Hey! Reading month is coming up! All you Chinese learners out there, check out these three kinds of books! Let’s level up our Chinese together!!
If you are new to Chinese, try starting with bilingual versions of classic works! For example, The Little Prince, which is not only a good healing book, but also has relatively simple text content. With the comparison of bilingual content, your vocabulary can also grow exponentially. In addition to this, there are also worth recommending bilingual versions of Harry Potter, Andersen’s Fairy Tales and so on. These are some of the best Chinese books to read for beginners who want to enjoy some familiar stories in a new language.
Another good choice for beginners are works by oversea Chinese immigrants, such as The Joy Luck Club. The story explores themes like mother-daughter relationships, identity and culture. The characters’ immigrant backgrounds combine two different viewpoints, making it easy to relate to them, these are some of the most good Chinese books to experience the clash of traditional and modern Chinese culture.
After building up some vocabulary and cultural knowledge, popular novels from China are also worth recommending, such as the simplified version of Journey to the West. As one of the four great classics of China, the story is full of twists and turns, and the fascinating plot makes one unconsciously immersed in the charm of oriental fantasy. These are some of the most Chinese reading books for beginners to bring a novel reading experience, your Chinese level will also rise with it as the same. Of course, simplified versions of the four great classics such as Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin are also worth reading.
Xiǎo fāng: Xiǎo míng! Wǒ xiǎng tí gāo wǒ de zhōng wén! Nǐ yǒu shén me jiàn yì ma?
小方：小明！我想提高我的中文！你有什么建议吗？
Xiao fang: Xiao Ming! I want to improve my Chinese! Do you have any suggestions?
Xiǎo míng: Nǐ kě yǐ shìshì yuè dú! Nǐ xǐ huān yuè dú ma?
小明：你可以试试阅读！你喜欢阅读吗？
Xiao Ming: You can try reading! Do you like reading?
Xiǎo fāng: Fēi cháng xǐ huān! Yuè dú huì ràng wǒ gǎn dào kuài lè!
小方：非常喜欢！阅读会让我感到快乐！
Xiaofang: I love it! Reading makes me happy!
Xiǎo míng: Wǒ yě shì! Wǒ hěn xǐ huān kàn zhōng guó xiǎo shuō!
小明：我也是！我很喜欢看中国小说！
Xiao Ming: Me too! I love reading Chinese novels!
Xiǎo fāng: Tài hǎo le! Nǐ yǒu tuī jiàn de zhōng wén shū ma?
小方：太好了！你有推荐的中文书吗？
Xiao fang: That’s great! Do you have any recommended Chinese books?
Xiǎo míng: Dāng rán, wǒ zuì xǐ huān de zhōng wén xiǎo shuō shì “Xī yóu jì”.
小明：当然，我最喜欢的中文小说是《西游记》。
Xiao Ming: Of course, my favorite Chinese novel is “Journey to the West.”
What kind of Chinese books do you like to read? Which one is your favorite Chinese book? Please feel free to let me know in the comments!
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