How I Went from Good to Great: Chinese Reading Resources for Intermediate Learners

I’ve been learning Chinese for almost four years now, and nothing has improved my Chinese more than reading. Yes, written and spoken Chinese can be very different, but I’ve also found lots of overlap. I’ve also noticed that the better my reading gets, the more natural I feel when speaking. Additionally, I’m able to express myself in a wide variety of fields and practices. I’ve learned so much passively through reading.

However, getting into Chinese books can be a frustrating process. There are very few decent resources for adult learners of Chinese, especially for intermediate learners, let alone ones that use traditional characters.

Fear not. Here’s what I used, and why it works.

1. Children’s Books 童書

I mean books for grades 1-5 specifically. Picture books are read by adults, to kids, so they tend to use esoteric and difficult words. However, children’s books are designed to be read by young children, so they tend to use much fewer characters. Also there’s usually bopomofo next to Chinese characters, so you can read without pausing, focusing more on the flow of the story. If you live in Taiwan, it’s also really easy to access children’s books for free through the public library system.

Last year, I read at least one children’s book a week. I really love the 可能小學 series. It’s written by a Taiwanese author, each book is centered around concepts of history or science, and the stories are just really cute! It’s taken my Chinese to the level where I can read Chinese novels almost as fast as English novels (though I still struggle with particularly literary stuff).

Recently, I read a novel by 陳雪, a famous Taiwanese author, in about a week. Extensive reading is key.

2. Chinese Graded Reader 分級讀物

Graded readers are books that are specifically created for learners of foreign languages. They are GREAT for going from textbooks to more natural written language. Additionally, graded readers are specifically for adult learners, written with their interests in mind. It uses simple and practical vocabulary and expressions. It also feels really good when you finish one. It’s perfect for beginner and intermediate learners.

I started with Mandarin Companion. I really liked their stories, and they helped me a lot. However, they are written first in Simplified Chinese, and there are nuances lost (and occasional mistakes) in their conversions to Traditional characters. Additionally, they still don’t have many books that are intermediate or above.

If you are looking for intermediate graded readers using traditional Chinese characters, you can check out Abby’s Chinese graded reader series. It’s written in Traditional Chinese at an intermediate level, and uses language more suited to Taiwanese Mandarin. I’ve edited it and it’s exactly the kind of thing I wish I had. The latest release is a love story about lovers who can’t communicate. I really loved the story, and I think you will, too.

3. Manga in Chinese 漫畫

Manga is incredibly popular in Taiwan: there are cafes with all sorts of titles people have heard of and most haven’t. Bookstores sell manga and sometimes even merchandise; libraries have manga sections; there are tons of conventions, too. For those who love manga, this is a natural option; for those who have yet to get into it, there are so many places to start.

For romance, I’ve enjoyed Hana Kimi (偷偷愛著你) and Skip Beat (華麗的挑戰). If you want battle manga, it’s hard to go wrong with Dragonball (七龍珠) or a recent favorite, Demon Slayer (鬼滅之刃). And of course, One Piece (航海王).

As for me, I grew up reading manga. I still follow One Piece weekly. There are many manga that have a special place in my heart, but my favorite is probably Hikaru no Go (棋靈王). There aren’t many graded readers out there, and when I finished the highest level ones I could find, I turned to Hikaru no Go as something to read. Each volume was short, and I could always follow the pictures when I didn’t fully understand the characters. Reading in Chinese felt like reading it for the first time again. It was wonderful.

Keep in mind that these can be slow-going at first. It helps to read with a teacher; it helps to read something you’ve already read; and it helps to not look up every character. Focus on the flow.

In Conclusion

These are things that worked for me, but they don’t have to work for you. I think the important thing is to stick to a couple basic principles:

• Read simple things A LOT. Focus on the flow, not any particular words.
• Have fun. You want to spend a lot of time on it, so don’t waste your time on something you don’t care about.
• Take things you’ve read in your native language and read them in Chinese. It’s easier, because you know what happens already. It can also be magical.
• And lastly, when you feel comfortable, explore books by native authors. You’ll learn things you never realized you could know before. And translated stuff doesn’t sound 100% authentic, anyways.

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An American born to Indian parents living in Taiwan. Been furiously studying Chinese for close to four years. Has stopped getting “Your Chinese is so good!” Now it’s “So how long have you lived here?”

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