Magpie Bridge
Every right answer sends a magpie to build the bridge. Finish it before sunrise
Listen, tap the magpie holding the matching word, and reunite the two before dawn
What is Magpie Bridge?
Magpie Bridge is a free online Chinese game built around the Qixi legend. Every right answer sends a magpie to the bridge between the cowherd and the weaver girl, and the goal is to finish the bridge before the sun comes up. Kids practice listening and character recognition with any word list you choose.
In the classroom
Project it for the whole class and take answers together, or let students play in pairs on tablets. The rising sun keeps the pace lively, and the legend gives you a natural opening to talk about Qixi in class.
At home
Play a round together on a tablet. Your child listens, taps the magpie holding the matching word, and watches the bridge grow between the two banks. One night of the legend fits neatly into a few minutes of review.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Magpie Bridge free to play?
- Yes. It runs free in the browser on classroom.bbchinese.com, with no app to install.
- What does Magpie Bridge teach?
- It builds listening and character recognition. Prompts can be audio, pinyin or zhuyin, meanings, or the characters themselves, so the same bridge works at several levels.
- What happens if the sun rises first?
- The round ends gently: the sky turns to morning and kids can start a new night right away. The answers they got right all count toward the score.