Chapter 7 of 7 · Week 8
Your first real story
An eight-sentence check, then a story at your level.
Eight weeks in, it is time to read something real. First, a quick check to see where you are. Then a story at a level that fits.
The eight-sentence check
Eight sentences, from easy to hard. Read them without a dictionary and without pinyin, and select every one you can read comfortably — not guess, read. Be strict with yourself; it makes the result more useful.
A quick check
Select everything you can read comfortably. Can’t read any yet? That’s fine too: choose “None of these yet” at the end.
What the result means
The first sentence is an everyday routine. After the starter deck, your course lessons and the five patterns, it should feel comfortable.
If it is the only one you can read, or you cannot read any yet, start with Dengdeng’s Beginner stories. They are short stories written around HSK 3.0 levels 1–2, with pinyin over every word, and one is free every day. Stopping at the first sentence after eight weeks is normal, and you do not need to wait before you start reading.
The second and third sentences add a comparison and an “although… still” sentence. Read those, and Easy fits: stories from China that stay close to HSK 3.0 levels 1–3. Comfortable through the sixth sentence, and Medium will fit. The last two come from real Hard stories; read those, and Hard will fit.
Your first real story
Beginner stories are about everyday things: food, family, school, travel, animals. Each day Dengdeng also publishes three stories from China every day, each written at Easy, Medium and Hard.
At every level, tap any word for its pinyin and meaning. The words you tap come back as flashcards and fill-in-the-blank sentences, in the same practice queue as your HSK deck.
Today’s assignment · 15 min
Take the check above and grade it strictly. Only the first sentence, or none? Open today’s free Beginner story and read it all the way through, tapping as much as you need. Comfortable with the second or third? Do the same with today’s Easy story.
Then read one story a day at that level. When it starts to feel easy, take the check again.
For checking yourself afterwards, the eight sentences read: “I get up at seven every morning.” · “It’s much colder today than yesterday. Let’s take the subway.” · “Although it’s pouring outside, lots of people still came to see the pandas.” · “An ostrich ran out onto the road and was nearly hit by passing cars several times.” · “As the economy grows, more and more young people choose to leave their hometowns and work in big cities.” · “Astronomers say the Mid-Autumn moon is not always the fullest. Sometimes the full moon only comes on the 17th day of the lunar month.” · “Buried for more than two thousand years, then damaged by fire and by water and soil, most of the terracotta warriors have lost their original paint.” · “Driven by advances in artificial intelligence, demand for electronic components has surged, pushing production costs up sharply.”
