HSK 4 Introductory Guide: What the Upper-Intermediate Exam Tests (Grammar, Listening, Vocabulary)
An introductory guide to HSK 4: official vocabulary (2,000 words), advanced grammar, listening comprehension, sample sentences, and what the upper-intermediate exam actually tests. Aligned with the 2026 HSK 3.0 syllabus.
What You Will Learn
Six high-level capabilities unlocked at the intermediate boundary
News & Current Affairs
Read simple news articles and discuss current events with confidence
Workplace Communication
Handle job interviews, meetings, emails, and professional correspondence
Social Issues
Discuss environment, traffic, and public services with reasoning
Personal Relationships
Talk about friendships, romantic relationships, and family dynamics
Health & Lifestyle
Discuss fitness, mental health, diet, and doctor visits in detail
Travel & Cultural Experience
Plan multi-city trips, handle travel problems, share cultural observations
Real-World Capability
What you can actually do after completing this level
HSK 4 sits at CEFR B1 — the intermediate threshold. After this level, you can read newspaper articles with the help of a dictionary, follow extended discussions on familiar topics, and write coherent paragraphs of 80+ characters. You can express and defend opinions, narrate stories, and handle most travel situations. The 2025 syllabus cuts the writing section to 6 questions but raises the difficulty: picture arrangement plus a short paragraph composition. Most learners report that HSK 4 feels like the level at which they begin to think in Chinese, not translate into it.
Common Challenges
What typically trips learners up at this level — and how to avoid it
The writing section — picture-arrangement plus an 80-character composition — kills test-takers who ace listening and reading but have never written a real Chinese paragraph.
Confusing 把 with 被 — both move the object, but the subject changes: '我把书放在桌子上' (active) vs '书被我放在桌子上' (passive). The test routinely contrasts them.
Idioms and four-character set phrases — without a working bank of ~50 chengyu like 不知不觉, 顺便, 突然, reading speed collapses.
是…的 emphasis structure: 是 + subject + verb + 的, used to highlight a specific detail (time, place, manner) of a known past event. Native speakers use it daily; learners rarely do, so comprehension breaks.
Time pressure: 100 questions in 105 minutes. Reading speed needs to be 100+ characters per minute. Slow readers run out of time before the writing section even starts.
Official Syllabus
What the HSK 3.0 standard says you should know at this level
HSK 4 (新汉语水平考试四级)
Around 600 guided class hours, or roughly 6-9 months full-time. Self-learners usually need 12-15 months of consistent daily practice.
Topics
- •News and current affairs: domestic and international events
- •Workplace: meetings, emails, interviews, performance reviews
- •Social issues: environment, traffic, housing, public services
- •Personal relationships: family, friends, romance, conflict
- •Health: mental health, fitness, doctor visits, traditional medicine
- •Travel: planning, problem-solving, cultural observation
- •Education: school choice, study abroad, lifelong learning
- •Emotions and complex states: 紧张, 兴奋, 失望, 骄傲
Communicative Functions
- •Express and defend opinions on social topics
- •Use complex conjunctions: 因为…所以, 虽然…但是, 如果…就, 不但…而且
- •Narrate stories in sequence with 连接词: 首先, 然后, 最后
- •Compare multiple options and recommend
- •Express regret, surprise, and other complex emotions
- •Use 是…的 construction to emphasize time, place, or manner
Listening Focus
Audio patterns, question types, and what to drill
Each item is played twice. Audio speed is around 240-260 syllables per minute — natural conversational pace. Passages can run 60-90 seconds.
Question types
- •True/false on multi-paragraph conversations
- •Matching opinions to speakers in a 3-person discussion
- •Selecting the best summary of a longer passage
- •Inferring unstated information (e.g., speaker's attitude)
- •Gap-fill on a 3-4 sentence passage with 2-3 missing words
Common difficulties
- •成语 (4-character idioms) appear in audio now: 不知不觉, 顺便, 突然, 大约, 终于. Without recognizing them, you lose the meaning of an entire clause.
