# The 40 Easiest Bible Chapters in Chinese

> Psalms 131 is the easiest chapter of the Chinese Union Version (和合本, simplified) by vocabulary: 83.1% of its word tokens are HSK 1-3, in 84 characters over 3 verses.

Question: easiest Bible chapters in Chinese
Answer: Psalms 131
Page: https://chinese-bible.com/en/reference/easiest-chapters-in-chinese

Choosing a chapter is a better first decision than choosing a book: a chapter is one sitting. All 1,189 chapters are ranked by the same formula used for books — share of word tokens at HSK 1-3, tie-broken by distinct words per 1,000 characters.

Short chapters rise to the top for two reasons, one real and one an artefact: they genuinely repeat common vocabulary, and a small sample swings further. The table therefore shows each chapter's length, so a 4-verse psalm is not mistaken for an easy hour of reading.

Every row opens the chapter in the parallel reader, with the Chinese text, pinyin and your own language side by side, and with each word tappable for its meaning and HSK level.

## The 40 easiest chapters

| Rank | Chapter | HSK 1-3 | Verses | Characters |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Psalms 131 | 83.1% | 3 | 84 |
| 2 | John 14 | 78.6% | 31 | 940 |
| 3 | Matthew 25 | 78.3% | 46 | 1,187 |
| 4 | John 9 | 76.6% | 41 | 1,092 |
| 5 | Ezekiel 2 | 76.2% | 10 | 325 |
| 6 | John 15 | 75.8% | 27 | 790 |
| 7 | John 17 | 75.5% | 26 | 807 |
| 8 | Matthew 20 | 75.3% | 34 | 842 |
| 9 | John 16 | 75.1% | 33 | 970 |
| 10 | John 5 | 74.3% | 46 | 1,147 |
| 11 | Psalms 100 | 74% | 5 | 109 |
| 12 | John 4 | 73.7% | 54 | 1,343 |
| 13 | John 10 | 73.7% | 42 | 986 |
| 14 | John 20 | 73.6% | 31 | 913 |
| 15 | John 21 | 73.5% | 25 | 830 |
| 16 | John 8 | 73.4% | 59 | 1,730 |
| 17 | John 13 | 73% | 38 | 1,043 |
| 18 | John 6 | 72.7% | 71 | 1,774 |
| 19 | Luke 10 | 72.2% | 42 | 1,211 |
| 20 | Psalms 28 | 72.2% | 9 | 273 |
| 21 | John 2 | 72.1% | 25 | 623 |
| 22 | Genesis 45 | 71.8% | 28 | 925 |
| 23 | Mark 4 | 71.7% | 41 | 975 |
| 24 | Genesis 42 | 71.6% | 38 | 1,299 |
| 25 | Joshua 2 | 71.5% | 24 | 893 |
| 26 | Luke 24 | 71.1% | 53 | 1,288 |
| 27 | Genesis 24 | 71% | 66 | 2,098 |
| 28 | Matthew 18 | 71% | 34 | 972 |
| 29 | Mark 5 | 71% | 43 | 1,093 |
| 30 | John 7 | 70.8% | 52 | 1,299 |
| 31 | Matthew 10 | 70.8% | 42 | 1,125 |
| 32 | Luke 17 | 70.8% | 36 | 854 |
| 33 | Zechariah 5 | 70.8% | 11 | 345 |
| 34 | John 18 | 70.5% | 40 | 1,197 |
| 35 | Luke 7 | 70.5% | 50 | 1,452 |
| 36 | Revelation 3 | 70.5% | 22 | 795 |
| 37 | Luke 15 | 70.5% | 32 | 841 |
| 38 | Psalms 121 | 70.5% | 8 | 133 |
| 39 | 1 John 2 | 70.2% | 29 | 986 |
| 40 | John 11 | 70.2% | 57 | 1,375 |

Out of 1,189 chapters.

## Questions

**Is a short chapter really easier?**

It is shorter, which is not the same thing. The table shows length next to the score so you can weigh both.

**Which famous chapters are easy?**

John 3 (65.9% HSK 1-3, rank 161); Psalms 23 (63.6% HSK 1-3, rank 306); Matthew 5 (66.1% HSK 1-3, rank 150); 1 Corinthians 13 (59.7% HSK 1-3, rank 616).

**Can I practise the words from one chapter?**

Yes — each chapter page lists the words worth learning first, and they can be saved and exported as a deck.

## Method

- Text: 和合本 (Chinese Union Version), simplified script — public domain
- Words: forward maximum matching against CC-CEDICT (this site's own segmentation)
- HSK levels: HSK 3.0 levels from the complete-hsk-vocabulary list; band 7 covers HSK 7-9
- Reading times: 260 characters a minute (an assumption)
- Computed: 2026-09-22

These are reproducible counts over a public-domain text, not a peer-reviewed study. Difficulty ranks are one stated formula, not a validated readability score.


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- Definitions: CC-CEDICT, licensed CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
- If you share this file onward, keep this notice and share alike.
- Character data: Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License / LGPL).
- Bible text: public domain — 和合本 · World English Bible · Louis Segond 1910.
- Built with https://chinese-bible.com