Monkey King Studios

MKS Books

Mandarin reader sets built at the studio. Every story runs in large characters with pinyin above and plain English below, and every set closes with writing practice. Read them on screen or print the whole thing.

21 sets · 210 stories · Free to read & print

Chinese History

Read in order and they run from the flood myths to the Opium War.

Reader Set 01

The Mandate of Heaven

the early dynasties

Flood myth to the Zhou beacon fires — where the idea of ruling by heaven's permission begins.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 大禹治水dà yǔ zhì shuǐYu Tames the Flood
  2. 夏朝xiàcháoThe Xia
  3. 天命tiānmìngThe Mandate
  4. 商朝的字shāngcháo de zìThe Writing of Shang
  5. 渭水边的老人wèi shuǐ biān de lǎo rénThe Old Man by the Wei River
  6. 牧野之战mù yě zhī zhànThe Battle of Muye
  7. 周公zhōugōngThe Duke of Zhou
  8. 分封天下fēn fēng tiān xiàDividing the Land
  9. 烽火戏诸侯fēng huǒ xì zhū hóuThe Beacon Fires
  10. 天命换了很多次tiānmìnghuàn le hěn duō cìThe Mandate Changes Hands
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Reader Set 02

Qin Shi Huang

the first emperor

A hostage prince becomes the first emperor, builds the wall, burns the books, and hunts for immortality.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 赵国的人质zhào guó de rén zhìThe Hostage in Zhao
  2. 十三岁的王shí sān suì dewángKing at Thirteen
  3. 亲政qīnzhèngTaking Power
  4. 荆轲刺秦王jīng kē cì qínwángJing Ke
  5. 灭六国miè liù guóThe Six States Fall
  6. 皇帝huáng dìEmperor
  7. ⻓城和驰道chángchéng hé chí dàoThe Wall and the Roads
  8. 焚书fén shūBurning the Books
  9. 求仙qiú xiānSeeking the Immortals
  10. 沙丘shā qiūShaqiu
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Reader Set 03

Behind the Palace Doors

han court intrigue

Four centuries of Han seen from the inside: empresses, boy emperors, consorts and eunuchs.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 吕后lǚ hòuEmpress Lü
  2. 少年天子shào nián tiān zǐThe Boy Emperor
  3. 从奴婢到皇后cóng nú bì dàohuáng hòuFrom Servant to Empress
  4. 巫蛊之祸wū gǔ zhī huòThe Witchcraft Case
  5. 二十七天的皇帝èr shí qī tiān dehuáng dìThe Emperor of Twenty-Seven Days
  6. 王莽wángmǎngWang Mang
  7. 刘秀liú xiùLiu Xiu
  8. 外戚和宦官wài qī héhuànguānConsorts and Eunuchs
  9. 党锢之祸dǎng gù zhī huòThe Proscription
  10. 十常侍shí cháng shìThe Ten Attendants
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Reader Set 04

The Yellow Turbans

the fall of han

The rebellion that broke the Han, and the oath in the peach garden that answered it.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 最后一个安静的冬天zuì hòu yí gè ān jìng dedōng tiānThe Last Quiet Winter
  2. 太平道tài píng dàoThe Way of Great Peace
  3. ⻩巾起义huáng jīn qǐ yìThe Yellow Turbans Rise
  4. 桃园结义táo yuán jié yìThe Oath in the Peach Garden
  5. 第一仗dì yī zhàngThe First Battle
  6. 曹操cáo cāoCao Cao
  7. 江东猛⻁jiāngdōngměng hǔThe Tiger of Jiangdong
  8. 张⻆之死zhāng jué zhī sǐThe Death of Zhang Jue
  9. 太平了吗tài píng le maWas There Peace?
  10. 乱世开始了luàn shì kāi shǐ leThe Age of Chaos Begins
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Reader Set 05

Red Cliffs

the great battle

Three visits to a thatched hut, borrowed arrows, chained ships, and the east wind.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 三顾茅庐sān gù máo lúThree Visits to the Thatched Hut
  2. 曹操南下cáo cāo nán xiàCao Cao Marches South
  3. ⻓坂坡cháng bǎn pōChangban Slope
  4. 过江guò jiāngCrossing the River
  5. 孙权的刀sūnquán de dāoSun Quan's Sword
  6. 草船借箭cǎochuán jiè jiànBorrowing Arrows
  7. 苦肉计kǔ ròu jìThe Wounding of Huang Gai
  8. 连环船liánhuánchuánThe Chained Ships
  9. 东⻛dōng fēngThe East Wind
  10. 之后zhī hòuAfterwards
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Reader Set 06

