Hello! I was wondering if any of you knew any novels that are easier to read for someone who is at an intermediate level at studying Chinese? Not unlike many people, I'm Chinese-American and my fluent vocabulary is limited to everyday kitchen Chinese. I can and have translated novels in the past, but I need to rely a lot on dictionaries like mdbg. So basically, do you have any recommendations for someone who wants to practice reading easier things (like fiction targeted at the 初中 demographic or maybe a bit younger)?
look for a modern setting, maybe mystery or wuxia novel. don't aim for the xianxia or the supernatural
I've personally found action novels to be easier reading than slice of life. Try this one: http://www.33yq.com/read/31/31474/5231441.shtml
how about 1/2 prince by Yu Wo? it's complete, and completly translated as well, so if you find yourself lost in the meaning of a sentence you could compare it to the translation. ｡^‿^｡ it also has a manhwa. as for its actual level of chinese, i am not sure.
translated too much ZE kills me @lovelyxday mainly because of all the technical stuff TJSS gets really technical for his novels and throws a bunch of random terms out (too many to memorize) easy to translate/read would be slice of life romance or romance drama with uncomplicated settings probably it depends on what field your vocabulary is in though everyday CN... *shrugs* I would say romance... but it also depends on the author
Have you considered harry potter in chinese? I remember reading that when I was 12-ish and I could read most of the words, plus if you like harry potter it can be more enjoyable for you even if you need to rely on dictionaries.
I'm irish-chinese. Like you, my chinese vocabulary is limited but my reading skill is like primary school level. My first chinese novel I read is Demon Wang Golden Favourite fei. It's easy enough and I got the gist of chapter to make a summary.
1/2 Prince is a really good book for beginners imo. I'm Chinese but I used to read english novels when I was young, my first chinese novel was 1/2 prince and it was really easy to read, plus the story was interesting enough to keep me hooked. (keep in mind that my chinese was only borderline pass during highschool OwO)
try look for printed book instead, I must say 7th to 9th grade can be difficult to people who have not grow up in china. My recommendation should be https://baike.baidu.com/item/淘气包马小跳/5136 <淘气包马小跳> it's similar to books you read in 4th grades to 5th grades. It have 6 billion sales in china, so basically there shouldn't having errors or things, and can make it easier to bait the cake. It's not really efficient in reading long full length novels with hundreds of page as you need dictionaries to understand them, than to read a short story with a thousand or two words. I can order you some magazine to your address if you are interested. i'll sent an example 上等人，中等人，下等人, of cause from 15 years ago, it's was targeted at 8th grades, but as years pass things actually are harder now. so don't be surprise when articles for 6th grades are harder than this.