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HSK 131 topics
≈ CEFR A1- · Pinyin: Initials and Finals
- · The Four Tones plus Neutral Tone
- · Basic Tone Sandhi (3rd-Tone Sandhi, 一/不 Sandhi)
- · Pinyin Orthography (Apostrophe, ü Writing, Capitalization)
HSK 235 topics
≈ CEFR A2- · 了₁ Verb-Suffix Perfective
- · 了₂ Sentence-Final Change-of-State
- · 过 Experiential Aspect ("have ever")
- · 在 / 正在 / 正 — Progressive Aspect
HSK 348 topics
≈ CEFR A2- · 了₁ vs 了₂ — Verb-Suffix vs Sentence-Final Contrast
- · 过 vs 了 — Experiential vs Perfective Contrast
- · 着 — Durative Advanced (Posture, State, Background Action)
- · 了 with Quantified Objects (我吃了三个苹果)
HSK 454 topics
≈ CEFR B1- · Double 了 in complex clauses — 了₁ + 了₂ across multiple events
- · V着V — manner / accompanying-action structure
- · 正在 / 正 / 在 + 着 — fine-tuning the progressive
- · 过 advanced — 没V过, 从来没V过, 还没V过
HSK 553 topics
≈ CEFR B2- · Gradual-change adverbs — 渐渐 / 逐渐 / 慢慢 / 越来越
- · 已经 / 已 / 才 / 刚 / 刚刚 — already / just / barely (precision)
- · V起来 — stative inception ('start to' / 'turn out to')
- · Formal modals — 应当 / 应 / 须 / 需要 / 当 / 务必
HSK 641 topics
≈ CEFR C1- · Object fronting — putting the object before the subject for emphasis
- · 正是 / 就是 / 恰恰 / 偏偏 — emphatic identification & focus
- · Advanced double negation — 不…不 / 无…不 / 非…不可
- · 以...为... / 以便 / 以致 — formal purpose and result constructions
HSK 7–925 topics
≈ CEFR C1- · Complex subordination — multi-level embedded clauses
- · Implicit subject across discourse — subject omission patterns
- · Topic chains — continuous topic across sentences
- · Focus particles — 才 / 就 / 只 / 仅 / 单 / 唯 nuance
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HSK 1≈ A1
Open level →- Pinyin: Initials and Finals
- The Four Tones plus Neutral Tone
- Basic Tone Sandhi (3rd-Tone Sandhi, 一/不 Sandhi)
- Pinyin Orthography (Apostrophe, ü Writing, Capitalization)
- Hanzi Introduction: Strokes & Stroke Order
- Simplified vs Traditional Awareness (basic)
- Basic Personal Pronouns (我 / 你 / 他 / 她 / 它 + plurals)
- 这 / 那 — Basic Demonstratives
- 这儿 / 那儿 / 这里 / 那里 — Place Demonstratives
- 什么 / 谁 / 哪 — Basic Question Words
- 几 vs 多少 — Quantity Question Words
- Location Words (方位词): 上 / 下 / 前 / 后 / 左 / 右 / 里 / 外 / 旁边 / 中间
- Basic Coverbs 从 / 到 — From / To
- 是 — Copula (X 是 Y)
- 有 — Possession & Existence
- 在 — Location Verb ("to be at")
- 想 — Want / Plan To (basic)
- 要 — Want / Will / Need To (basic)
- 会 — Know How To / Will (basic)
- 能 vs 可以 — Be Able To / Permission (basic)
- Basic SVO Word Order
- 不 — Negation (basic, present/future/general)
- 没 / 没有 — Negation (basic, possession & past)
- 吗 Yes-No Questions
- A-not-A Questions (Basic)
- Question-Word Questions — Word Order
- 个 — General Measure Word
- Common Basic Measure Words (本, 张, 件, 只, 块, 杯, 双)
- Cardinal Numbers 0-99 + Hundreds (百)
- Dates: Year / Month / Day (年月日)
- Telling Time — Basic (点 / 分 / 半 / 差 / 刻)
HSK 2≈ A2
Open level →- 了₁ Verb-Suffix Perfective
- 了₂ Sentence-Final Change-of-State
- 过 Experiential Aspect ("have ever")
- 在 / 正在 / 正 — Progressive Aspect
- 着 Durative (basic: continuing state)
- 要…了 / 就要…了 / 快要…了 — Imminent Future
