女娲补天 - 🌈✨The Sky-Mending Goddess✨🌈
A Chinese Creation Myth
In the ancient hush before stories had names, when mountains still remembered the footsteps of gods and rivers still carried the warmth of creation, there lived a goddess whose love shaped the sky itself. 女娲 — the mother of humankind — watched over her children with boundless tenderness, a devotion so deep it could mend the broken heavens.
This tale isn’t simply a myth… it is one of the oldest mirrors of the Chinese imagination, a shimmering echo of courage, resilience, and cosmic compassion.
In Mapping Mandarin™, we return to this story not only to learn language, but to feel the heartbeat of a civilization: how a mother-goddess gathered five-colored stones, melted them into rainbow fire, and stitched the sky back together so her children could live in peace.
Step into this legend with me —
feel the flames, the falling stars, the rising clouds,
and the quiet strength of a goddess who refused to give up on us.
Let’s begin. ✨💛🌥️
📌 Note for Learners:
If you’re new to reading Chinese, don’t worry! The version below is in full Chinese characters.
✨ Just scroll down to find the instructor version—with pinyin, vocabulary, and audio to guide you step by step.
女娲补天
这是一个古老、美丽的神话故事。
在遥远的古代，有一天，水神与火神打起架来。水神失败了，他一气之下，向西边的不周山撞去。不周山是支撑天的竹子。柱子一倒，马上天塌地陷，山林燃起大火洪水泛滥，各种野兽也都出来伤害人类。
女娲是人类的母亲。她看见自己的儿女遭受灾难，心疼极了，发誓要修补残破的天空。
女娲挑选了许多五彩石子，支起一口大锅，架起一堆火，把石子炼成稠稠的液体。她驾着云彩，升上高高的天空，去修补一个又一个裂缝。
不知烧了多少天，也不知炼了多少石子，女娲累的腰酸背痛。但是，她一刻也不停歇。天终于被补好了。
从此，天空变得五颜六色。 天就像撑起的帐篷一样，永远也不会塌下来了。
Download the PDF file HERE.
These PDFs are designed to help you immerse yourself fully in the language, focusing on reading and comprehension without Pinyin or vocabulary lists. And they include both simplified and traditional character versions. You can download, print them out, and use them for study and review at your own pace.
📖本故事改编自《女娲补天》，选自北京出版集团《语文》第四册。
This story was adapted from Nüwa Repairs the Sky, selected from Book 4 of the Chinese Language Series published by Beijing Publishing Group.
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🔗 Powered by the Mapping Mandarin™ method — real stories, real audio, real understanding.
女 (nǚ) – woman; female
娲 (wā) – Nüwa (a goddess in Chinese mythology)
补 (bǔ) – to mend; to patch; to repair, to supplement
天 (tiān) – sky; heaven
这 (zhè) – this
是 (shì) – is
一个 (yí gè) – a; one (个 common measure word)
古老 (gǔ lǎo) – ancient
美丽 (měi lì) – beautiful
的 (de) – [possessive or descriptive particle]
神话 (shén huà) – myth; mythos
故事 (gù shì) – story
遥远 (yáo yuǎn) – distant; faraway
古代 (gǔ dài) – ancient times
有一天 (yǒu yì tiān) – one day
水神 (shuǐ shén) – water god
火神 (huǒ shén) – fire god
打架 (dǎ jià) – to fight
失败 (shī bài) – to fail; failure
一气之下 (yí qì zhī xià) – in a fit of anger
向 (xiàng) – toward
西边 (xī biān) – west side
撞 (zhuàng) – to crash into; to hit
支撑 (zhī chēng) – to support
柱子 (zhù zi) – pillar; column
倒 (dǎo) – to fall
塌 (tā) – to collapse
地陷 (dì xiàn) – ground sinking
山林 (shān lín) – forests and mountains
燃起 (rán qǐ) – to ignite; to catch fire
大火 (dà huǒ) – big fire
洪水 (hóng shuǐ) – flood
泛滥 (fàn làn) – to overflow; to flood
各种 (gè zhǒng) – all kinds of
野兽 (yě shòu) – wild beasts
出来 (chū lái) – to come out
伤害 (shāng hài) – to harm; to injure
人类 (rén lèi) – humankind; mankind
母亲 (mǔ qīn) – mother
看见 (kàn jiàn) – to see
自己 (zì jǐ) – oneself
儿女 (ér nǚ) – sons and daughters; children
遭受 (zāo shòu) – to suffer; to endure
灾难 (zāi nàn) – disaster
心疼 (xīn téng) – to feel distressed; to feel deeply sorry
极了 (jí le) – extremely
发誓 (fā shì) – to swear; to vow
修补 (xiū bǔ) – to repair; to mend
残破 (cán pò) – broken; damaged
天空 (tiān kōng) – the sky; heavens
挑选 (tiāo xuǎn) – to select; to choose
许多 (xǔ duō) – many; a lot of
五彩 (wǔ cǎi) – multicolored
石子 (shí zǐ) – pebbles; small stones
一口 (yì kǒu) – (measure word for pot, well, etc.)
