01 / READRead the story
Try reading the Chinese before opening the English translations.
图书馆里很安静。
It is quiet in the library.
我坐在窗户旁边，看了一会儿书。
I sat by the window and read for a while.
离开的时候，我找不到自己的书了。
When it was time to leave, I couldn't find my own book.
桌子上没有，椅子上也没有。
It wasn't on the table, and it wasn't on the chair either.
后来，我打开包，笑了。
Then I opened my bag and laughed.
书一直在包里。
The book had been in my bag the whole time.
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02 / UNDERSTANDWhere is the book?
桌子上 means ‘on the table’; 包里 means ‘inside the bag’. A place word such as 上 or 里 follows the noun. In 书在包里, 在 introduces the location. Compare that with 我在图书馆看书: when the location describes where an action happens, put 在图书馆 before the action 看书.
Read the grammar lesson03 / PRACTISEWhat did you read?
04 / VOCABULARYStory vocabulary
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning here |
|---|---|---|
| 图书馆 | túshūguǎn | library |
| 窗户 | chuānghu | window |
| 旁边 | pángbiān | beside; next to |
| 安静 | ānjìng | quiet |
| 椅子 | yǐzi | chair |
| 一直 | yìzhí | all along; continuously |
Choose a Chinese word for dictionary definitions, examples and stroke order. The meanings above are specific to this lesson.
What is in the download?
The TSV contains Chinese words, pinyin and meanings. Import instructions are below.
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Save the Chinese TXT to Files. In Laowai, open Library → Your texts and import it. You can then look up and save words as you read.
Reading and import guide ↗