Listen with the text
First read along while you listen. Matching sounds to written words trains your ear to break the stream of Chinese into real words.
Chinese Listening Practice
Chinese Listening Practice
Train your ear with 135 Chinese stories narrated by native speakers — every one shown with the full text so you can listen and read along. From slow, clear A0 narration to natural-speed B2, this is graded listening practice that grows with you, with key vocabulary and comprehension quizzes built in.
135stories135narrated with audio~5min average read
Listen to the openingDad Drinks Milk
▶ NarratedA01 minDaily Life
Dad Drinks Milk
Open with podcast modeListen straight through — a narration playlist
- Dad Drinks MilkA0 · 1m
- The Little Dog Watches the BallA0 · 1m
- The Little Dog Eats BreadA0 · 1m
- Mother Gives an AppleA0 · 1m
- The Cat Drinks WaterA0 · 1m
- A Friend Gives a BallA0 · 1m
How to practice Chinese listening
Listening grows fastest when you pair audio with text and then gradually take the text away.
Listen without looking
Play the audio again with your eyes off the screen. See how much you can follow by ear alone — the real workout.
Shadow the narrator
Replay short sections and repeat out loud right after the narrator, copying rhythm and intonation. Shadowing builds listening and speaking at once.
Move up in speed
Start with slow A0–A1 narration, then climb toward natural-speed B1–B2 audio as your ear adjusts.
Narrated stories to listen to
All with native-speaker audioDaily Life
Dad Drinks Milk
A story about a father drinking milk at home.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Little Dog Watches the Ball
A story about a child giving a ball to a little dog.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Little Dog Eats Bread
A little dog eats bread at home and feels happy with a child.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
Mother Gives an Apple
A mother gives her child an apple, and the child eats it happily.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Cat Drinks Water
A small cat is at home, and its mother gives it a cup of water.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Relationships & Drama
A Friend Gives a Ball
A story about a friend giving a red ball.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
Dad, Sit Here
A child gives Dad a large chair and a cup of water.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
Mom Reads a Book
A story about a mother reading a book at home.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Mystery
Where Is the Door?
Xiaoming looks around a room for the door and feels happy when he finds it.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Relationships & Drama
I Give My Friend Water
A story about giving water to a friend at home.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
My Blue Cup
A story about a blue cup and a mother giving water.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Book in the Bag
A story about a child who finds a book in a bag.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Mystery
Where Is the Apple?
A child looks for an apple at home and finds it in a schoolbag.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
The Red Cup
A child is at home and drinks water from a red cup.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
Two Cups
A simple story about two cups at home.
A01 min listenNarratedQuiz
Music & Arts
爷爷的口哨只吹一半
A short story about a grandfather who remembers a special song with the help of his grandson.
A12 min listenNarratedQuiz
Relationships & Drama
共用一把伞的两个人
A short story about a woman who meets a new friend while waiting in the rain.
A12 min listenNarratedQuiz
History
詹天佑图纸上那道人字弯
An engineer named Zhan Tianyou finds a clever way to build a railway through a tall mountain.
A12 min listenNarratedQuiz
Food & Cuisine
奶奶灶台上那罐陈醋
Grandma's favorite jar of vinegar is missing from the kitchen, and her granddaughter helps her find it.
A12 min listenNarratedQuiz
Culture & Travel
傣族泼水节第一瓢该泼给谁
A story about a girl participating in the traditional Dai Water Splashing Festival.
A22 min listenNarratedQuiz
Daily Life
迟到五分钟引发的误会
A short story about a small misunderstanding at a coffee shop between two friends.
A22 min listenNarratedQuiz
Mystery
菜市场那杆总缺一克的秤
A little girl helps a vegetable seller discover a secret hidden under her scale.
A22 min listenNarratedQuiz
History
The Four Characters Tattooed on Yue Fei's Back
A story about a brave man named Yue Fei and the meaning of the words his mother tattooed on his back.
A22 min listenNarratedQuiz
Mystery
钟表店橱窗里倒着走的表
A curious girl discovers a watch in a shop window that runs backward and learns the touching reason behind it.
A13 min listenNarratedQuiz
Listening practice by level
Chinese StoriesA0 Chinese listening
View all →Dad Drinks Milk
A story about a father drinking milk at home.
The Little Dog Watches the Ball
A story about a child giving a ball to a little dog.
The Little Dog Eats Bread
A little dog eats bread at home and feels happy with a child.
Mother Gives an Apple
A mother gives her child an apple, and the child eats it happily.