大锅 (dà guō) – large wok
架起 (jià qǐ) – to set up (a frame or stand)
一堆 (yì duī) – a pile
火 (huǒ) – fire
炼成 (liàn chéng) – to smelt into; to refine into
稠稠 (chóu chóu) – thick; viscous
液体 (yè tǐ) – liquid
驾 (jià) – to drive; to ride (used for flying vehicles or clouds)
云彩 (yún cǎi) – cloud
升上 (shēng shàng) – to rise up
高高 (gāo gāo) – high (reduplication for emphasis)
裂缝 (liè fèng) – crack; fissure
不知 (bù zhī) – don’t know
烧 (shāo) – to burn
多少 (duō shǎo) – how many; how much
累 (lèi) – tired; exhausted
腰酸背痛 (yāo suān bèi tòng) – aching back and sore waist
一刻 (yí kè) – a moment
不停歇 (bù tíng xiē) – to not stop; to not rest
终于 (zhōng yú) – finally
被…好了 (bèi… hǎo le) – was successfully [repaired, done, etc.] (passive structure + result complement)
从此 (cóng cǐ) – from then on
变得 (biàn de) – to become
五颜六色 (wǔ yán liù sè) – multicolored; full of colors
像 (xiàng) – to resemble; like
撑起 (chēng qǐ) – to prop up; to support
帐篷 (zhàng peng) – tent
一样 (yí yàng) – just like; same as
永远 (yǒng yuǎn) – forever
塌下来 (tā xià lái) – to collapse; to cave in
📘 Matching Exercise | 女娲补天 Nüwa Repairs the Sky
Instructions:
Match each question with the correct answer choice below. Jot down the letter (A–J) on a piece of paper for each question. Use the story text to help you. Pinyin is provided to support pronunciation and understanding.
❓ Questions
1. 谁是女娲？
shéi shì Nǚwā?
Who is Nüwa?
2. 水神和谁打架？结果怎么样？
shuǐ shén hé shéi dǎ jià? jié guǒ zěn me yàng?
Who did the water god fight, and what was the result?
3. 水神失败后做了什么？
shuǐ shén shī bài hòu zuò le shén me?
What did the water god do after he lost?
4. 不周山有什么重要作用？
Bùzhōu Shān yǒu shé me zhòng yào zuò yòng?
What was the importance of Buzhou Mountain?
5. 柱子倒了以后，发生了什么？
zhù zi dǎo le yǐ hòu, fā shēng le shén me?
What happened after the pillar fell?
6. 女娲看到这些灾难，有什么反应？
Nǚwā kàn dào zhè xiē zāi nàn, yǒu shén me fǎn yìng?
What was Nüwa’s reaction to the disaster?
7. 女娲用什么来修补天空？
Nǚwā yòng shén me lái xiū bǔ tiān kōng?
What did Nüwa use to repair the sky?
8. 她是怎么炼石子的？
tā shì zěn me liàn shí zi de?
How did she refine the stones?
9. 她修补天空用了多久？
tā xiū bǔ tiān kōng yòng le duō jiǔ?
How long did it take her to repair the sky?
10. 天空最后变成什么样了？
tiān kōng zuì hòu biàn chéng shén me yàng le?
What did the sky look like in the end?
🔤 Answer Choices
A. 她非常心疼，发誓要修补天空。
Tā fēi cháng xīn téng, fā shì yào xiū bǔ tiān kōng.
She felt heartbroken and swore to repair the sky.
B. 她支起大锅，架起火，把石子炼成稠稠的液体。
Tā zhī qǐ dà guō, jià qǐ huǒ, bǎ shí zi liàn chéng chóu chóu de yè tǐ.
She set up a big pot, lit a fire, and melted the stones into thick liquid.
C. 天空变得五颜六色，像帐篷一样，永远不会塌下来了。
Tiān kōng biàn de wǔ yán liù sè, xiàng zhàng peng yí yàng, yǒng yuǎn bú huì tā xià lái le.
The sky became colorful like a tent and would never collapse again.
D. 水神和火神打架，水神失败了。
Shuǐ shén hé huǒ shén dǎ jià, shuǐ shén shī bài le.
The water god fought the fire god and lost.
E. 她用五彩石子炼成的液体修补天空。
Tā yòng wǔ cǎi shí zi liàn chéng de yè tǐ xiū bǔ tiān kōng.
She used liquid made from colorful stones to repair the sky.
F. 不知道烧了多少天，也不知道炼了多少石子。
Bù zhī dào shāo le duō shǎo tiān, yě bù zhī dào liàn le duō shǎo shí zi.
She didn’t know how many days she burned or how many stones she refined.
G. 天塌地陷，山林着火，洪水泛滥，野兽出来伤害人类。
Tiān tā dì xiàn, shān lín zháo huǒ, hóng shuǐ fàn làn, yě shòu chū lái shāng hài rén lèi.
The sky collapsed, the forests burned, floods came, and wild beasts attacked humans.
H. 女娲是人类的母亲。
Nǚwā shì rén lèi de mǔ qīn.
Nüwa is the mother of humankind.
I. 水神一气之下撞向西边的不周山。
Shuǐ shén yí qì zhī xià zhuàng xiàng xī biān de Bùzhōu Shān.
In anger, the water god crashed into Buzhou Mountain.
J. 不周山是支撑天的柱子。
Bùzhōu Shān shì zhī chēng tiān de zhù zi.
Buzhou Mountain was the pillar that supported the sky.
📚 Additional Vocabulary
谁 (shéi) – who
打架 (dǎ jià) – to fight
结果 (jié guǒ) – result; outcome
作用 (zuò yòng) – function; importance
发生 (fā shēng) – to happen
反应 (fǎn yìng) – reaction; response; to re
发誓 (fā shì) – to swear; to vow
多久 (duō jiǔ) – how long
最后 (zuì hòu) – finally
变成 (biàn chéng) – to become
一样 (yí yàng) – the same
永远 (yǒng yuǎn) – forever
🔑 Answer Key (Don’t scroll down until completed.👀)
✅ Answer Key
H
D
I
J
G
A
E
B
F
C
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This article comes at such a great time. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story, it realy highlights the enduring power of compassion and resilience.