Chinese Strategy Stories
Clever plans. Choices worth questioning.
Discover the Thirty-Six Stratagems, a classic Chinese collection of strategies. Through stories of plans and turning points, children examine choices and explain their own judgment in Mandarin.
See the learning
Recognise the familiar. Look for what changed.
The usual handout bag carries a birthday card. Familiar routines hide the surprise.
In the historical account, soldiers travel hidden in boats that look like ordinary merchant vessels.
The design looks familiar, but the destination has changed. Check the sender and the actual link.
The connection: familiar appearances can hide a different purpose.
View the full example
A familiar paper bag
材料袋照常分发，里面藏祝福卡。
The usual handout bag carries a birthday card. Familiar routines hide the surprise.
Lü Meng crosses the river
商船外观很平常，里面却藏精兵。
In the historical account, soldiers travel hidden in boats that look like ordinary merchant vessels.
A familiar-looking notification
熟悉的外观，另一条链接。
你还应核对什么？The design looks familiar, but the destination has changed. Check the sender and the actual link.
Your child connects the story to a new case, explains the strategy and identifies a clue worth checking.
A teaching example, adapted from our course materials.
Choose by ability
A pathway that matches what they can do now.
Start when your child can follow a short Mandarin story and explain what a character does and why. R3 is a reference, not a required admission level.
- 36 standalone strategy lessons
Each strategy can be explored as its own lesson. The teacher selects around language understanding, interests and learning goals.
- 6 optional comparison lessons
Compare strategies and reconsider choices in different circumstances. These lessons are optional, rather than a compulsory seventh lesson in every set.
Chinese lesson titles are shown with translations for parents. Materials can use Simplified or Traditional Chinese according to need.
View the full syllabus
36 standalone strategy lessons
- 瞞天過海Cross the Sea Unnoticed
- 圍魏救趙Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao
- 借刀殺人Borrow a Knife to Kill
- 以逸待勞Wait at Ease for an Exhausted Opponent
- 趁火打劫Loot a Burning House
- 聲東擊西Feint East, Strike West
- 無中生有Create Something from Nothing
- 暗渡陳倉Secretly Cross Through Chencang
- 隔岸觀火Watch the Fire from Across the River
- 笑裡藏刀Hide a Knife Behind a Smile
- 李代桃僵Let the Plum Tree Wither for the Peach Tree
- 順手牽羊Take the Sheep Along the Way
- 打草驚蛇Beat the Grass to Startle the Snake
- 借屍還魂Borrow a Corpse to Return to Life
- 調虎離山Lure the Tiger Away from the Mountain
- 欲擒故縱Let Go in Order to Capture
- 拋磚引玉Offer a Brick to Attract Jade
- 擒賊擒王Capture the Leader to Catch the Bandits
- 釜底抽薪Remove the Firewood from Under the Pot
- 混水摸魚Fish in Troubled Waters
- 金蟬脫殼The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell
- 關門捉賊Shut the Door to Catch the Thief
- 遠交近攻Befriend the Distant, Confront the Near
- 假道伐虢Borrow a Passage to Attack Guo
- 偷樑換柱Replace the Beams and Pillars
- 指桑罵槐Point at the Mulberry to Scold the Locust Tree
- 假痴不顛Feign Foolishness Without Losing Judgment
- 上屋抽梯Remove the Ladder After the Ascent
- 樹上開花Make Flowers Bloom on the Tree
- 反客為主Turn from Guest into Host
- 美人計The Beauty Stratagem
- 空城計The Empty City Stratagem
- 反間計The Counterespionage Stratagem
- 苦肉計The Self-Injury Stratagem
- 連環計Linked Stratagems
- 走為上計Retreat Is the Best Plan
6 optional comparison lessons
- 勝戰計比較：位置、注意與代價Comparing Winning Stratagems: Position, Attention, and Costs
- 敵戰計比較：真假信息與利益Comparing Confrontation Stratagems: True and False Information and Interests
- 攻戰計比較：試探、引離與關鍵點Comparing Offensive Stratagems: Probing, Luring Away, and Key Points
- 混戰計比較：原因、外觀與出口Comparing Stratagems in Chaos: Causes, Appearances, and Exits
- 並戰計比較：支撐、聲勢與權限Comparing Complex Stratagems: Support, Momentum, and Authority
- 結業比較：證據、連鎖與安全退出Final Comparison: Evidence, Chain Reactions, and a Safe Exit
Find their next step in Chinese.
Share your child’s experience and goals. Arrange a trial, receive the teacher’s assessment, and choose with a clearer understanding of their needs.