The Cat Drinks Water
A small cat is at home, and its mother gives it a cup of water.
A Friend Gives a Ball
A story about a friend giving a red ball.
Dad, Sit Here
A child gives Dad a large chair and a cup of water.
Mom Reads a Book
A story about a mother reading a book at home.
A1 Chinese listening
View all →爷爷的口哨只吹一半
A short story about a grandfather who remembers a special song with the help of his grandson.
共用一把伞的两个人
A short story about a woman who meets a new friend while waiting in the rain.
詹天佑图纸上那道人字弯
An engineer named Zhan Tianyou finds a clever way to build a railway through a tall mountain.
奶奶灶台上那罐陈醋
Grandma's favorite jar of vinegar is missing from the kitchen, and her granddaughter helps her find it.
钟表店橱窗里倒着走的表
A curious girl discovers a watch in a shop window that runs backward and learns the touching reason behind it.
早茶店里排队的暗号
A grandmother teaches her granddaughter a secret code to get a table faster at a crowded morning tea restaurant.
兰州拉面师傅手腕那道弯
An old noodle master teaches his apprentice the secret to making perfect noodles through a physical lesson about his own wrist.
竹林深处迷路的那只羊
A young girl named Xiaoyu searches for her missing sheep in a misty bamboo forest and encounters a friendly giant panda along the way.
A2 Chinese listening
View all →傣族泼水节第一瓢该泼给谁
A story about a girl participating in the traditional Dai Water Splashing Festival.
迟到五分钟引发的误会
A short story about a small misunderstanding at a coffee shop between two friends.
菜市场那杆总缺一克的秤
A little girl helps a vegetable seller discover a secret hidden under her scale.
The Four Characters Tattooed on Yue Fei's Back
A story about a brave man named Yue Fei and the meaning of the words his mother tattooed on his back.
The Paper Airplane in the Transfer Student's Desk
A new student named Xiao Mei finds a special paper plane on her desk that leads to a new friendship.
月亮上兔子捣药的规矩
A hardworking rabbit makes medicine on the moon to keep it shining bright.
The Pomegranate Tree Planted by the Tang Dynasty Princess
A princess in the Tang Dynasty plants a pomegranate tree and cares for it as it grows over time.
石狮子眼睛红了的那天
A little girl discovers a warning from a stone lion that saves her village from a flood.
B1 Chinese listening
View all →
喜马拉雅雪线上失踪的向导
A story about a photographer and her guide who encounters a dangerous blizzard in the Himalayas while searching for a snow leopard.
两代人争的那坛月子米酒
A heartwarming story about two grandmothers whose competitive love for their postpartum daughter-in-law leads to a creative solution to their disagreement over rice wine recipes.
不能推开的第九扇门
After returning to her late grandmother's old house, a young woman named Lin Xue faces the mystery of a forbidden door that holds a family secret.
兵马俑工匠为何一夜消失
A touching story about a veteran artisan who makes a life-saving sacrifice for his apprentice as the construction of the Terracotta Army reaches its final, secret stage.
包子铺每天多出的那一笼
A story about a kind-hearted steamed bun shop owner and a secret act of charity that brings warmth to a neighborhood.
张大千临摹敦煌壁画的三年
This story follows artist Zhang Daqian as he spends three years in Dunhuang meticulously copying ancient murals despite financial hardship and moral dilemmas.
小区群里那条从没回复的消息
A story about a resident who discovers an old, unanswered message in her neighborhood chat group and learns the value of real-world connections.
那场输了三十年的龙舟赛
A young girl discovers the secret behind her village's thirty-year losing streak in a dragon boat race and leads her team to an unexpected victory.
Listen anywhere with the app
The Inklingo app lets you listen to narrated Chinese stories on the go, save the words you hear, and review them with spaced repetition so your listening keeps improving.
Chinese listening practice FAQ
How can I practice Chinese listening for free?
Start reading without an account. Guest translations are limited to 12 taps per day. A free account saves your progress and includes 5 completed stories; further access requires Pro.
What is the best way to improve Chinese listening?
Combine listening with reading at your level, then gradually drop the text. Listening to graded stories you mostly understand, and shadowing the narrator out loud, beats passive listening.
Is the audio slow enough for beginners?
Yes. A0 and A1 stories are narrated slowly and clearly, while B1 and B2 use more natural speed. Because the collection is graded, you can step up gradually.
Can I read along while listening?
Yes — every narrated story shows the full Chinese text alongside the audio, with tap-to-translate vocabulary.