The Three Kingdoms

the rise and the fall

From the death of Guan Yu to the last campaign at Wuzhangyuan, and three houses folding into one.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 关羽之死guān yǔ zhī sǐThe Death of Guan Yu
  2. 汉朝结束了hàncháo jié shù leThe End of Han
  3. 刘备要报仇liú bèi yào bàochóuLiu Bei Wants Revenge
  4. 夷陵之火yí líng zhī huǒThe Fire at Yiling
  5. 白帝城bái dì chéngBaidicheng
  6. 七擒孟获qī qínmèng huòSeven Captures
  7. 出师表chū shī biǎoThe Memorial
  8. 街亭jiē tíngJieting
  9. 五丈原wǔzhàng yuánWuzhangyuan
  10. 三家归晋sān jiā guī jìnAll Three to Jin
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Reader Set 07

From a Begging Bowl to a Throne

the founder of ming

A cattle-herding orphan begs for three years and ends up founding the Ming.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 放牛的孩子fàng niú de hái ziThe Boy Who Herded Cattle
  2. 十六岁那年shí liù suì nà niánThe Year He Was Sixteen
  3. 皇觉寺huáng jué sìThe Monastery
  4. 讨饭的三年tǎo fàn de sān niánThree Years with a Bowl
  5. 红巾军hóng jīn jūnThe Red Turbans
  6. 高筑墙gāo zhùqiángBuild the Walls High
  7. 鄱阳湖pó yáng húLake Poyang
  8. 大明dàmíngThe Great Ming
  9. 另一面lìng yí miànThe Other Side
  10. 一碗饭yì wǎn fànOne Bowl of Rice
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Reader Set 08

The Ships That Would Not Leave

the opium war

Twenty-three days at Humen, nine votes in a distant parliament, and the treaty that followed.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 广州的港口guǎngzhōu degǎng kǒuThe One Open Port
  2. 一样害人的东⻄yí yàng hài rén dedōng xiA Thing That Ruins People
  3. 林则徐lín zé xúLin Zexu
  4. ⻁⻔销烟hǔ mén xiāo yānTwenty-Three Days at Humen
  5. 九票jiǔ piàoNine Votes
  6. 送到伊犁sòng dào yī líSent to the Far West
  7. 守到最后的人shǒu dào zuì hòu de rénThe Ones Who Held
  8. ⻓江上的船cháng jiāngshàng dechuánShips on the Yangtze
  9. 南京条约nán jīng tiáo yuēThe Treaty of Nanjing
  10. 后来hòu láiAfterwards
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From the Kitchen

Start with Three Kitchens for the lay of the land, then cook a region at a time.

Recipe Set 09

Three Kitchens

sichuan, shaanxi and cantonese food

Ma is not la — one table set from three regional kitchens, and how they differ.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 麻和辣不一样má hé là bù yí yàngMa and La Are Not the Same
  2. 回锅肉huí guō ròuTwice-Cooked Pork
  3. 担担面dàn dàn miànDandan Noodles
  4. 火锅huǒ guōThe Hot Pot
  5. 肉夹馍ròu jiā móMeat in Bread
  6. 凉皮liáng píCold Skin
  7. 羊肉泡馍yáng ròu pào móTear Your Own Bread
  8. 早茶zǎo cháMorning Tea
  9. 白切鸡bái qiē jīThe Plainest Dish
  10. 一桌菜yì zhuō càiOne Table
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Recipe Set 10

Ten Dishes, Ten Flavours

classic sichuan recipes

Mapo tofu to open-water cabbage: ten Sichuan dishes, ten distinct flavours.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 麻婆豆腐má pó dòu fuMa Is Not La
  2. ⻥香肉丝yúxiāng ròu sīWhere's the Fish?
  3. 宫保鸡丁gōng bǎo jī dīngThe Lychee Flavour
  4. 回锅肉huí guō ròuThe Home Flavour
  5. 蒜泥白肉suàn ní bái ròuThin Enough
  6. 夫妻肺片fū qī fèi piànThe Couple
  7. 水煮牛肉shuǐ zhǔ niú ròuThe Water That Isn't
  8. 怪味鸡guài wèi jīSix Flavours at Once
  9. 担担面dàn dàn miànThe Pole
  10. 开水白菜kāi shuǐ bái càiThe Last Dish
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Recipe Set 11

