HSK 4 — Intermediate B1
Complete guide to HSK 4 (HSK 3.0): 1,997 vocabulary words, 1,096 recognition characters, 400 writing characters, 332 grammar points, CEFR B1.
HSK 4 is the gateway to the Intermediate band and the CEFR B1 threshold. With nearly 2,000 cumulative words and 332 grammar points, you can participate in conversations on a wide range of topics, express opinions with reasoning, understand the main points of standard speech, and produce simple connected text. Written Hanzi production is tested for the first time. Expect 600–1,200 total study hours from zero.
Level Overview
| Item | Count |
|---|---|
| Vocabulary (cumulative) | 1,997 words |
| Recognition characters | 1,096 |
| Writing characters | 400 |
| Grammar points | 332 |
| CEFR equivalent | B1 |
| Estimated study hours | 600–1,200 hrs |
| Band | Intermediate |
Key Vocabulary Themes
- Society and environment — protect, pollution, resource, government, policy, regulation
- Personal development — hobby, arrange, plan, express, standard, goal, achieve
- Abstract qualities — change, influence, attitude, method, relationship, responsibility
- Professional and academic — research, project, report, suggest, discuss, analyze
- Emotional nuance — disappointed, satisfied, nervous, confident, proud, regret
Essential Vocabulary (HSK 4 Sample)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 爱好 | àihào | hobby; interest | 你有什么爱好？Nǐ yǒu shénme àihào? — What hobbies do you have? |
| 安排 | ānpái | arrange; plan; arrangement | 我来安排一下行程。Wǒ lái ānpái yīxià xíngchéng. — Let me arrange the itinerary. |
| 按时 | ànshí | on time; punctually | 请按时完成任务。Qǐng ànshí wánchéng rènwù. — Please complete the task on time. |
| 保护 | bǎohù | protect; protection | 我们要保护环境。Wǒmen yào bǎohù huánjìng. — We need to protect the environment. |
| 变化 | biànhuà | change; transformation | 这里的变化很大。Zhèlǐ de biànhuà hěn dà. — The changes here are very significant. |
| 标准 | biāozhǔn | standard; criterion | 这不符合标准。Zhè bù fúhé biāozhǔn. — This does not meet the standard. |
| 表达 | biǎodá | express; convey | 我不知道怎么表达我的感受。Wǒ bù zhīdào zěnme biǎodá wǒ de gǎnshòu. — I don't know how to express my feelings. |
| 仔细 | zǐxì | careful; attentive | 请仔细阅读说明。Qǐng zǐxì yuèdú shuōmíng. — Please read the instructions carefully. |
| 坚持 | jiānchí | persist; insist; stick to | 坚持每天练习，你会进步的。Jiānchí měitiān liànxí, nǐ huì jìnbù de. — Keep practicing every day and you will improve. |
| 竟然 | jìngrán | unexpectedly; to one's surprise | 他竟然忘了我们的约定。Tā jìngrán wàng le wǒmen de yuēdìng. — He unexpectedly forgot our agreement. |
| 究竟 | jiūjìng | exactly; after all (strong emphasis) | 你究竟想要什么？Nǐ jiūjìng xiǎng yào shénme? — What exactly do you want? |
| 理解 | lǐjiě | understand; comprehend | 我完全理解你的想法。Wǒ wánquán lǐjiě nǐ de xiǎngfǎ. — I fully understand your thinking. |
| 难道 | nándào | could it be that…? (rhetorical) | 难道你不知道吗？Nándào nǐ bù zhīdào ma? — Could it be that you didn't know? |
| 随着 | suízhe | along with; following | 随着技术的发展，生活越来越方便。Suízhe jìshù de fāzhǎn, shēnghuó yuè lái yuè fāngbiàn. — As technology develops, life becomes more and more convenient. |
| 影响 | yǐngxiǎng | influence; affect | 这件事影响了我的决定。Zhè jiàn shì yǐngxiǎng le wǒ de juédìng. — This matter influenced my decision. |
| 由于 | yóuyú | due to; because of (formal) | 由于天气原因，航班取消了。Yóuyú tiānqì yuányīn, hángbān qǔxiāo le. — Due to weather, the flight was cancelled. |
| 责任 | zérèn | responsibility; duty | 这是你的责任。Zhè shì nǐ de zérèn. — This is your responsibility. |
| 只好 | zhǐhǎo | have to; be forced to (reluctantly) | 没有出租车，我只好走路。Méiyǒu chūzūchē, wǒ zhǐhǎo zǒulù. — There were no taxis, so I had to walk. |
| 重视 | zhòngshì | attach importance to; value | 公司非常重视员工的意见。Gōngsī fēicháng zhòngshì yuángōng de yìjiàn. — The company values employees' opinions greatly. |
| 总之 | zǒngzhī | in short; in a word | 总之，这个计划可行。Zǒngzhī, zhège jìhuà kěxíng. — In short, this plan is feasible. |
Core Grammar Points
1. Expressing "the more…the more": 越…越…
- 他学得越努力，汉语就越好。Tā xué de yuè nǔlì, Hànyǔ jiù yuè hǎo. — The harder he studies, the better his Chinese gets.
