HSK1-3 - 3 Chinese Bedtime Stories to Help You Sleep & Learn 🌙 -Chinese Beginner Podcast

Hello everyone, welcome to Chit-Chat Chinese. I'm Xia An. I'm delighted to meet everyone on this quiet evening. Hello everyone, I'm Li Wen. I'm so happy to be chatting in Chinese with everyone again. Shannon, it's dark outside now, and it's very quiet. Yes, Li Wen, because the topic we're going to talk about tonight is especially suitable for listening to in the evening. Especially listen before going to sleep. Are we going to teach people how to sleep before sleeping? I haven't been sleeping well lately; every night when I lie in bed, Still thinking about work during the day, or still pondering how to learn Chinese. Many people have this problem—everyone is very busy with work, and they always have trouble falling asleep at night. So today I'm not teaching you how to sleep, I'm going to tell you and all the audience friends a few special stories. Story? What story? Today's theme of our program is Chinese bedtime stories. A bedtime story? That sounds too cute. But Xia'an, aren't bedtime stories something parents tell to their young children? We're all grown-ups—doesn't listening to bedtime stories seem a bit strange? Not surprising at all. Li Wen, did you know that for people learning Chinese, Oh, why do you say that? First, the vocabulary in bedtime stories is very simple, and the sentences are also very short. Perfect for friends who are just beginning to learn Chinese. Second, the story contains many repetitive sentences, which you can easily memorize. Third, listening to stories can help you relax. Your brain learns languages the fastest when it's relaxed. Wow, I never realized listening to bedtime stories has so many benefits. Not only can it help me relax, but I can also learn Chinese in my dreams. Shane, I'm ready. I just want to close my eyes and listen to you tell a story now. No problem, today I will tell you three very famous Chinese stories. Every one of these stories is familiar to Chinese children. Moreover, these stories are not only enjoyable to listen to, but also contain many wise lessons. I'm so excited! Let's get started right away. What is the first story? The first story is called "Monkey Fishing for the Moon." The monkey reaches for the moon; I know monkeys are animals that love to eat bananas. The moon is the moon, but what does "lāo" mean? "Lo" means to take something out from water. The monkey reaching for the moon means the monkey tries to take the moon out of the water. The moon is in the sky—how can the monkey get it from the water? That's what makes this story so fun. Close your eyes and listen carefully, Long, long ago, there was a very large mountain. There are many trees in the mountains, and happy little monkeys live in the trees. Are there many monkeys? One night, when it grew dark, the moon came out. A tiny monkey ran under the tree to drink water. There was a lot of water under the tree. The little monkey looked down into the water, Oh no, he was terrified—he saw a round, shiny moon in the water. There's a moon in the water—must be the moon's reflection, right? You're right, it's the shadow of the moon, but the little monkey doesn't know that. The little monkey thought the moon in the sky had fallen into the water. He was extremely anxious and suddenly shouted out loudly, Oh no, oh no! The moon has fallen into the water! Come quickly, everyone! This little monkey is too cute, and also too eager. When the little monkey screamed, the big monkey and the old monkey both ran over. Everyone looked into the water together. Oh my gosh, there's really a round moon in the water. The old monkey said, "Oh no! The moon has really fallen into the water!" We must retrieve it, or there won't be a moon tonight. All the monkeys thought the moon had fallen into the water. How do they fish then? Monkeys can't swim. The monkeys are very smart. The old monkey said, "We don't need to go into the water." I grabbed the tree, and the big monkey grabbed my foot, The little monkey grabbed the big monkey's foot. If we each grab one end and keep pulling all the way up to the surface, we can fish the moon out. Wow, it's like a long rope made by a monkey. This approach sounds excellent. Yes, so the monkeys grabbed each other's feet, one after another, Slowly descending, the smallest monkey finally touched the water. Did it get the moon when it touched the water? The little monkey was very happy; it stretched out its hand and plunged it forcefully into the water. But as soon as its hand touched the water, the moon in the water shattered and disappeared. Of course it's gone, because it was only a shadow; when the water moved, the shadow disappeared. The little monkey was terrified and said, "Oh no! I broke the moon! It's gone!" At that moment, the old monkey at the very top felt extremely tired. It lifted its head to take a rest. What did the old monkey see when he looked up? The old monkey looked up at the sky and burst into loud laughter. Hahaha, hurry and look up at the sky— the moon hasn't fallen into the water! The moon is still up in the sky. Did all the monkeys look up? Yes, all the monkeys lifted their heads up, They saw a large, round, and very beautiful moon in the sky. Everyone looked at the moon in the sky and then at its reflection in the water, and all burst into laughter. Haha, what a fun story— the monkeys worked hard the whole time, The moon has always been in the sky. The story is over. Li Wen, what lesson do you think this story wants to convey to us? I think this story tells us that what our eyes see isn't necessarily the truth. The little monkey saw the moon in the water and became very anxious. It would never make a mistake if only it would lift its head and look at the sky. That's right, Chinese parents tell this story to their young children, I just want to tell them not to get too anxious when facing problems, but instead to think more and look at things from different angles. This principle is excellent, and the vocabulary in this story is truly simple. Hello, please