- •是…的 emphasis construction: 我是昨天买的 (It was yesterday that I bought it) sounds like an unfinished sentence if you don't know the pattern.
- •Complex sentences with multiple clauses and connectors — your working memory runs out before the question is asked.
- •Numbers in money, dates, and percentages get jammed together in business contexts: 增长率3.2%, 一万三千五百块零五.
Drill strategy
Listen to short Chinese news broadcasts daily (3-5 min), pause at each 成语, write it down, look it up. Build a 50-idiom deck — every one is testable in the HSK 4 listening section.
Exam Structure
Sections, time, and pass score for this level
Key Grammar Points
New sentence patterns you'll master at this level
Paired connectors that layer two qualities: 不但 A, 而且 B (not only A, but also B). A and B share a subject or topic. Use 不仅 A, 还 B for a slightly softer flavor. Always pair the first half with its connector — never say 'not only A, B'.
他不但会说中文，而且会写汉字。
Tā bùdàn huì shuō Zhōngwén, érqiě huì xiě Hànzì.
He can not only speak Chinese, but also write characters.
是…的 is used to emphasize time, place, manner, or agent of a known past event. 我是昨天去的是 (It was yesterday that I went) — the sentence is a complete past event, 是…的 just highlights one detail. Do not use 是…的 for events that have not yet happened.
我是从北京来的。
Wǒ shì cóng Běijīng lái de.
I came from Beijing (it was from Beijing that I came).
得 attaches an adjective as a result or degree complement: 她唱得好 (She sings well), 我跑得快 (I run fast). The 得 construction is required when a degree word modifies the verb, not the noun. Negate/question with 得不: 唱得好 vs 唱得不好.
她中文说得很好。
Tā Zhōngwén shuō de hěn hǎo.
She speaks Chinese very well.
一边…一边… means 'while doing A, also doing B'. Both actions happen simultaneously with the same subject. Common in daily activities: 一边吃饭, 一边看电视 (eat while watching TV). Can be compressed to 边…边 in speech.
我一边听音乐，一边做作业。
Wǒ yìbiān tīng yīnyuè, yìbiān zuò zuòyè.
I listen to music while doing homework.
随着 + noun + change: 随着经济的发展 (with the development of the economy). 越来越 + adj: 越来越好 (better and better). Both mark trends and changes over time. Common in news, opinion essays, and weather reports.
随着科技的发展，人们的生活越来越方便。
Suízhe kējì de fāzhǎn, rénmen de shēnghuó yuèláiyuè fāngbiàn.
With the development of technology, people's lives become more and more convenient.
连…都/也 means 'even…'. Use it to emphasize that the most basic, expected, or extreme case applies: 连小孩都知道 (even children know), 我连他名字都不知道 (I don't even know his name). Negation goes inside: 连…都不知道 means 'don't even know'.
他连饭都没有吃。
Tā lián fàn dōu méiyǒu chī.
He did not even eat (his meal).
Practical Sentences
Real-world Chinese you can use after this level
Tips for Passing
Actionable advice from learners who scored high
Write one short paragraph a week on topics like 'my weekend' or 'a person I admire' using 不仅…而且, 因为…所以, and 把/被, then have a tutor correct it — don't cram writing in the final week.
Build a 50-idiom flashcard deck of the most common HSK 4 chengyu (不知不觉, 顺便, 突然, 大约, 终于, 马上, 总是, 几乎) and review daily — without them, reading feels like a wall.
Take 3+ full timed mock tests in the final two weeks; HSK 4 packs 100 questions into ~105 minutes, so pacing matters more than grammar by exam day.
Practice the 是…的 pattern in 10 daily situations (where you bought something, who you came with, how you traveled) — this is the single highest-frequency construction at HSK 4 and most learners underuse it.
Vocabulary by Topic
Words HSK 4 learners meet in news, workplace, and study contexts
News & Society
Workplace
Health & Body
Relationships
Education
Complex Verbs
Continue Your Journey
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