Learn Chinese from Chinese songs at ChineseHour. This Chinese children song or Chinese ballad ( 民谣 mínyáo) tells that a snail is trying to climp up slowly on a grape tree, and two yellow birds laugh at him. This ballad indicates that PERSISTENCE leads to success.

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Wōniú yǔ huánglí niǎo
蜗牛与黄鹂鸟 Snail and Yellowbirds

Play the MP3 file here:

ā mén ā qián yī kē pútáo shù
啊门啊前一棵葡萄树
ā nèn ā nèn lǜ tā gāng fāyá
啊嫩啊嫩绿她刚发芽
wōniú bēi zhe nà zhòngzhòng de ké ya
蜗牛背着那重重的壳呀
yībù yībù dì wǎng shàng pá
一步一步地往上爬
ā shù ā shàng liǎngzhī huánglí niǎo
啊树啊上两只黄鹂鸟
ā xī ā xī hāhā zài xiào tā
啊嘻啊嘻哈哈在笑他
pútáo chéngshú hái zǎo de hěn nà nǐ
葡萄成熟还早的很那你
xiànzài shànglái gàn shénme
现在上来干什么
ā huáng ā huánglí niǎo búyào xiào
啊黄啊黄鹂鸟不要笑
děng wǒ pá shàng tā jiù chéngshú le
等我爬上它就成熟了

New words:
- 葡萄树 pútáo shù, grape tree
- 发芽 fāyá, germinate
- 蜗牛 wōniú, snail
- 黄鹂鸟 huánglí niǎo, yellowbird
- 成熟 chéngshú, ripe

English translation:

There is a grape tree in front of the door
Germinated just now with tender green
The snail with the heavy shell
Climbing up the tree step by step
There are two yellowbirds on the tree
Laughing at the snail
There is still long time till the grape become ripe
Why are you coming up right now
Yellowbirds, don’t laugh at me
The grapes will become ripe when I climb to the top

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Any problems in these hot Chinese words and expressions, please turn to our teachers online at http://www.chinesehour.com/ . ChineseHour is your first place to learn Chinese online from native Chinese teachers at the comfort of your home or workplace.

小白兔乖乖 (Xiao baitu guaiguai) is well-known Chinese nursery rhyme for all Chinese children, which is often revised into the short plays on the stage. ChineseHour has more stories for it. This nursery rhyme is aimed to improve children’s sense of consciousness for self-protection: Don’t open the door to a stranger. The first act: A wolf in disguise of the little white rabbit’s mother attempts to ask the rabbit to open the door, but the rabbit recognizes that the voice is not the same of her mother and refuses to open the door. The second act: The rabbit’s mother returns home and she hurries to open the door for her.

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xiǎo báitù guāiguāi , bǎ mén kāikāi
小白兔乖乖，把门开开，
kuàidiǎn kāikāi, wǒ yào jìnlái
快点开开，我要进来，
bùkāi bùkāi jiù bùkāi
不开不开就不开，
māma méi huílái
妈妈没回来，
shuí jiào yě bùkāi
谁叫也不开。

xiǎo báitù guāiguāi, bǎ mén kāikāi
小白兔乖乖，把门开开，
māma huílái, wǒ yào jìnlái
妈妈回来，我要进来，
kuàikāi kuàikāi kuàikuài kāi
快开快开快快开，
māma huílái le
妈妈回来了，
wǒ lái bǎ mén kāi
我来把门开。

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English translation:

My cute little white rabbit
open the door for me
please hurry up, I will come on in
No no no I won’t
Mum isn’t at home
I won’t open the door for anyone who knocks at.

My cute little white rabbit
open the door for me
Mum returns home, I will come on in
I will open the door in a hurry
Mum returns home,
I will open the door for you.

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Also, click here to PLAY the flash ryhme.

Any problems in this Chinese video lesson, please turn to our teachers online. ChineseHour.com is your first place to learn Chinese online from native Chinese teachers at the comfort of your home or workplace.

A POP song with Chinese tongue twisters 扁担长

“扁担长 板凳宽” is a common Chinese tongue twister for you to practise Chinese pronunciation. And a POP singing group from Taiwan “S.H.E” has a hit pop song called “中国话” （Zhongguo Hua, Chinese Mandarin）employed this tongue twister for the first part of the lyrics. It is FUN! Do join us and learn to speak Chinese tongue twister with this ChineseHour video lesson.

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biǎndan cháng
扁担长，
bǎndèng kuān
板凳宽。
bǎndèng méiyǒu biǎndan cháng
板凳没有扁担长，
biǎndan méiyǒu bǎndèng kuān
扁担没有板凳宽。
biǎndan yào bǎng zài bǎndèng shàng
扁担要绑在板凳上，
bǎndèng piān bùràng biǎndan bǎng zài bǎndèng shàng
板凳偏不让扁担绑在板凳上。

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The shoulder pole is long,
the bench is broad.
The shoulder pole is longer than the bench.
The bench is broader than the shoulder pole.
The shoulder pole is tied atop the bench;
the bench can’t be tied atop the shoulder pole.
The shoulder pole simply must be tied atop the bench.

New words: 扁担 biǎndan, shoulder pole; 板凳 bǎndèng, bench
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Here is the MTV for Zhongguo Hua 中国话 presented by S.H.E:

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Chinese tongue twisters 绕口令 are a fun tool for improving one’s enunciation. It is especially helpful for you to practice Pinyin for Chinese beginners.

Chī pútáo bù tǔ pútáo píér, bù chī pútáo dǎo tǔ pútáo píér.

吃葡萄不吐葡萄皮儿，不吃葡萄倒吐葡萄皮儿。
One eat the grape without spitting out its skin; one does not eat the grape yet he spits out its skin.

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Māma qí mǎ, mǎ màn,māma mà mǎ.

妈妈骑马, 马慢, 妈妈骂马。
Mum rides on a horse, the horse walks too slow, so Mum curses it.

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Do you want to learn quick and right mandarin Chinese? Visit www.ChineseHour.com, you can get private native Chinese teachers for online Chinese learning anytime of the day with diverse Chinese courses!

Chinese nursery rhyme:

Count Frogs 数青蛙

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一只青蛙一张嘴，

两只眼睛四条腿，

扑通一声跳下水。

两只青蛙两张嘴，

四只眼睛八条腿，

扑通扑通两声跳下水。

三只青蛙三张嘴，

六只眼睛十二条腿，

扑通扑通扑通三声跳下水。

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One frog. one mouth.
Two eyes, four legs,
“Putong!” it jumps into the water.

Two frogs, two mouths,
Four eyes, eight legs,
“Putong!” ”Putong!” they jump into the water.

Three frogs, three mouths.
Six eyes, twelve legs,
“Putong!”"Putong!”"Putong!” they jump
Into the water.

Play the flash rhyme here for “Count Frogs“.

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