Pinyora graded readers: 102 short texts, easiest first

circle; ring; loop; (fig.) social circle; niche group; community; fandom; classifier for loops, orbits, laps; to surround; to encircle; to circle (sth); to mark with a circle

走出zǒuchū

to leave (a room etc); to go out through (a door etc)

不方便bùfāngbiàn

inconvenience; inconvenient

lane; alley

soul; spirit

narrow

rock; stone; stone inscription; one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音 (bāyīn)

承载chéngzài

to bear the weight; to sustain

百年bǎinián

hundred years; century; (fig.) a whole lifetime; a person's whole life

大妈dàmā

father's elder brother's wife; aunt (affectionate term for an elderly woman)

下棋xiàqí

to play chess

追zhuī

to chase; to pursue; to look into; to investigate; to reminisce; to recall; to court (one's beloved); to binge-watch (a TV drama); retroactively; posthumously

平凡píngfán

commonplace; ordinary; mediocre

画面huàmiàn

scene; tableau; picture; image; screen (displayed by a computer); (motion picture) frame; field of view

曾céng

once; already; ever (in the past); former; previously; (past tense marker used before verb or clause)

随着suízhe

along with; in the wake of; following

不断bùduàn

unceasing; uninterrupted; continuous; constant

拆除chāichú

to tear down; to demolish; to dismantle; to remove

代替dàitì

to replace; to take the place of

四合院sìhéyuàn

courtyard house with a fully enclosed courtyard (type of Chinese residence)

邻里línlǐ

neighbor; neighborhood

情谊qíngyì

friendship; camaraderie

随suí

to follow; to comply with; varying according to...; to allow; subsequently

打卡dǎkǎ

(of an employee) to clock on (or off); to punch in (or out); (on social media) to check in to a location

可kě

(prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however

Particle

原住民yuánzhùmín

indigenous peoples; aborigine

蒙古语Měnggǔyǔ

Mongolian (language)

原意yuányì

original meaning; original intention

水井shuǐjǐng

(water) well

人家rénjia

other people; sb else; he, she or they; I, me (referring to oneself as "one" or "people")

巷子xiàngzi

alley

侧身cèshēn

(to stand or move) sideways

土气tǔqì

rustic; uncouth; unsophisticated

炒chǎo

to sauté; to stir-fry; to speculate (in real estate etc); to scalp; to hype up; to sack; to fire (sb)

狗gǒu

dog

尾巴wěiba

tail; colloquial pr. yǐba

从前cóngqián

previously; formerly; once upon a time

营生yíngshēng

to earn a living

墩子dūnzi

squat block (of stone, wood etc); ottoman; pouf

门墩méndūn

wooden or stone block supporting the axle of a door

文官wénguān

civil official

武官wǔguān

military official; military attaché

煤炉méilú

coal stove

屋顶wūdǐng

roof

升起shēngqǐ

to raise; to hoist; to rise

苏东坡SūDōngpō

Su Dongpo, another name for Su Shi 苏轼 (1037-1101), northern Song writer and calligrapher

黄州Huángzhōu

Huangzhou, a district of Huanggang City 黄冈市 (HuánggāngShì), Hubei

公元gōngyuán

CE (Common Era); Christian Era; AD (Anno Domini)

零líng

zero; nought; zero sign; fractional; fragmentary; odd (of numbers); (placed between two numbers to indicate a smaller quantity followed by a larger one); fraction; (in mathematics) remainder (after division); extra; …

苏轼SūShì

Su Shi (1037-1101), aka Su Dongpo 苏东坡 (SūDōngpō), Song dynasty writer, calligrapher and public official, one of the Three Su's 三苏 (SānSū) and one of the Eight Giants of Tang and Song Prose 唐宋八大家 (TángSòngBāDàjiā)

贬biǎn

to diminish; to demote; to reduce or devaluate; to disparage; to censure; to depreciate

陷入xiànrù

to sink into; to get caught up in; to land in (a predicament)

低谷dīgǔ

valley; trough (as opposed to peaks); fig. low point; lowest ebb; nadir of one's fortunes

诬陷wūxiàn

to entrap; to frame; to plant false evidence against sb

诽谤fěibàng

to slander; to libel

朝廷cháotíng

court; imperial household; dynasty

缺衣少食quēyīshǎoshí

short of food and clothing; destitute

耕种gēngzhòng

to till; to cultivate

坡pō

slope; sloping; slanted

取名qǔmíng

to name; to be named; to christen; to seek fame

东坡Dōngpō

Dongpo, a district of Meishan City 眉山市 (MéishānShì), Sichuan

自zì

(bound form) self; oneself; from; since; naturally; as a matter of course

居jī

(archaic) sentence-final particle expressing a doubting attitude

Particle

士shì

member of the senior ministerial class (old); scholar (old); bachelor; honorific; soldier; noncommissioned officer; specialist worker

伟大wěidà

huge; great; grand; worthy of the greatest admiration; important (contribution etc)

作品zuòpǐn

work (of art); opus

赤壁Chìbì

Red Cliffs, historic battlefield in Huangzhou District 黄州区 (HuángzhōuQū), Huanggang 黄冈市 (HuánggāngShì), Hubei, site of the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 AD

怀古huáigǔ

to recall the past; to cherish the memory of past events; to reminisce; nostalgic

这时zhèshí

at this time; at this moment

完成wánchéng

to complete; to accomplish

哀叹āitàn

to sigh; to lament; to bewail

不公bùgōng

unjust; unfair

微笑wēixiào

smile; to smile