This episode is fully in mandarin (中文版). Also available as an English episode.

Three acorns in the morning and four at night, or four in the morning and three at night, which would you choose?

The Monkey Keeper loves his troop so dearly that he understands their every call. When a dry autumn leaves him short on acorns, he offers the monkeys a clever little choice about their morning and evening portions, and their reaction says a lot about all of us.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese idiom 朝三暮四 (Three in the Morning, Four at Night), about clever thinking, looking past appearances, and seeing the whole picture instead of just one part of it.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio — Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in English. Also available as a Mandarin episode.

Three acorns in the morning and four at night, or four in the morning and three at night, which would you choose?

The Monkey Keeper loves his troop so dearly that he understands their every call. When a dry autumn leaves him short on acorns, he offers the monkeys a clever little choice about their morning and evening portions, and their reaction says a lot about all of us.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese idiom 朝三暮四 (Three in the Morning, Four at Night), about clever thinking, looking past appearances, and seeing the whole picture instead of just one part of it.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio — Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in mandarin (中文版). Also available as an English episode.

What happens when ""good enough"" just is not good enough for you?

Six retainers are rewarded with a single jug of fine wine, and they agree that whoever draws a snake fastest may drink it all. Quick-handed A-Xiang finishes first with ease, then decides his snake would look even grander with a few extra feet.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese idiom 画蛇添足 | 畫蛇添足 (Adding Feet on a Snake), about humility, self-control, and knowing when to stop while you are ahead.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio — Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in English. Also available as a Mandarin episode.

What happens when ""good enough"" just is not good enough for you?

Six retainers are rewarded with a single jug of fine wine, and they agree that whoever draws a snake fastest may drink it all. Quick-handed A-Xiang finishes first with ease, then decides his snake would look even grander with a few extra feet.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese idiom 画蛇添足 | 畫蛇添足 (Adding Feet on a Snake), about humility, self-control, and knowing when to stop while you are ahead.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio — Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in mandarin (中文版). Also available as an English episode.

Can two dots of ink really bring a painting to life?

In the busy city of Jinling lived Zhang Sengyao, the most gifted painter of his age, whose birds looked ready to take flight. Asked to fill a temple wall, he paints four magnificent dragons but leaves every one of them without eyes, warning that the very last stroke is the one he does not dare to add.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese idiom 画龙点睛 | 畫龍點睛 (When the Dragon Gets Its Eyes), about craftsmanship, patience, and the single perfect detail that brings the whole thing to life.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio — Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in English. Also available as a Mandarin episode.

Can two dots of ink really bring a painting to life?

In the busy city of Jinling lived Zhang Sengyao, the most gifted painter of his age, whose birds looked ready to take flight. Asked to fill a temple wall, he paints four magnificent dragons but leaves every one of them without eyes, warning that the very last stroke is the one he does not dare to add.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese idiom 画龙点睛 | 畫龍點睛 (When the Dragon Gets Its Eyes), about craftsmanship, patience, and the single perfect detail that brings the whole thing to life.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio — Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in mandarin (中文版). Also available as an English episode.

This is Part 2 of Ma Liang and the Magic Brush, continuing last week's story. New here? Start with Part 1 first.

What do you do when the most powerful man in the land wants to take what is yours?

Word of Ma Liang's magic brush reaches a greedy emperor who already has piles of gold but always wants more. He sends his army to capture the boy and orders him to paint a money tree. Ma Liang knows the brush is meant to help the poor, not the rich, so he refuses, even when the emperor throws him in a cold dungeon. Then the clever boy comes up with a plan, one that begins with a tree of golden treasure on an island far out at sea.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese folktale 神笔马良 | 神筆馬良 (Ma Liang and the Magic Brush), about greed, courage, and standing up for what is right.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio: Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in English. Also available as a Mandarin episode.

This is Part 2 of Ma Liang and the Magic Brush, continuing last week's story. New here? Start with Part 1 first.

What do you do when the most powerful man in the land wants to take what is yours?

Word of Ma Liang's magic brush reaches a greedy emperor who already has piles of gold but always wants more. He sends his army to capture the boy and orders him to paint a money tree. Ma Liang knows the brush is meant to help the poor, not the rich, so he refuses, even when the emperor throws him in a cold dungeon. Then the clever boy comes up with a plan, one that begins with a tree of golden treasure on an island far out at sea.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese folktale 神笔马良 | 神筆馬良 (Ma Liang and the Magic Brush), about greed, courage, and standing up for what is right.

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio: Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in mandarin (中文版). Also available as an English episode.

What would you do if everything you painted suddenly came to life?

Ma Liang is a poor orphan boy who loves to draw, but he is too poor to own even one paintbrush. One night a mysterious old man gives him a magic brush, and everything Ma Liang paints comes to life. He uses his gift to help the poor families in his village, until a greedy landlord hears about the brush and is determined to seize it for himself.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese folktale 神笔马良 | 神筆馬良 (Ma Liang and the Magic Brush), about kindness, courage, and using what you have to help others.

This is Part 1 of Ma Liang's story. Part 2 arrives next week, so be sure to come back to see what happens!

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio: Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com

This episode is fully in English. Also available as a Mandarin episode.

What would you do if everything you painted suddenly came to life?

Ma Liang is a poor orphan boy who loves to draw, but he is too poor to own even one paintbrush. One night a mysterious old man gives him a magic brush, and everything Ma Liang paints comes to life. He uses his gift to help the poor families in his village, until a greedy landlord hears about the brush and is determined to seize it for himself.

A lively retelling of the classic Chinese folktale 神笔马良 | 神筆馬良 (Ma Liang and the Magic Brush), about kindness, courage, and using what you have to help others.

This is Part 1 of Ma Liang's story. Part 2 arrives next week, so be sure to come back to see what happens!

Read-alongs, vocabulary, discussion prompts, and family activities: visit our website.

Round Door Studio: Mandarin and English stories for bilingual families. rounddoorstudio.com