Ten Dishes in One Summer

classic shaanxi recipes

Oil-splashed noodles, roujiamo and liangpi — one Shaanxi summer, ten dishes deep.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 油泼面yóu pō miànOil-Splashed Noodles
  2. 臊子面sào zi miànSaozi Noodles
  3. 肉夹馍ròu jiā móMeat in Bread
  4. 凉皮liáng píCold Skin
  5. 羊肉泡馍yáng ròu pào móYou Do Half the Cooking
  6. 锅盔guō kuīThe Pot-Lid Bread
  7. 麻⻝má shiThumb Pasta
  8. 胡辣汤hú là tāngFour in the Morning
  9. 甑糕zèng gāoThe Sweet One
  10. 葫芦鸡hú lu jīThe One She Wouldn't Teach Me
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Recipe Set 12

Nothing on It

classic cantonese recipes

Eight minutes of steam, thirteen folds, three hours of soup — Cantonese restraint.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 白切鸡bái qiē jīYou Didn't Cook It
  2. 清蒸⻥qīngzhēng yúEight Minutes
  3. 白灼菜心bái zhuó cài xīnTen Seconds
  4. 豉汁蒸排⻣chǐ zhī zhēng pái gǔThe First Seasoning
  5. 叉烧chā shāoThe Sweet One
  6. 干炒牛河gānchǎo niú héWok Hei
  7. 虾饺xiā jiǎoThirteen Folds
  8. 煲仔饭bāo zǎi fànThe Bottom of the Pot
  9. 姜 撞奶jiāngzhuàng nǎiThe Collision
  10. 老火汤lǎo huǒ tāngThree Hours
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Recipe Set 13

Last Year's Heat

classic hunan recipes

A jar of chopped chilli opened and refilled — ten Hunan dishes built on last year's heat.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 剁椒⻥头duò jiāo yú tóuThe Last of the Jar
  2. 腊味合蒸là wèi hézhēngOff the Rack
  3. 农家小炒肉nóng jiā xiǎochǎo ròuNo Sauce
  4. 毛氏红烧肉máo shì hóng shāo ròuThree Seconds of Sugar
  5. 酸豆⻆炒肉末suān dòu jiǎochǎo ròu mòForty Years of Water
  6. 臭豆腐chòu dòu fuSmells Foul, Tastes Wonderful
  7. 东安鸡dōng ān jīVinegar and Ginger
  8. 擂辣椒皮蛋léi là jiāo pí dànPressed, Not Pounded
  9. 糖油粑粑táng yóu bā baThe Last Thing We Bought
  10. 新的一坛剁椒xīn de yì tán duò jiāoA Jar for Next Year
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Everyday Mandarin

The language of ordinary days — shops, sports, bedtime, and the people you sit next to.

Reader Set 14

A Day at the Mall

shopping

Shops, prices, and paying for things — everyday Mandarin for a trip out.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 我们去商场wǒ men qùshāngchǎngWe Go to the Mall
  2. 我要买玩具wǒ yào mǎi wán jùI Want a Toy
  3. 买玩具⻋mǎi wán jù chēBuying Toy Cars
  4. 多少钱duō shao qiánHow Much Is It?
  5. 去超市qùchāo shìAt the Supermarket
  6. 在旧货市场zài jiù huò shì chǎngAt the Swap Meet
  7. 去看电影qù kàn diàn yǐngGoing to the Movies
  8. 吃冰淇淋chī bīng qí línGetting Ice Cream
  9. 商场里还有什么shāngchǎng lǐ hái yǒu shén meWhat Else Is in the Mall?
  10. 回家huí jiāGoing Home
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Reader Set 15

Let's Move

physical activity

Swimming, hiking, bikes and gong fu — the language of moving around.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 我喜欢运动wǒ xǐ huan yùndòngI Like Sports
  2. 我会跳舞wǒ huì tiào wǔI Can Dance
  3. 去游泳qù yóuyǒngGoing Swimming
  4. 我们去爬山wǒ men qù pá shānWe Go Hiking
  5. 我骑自行⻋wǒ qí zì xíng chēI Ride a Bike
  6. 学功夫xuégōng fuLearning Gong Fu
  7. 一起跑步yì qǐ pǎo bùRunning Together
  8. 打乒乓球dǎ pīngpāng qiúPlaying Table Tennis
  9. 你会什么nǐ huì shén meWhat Can You Do?
  10. 天天运动tiān tiān yùndòngExercise Every Day
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Reader Set 16

I'll Do It Myself

running your own bedtime

Flossing, the shower, and the chart on the wall — the language of running your own bedtime.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 我自己来wǒ zì jǐ láiI'll Do It Myself
  2. 牙线yá xiànThe Floss
  3. 两分钟liǎng fēnzhōngTwo Minutes
  4. 洗澡xǐ zǎoThe Shower
  5. 忘了的那天wàng le de nà tiānThe Night I Forgot
  6. 妹妹在看mèi mei zài kànMy Sister Is Watching
  7. 自己念的故事zì jǐ niàn de gù shiReading My Own Story
  8. 十点半shí diǎn bànHalf Past Ten
  9. 那张表nàzhāng biǎoThe Chart
  10. 爸爸不在的那一周bà ba bú zài de nà yì zhōuThe Week Dad Was Away
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Reader Set 17

