Writing Chinese composition may feel like an insurmountable task, let alone writing a great piece.

Composition writing just can’t be simply learned, no matter how much Singapore’s Chinese Language syllabus and pedagogy have evolved in the last decade. As much as students yearn for, there’s no copy-and-paste formula for Chinese composition writing.

So how can your kid learn to write ‘the model composition’?

You see, none of us was born to write. Instead, how we really learn to write is by gathering what we see and digesting them.

In other words, apart from acquiring the 8 tips to improve Chinese composition writing, finding inspiration by studying the masters is also one way to help your kid avoid mediocre writing. Which is why we’re a little obsessed with collecting fantastically written examples. And there’s no better time to share these 7 exemplary primary school Chinese composition writings with you and your kid now!

7  Well-Written Chinese Passages To Learn From

Example 1:

这就是我的母亲，既是我的良师，也是我的益友，还是一个亲切而让人敬畏的姐姐。她的一言一行，她的人格魅力一直伴着我成长，让我学会了独立，学会了幽默，学会了乐观，学会了认真，学会了做人要有原则……这些，都让我更有信心面对未来，都将让我终身受益。

Why we love it:

  1. Notice how the bolded phrase (aka parallelism 排比) breaks up the otherwise lengthy sentence. It adds a rhythmic flow and an expressive tone, helping readers resonate with the writer better. Parallelism 排比 basically means elements in sentences that are grammatically similar or identical in structure, sound, meaning, or meter.
  2. Not awashed with chengyus, which would unnecessarily complicate the passage.
  3. Selective use of nouns (良师、益友、人格魅力) and adjectives (亲切、让人敬畏) to showcase vocabulary skills.

Another fantastic example of parallelism:

草感谢大地，感谢大地赐予它生命；花儿感谢阳光，感谢阳光赐予它生机；鱼儿感谢大海，感谢大海赐予它家园! 我感谢外婆，感谢外婆让我知道了什么是爱的味道。

Here we have a lengthier version, which can be challenging for your child to mimic. But hey, no harm knowing more!

Example 2:

半夜里，我醒来上厕所，看见书房的灯亮着，原来爸爸在写材料，书桌旁的纸篓里已经被塞得满满的了，头上汗津津的，他发现了我，用布满血丝的眼睛看着我，说：“快去睡吧，明天还要上课呢。”我知道爸爸的倔脾气，只好说了句：“爸爸，你也赶快睡吧。”我便去睡了。

Why we love it:

  1. It uses succinct sentences to help form mental images for the readers e.g. 用布满血丝的眼睛看着我.
  2. The addition of realistic dialogue moved the story forward while breaking away from straightforward exposition.
  3. Adding demeanors or actions in front of “说” shows character without needing to explain much.

Another fantastic example of dialogue without using “说”:

“真是感人啊！”我听到旁边的阿姨感叹道。

Example 3:

我更记得，在我每次低落失意的时候，是母亲轻松幽默的语言化解了我的忧虑和烦恼，她会很有信心地说：“我相信我女儿一定行的！”会很坚定地说：“没有越不过的坎，没有跨不过的山。”

Why we love it:

  1. These short, sweet dialogues breathe life into the character, in this case, the mother.
  2. The dialogues are engaging since they are objective narrations, without adding personal judgement to the story.
  3. It’s also a good way to naturally insert phrases that manifests the writer’s language capability: “没有越不过的坎，没有跨不过的山。”

Example 4:

可是，我却久久不能入睡。月亮，在天空中散着步，星星，在调皮地眨着眼睛，而爸爸却还在写着那份材料。

Why we love it:

  1. The passage uses verb and nouns that are associated with ‘night’ (入睡、月亮、星星) to delicately suggest that it’s getting late rather than blatant expressions.
  2. Personification (aka anthropomorphism), the writing technique of giving human characteristics to objects, animals, etc., gave the writing a beautiful poetic flow.
  3. However, personification is sometimes given a more broad definition. Therefore, a sidewalk purring could be an example of personification or zoomorphism.

Another fantastic example of personification:

草感谢大地，感谢大地赐予它生命；花儿感谢阳光，感谢阳光赐予它生机；鱼儿感谢大海，感谢大海赐予它家园！我感谢外婆，感谢外婆让我知道了什么是爱的味道。

Example 5:

杯中的热茶是淡香淡香的，但融进了父爱就觉得分外香浓。

Why we love it:

  1. Although not a direct metaphoric phrase, it still paints a vivid prose.
  2. Writings with a touch of emotions are always encouraged. This short sentence was used as a closing line, and it allows the strong emotions to linger on without any distractions.

Another fantastic example of metaphors:

骤雨过后，荷叶上留下一颗颗珍珠。她长着一双亮晶晶的黑色大眼睛，充满了生气与活力，抬起来亮闪闪，低下去静幽幽，宛如黑色天鹅绒一样柔和沉静；又似秋天的溪水那样清澈可爱，但是那眼睛上架着一副粉色的“二饼子”。

Example 6:

太阳刚一出来，地上已经着了火。——老舍：《在烈日和暴雨下》

  1. Derived from one of China’s most famous literary scholars‘ work, it’s a classic example of hyperbole (exaggeration to make a point).
  2. It’s the perfect balance of exaggerated idea and simple language; fancy or melodramatic verbs, nouns or adjectives would have made it tacky.

Here’s some wisdom to pass down to your child: everybody love stories. It’s engaging, personal, and usually straightforward. Engagement is the spice of a good piece of writing!

Drama series, conversations, advertisements… Anything these days can be a source of inspiration to tell a good yarn. You just got to weave them, practice them, and perfect them.

And of course, don’t forget to take inspiration from the above 7 exemplary primary school Chinese composition writings!

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