Pick the right level
Choose a story you understand most of on the first read. Looking up every other word? Drop a level. Effortless? Move up.
Reading is the fastest way to grow your Chinese, but only if the text is at the right level. These 95 graded stories run from absolute-beginner A0 to upper-intermediate B2, so you can always read something you understand about 90% of — the sweet spot for comprehensible input. Each has audio, tap-to-translate vocabulary, and a quick comprehension check.
爷爷[yéyé]坐在[zuòzài]公园[gōngyuán]里[lǐ]。天气[tiānqì]很[hěn]好[hǎo]。爷爷[yéyé]在[zài]吹口哨[chuīkǒushào]。
Lire l'histoire complète爷爷[yéyé]坐在[zuòzài]公园[gōngyuán]里[lǐ]。天气[tiānqì]很[hěn]好[hǎo]。爷爷[yéyé]在[zài]吹口哨[chuīkǒushào]。
Where were Grandpa and Xiao Ming?
Effective reading practice keeps you in the comprehension zone — understood enough to follow, stretched enough to learn.
Choose a story you understand most of on the first read. Looking up every other word? Drop a level. Effortless? Move up.
Read a full paragraph before stopping. Guessing from context is the skill that makes you a fluent reader.
Look up only the words that block understanding. The goal is flow, not a perfect glossary.
Finish with the comprehension quiz, then re-read once to lock in new words and phrasing.

Music & Arts
A short story about a grandfather who remembers a special song with the help of his grandson.

Culture & Travel
A story about a girl participating in the traditional Dai Water Splashing Festival.

Relationships & Drama
A short story about a woman who meets a new friend while waiting in the rain.

Daily Life
Une courte histoire sur un petit malentendu dans un café entre deux amis.

Mystery
A little girl helps a vegetable seller discover a secret hidden under her scale.

History
Un ingénieur nommé Zhan Tianyou trouve une manière astucieuse de construire un chemin de fer à travers une haute montagne.

Food & Cuisine
Ceci est une histoire sur le pot de vinaigre préféré de grand-mère.

History
A story about a brave man named Yue Fei and the meaning of the words his mother tattooed on his back.

Mystery
A curious girl discovers a watch in a shop window that runs backward and learns the touching reason behind it.

Relationships & Drama
A new student named Xiao Mei finds a special paper plane on her desk that leads to a new friendship.

Myths & Legends
A hardworking rabbit makes medicine on the moon to keep it shining bright.

Culture & Travel
A grandmother teaches her granddaughter a secret code to get a table faster at a crowded morning tea restaurant.

History
A princess in the Tang Dynasty plants a pomegranate tree and cares for it as it grows over time.

Myths & Legends
A little girl discovers a warning from a stone lion that saves her village from a flood.

Nature & Adventure
A young girl and her father enjoy a ride on a bamboo raft until an unexpected gust of wind creates a small problem.

Food & Cuisine
An old noodle master teaches his apprentice the secret to making perfect noodles through a physical lesson about his own wrist.

Nature & Adventure
A young girl named Xiaoyu searches for her missing sheep in a misty bamboo forest and encounters a friendly giant panda along the way.

Daily Life
A heartwarming story about a daily interaction between a girl and a vending machine repairman through handwritten notes.

Nature & Adventure
description traduite

Sports
Une histoire sur une compétition de corde à sauter où l'enseignant commet une erreur en comptant.

Music & Arts
A young Yue opera actress finds comfort in a special jade pendant hidden inside her costume before her performance.

Food & Cuisine
A story about a girl who learns the true secret behind her grandmother's famous chili oil recipe.

History
Un empereur partage sa nourriture restante avec un garçon affamé, ce qui conduit à une journée heureuse pour tous.

Sports
A young martial arts student learns a valuable lesson when his spear breaks right before a big competition.

A short story about a grandfather who remembers a special song with the help of his grandson.

A story about a girl participating in the traditional Dai Water Splashing Festival.

A short story about a woman who meets a new friend while waiting in the rain.

Une courte histoire sur un petit malentendu dans un café entre deux amis.

A little girl helps a vegetable seller discover a secret hidden under her scale.

Un ingénieur nommé Zhan Tianyou trouve une manière astucieuse de construire un chemin de fer à travers une haute montagne.

Ceci est une histoire sur le pot de vinaigre préféré de grand-mère.

A story about a brave man named Yue Fei and the meaning of the words his mother tattooed on his back.

A curious girl discovers a watch in a shop window that runs backward and learns the touching reason behind it.

A grandmother teaches her granddaughter a secret code to get a table faster at a crowded morning tea restaurant.

An old noodle master teaches his apprentice the secret to making perfect noodles through a physical lesson about his own wrist.

A young girl named Xiaoyu searches for her missing sheep in a misty bamboo forest and encounters a friendly giant panda along the way.

A heartwarming story about a daily interaction between a girl and a vending machine repairman through handwritten notes.

A young Yue opera actress finds comfort in a special jade pendant hidden inside her costume before her performance.

A story about a girl who learns the true secret behind her grandmother's famous chili oil recipe.

A young martial arts student learns a valuable lesson when his spear breaks right before a big competition.

A story about a grandfather and his grandson discovering a mysterious figure in old photo negatives that leads to a touching family reunion.

Une histoire sur une fille qui apprend que l'honnêteté est plus importante que de gagner une compétition après que son amie a feint une blessure.

A story about a Kunqu teacher who teaches his student the deep emotional meaning behind changing lyrics over time.

A girl finds a mysterious note before a badminton match and learns to trust her partner.

A student learns that silence and space are just as important as the notes themselves when performing a piece of music.

A story about a young boy who learns the value of honesty after accidentally breaking his grandmother's bowl before the Kitchen God ascends to heaven.

A story about a young soldier and his sergeant on the night of the historic Xi'an Incident.

A story about a woman who finds an unclaimed plant on her balcony and builds a friendship with the person who left it behind.

A story about a photographer and her guide who encounters a dangerous blizzard in the Himalayas while searching for a snow leopard.

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.

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.

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.

A story about a kind-hearted steamed bun shop owner and a secret act of charity that brings warmth to a neighborhood.

This story follows artist Zhang Daqian as he spends three years in Dunhuang meticulously copying ancient murals despite financial hardship and moral dilemmas.

A story about a resident who discovers an old, unanswered message in her neighborhood chat group and learns the value of real-world connections.

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.
In the Inklingo app, every word you tap while reading is saved and reviewed with spaced repetition, and your level adjusts as you improve — so reading practice compounds.
Pick a story at your level and read it with the audio. Every text is free, graded by CEFR level, and includes tap-to-translate vocabulary and a comprehension quiz — no sign-up.
Comprehensible input is language you understand about 90% of, with a little that is new. Reading graded stories at your level is one of the best sources, because you absorb grammar and vocabulary in context.
Even 10–15 minutes a day helps. Consistency beats length — one short story a day builds vocabulary and reading speed faster than an occasional long session.
Start one level below where you think you are. If you understand most of a story without stopping, you are in the right zone; if it feels easy, move up.