HSK 1–2 | 用中文讲故事 | Listen to Chinese Bedtime Stories for Sleep & Learning

Ah... I'm a little sleepy, Li Ming. Sleepy? Wang Yu, look, it's still early. The sky isn't even dark yet. I know. But I didn't sleep very well last night. Really? Why? Was work too busy? Not really. Last night before I went to sleep, I was looking for a story to listen to. You know? The kind... that's very relaxing and can help you fall asleep. I understand. You're talking about "bedtime stories." Yes! Bedtime stories. But I searched for a long time and couldn't find one I liked. So, I went to bed very late. I see. Bedtime stories... that's a very interesting topic. Do you like listening to stories? I love them! Especially when I was a child. Me too. Then let's talk about that today, shall we? Let's talk about "stories." Maybe our listeners can also listen to our podcast tonight and fall asleep peacefully. That's an excellent idea! I love it! Wang Yu, you just said you especially loved listening to stories as a child. Did your mom and dad tell you stories? Not my mom and dad. It was my grandmother. Your grandmother? Yes. When I was very young, every night, my grandmother would sit by my bed and tell me stories. Her voice was especially gentle and very pleasant to listen to. Do you still remember what stories she told you? Um... I don't remember all the stories. There were too many. But I remember the feeling. The feeling? What kind of feeling was it? It was just... a very safe and warm feeling. It might have been cold outside, but in my room, listening to my grandmother's voice, I felt very, very comfortable. Sometimes, I would fall asleep before the story was even finished. I completely understand. That feeling is more important than the story itself. Exactly! What about you, Li Ming? Did anyone tell you stories when you were little? Yes. It was my dad. But my dad was a bit different from your grandmother. Oh? How was he different? My dad also told me stories, but every time he finished one, he would ask me a question. What question? He would ask: "Li Ming, after hearing this story, what did you learn?"

(Laughs) Your dad is like a teacher. Yes. He believed that every story has its meaning, its moral. So, when I listened to stories as a child, I didn't just listen, I had to think. I had to think about what the story was telling me. That's great too. Do you remember any stories your dad told you? I do. He told me a lot of stories about animals. In the stories, there were clever animals and some that were a bit foolish. There were good people and bad people. My grandmother loved to tell animal stories too! I think all children like to hear stories about animals. Because they're simple and also very interesting. Exactly. Simple stories, interesting stories, are the best to listen to before sleep. They don't make your brain too tired. Yes. Speaking of animal stories, one immediately comes to mind.

A very, very famous story. Oh? Are we thinking of the same one? In this story, is there an animal that runs very fast, and another one that runs very slow? Yes! That's the one! "The Tortoise and the Hare"! It seems we were thinking of the same one. This story, I think, every child in China has heard it. Then how about we tell this story to our listeners now? Using the simplest Chinese. Great idea. We can tell it together. Okay, I'll start. Our story begins now. A long, long time ago, many animals lived in a forest. There was a hare. This hare had a special trait. He ran very, very fast. Yes, he was the fastest animal in the forest. So, he was a little arrogant. He often said to the other animals: "Look at me, see how fast I run!" In the forest, there was also a tortoise. And this tortoise, he also had a special trait. He moved very, very slowly. Right. He did everything very slowly. He ate slowly, and he walked slowly. One day, the hare saw the tortoise walking. The hare laughed and said to the tortoise: "Tortoise, tortoise, you are too slow! Look at the way you walk, it's really too slow!" The tortoise heard this and was not happy. He said to the hare: "You are fast, I know. But if we race, you might not win." The hare heard this and burst out laughing. He said: "What? You say I won't win? How interesting! Alright! We'll race tomorrow! Let all the animals in the forest come to watch!" The tortoise said: "Fine. See you tomorrow." The next day, the weather was very nice. All the animals in the forest came. The little birds came, the little dogs came, and the little cats came too. They all wanted to watch the race between the hare and the tortoise. The hare and the tortoise stood at the starting line. A little bird said: "Ready, set, go!" The hare shot off like the wind. So fast! In the blink of an eye, he was out of sight. And the tortoise? He was also trying his best to run. But, as we know, he ran very slowly. He moved forward slowly, one step at a time. The hare ran for a long distance. He looked back. He couldn't see the tortoise. He couldn't see him at all. The hare thought: "The tortoise is too slow. He probably won't get here until tomorrow morning. The weather is so nice, I think I'll sleep here for a while. When I wake up, there will still be plenty of time to run."