Three on the Road Home

friends and feelings

Friendship, a thing said wrong, and how hard sorry is to say.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 我最好的朋友wǒ zuì hǎo depéng youMy Best Friend
  2. 新来的同学xīn lái de tóng xuéThe New Boy
  3. 三个人sān gè rénThree
  4. 我说错了一句话wǒshuō cuò le yí jù huàThe Thing I Said
  5. 对不起很难说duì bu qǐ hěn nánshuōSorry Is Hard to Say
  6. 小云xiǎo yúnXiaoyun
  7. 秘密mì mìThe Secret
  8. 他们笑我tā men xiào wǒThey Laughed
  9. 我错了wǒ cuò leI Was Wrong
  10. 朋友是什么péng you shì shén meWhat a Friend Is
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Reader Set 18

What the Board Doesn't Have

ten virtues, one school year

Ten virtues across a school year, and the good deeds that never make the board.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 好人好事hǎo rén hǎo shìGood People, Good Deeds
  2. 说出来以后shuō chū lái yǐ hòuAfter I Said It
  3. 阿文没有说ā wén méi yǒushuōWhat Awen Didn't Say
  4. 分苹果fēn píng guǒCutting the Apple
  5. 没有人知道的事méi yǒu rén zhī dào de shìThe Thing Nobody Knew
  6. 我最快wǒ zuì kuàiI'm the Fastest
  7. 老丁lǎo dīngOld Ding
  8. 我最不会的wǒ zuì bú huì deThe Thing I'm Worst At
  9. 阿文的那件事ā wén de nà jiàn shìWhat Awen Did
  10. 板子上没有的bǎn zi shàng méi yǒu deWhat the Board Doesn't Have
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Reader Set 19

Three Days in San Diego

one long weekend

The Pacific, a surf lesson, Legoland and Korean barbecue over three days.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 去圣地亚哥qùshèng dì yà gēDown to San Diego
  2. 第一次下海dì yī cì xià hǎiInto the Pacific
  3. 冲浪课chōng làng kèThe Surf Lesson
  4. 站起来了zhàn qǐ lái leStanding Up
  5. 乐高乐园lè gāo lè yuánLegoland
  6. 海洋世界hǎi yáng shì jièSeaWorld
  7. 韩国烤肉hán guó kǎo ròuKorean Barbecue
  8. 妹妹也要试mèi mei yě yào shìMy Sister Wants a Go
  9. 最后一个早zuì hòu yí gè zǎoThe Last Morning
  10. 回去的路上huí qù de lùshàngOn the Way Back
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Songs & Stories

Sung, or read for the fun of it.

Reader Set 20

The Songs Nobody Wrote Down

ten traditional chinese lullabies

Lullabies passed on by ear — the moonlight songs, and the mouse on the lamp stand.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 弟弟来了dì di lái leThe Baby Comes Home
  2. 摇到外婆桥yáo dào wài pó qiáoRowing to Grandma's Bridge
  3. 月光光yuèguāngguāngMoonlight
  4. 月亮粑粑yuè liang bā baThe Moon Cake
  5. 爸爸唱错了bà bachàng cuò leDad Sings the Wrong One
  6. 小老鼠上灯台xiǎo lǎo shǔshàngdēng táiThe Mouse on the Lamp Stand
  7. 月儿弯弯yuè ér wān wānThe Crooked Moon
  8. 虫虫⻜chóngchóng fēiLittle Bug, Fly
  9. 妈妈不会唱歌mā ma bú huì chàng gēMum Can't Sing
  10. 我也会唱了wǒ yě huì chàng leNow I Can Sing Them Too
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Reader Set 21

Rockman Saves the World

Robot masters, a yellow dog, and Wily's fortress — a Mega Man run in Mandarin.

  • 10 stories
  • 50 pages
  • Pinyin + English
Contents — 10 stories
  1. 洛克人luò kè rénMega Man
  2. 大力人dà lì rénGutsman
  3. 冰人bīng rénIceman
  4. 火人huǒ rénFireman
  5. 电人diàn rénElecman
  6. 剪刀人jiǎn dāo rénCutman
  7. 小冲xiǎochōngThe Yellow Dog
  8. 威利的城堡wēi lì dechéng bǎoWily's Fortress
  9. 最后一间屋子zuì hòu yì jiān wū ziThe Last Room
  10. 后来hòu láiAfterwards
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