Reading is where a language stops being a subject and starts being a way of getting at something. The studio at /reading has graded passages from HSK 1 to 9, every sentence checked against its own band — so you can read for meaning rather than decode word by word.
What is in the studio
- Graded passages — From a few lines at HSK 1 to full articles at the top bands. Nothing in a passage sits above the level it is filed under.
- Vocabulary alongside — The words the passage introduces, with pinyin and audio, so you are not breaking off to search.
- Comprehension questions — On what the passage said, in the shape the HSK reading section uses.
- Tap-anything lookup — Every character in every passage opens a card with pinyin, meaning and an HSK band.
How to read a passage
- Read it once without stopping — No lookups. Get whatever you get. This first pass is training the thing you actually want — reading, rather than deciphering.
- Read it again, looking up sparingly — Only the words that block the meaning. A word you can skip past is a word you can skip past.
- Answer the questions — From the passage, not from memory of the lookups.
- Now go back for the rest — Third pass, look up everything that interested you. Add the two or three worth keeping to your flashcards.
Other things worth reading
The reading studio is graded practice. When you want reading that is about something, two other places carry Chinese in context: the culture library — history, art, philosophy, festivals — and the day’s Dragon Daily edition. Both have the same tap-any-character lookup, and both are free.
What it costs
Reading a passage, looking words up and answering the comprehension questions spend no credits — none of it calls an AI. The studio is part of a plan; the culture library and Dragon Daily are free to everyone.
Common questions
No. Passages, lookups and comprehension questions are all free of credits on any plan.