# Chinese Idiom Stories for Kids: 8 Chengyu Fables with Pinyin and Audio (Grades 3–5) Eight famous chengyu fables retold simply for children aged 8 to 10, with pinyin, pictures, story questions, what each idiom means today and read-along audio Source: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-idiom-stories-for-kids ## At a glance - Level: Kids 8–10 - Format: Kids workbook · PDF · 30 pages · US Letter (prints on A4) - Price: Free · free with a saymei account · updated Nov 5, 2026 ## Download Free with a SayMei account, on the workbook's page: https://www.saymei.app/resources/downloads/chinese-idiom-stories-for-kids. SayMei emails a copy too. ## A line from the workbook 我们一起读吧！ (Wǒmen yìqǐ dú ba!) — Let's read together! ## By the end you can - Read eight chengyu fables with pinyin above every line. Each ancient fable is retold in simple Chinese over two Read pages, with a picture and a few new words on each page. 我们一起读吧！ (Wǒmen yìqǐ dú ba!): Let's read together! - Meet each idiom at the end of its story. The four characters come in large type after the ending, with their word-for-word sense and what the idiom means today. 狐假虎威 (hú jiǎ hǔ wēi): the fox borrows the tiger's power: acting big because someone strong is with you - Follow a story told in short speech. A fox tricks a tiger, a frog meets a sea turtle, and a child asks the seller of the best spear and the best shield one simple question. 会怎么样？ (Huì zěnmeyàng?): What will happen? - Answer questions with words from the story. Each Think page asks about the story, such as who walked in front or where the bell was, and your child answers with words from the text. 真的吗？ (Zhēn de ma?): Really? - Pick what each idiom means today. Circle the right meaning from three choices: 井底之蛙 is someone who has seen only a little and thinks it is the whole world. 井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā): a frog at the bottom of a well - Use each idiom in a sentence about Lele, Duoduo or Bao. A model line shows the idiom in a child's day, like Lele wanting to learn a hundred characters at once, then your child says it. 拔苗助长 (bá miáo zhù zhǎng): pulling up seedlings to help them grow - Match all eight idioms in a picture quiz. The last page matches each idiom to its picture and meaning, asks which idiom fits a short line, and ends with one about your child's own day. 自相矛盾 (zì xiāng máo dùn): his own spear against his own shield: saying two things that cannot both be true ## What's inside - Story 1: Read: The Fox and the Tiger · Read: Who Is Everyone Afraid Of? · Think: Think About the Fox and the Tiger - Story 2: Read: The Frog in the Well · Read: How Big Is the Sky? · Think: Think About the Frog in the Well - Story 3: Read: The Spear and the Shield · Read: A Child Asks a Question · Think: Think About the Spear and Shield - Story 4: Read: The Farmer in a Hurry · Read: Pulling Up the Seedlings · Think: Think About the Farmer's Seedlings - Story 5: Read: The Sword in the River · Read: Looking in the Wrong Place · Think: Think About the Lost Sword - Story 6: Read: The Big Bell at the Gate · Read: Who Can Hear the Bell? · Think: Think About the Bell - Story 7: Read: What Is an Elephant Like? · Read: Who Is Right? · Think: Think About the Elephant - Story 8: Read: Lord Ye Loves Dragons · Read: A Real Dragon Comes to Visit · Think: Think About Lord Ye - Idiom quiz: Eight Idioms, Eight Pictures ## How to use this book Eight stories, each two Read pages and a Think page. About 10 minutes a session, one story a week or two a week, with the free audio playing one track per story. - 3 minutes: Listen. Play the story's track while your child follows the pinyin with a finger. - 4 minutes: Read together. Read the two pages aloud together. Take a part each where the fox, the frog or the seller speaks. - 3 minutes: Think page. Answer the story questions, circle what the idiom means today, then say it in the model sentence about Lele, Duoduo or Bao. - Later in the week: Use it. Praise any sentence that uses the idiom, even a short one. The answers are at the back. - After Story 8: Idiom quiz. Match the eight idioms to their pictures and meanings on page 27, then say one about your child's own day. ## Who it's for Children aged 8 to 10 (grades 3 to 5) in Chinese immersion, a weekend school or learning at home, reading with a parent or teacher. Before you start: Your child should read simple Chinese sentences with pinyin. Every line has pinyin above it and the free audio reads each story, so you don't need to read Chinese yourself. ## Which eight idioms are in the book? 狐假虎威 (the fox and the tiger), 井底之蛙 (the frog in the well), 自相矛盾 (the spear and the shield), 拔苗助长 (the farmer in a hurry), 刻舟求剑 (the sword in the river), 掩耳盗铃 (the bell at the gate), 盲人摸象 (the elephant) and 叶公好龙 (Lord Ye and the dragons). ## Are these the original classical texts? No. Each fable is ancient, and the book retells it in its own simple modern Chinese for children, over two short pages. The idiom itself is printed in its usual four characters. ## Is it too hard for an 8-year-old? The stories use short sentences and everyday words, with pinyin above every line and a few new words explained on each Read page. The idioms are harder, so the book gives each one's word-for-word sense and what it means today. ## How do we use the audio? Scan the code on page 2 or play it from this page: one track per story. Listen once while your child follows the pinyin, then read the story together. ## Is there a book of idioms for me or an older child? For grown-ups and older learners at an intermediate level, Everyday Chengyu: Meaning, Context & Misuse Practice teaches 20 idioms you really hear, with short stories and the mistakes learners make most. ## Is this workbook free? Yes. The whole 30-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay. ## Do I need a SayMei account? Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor. ## How do I print it? The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too. ## Can I print copies for my class or my children? Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy. Version 2026-11, updated Nov 5, 2026.