tell me the second story. Alright, the second story is about a pen, a very magical pen. The story is called "The Divine Brush Ma Liang." The Magic Brush, a magical brush, right? What does "Ma Liang" mean? Ma Liang is the name of a little boy in the story; Ma Liang has no father or mother. He has no money and is extremely poor, but he has a very big hobby. What are his hobbies? He really likes drawing, but he doesn't have money to buy pens. When going up the mountain, he would draw on the ground with tree branches. When he went to the riverbank, he drew with stones on the shore. His birds look as real as life, and his fish look as real as life too. Everyone says his painting is too good. Wow, he's a genius at painting, but he doesn't have a brush. How pitiful. One night, Ma Liang fell asleep and in his dream he saw an old man. The old man walked up to him and gave him a very beautiful pen. The old man said to him, "Ma Liang, this is a magical brush. Use it to do good deeds." A magical pen. Ma Liang woke up and found that he really had a brush in his hand. He was extremely happy. He immediately drew a little bird on the wall with the pen, and miraculously, something extraordinary happened. He had just finished drawing it when the little bird flew out, soared into the sky, and kept singing. Wow, whatever I draw becomes real—this pen is amazing! Ma Liang was overjoyed. He remembered the old man's words and decided to use this brush to do good deeds. When he saw the poor people who had no oxen, he drew oxen for them, and the oxen came to life and began working for the poor people. Ma Liang is truly a good child, but Xia An, If there's a pen that powerful, surely some bad people will try to steal it. You're right, the villain has arrived. There's a very wealthy villain in the village. He heard that Ma Li had a magic brush, and he very much wanted it. The bad guy wants to spend a lot of money on this pen, right? Yes, the bad man had Ma Liang captured, and the bad man seized the brush. The villain happily took the pen and drew a huge, enormous golden mountain on the wall. Jinshan? That villain is about to become the richest person in the world. But the villain waited for a long time, and the golden mountain on the wall remained just a painting, never turning into a real golden mountain. Why didn't it become real? Is the pen broken? The pen isn't broken, because this is a magical pen; it knows who is good and who is evil. When a villain gets it, it's just an ordinary pen, with no magic. Hehe, this pen is too clever; the bad guys must be extremely angry. The villain was extremely angry, for it knew that only Ma Liang could use this brush. So it said to Ma Li, "Draw me a tree with lots and lots of money on it." If you don't draw, I'll kill you. Oh no, Ma Liang is in danger! Will he be able to draw? Ma Liang was very smart. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright, I'll draw it for you." Ma Liang picked up his brush and first drew a vast, immense sea. Then, in the middle of the sea, I drew a small island, and on the island, I drew a wealthy tree. The tree is on a small island in the middle of the sea. How could that villain get there? The villain said anxiously, "Hurry up! Draw me a boat. I need to take the boat to the island to get the money." Ma Li drew a large ship by the seaside, and the villains happily boarded it. The bad guy got on board. And then what? The boat set off, but the villain felt it was moving too slowly. He shouted at Ma Liang, "The wind is too weak!" Give me a bit of wind so the boat can go faster," said Ma Liang, and then he drew a huge wind in the sky. The wind strengthened, and the boat moved faster. But the villain thought it wasn't fast enough; he shouted, "Larger! Make the wind stronger!" Ma Liang smiled, picked up his brush, and drew countless winds across the sky. I also drew a heavy rain, drew a large body of water. Wow, Ma Liang drew a huge storm. That's right, the wind is getting stronger, and the water is rising higher. The large boat rocked back and forth; the villain became frightened and screamed, "The wind is too strong! Don't paint! Don't paint!" But Ma Li won't listen to him, will he? Ma Liang didn't stop; he kept on drawing. In the end, the boat broke apart, and the villains fell into the sea, never to return. Great, the villain is dead. Yes, Ma Liang defeated the villains and, holding his magic brush, left the place. He traveled to many places, continuing to use his brush to help the poor—this is the story of Divine Brush Ma Liang. This story is so wonderful; Ma Liang is kind-hearted and very clever. This story teaches us that we should be good people and must not be bad people; if we choose to be bad, we will inevitably face unfavorable consequences in the end. If there were an old man right now who gave you a magic brush, what would you most like to draw? If I had a magic pen, I'd draw a bank card with an enormous amount of money, and then I'd go eat delicious Chinese food every single day. Li Wen, you seem to really like money. Just be careful—I might blow a strong wind across your card. Hehe, just kidding. I've remembered this story, Xie An. I'd still like to hear the last one. No problem. The final story is dedicated to all friends learning foreign languages. Its title is "Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them Grow." The phrase "拔苗助长" sounds a bit difficult, doesn't it? Don't worry, I'll explain: "ba" means to pull upward, and "miao" refers to a young seedling or small plant just sprouting. "Help" means to assist, and "grow" means to grow up. Therefore, "pulling up seedlings to help them grow" means pulling the young plants upward to help them grow. That's absolutely correct, Li Wen. Do you think that if you pull the little grass upward forcefully, will it actually grow taller? Of course not. The roots of the little grass are underground; if you pull it upward, it will die. That's true, but in this story, there is one person who doesn't understand this truth. Listen to me. A long, long time