And so, the hare went to sleep under a big tree. He slept very soundly. At this time, where was the tortoise? The tortoise was still on the path. He was tired and also very hot. But he did not rest. He thought to himself: "I must persevere. I can't stop." So, the tortoise kept walking and walking. He walked very slowly, but he did not stop. After a while, the tortoise reached the big tree. Who did he see? He saw the sleeping hare. That's right. The hare was sleeping soundly. The tortoise looked at the hare, said nothing, and continued to move forward slowly, one step at a time. After a long, long time, the hare woke up. He opened his eyes and stretched. He said: "Ah, I slept so well! Now, where is the tortoise?" He looked behind him, no tortoise. He then looked ahead... What did he see? He saw that the tortoise was already about to reach the finish line! The hare became very anxious! He immediately started to run. He ran very, very fast, faster than before! But, it was too late. Yes, it was too late. Just as the hare was about to catch up, the tortoise slowly crossed the finish line. So, the race was over. Who came in first place? It was the tortoise, who walked very slowly but never gave up. The story is finished. Even though we all know this story, telling it again now, it still feels very interesting. It is. A simple story, but with a very important moral. Why do you think we, whether children or adults, all like to listen to stories before bed? Hmm... that's a good question. For me, I think listening to a story before bed is like drinking a glass of warm milk. Oh? Like a glass of warm milk? That's a good analogy. Yes. It may not solve all your problems from the day, but it can make your heart, your body, feel very warm and comfortable. It can help you forget the fatigue of the day. I agree. During the day, we work, we study, we might encounter many unhappy things and feel very tired. At night, listening to a simple story is like entering another world. In that world, there's no work, no problems, only a hare and a tortoise. Yes! That's exactly the feeling! It allows our brains to rest a bit. However, Wang Yu, I have a question. Our podcast is "Everyday Chinese," and our listeners are all learning Chinese. Mmm-hmm. Some of them might be beginners, and their Chinese level might not be very high yet. They might think, "Listening to a whole story is too hard. I can't understand it." I completely understand. You know, Li Ming, when I was learning other languages, I used to think the same way. I thought reading an article or listening to a story was an impossible task. So what did you do later on? Later, my teacher told me that in the beginning, it's completely normal not to understand. The most important thing isn't to understand every single character, but to "feel" it. Feel it? Yes. Feel the sound of the language, its rhythm, its musicality. Just as we said earlier, feel that "warm," "comfortable" sensation. You place yourself in this language environment, just like taking a bath in warm water, and slowly, your body and brain will get used to it. That's a great method. First, don't feel pressured, just feel. And then? Then, you can choose a very, very simple story, like "The Tortoise and the Hare." You can listen to it many times. The first time, you might only understand "hare," "tortoise," "fast," and "slow." That's okay! The second time, you might understand more. The third time, the fourth time... slowly, you'll find that you can understand the whole story. At that point, you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment. That's very well said. So, to our listeners, if you feel you don't understand, please don't worry. This is a stage you go through when learning any language. Please relax, and as Wang Yu said, first feel, and then listen repeatedly. In China, we have many, many simple stories like this. Many stories come from ancient times, we call them "chengyu stories" (idiom stories). Yes, for example, "drawing a snake and adding feet," "waiting by a stump for a hare"... these stories are all very short and very famous. That's right. When we have the chance in the future, we can tell everyone more chengyu stories. Li Ming, we just told a famous story. Now, how about we create a very short and simple story ourselves? Right now? We create it ourselves? Yes! To give our listeners a demonstration. A unique bedtime story written especially for tonight. Alright, this is an interesting challenge. So... who is the main character of our story? Hmm... let me think. How about a little cat and a little fish? A little cat and a little fish? But, cats like to eat fish. Can they become friends? That depends on how we write our story. Okay, I'll start. Please. On a quiet night, there was a little cat named "Maomao." He had white fur and blue eyes, very cute. Okay. This evening, Maomao felt a little hungry. He wanted to eat something. He walked to the bank of a small river. In the river, he saw a little fish. This little fish had a golden body, and it looked very beautiful in the moonlight. Maomao saw the little fish and thought, "Ah, a fish! My dinner has arrived!" He prepared to catch this little fish. But, just at that moment, the little fish started to speak. The little fish said to Maomao, "Hello, cute little cat. Good evening." Maomao was stunned. He had never heard a fish talk before. He said, "You... hello. You can talk?" The little fish smiled and said, "Yes. I see you're alone, are you very lonely?" Maomao thought for a moment and said, "A little bit. My friends have all gone home to sleep. I'm all alone." The little fish said, "I don't have any friends either. The other fish in the water swim very fast, they don't like to play with me. I'm willing to be your friend, but... are you thinking of eating me?" Maomao looked at the little fish's beautiful golden body, then at her sincere eyes. He suddenly felt that he wasn't so hungry anymore. He said, "No, I don't want to eat you anymore. Having a friend is more important than a single dinner. My name is Maomao, what's your name?" The little fish said happily, "My name is 'Shanshan,' because my body sparkles. It's nice to meet you, Maomao!" Maomao also said happily, "It's nice to meet you too, Shanshan!" From that night on, the kitten Maomao and the little fish Shanshan became the best of friends. Every night, Maomao would go to the riverbank, not to eat fish, but to chat with Shanshan, and talk about the things that happened during the day. Our story is finished. What do you think? I think it's very good. A warm story about friendship. Very suitable for listening to before sleep. I also hope our listeners will like this new, simple story of ours. Alright, Wang Yu, we've talked a lot about the topic of stories today. From your grandmother's stories, to "The Tortoise and the Hare," to the story of Maomao and Shanshan that we created ourselves. Yes, time has really flown by. I hope everyone has sweet dreams tonight. Before we end, as usual, let's summarize some of the important words that appeared in today's podcast. Okay. First, our theme today was "gùshi" (story). A story you listen to before sleep is called a "shuìqián gùshi" (bedtime story). We use the verb "tīng" (to listen), to listen to a story. Then, we told a famous story called "Guī Tù Sài Pǎo" (The Tortoise and the Hare). There are two main characters in it, one is the "tùzi" (hare), and the other is the "wūguī" (tortoise). The hare runs very "kuài" (fast), while the tortoise moves very "màn" (slow). Right, "kuài" (fast) and "màn" (slow). But in the end, the slow tortoise won because he "jiānchí" (persevered). We also created a story whose main characters were a "xiǎo māo" (kitten) and a "xiǎo yú" (little fish), and they became good "péngyǒu" (friends). That's a great summary! These are all very basic and useful words. I hope that tonight, everyone not only listened to a story but also learned a few things. I hope so too. So, to our listeners, as you get ready for bed, we'd also like to ask you a question: Do you like to listen to stories before bed? What is your favorite story, or the first one you remember? If you'd like, you can use the simple Chinese you've learned to leave a comment below our channel and share with us. We look forward to reading your stories. Alright, let's wrap it up here for today. It's getting late. We wish you all sweet dreams. Good night. Good night. See you next time.