Milestone map
Milestone map
3 milestones
Build HSK 4 vocabulary and character depth
6 weeks
HSK 4 requires approximately 1,200 vocabulary items and 1,200 character recognition. At this level, learners engage with non-routine topics: abstract opinions, social issues, professional contexts, and longer narrative texts. Vocabulary study must now include formal written register words alongside conversational vocabulary, as HSK 4 reading passages come from newspaper-level Chinese. Character recognition requires understanding character components (radicals, phonetic elements) to decode new compound characters.
Proof required
Complete a 75-item HSK 4 practice set and submit a photo with a score of 70% or above, plus a handwritten vocabulary analysis of 10 unfamiliar HSK 4 characters — for each, note the radical, phonetic component (if identifiable), and a memory note.
What gets checked
- 70% or above on a 75-item HSK 4 practice set
- 10 character analyses include the radical, phonetic component (where applicable), and a genuine personal memory note
- Character analyses are handwritten — this forces genuine engagement with character structure rather than digital lookup
Common mistakes
- Studying HSK 4 characters as whole units without breaking them into components — the sheer volume at HSK 4 (1,200 characters) makes whole-unit memorisation unsustainable
- Ignoring formal register vocabulary — HSK 4 reading passages often use formal Chinese that differs significantly from everyday conversational Mandarin
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- The radical analysis should correctly identify the radical, not just write the character again
- Memory notes should be personal and creative — generic dictionary definitions don't demonstrate genuine engagement with character structure
- 70% threshold on HSK 4 practice reflects the exam difficulty — some errors in a practice set are expected at this preparation stage
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Master HSK 4 grammar — 的/地/得, 被 passive, complex conditionals
5 weeks
HSK 4 grammar focuses on three areas that mark the transition from intermediate to upper-intermediate Chinese. First, the disambiguation of 的/地/得: 的 links a modifier to a noun (漂亮的花), 地 links an adverb to a verb (慢慢地走), 得 connects a verb to a degree complement (跑得快). Second, the 被 passive construction (书被我看完了 — the book was read by me). Third, complex conditionals: 即使...也 (even if...still) and 只要...就 (as long as...then). These structures mark HSK 4 production ability.
Proof required
Submit a handwritten grammar page (photo or scan) with: (1) one sentence each using 的, 地, and 得 correctly, (2) one 被 passive sentence with a context note explaining the affected object, (3) one 即使...也 sentence and one 只要...就 sentence — all original examples.
What gets checked
- 的/地/得 sentences use each particle in the correct structural position (noun modifier / verb adverb / degree complement)
- 被 sentence clearly shows the agent (被 + agent + verb) and the object as the sentence topic
- 即使...也 and 只要...就 sentences use both paired connectives in correct positions
Common mistakes
- Treating 的/地/得 as interchangeable — this is among the most common written errors made by HSK 3–4 learners and is actively penalised in HSK 4 writing
- Forming 被 sentences with intransitive verbs — 被 requires a transitive verb and an affected object
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- 的/地/得 test: 快 (fast) before a noun → 快的车 (uses 的); as a manner adverb → 快快地说 (uses 地); as a degree complement → 说得很快 (uses 得). Ask the learner to produce all three
- 被 sentence: the topic should be the affected object, agent follows 被 directly — 书被小明看完了 not 小明被看完了书
- 即使...也: the 也 must appear in the consequence clause — 即使下雨，我也去 (Even if it rains, I'll still go)
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Pass HSK 4 and hold an extended Mandarin discussion
2 weeks
Submit your official HSK 4 certificate. Because HSK 4 tests only reading and listening — not speaking — also record an extended 30-minute unscripted discussion with a native or near-native Mandarin speaker on a topic of genuine interest to both parties (news, culture, professional life, personal goals). The discussion should demonstrate the ability to express and defend opinions, not just describe facts.
Proof required
Submit (1) your official HSK 4 certificate or score report, AND (2) a video recording of a 30-minute unscripted discussion with a native or near-native Mandarin speaker, with both sides audible. The discussion should include opinion exchange, not only factual description.
What gets checked
- Official HSK 4 certificate or score report showing a passing result
- Discussion is at least 30 minutes with genuine topic engagement from both sides
- Learner expresses and defends at least one opinion with supporting reasoning — not only descriptive statements
Common mistakes
- Avoiding complex topics in the discussion recording — HSK 4 vocabulary and grammar should enable discussion of abstract and social topics; staying only in simple territory understates the achievement
- Preparing a topic script — the proof requires spontaneous language production in response to the other speaker
Resources
Foundationstart here
Depthgo deeper
What a verifier looks for
- The certificate should be official Hanban/CTCSOL for HSK Level 4
- Opinion expression markers: listen for 我认为, 我觉得, 其实, 虽然...但是, 不过 used spontaneously — these mark upper-intermediate Mandarin production
- 30-minute discussion is substantive — if the conversation runs out of content before 30 minutes, the learner's speaking vocabulary depth is not yet at HSK 4 level
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