- Separable Verbs (离合词) — Basic
- Verb Reduplication (V-V / V一V / V了V) — Tentative / Brief Action
- 给 — Dative / Indirect Object Marker (Coverb)
- 让 / 叫 / 请 — Basic Causative / Pivot
- 来 / 去 — Basic Directional Verbs
- 对 / 用 / 跟…一起 — Target / Instrumental / Comitative Coverbs
- Adjective Predicate with 很 (Stative Adjective Default)
- Adjective + 的 + Noun
- Adjective Reduplication (高高的, 慢慢, 干干净净)
- Resultative Complements (Basic): 完, 好, 见, 到, 懂
- Simple Directional Complements: 上 / 下 / 进 / 出 / 回 / 过 / 起 + 来 / 去
- Degree & Manner Complement with 得 (Basic): V得很 / V得快 / V得清楚
- 的 — Attributive Particle (Possession & Modification)
- 地 — Adverbial-Forming Particle
- 呢 — Question Continuation / Topic Reprise
- 吧 — Suggestion / Softening / Confirmation
- 啊 / 呀 / 哇 — Emotion / Softening Particles
- More Common Measure Words (条, 头, 匹, 把, 辆, 间, 盒, 瓶, 碗, 套, 份)
- 一点儿 vs 有点儿 — A Little / Somewhat
- 比 Comparison (Basic: A 比 B + Adj)
- 没有 Comparison ("not as ... as")
- 跟 / 和 + Y + 一样 — "the same as" / "as ... as"
- Existential Sentences with 有 / 是 (Place + 有/是 + Thing)
- 因为 … 所以 … — Because … So …
- 虽然 … 但是 … — Although … But …
- 和 / 跟 / 与 — Coordination of Nouns (Basic)
- 也 / 还 / 都 — Also / Still / All
- Ordinal Numbers with 第 (第一, 第二, 第二十一)
- Large Numbers: 千 / 万 / 亿 (and the 万 system vs Western thousands)
HSK 3≈ A2
Open level →- 了₁ vs 了₂ — Verb-Suffix vs Sentence-Final Contrast
- 过 vs 了 — Experiential vs Perfective Contrast
- 着 — Durative Advanced (Posture, State, Background Action)
- 了 with Quantified Objects (我吃了三个苹果)
- Negation Interaction with Aspect (没 + V vs 没 V 过 vs 不 V)
- Resultative Complements (Intermediate): 错, 清楚, 干净, 饱, 醉, 累
- Complex Directional Complements: V进来 / 出去 / 回来 / 上去
- Potential Complements V得V / V不V (Introduction)
- Degree Complement 得 — Advanced (得不得了, 得很, 得要命)
- Action-/Time-Quantity Complements (Basic, V三遍 / V了三个小时)
- 会 / 能 / 可以 — Full Contrast
- 应该 / 应当 — Should / Ought To
- 得 (děi) / 必须 / 需要 — Need / Must
- 可能 / 也许 / 或许 — Maybe / Possibly (Introduction)
- Separable Verbs (离合词) — Advanced (with 了/过/duration)
- Directional Verb Compounds — Figurative Meanings (Introduction)
- 来 / 去 + V — Purpose ("come/go to do")
- 一边 … 一边 … — Simultaneous Actions
- 刚才 vs 刚 — Just Now / Just Did
- 把 Construction — Use, Constraints & Disposal Reading (Intro)
- 被 Passive — Introduction
- 是 … 的 Cleft — Highlighting Past Circumstance (Basic)
- Topic-Comment Structures (Basic)
- Relative Clauses with 的 (Basic)
- 比 Comparison — Advanced Basics (with 多 / 早 / 快 / 三岁 / 一点)
- 越来越 … — More and More
- Imperatives — 请 / 别 / 不要 / 让我们
- 自己 — Reflexive Pronoun (Same-Subject & Emphatic)
- 离 + Place — Distance From
- 朝 / 向 / 往 — Direction Coverbs
- 如果 … 就 / 要是 … 就 — If … Then
- 只要 … 就 — As Long As …
- 只有 … 才 — Only If … (Necessary Condition)
- 不但 / 不仅 … 而且 — Not Only … But Also
- 既然 … 就 — Since (Given That) …
- 还是 vs 或者 — Disjunction in Questions vs Statements
- 就 vs 才 — Adverbial Contrast (Time / Quantity / Condition)
- 先 … 再 … 然后 … 最后 — Sequence Markers
- 你 vs 您 — register choice in real social situations
- 请, 麻烦, 不好意思, 对不起, 抱歉 — politeness and apology gradient