ago, there was a farmer. We'll call him the farmer. He had a very large piece of land. When spring arrived, the farmer planted countless little grasses in the field. The farmer planted some grass, hoping it would grow quickly. Yes, the farmer very much hopes his little grass will grow quickly. Every morning he runs to the field to check: Has my little grass grown taller? Plants grow only a little each day, so he can't notice it. Yeah, on the first day he thought the grass hadn't grown taller, on the second day he still thought the grass hadn't grown taller. By the third and fourth days, the farmer became extremely anxious and said, "Oh no, my grass is growing far too slowly. Why is it still so short? I must think of a way to help them grow taller." This farmer was too impatient. Plants need time to grow. What method did he come up with? The farmer thought for a long time, then suddenly he said happily, "I've got it! I'm so clever!" The farmer walked up to the first blade of grass, grabbed it with his hand, gently pulled it upward, and then said, "Look, you've grown taller now." Oh my gosh, he's pulling the little grass upward. That's right. Then he walked over to the second blade of grass and pulled it up a little more. The farmer's field was vast, filled with countless blades of grass. The farmer pulled weeds from morning until night and felt extremely tired. He pulled all the little grasses upward a bit; that's too crazy. The sun was setting, and the farmer looked at his field with great joy. He said, "Although I am very tired today, my little grass has grown taller." The farmer happily returned home and said to his son, "Son, today I did something wonderful. I noticed our little grass was growing too slowly, so I helped it grow taller. I gently pulled each little blade of grass upward a bit. I'm absolutely exhausted." His son must have been terrified upon hearing those words. Yes, the son heard it, said not a word, and immediately ran to the field to take a look. What did the son see? When the son went to the field and looked, oh no! Since the little grass had been separated from the soil, it couldn't drink water, and all the little grass had died. They're all dead? The farmer wanted to do a good deed, but he got it wrong. The story is over. Li Wen, now do you understand why I said this story is a gift for friends learning Chinese? I understand now—learning Chinese is like cultivating a small grass. That's right. Every day, we memorize a few words and listen to Chinese for a few minutes—this is like watering the small grass of our Chinese language skills. This process is very slow and requires a long time. You're right, but many people who are just starting to learn Chinese get very impatient. They hope to be able to understand Chinese books after just one week of study, and after one month, they want to be able to speak fluently with Chinese people. It's just like that anxious farmer who, in his eagerness, stays up every night studying without sleep, only to end up feeling extremely exhausted and miserable, eventually giving up on learning Chinese. Yes, that's called "pulling up seedlings to help them grow." Trying too hard to see results too quickly, using the wrong methods, ultimately ruins the outcome. Learning a language requires gradual progress day by day. As long as you give your little Chinese seedling a little water each day, your Chinese seedling will surely grow slowly but surely. Thank you, Xia'an. This story is excellent. Don't rush when learning Chinese; just keep persisting slowly and steadily. You're right; you shouldn't rush when doing things. Stay relaxed and happy, just like how we're enjoying our bedtime story today. Xia'an, these three stories tonight were truly amazing. My body is now very relaxed, and I've learned many useful Chinese words as well as lots of valuable life lessons. I'm also very happy that you like it, Li Wen. Could you help review the three stories we listened to today for everyone? No problem, everyone can think along with me in your hearts. The first story is about a little monkey, called "Monkey Reaches for the Moon," which teaches us not to act too hastily when facing situations, but instead to take a good look and understand clearly first. Good, what about the second story? The second story is about a magical pen called Shenbi Malang. Malang possessed a magical pen that helped the poor defeat the wicked, teaching us that we should be good people and never become bad. You're absolutely right. What about the last story? The last story is for those of us learning Chinese. It's called "Pulling up seedlings to help them grow." A farmer, wanting the plants to grow taller, pulled them up himself. As a result, all the plants died. This teaches us that we must not be too eager when doing things—we should proceed slowly and patiently. Li Wen, your summary is absolutely perfect. Because these stories are so simple, as I listen to you telling them, monkeys, a little boat, and a farmer immediately come to mind. This learning method is really much more fun than reading books. Listening to stories is the best way to understand a country. In China, nearly every parent reads these few stories to their children every evening. Shaan, your voice telling the story today is also very pleasant; I think I'm already feeling a bit sleepy. You see, my bedtime story was useful, dear listeners. Now, aren't you all feeling like closing your eyes and resting? I hope everyone has a wonderful dream tonight. Perhaps in your dream, you'll encounter that little monkey, or maybe you'll obtain a magical brush. Maybe you can still dream of your Chinese becoming excellent, allowing you to happily converse with Chinese people. That concludes today's casual Chinese chat. This has truly been a very relaxing episode. Thank you all for listening to our story tonight. You've all worked and studied hard today, so put your phones down, close your eyes, and rest well. See you in our next episode. Good night, everyone. Have a good dream, good night, bye-bye. Good night, bye-bye.