Story collection
Six guided readings for learners in the HSK 2 support band, with pinyin, English, vocabulary help, and quizzes.
无中生有
Tang general Zhang Xun defends Yongqiu by tricking the besiegers into shooting arrows at straw men, then suddenly sends real soldiers over the wall. This is the seventh of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: 无中生有.
暗度陈仓
Han Xin pretends to fix one road while his army secretly takes another. This is the eighth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: 暗度陈仓.
隔岸观火
Cao Cao watches his enemies fight each other from across the river, then wins easily. This is the ninth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: 隔岸观火.
笑里藏刀
Tang chief minister Li Linfu smiles warmly and speaks sweetly while secretly ruining rivals — the origin of the idiom 口蜜腹剑 (honey on the lips, a sword in the belly). This is the tenth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: 笑里藏刀.
李代桃僵
An old poem tells how a plum tree takes hurt to save a peach tree beside it. This is the eleventh of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: 李代桃僵.
顺手牵羊
Soldiers walking to their task see a small goat by the road and take it along. This is the twelfth of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: 顺手牵羊.