- Greetings & phatic language — 你好, 吃了吗, 怎么样, 慢走, 走好
- 部首 (radicals) — meaning hints inside characters
- 形声字 — phonetic components and the 'sound side' of characters
- 成语 — introduction to four-character idioms
- False friends and look-alike vocabulary traps
- High-frequency collocations — 打, 做/作, 开, 上, 下
- Money & currency — 块, 元, 角, 毛, 分, prices and pay
- Relative time — 平时, 最近, 后来, 以前, 以后, 之前, 之后
HSK 4≈ B1
Open level →- Double 了 in complex clauses — 了₁ + 了₂ across multiple events
- V着V — manner / accompanying-action structure
- 正在 / 正 / 在 + 着 — fine-tuning the progressive
- 过 advanced — 没V过, 从来没V过, 还没V过
- Imminent future — 要…了 / 快…了 / 就要…了 / 快要…了
- V起来 — inceptive aspect (start V-ing) and figurative uses
- V下去 — continuative aspect (keep V-ing)
- V下来 — consolidative aspect (record, calm, settle, preserve)
- 了 with repetition / habituals — 每次, 一…就…, repeated past events
- Completion resultatives — V完 / V到 / V好 / V光 / V掉
- Perception resultatives — 看见 / 看到 / 看出 / 看出来
- V在 + place — locative result complement
- V到 — arrival, achievement, extent (advanced)
- V出来 — figurative revelation, deduction, production
- Negative potential — V不了, V不动, V不下, V不起, V不及, V不上
- Positive potential — V得了, V得动, V得下, V得起, V得及, V得上
- Advanced 得 intensifiers — 得不得了, 得要命, 得很, 得不行, 得受不了, 得慌
- Quantity complements with pronouns vs nouns — placement rules
- Modal stacking — chains like 应该会, 可能要, 不得不, 不可能
- 把 construction advanced — when it's required, disposal nuance
- 被 passive advanced — full agent, 让/叫/给 as passive markers
- Separable verbs (离合词) with quantifiers and idiomatic patterns
- Causatives — 让 / 叫 / 使 / 令 contrast
- 给 — recipient, beneficiary, passive, and complement preposition
- Ditransitive verbs — 告诉, 教, 送, 借, 还, 赔, 通知, 答应
- 替 and 为 — benefactive 'for / on behalf of' / 'for the sake of'
- Psych intensifiers — V死了 / V坏了 / V惨了
- 是…的 advanced — focus on time/place/manner/agent (past completed events)
- Topic-comment advanced — secondary topics, hanging topics, dangling 的
- 连…都/也 — 'even' emphasis construction
- 除了…(以外) + 还/也/都 — except/besides/in addition
- 关于 / 对于 / 至于 — concerning / regarding / as for
- Existential 有 + N + clause — 'there is someone/something that…'
- 一…一… patterns — alternation, gradual change, contrast
- 不是…就是… — either/or dichotomy
- Question words as indefinites — 谁都 / 什么都 / 哪儿都
- 因此 / 于是 / 所以 — 'therefore / and so / so' (consequence)
- 不过 / 可是 / 然而 — 'but' across registers
- 由于 / 由 — formal causal connectives
- 接着 / 后来 / 然后 / 最后 — sequencing for narrative (advanced)
- 而且 / 并且 / 再说 — additive 'moreover / and / besides'
- 反而 / 相反 / 反之 — 'on the contrary'
- 总之 / 总的来说 / 总而言之 — summary connectives
- 比如说 / 例如 / 像 — giving examples
- 也就是说 / 换句话说 / 换言之 — 'in other words / that is'
- Formal letters & emails — openings, closings, register markers
- Numbers advanced — fractions, percentages, decimals, large numbers
- 自己 advanced — reflexive, emphatic, autonomous
- 的 possessive nuance — when to use, when to drop
- Abstract suffixes — 化 / 性 / 者 / 度 / 主义
- Frequency / duration adverbs — 一直 / 总是 / 向来 / 从来
- 各 vs 每 — distributive 'each' vs 'every'
- 一切 / 所有 / 全部 / 所有的 — 'all / everything' contrasts
