Baby Panda Looks for a Friend
熊猫宝宝找朋友
A gentle first story for beginners: a baby panda meets a bird, a fish and a monkey. Characters, pinyin, English and audio for every sentence.
Read each sentence in characters first. If you get stuck, glance at the pinyin, then the English. Press ▶ to hear a sentence, or read the whole story aloud. You can hide pinyin or English with the switches.
熊猫宝宝叫圆圆。
Xióngmāo bǎobao jiào Yuányuan.
The baby panda is called Yuanyuan.
圆圆住在山里。
Yuányuan zhù zài shān li.
Yuanyuan lives in the mountains.
今天天气很好，圆圆想找一个朋友。
Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo, Yuányuan xiǎng zhǎo yí ge péngyou.
The weather is lovely today, and Yuanyuan wants to find a friend.
她看见一只小鸟。
Tā kànjiàn yì zhī xiǎo niǎo.
She sees a little bird.
“你好！你想跟我玩吗？”
“Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ xiǎng gēn wǒ wán ma?”
“Hello! Do you want to play with me?”
小鸟说：“对不起，我要回家。”
Xiǎo niǎo shuō: “Duìbuqǐ, wǒ yào huí jiā.”
The little bird says, “Sorry, I have to go home.”
圆圆走到河边，看见一条鱼。
Yuányuan zǒu dào hé biān, kànjiàn yì tiáo yú.
Yuanyuan walks to the river and sees a fish.
“你好！你想跟我玩吗？”
“Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ xiǎng gēn wǒ wán ma?”
“Hello! Do you want to play with me?”
鱼说：“我不能上来，你也不能下来。”
Yú shuō: “Wǒ bù néng shànglai, nǐ yě bù néng xiàlai.”
The fish says, “I can’t come up, and you can’t come down.”
圆圆有一点儿不高兴。
Yuányuan yǒu yìdiǎnr bù gāoxìng.
Yuanyuan feels a little sad.
这时候，一只小猴子从树上下来了。
Zhè shíhou, yì zhī xiǎo hóuzi cóng shù shang xiàlai le.
Just then, a little monkey climbs down from a tree.
“你好！我叫乐乐。你想吃竹子吗？”
“Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ jiào Lèle. Nǐ xiǎng chī zhúzi ma?”
“Hello! I’m Lele. Would you like some bamboo?”
圆圆笑了：“想！我最喜欢吃竹子！”
Yuányuan xiào le: “Xiǎng! Wǒ zuì xǐhuan chī zhúzi!”
Yuanyuan smiles: “Yes! Bamboo is my favourite!”
从那天起，圆圆和乐乐每天一起玩。
Cóng nà tiān qǐ, Yuányuan hé Lèle měi tiān yìqǐ wán.
From that day on, Yuanyuan and Lele play together every day.
Key words
- xióngmāo — panda
- péngyou — friend
- zhǎo — to look for
- wán — to play
- shān — mountain
- hé — river
- niǎo — bird
- yú — fish
- hóuzi — monkey
- zhúzi — bamboo
- xǐhuan — to like
- yìqǐ — together
Look closer: pictures inside the words
Several words in this story began life as pictures. 山 (mountain) still shows three peaks. 鱼 (fish) has a head at the top, a body with scales in the middle and a tail below. 鸟 (bird) was once a drawing of a bird with its beak, eye and tail feathers. And 竹 (bamboo) shows two stalks with drooping leaves. Try the Picture Characters game to learn more of them.
Grammar notes
- 想 + verb means “want to do something”: 我想找一个朋友 — I want to find a friend. On its own, 想！ is a quick way to say “Yes, I’d like to!”
- 吗 turns a statement into a yes/no question: 你想跟我玩 → 你想跟我玩吗？
- 一只, 一条 — Chinese uses measure words between a number and a noun: 一只鸟 (a bird), 一条鱼 (a fish), 一个朋友 (a friend).
- 下来 / 上来 add direction to a verb: 从树上下来 — come down from the tree.
Your turn
Can you answer these in Chinese? Write your answers in the discussion below.
- 圆圆住在哪儿？ (Where does Yuanyuan live?)
- 小鸟为什么不跟圆圆玩？ (Why doesn’t the bird play with Yuanyuan?)
- 你最喜欢吃什么？ (What do you like to eat most?)
Discussion
Questions, corrections and your own examples are welcome. Please keep it kind and on topic.
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