Video: The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Using Chinese Fables to Build Language and Culture

Short storytelling videos are a wonderful way to introduce both language and culture in the Mandarin classroom. The video “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” presents a traditional moral story in Chinese, giving students the opportunity to hear simple narrative language while following a familiar plot. ()

Teachers can begin by playing the video once so students understand the story. During a second viewing, pause to highlight useful vocabulary such as 男孩 (boy), 狼 (wolf), 说谎 (to lie), 帮忙 (help), and 农夫 (farmer). Students can notice how these words repeat throughout the story, which helps reinforce comprehension.

Key Vocabulary

男孩 (nánhái)
boy

牧羊人 / 牧童 (mùyángrén / mùtóng)
shepherd / shepherd boy

羊 (yáng)
sheep

狼 (láng)
wolf

村民 (cūnmín)
villagers

山 (shān)
mountain / hill

大叫 (dà jiào)
to shout loudly

帮忙 (bāngmáng)
to help

骗人 / 说谎 (piàn rén / shuō huǎng)
to lie / to trick people

真的 (zhēn de)
real / true

没有人 (méiyǒu rén)
no one

后来 (hòulái)
later

终于 (zhōngyú)
finally

相信 (xiāngxìn)
to believe