- Approximation — 大约 / 左右 / 差不多 / 上下 / 几 + MW
HSK 5≈ B2
Open level →- Gradual-change adverbs — 渐渐 / 逐渐 / 慢慢 / 越来越
- 已经 / 已 / 才 / 刚 / 刚刚 — already / just / barely (precision)
- V起来 — stative inception ('start to' / 'turn out to')
- Formal modals — 应当 / 应 / 须 / 需要 / 当 / 务必
- Formal passives — 受 / 遭 / 获 / 蒙
- 把 with multi-complement stacking — V + result + 在/到/给
- 还是 / 仍然 / 依然 / 仍 — persistence 'still' across registers
- Continuity adverbs — 不断 / 不停 / 持续 / 不止
- 在于 / 几乎 / 简直 / 至于 — precision adverbs (advanced)
- Formal written aspect markers — 将 / 予以 / 给予 / 加以
- 就 vs 才 — fine-grained aspect/time contrast (advanced)
- 得 + Clause — extended result, manner, and consequence
- 是…的 deep nuance — judgment, existential, and split-focus
- Right-dislocation — afterthought topic at sentence end
- 把 X 当作 / 当 / 看作 / 看成 Y — 'regard as / treat as'
- 让 X 觉得 / 感到 / 感觉 Y — causative emotion clauses
- 与 X 相比 / 比起 X / 跟 X 比起来 — comparative connectives
- 不是 X 而是 Y — corrective 'not X but Y'
- 之所以 X 是因为 Y — 'the reason X is because Y'
- 既 X 又 Y / 既 X 也 Y — 'both X and Y'
- 越 X 越 Y / 越 V 越 V / 越是 X 越 Y — correlated comparatives
- Classical-style markers — 之 / 所 in modern Chinese
- 假如 / 若 / 倘若 — formal conditional 'if'
- 哪怕 / 即使 / 即便 — concessive 'even if'
- 与其 X 不如 Y — 'rather than X, better Y'
- 除非 X (才 / 否则 / 不然) Y — 'unless'
- 否则 / 不然 / 要不然 — 'otherwise / or else'
- 一来…二来 / 一方面…另一方面 — enumeration connectives
- 何况 / 况且 / 再说 — 'let alone / besides / moreover'
- 似乎 / 好像 / 仿佛 — 'seem / as if' evidential markers
- 看来 / 想必 / 大概 — inferential 'apparently / presumably'
- 不管 / 无论 / 任凭 — 'no matter / regardless'
- Business register — meetings, contracts, formal email advanced
- News headline style — ellipsis, V-noun, formal vocabulary
- Persuasive register — argumentation, evidence, conclusion
- Chengyu — intermediate set (HSK 5)
- Advanced 4-character idioms — literary chengyu
- Classical-rooted compounds in modern usage — 之 / 所 / 者 / 也
- Advanced honorifics — 恕 / 不胜 / 恳请 / 拜托 / 敢问
- 歇后语 — two-part allegorical sayings
- 谚语 / 俗语 — proverbs and folk sayings
- Chinese punctuation advanced — 顿号、引号、破折号、书名号
- Common abbreviations — 北大 / 高铁 / 网购 / 微信
- Compound word types — V-V, N-N, V-O, modifier-head patterns
- Reduplication advanced — AABB, ABAB, V了V, V一V patterns
- Antonym compounds — 大小 / 多少 / 好坏 / 长短
- Lexicalized resultative compounds — 提高 / 改进 / 加强 / 推动
- Classifier-noun pairs (advanced) — specialized measure words
- Neologisms — modern social/economic terms
- Internet slang — 666 / 233 / 哈哈 / 牛 / 真香
- Loanwords — phonetic loans vs calques
- Kinship advanced — 堂 / 表 / 姨 / 舅 distinctions
- Regional vocabulary — Mainland / Taiwan / HK splits
HSK 6≈ C1
Open level →- Object fronting — putting the object before the subject for emphasis
- 正是 / 就是 / 恰恰 / 偏偏 — emphatic identification & focus
- Advanced double negation — 不…不 / 无…不 / 非…不可
- 以...为... / 以便 / 以致 — formal purpose and result constructions
- 连...都/也... — multi-layer focal emphasis (advanced)
- Long relative clauses — complex multi-clause attributives
- Advanced passive chains — 为...所... / 受...所... / 被...给... / 由...所...