2. Emphasizing contrast: 却 (què) — "yet; however"
却 marks an unexpected or contrasting result within a sentence.
- 他很努力，成绩却不好。Tā hěn nǔlì, chéngjì què bù hǎo. — He works hard yet his results are not good.
3. Formal causation: 由于…所以…
More formal than 因为…所以… — common in written Chinese.
- 由于缺乏资金，项目被迫停止。Yóuyú quēfá zījīn, xiàngmù bèipò tíngzhǐ. — Due to lack of funds, the project was forced to stop.
4. Rhetorical questions with 难道…吗？
Not a real question — it asserts the opposite strongly.
- 难道你不喜欢吃中国菜吗？— Surely you like Chinese food, don't you?
5. 随着 + noun/clause — "along with; as … changes"
Used to express parallel change.
- 随着年龄增长，他变得越来越成熟。Suízhe niánlíng zēngzhǎng, tā biàn de yuè lái yuè chéngshú. — As he gets older, he becomes more and more mature.
6. Concessive: 尽管…还是/仍然… (jǐnguǎn…háishi…)
Stronger than 虽然 — "even though."
- 尽管下大雨，他还是去上班了。Jǐnguǎn xià dà yǔ, tā háishi qù shàngbān le. — Even though it was raining heavily, he still went to work.
7. Complex complements: 起来 (qǐlái) — start to / seem
Used as directional or evaluative complement.
- 天气暖和起来了。Tiānqì nuǎnhuo qǐlái le. — The weather is warming up.
- 听起来很有趣。Tīng qǐlái hěn yǒuqù. — It sounds very interesting.
8. Resultative "to the extent that": 以至于 / 以至 (yǐzhìyú)
- 他忙得以至于没有时间吃饭。Tā máng de yǐzhìyú méiyǒu shíjiān chīfàn. — He was so busy that he had no time to eat.
9. Expressing hesitation or lack of choice: 只好 vs 不得不
- 只好 implies reluctance (I had to, unfortunately); 不得不 is more forceful (no choice at all)
10. Chained verbal predicates (serial verb construction)
Two or more verb phrases sharing the same subject without a connector.
- 我坐飞机去北京。Wǒ zuò fēijī qù Běijīng. — I go to Beijing by plane (lit. ride plane go Beijing).
Skills Tested at HSK 4
| Skill | Details |
|---|---|
| Listening | Extended dialogues and monologues; inference and main-idea questions |
| Reading | Longer passages; vocabulary-in-context; logical ordering |
| Speaking | Describe a scene; express and defend an opinion (~3 min total) |
| Writing (Hanzi) | Sentence composition with given words; short paragraph writing |
| Translation | Not tested at HSK 4 |
Recommended Resources
| Resource | Type | Why it helps at HSK 4 |
|---|---|---|
| HSK 4 Standard Course (Hanban) | Official textbook | Exact word list, exercises, and practice tests |
| Mandarin Companion Level 2 | Graded reader | 450-word stories; bridges to authentic reading |
| HSK Academy (hsk.academy) | Online drills | Adaptive vocabulary and grammar practice |
| Yoyo Chinese Intermediate | Video series | Grammar explanations pitched at B1 level |
| NHK World Chinese | News | Simple news Chinese with controlled vocabulary |
| Lang-8 / iTalki writing | Writing practice | Submit compositions; get corrections from native speakers |
What Next — Aiming for HSK 5
After passing HSK 4, your targets for HSK 5 are:
- Expand vocabulary from 1,997 to 3,597 words (+1,600 new items) — many abstract, academic, and professional terms
- Grammar points grow from 332 to 402 — more advanced patterns, idioms, and formal writing structures
- CEFR advances from B1 to B2 — the level where you can follow most natural Chinese media
- Translation component introduced at HSK 5 — practice Chinese↔English translation of short texts
- New themes: economics, technology, culture, literature, social issues, academic argument
- Start reading authentic simplified Chinese: news apps, WeChat articles, Chinese Wikipedia
- Watch Chinese TV dramas or talk shows with Chinese subtitles rather than English