A story-driven Chinese curriculum for self-directed learners.
The Idea
Most language apps drill vocabulary in isolation. You memorize words, forget them, and feel stuck.
I built this because I was frustrated. Years of apps and flashcards hadn’t given me the fluency I wanted. When I discovered TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) and started studying this way, it was addictive and effective. I wanted to share that experience.
The core principle: You acquire language through comprehensible and compelling input — meaningful stories you can actually follow, not random sentences about pens and tables.
Cold Character Reading: Characters are introduced after you’ve already learned the sounds and meanings through pinyin. By the time you see 你好, you already know that nǐhǎo means “hello” — now you just need to make the visual connection. This makes character recognition about connecting shapes to sounds you already own, not decoding from scratch.
The Story
You’ll follow Kevin, an anxious new hire at a mysterious company where no one can explain what they actually do. His coworkers include the deadpan Lily, the enthusiastically unhelpful Boss Wang, and other characters you’ll meet along the way.
It’s an episodic workplace comedy. Each lesson advances the plot while introducing new vocabulary through repeated, contextualized exposure.
How It Works
Tone Colors
Every syllable is colored by tone — both pinyin and characters. You’ll internalize tone patterns visually before you even think about them consciously.
- 1st tone (high flat) — ALL CAPS → TĀ
- 2nd tone (rising) — last letteR → réN
- 3rd tone (dipping) — lowercase → nǐ
- 4th tone (falling) — First Letter → Shì
- neutral tone — italics → ma
The capitalization patterns (created by Terry Waltz) reinforce tones even when you’re not looking at colors.
Navigation
Use the buttons at the bottom of the screen:
- 📖 — Toggle the Word Wall sidebar, which shows vocabulary for quick reference
- ⚙️ — Access settings and navigation options
Lesson Structure
Each lesson flows through the same pattern: listen first, learn vocabulary, practice with pinyin, then tackle characters. Every story line is clickable for audio. By the time you reach characters, you already know the words — you’re just connecting shapes to sounds.
We use traditional characters (繁體字) throughout. If you can read traditional, simplified comes easily — the reverse isn’t always true.
The Goal
40 lessons. ~300 words. HSK 1 (2026 standard) proficiency.
By the end, you’ll be able to read Chinese text, maintain conversations, and have a foundation for continued study.
Current Status: Beta
Right now, Lessons 1–10 are live. More are coming.
I’m looking for feedback on:
- Does the lesson flow make sense?
- Are the instructions clear?
- Is the difficulty progression reasonable?
- Any bugs or broken elements?
Start Here
→ Lesson 1: First Day → Lesson 2: What Do We Do Here? → Lesson 3: The Meeting → Lesson 4: Lunch Break → Lesson 5: The Break Room → Lesson 6: Going Home → Lesson 7: Morning Routine → Lesson 8: Back to Work → Lesson 9: The Phone Call → Lesson 10: Friday
Leave Feedback
Use the comments below to share your thoughts (you’ll need a GitHub login — it helps me track feedback). Or send me an email if that’s easier.
謝謝！