- Serial V₁ + 来/去 + V₂ — purpose serial verb construction
- 越...越... combined patterns — multi-stage gradient and chaining
- Classical Chinese in modern writing — overview
- Classical connectives in modern writing — 则 / 乃 / 盖 / 夫 / 而 / 故 / 然
- Classical particles — 之乎者也 / 矣焉哉 deep dive
- Classical-derived idioms — 古文成语
- Four-character motto forms — 四字格 (parallel banners, blessings)
- Traditional values — 仁 / 义 / 礼 / 智 / 信 / 道 / 德 / 孝
- Classical numerical expressions — 三五成群 / 千言万语 / 五湖四海
- Semi-classical essay register — modern formal writing
- 反问句 — rhetorical questions for emphasis
- Evidentiality — 据说 / 据悉 / 据传 / 据报道 / 据透露
- Epistemic hedging — 大概 / 也许 / 或许 / 恐怕 / 估计 / 看来
- Academic citation — 引用 / 援引 / X 指出 / X 认为
- Narrative perspective — POV shifts in storytelling
- Conversational turn-taking — 那 / 嗯 / 我说 / 你说
- Formal apology & excuse — 不胜歉意 / 失礼 / 抱歉
- Persuasion strategies — appeals, comparisons, rhetorical questions
- Animal-themed chengyu — 一箭双雕 / 鸡犬不宁 / 龙马精神
- Body-part chengyu — 手忙脚乱 / 心花怒放 / 头头是道
- Weather & nature chengyu — 风和日丽 / 山清水秀 / 风雨同舟
- Military / strategy chengyu — 兵不厌诈 / 知己知彼 / 围魏救赵
- Philosophical chengyu — 大智若愚 / 无为而治 / 顺其自然
- Poetry-derived chengyu — from Tang & Song poetry
- Color-themed chengyu — 青出于蓝 / 红颜薄命 / 黑白分明
- Professional chengyu usage — adverbial, predicate, noun functions
- Technical vocabulary by field — medicine, law, finance, tech
- Near-synonym precision — 办法/方法 / 帮助/协助 / 看法/观点
- Formal / informal verb pairs — 吃 vs 食用 / 说 vs 表示
- Register shifting — softening, elevating, leveling tone
- Abstract noun formation — 性 / 度 / 化 / 主义 / 论 advanced
- Idiomatic V-O phrases — 走后门 / 打交道 / 吃苦 / 拉关系
- Advanced collocations — 取得 / 达到 / 经过 / 通过 / 实现
- Register-mismatch errors — common pitfalls to avoid
HSK 7–9≈ C1
Open level →- Complex subordination — multi-level embedded clauses
- Implicit subject across discourse — subject omission patterns
- Topic chains — continuous topic across sentences
- Focus particles — 才 / 就 / 只 / 仅 / 单 / 唯 nuance
- Modality layering — stacking modal particles for nuance
- Aspectual shift — narrative perfective/durative/imperfective
- Discourse anaphora — cross-clause pronoun reference
- Pragmatic register — speech act and audience matching
- Advanced ellipsis — omitted elements in formal/literary writing
- Literary register — modern fiction & essay style
- Classical writing techniques — semi-classical and pure classical
- Rhetorical devices — 比喻 / 对仗 / 排比 / 反问 / 设问
- Poetic language — rhythm, parallelism, classical poetry
- Narrative voice — author styles & literary tradition
- Register code-switching — shifting style within a text
- Style mimicry — 古风 / 文艺 / 学术 / 网络 / 小说
- Humor, irony, sarcasm — Chinese rhetorical techniques
- Mastery-level chengyu — rare and obscure four-character idioms
- Idiom precision — subtle distinctions among near-synonyms
- Pro-level collocations — formal V-N pairings
- Formal vocabulary mastery — high-register single-word precision
- Cultural reference precision — allusions, classical figures, historical events
- Regional & dialectal awareness — Mandarin variants
- Near-native sensitivity — micro-nuance and natural rhythm
- Final polishing checklist — mastery-level writing review
What the mandarin chinese guide covers
Syntax (50) · Vocabulary (45) · Connectors (34) · Register (30) · Verb aspect (27) · Verb usage (21) · Complements (18) · Writing system (11) · Verb usage modals (9) · Pronouns demonstratives (6) · Prepositions coverbs (5) · Measure words (5) · Numbers dates time (5) · Particles (5) · Comparison (5) · Pronouns (4) · Negation (3) · Adjectives (3) · Numbers (1)
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