, inf...

Sep 16, 2016•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast

2.2.11A 新闻故事《男子持假信用卡买高档烟酒》

Spending 134,000 Yuan on expensive cigarettes and fine wine in just 6 days! This guy isn't insane cause he isn't swiping his own credit card. And he got sentenced and a penalty of course. Check it out and get to know more about this news. Going through the new word list before you listen to this episode will help you have a better understanding. The word list can be found on www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 男子6天内持假信用卡, 刷13.4万买高档烟酒卡面信息是中国的银行，刷卡时却显示是外国人信息，这是咋回事？原来这些卡竟是伪造的信用卡。去年9月，一名男子沈...

Sep 16, 2016•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.14B 故事解读《小白兔和小灰兔》

山羊 shānyáng Noun, goat 收 shōu Verb, to harvest 收麦子，to harvest wheat 收玉米，to harvest corns 白菜 báicài Noun, napa cabbage 收下 shōu xià Verb, to accept (gift, money, bribery, etc.) 些 xiē Pronoun, some 一些, some 这些，these 那些, those 菜子 càizǐ Noun, vegetable seeds Or 菜籽翻 fān Verb， to plow; to turn up（ the soil）翻地松 sōng Adj, loose 把地翻松, to plow the soil 土松了，the soil is loose now 种 zhòng Verb, to plant 过了 guò le Verb, (a period of time) passed 过了一个月，a month passed; after a month 浇水 jiāo shuǐ Verb, to wate...

Sep 14, 2016•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.14A 故事《小白兔和小灰兔》

"Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime". Have you heard about this quote before? Well, this is a similar one, but it is rabbit and napa cabbage instead. Going through the new word list before you listen to this episode will help you have a better understanding. The word list can be found on www.learningchinesethroughstories.com 老山羊在地里收白菜，小白兔和小灰兔来帮忙。收完白菜，老山羊把一车白菜送给小灰兔。小灰兔收下了，说：“谢谢您！” 老山羊又把一车白菜送给小白兔。小白兔说：“我不要白菜，请您给我一些菜子吧。”老山羊送给小白兔一包菜...

Sep 14, 2016•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.13B 故事解读《司马光》

古时候 gǔ shíhòu Noun phrase, ancient times 回 huí noun, time(s) 一回，one time/once 两回，twice 几回，a few times 跟 gēn Prep, (do something) with (someone); and, (noun) and (noun) 我跟朋友去看电影。I went to the movie with a friend. 苹果跟香蕉，apple and banana 花园 huāyuán Noun, garden 颐和园(yíhéyuán)，the summer palace 假 jiǎ Adj, fake 假山，fake mountain; rockery 口 kǒu Measure word for vat, water well and family members 一口水缸，一口井（jǐng），五口人水缸 shuǐ gāng Noun, a big container for water, usually it is made of porcelain 鱼缸，fish tank...

Sep 14, 2016•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast

1.3.13A 故事《司马光》

Simaguang is the writer of the greatest Chinese history masterpiece “Zizhi Tongjian". He was a famous historian, writer and politician in Song Dynasty. This story records his heroic act of saving a drowned buddy in his childhood. It has another well-known Chinese name called "Simaguang smashed the vat" (Simaguang Za Gang) and it is one of the best-known stories in China. Going through the new word list before you listen to this episode will help you have a better understanding. The word list can...

Sep 14, 2016•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast