HSK 4 guide: 1,200 words, inference, and mocks
How to prepare HSK 4: about 1,200 cumulative words, longer reading, inferential listening, short writing, and an HSK 4 practice test (mock) every two weeks.
At HSK 4 you can already travel and talk within limits, but the exam asks for speed and inference. The six-level frame puts the band around 1,200 cumulative words. Texts lengthen and audio punishes passive listening. This guide organizes work by skill.
In this guide
Which framework this guide covers
The classic HSK 4 band is about 1,200 cumulative words (Wikipedia HSK). Register: chinesetest.cn. Framework: CLEC.
The 2021 nine-band outline is not replaced by this page. Confirm the paper at your center.
What changes at HSK 4
Reading: longer paragraphs, more connectors, questions on text logic.
Listening: corrections, plan changes, details that punish passive listening.
Production: you need to explain experiences and simple opinions coherently.
Vocabulary adds more abstract words and collocations (对…感兴趣, 开会, 放假, 注意). Inventory: HSK 4 list.
Vocabulary: collocations > definitions
Pace: 25–35 items/day, prioritizing collocations and frequent synonyms in context.
Leech list: words failed 3+ times get 5 extra minutes that day.
Read simplified news or short texts; note 5 new collocations per session — not 50 loose words.
Weekly skill plan
Model week: 3 days vocab+SRS, 2 days long listening, 1 day intensive reading, 1 day writing/speaking.
Listening: 20–25 minute blocks. Note if you fail on vocabulary, speed, or missed corrections.
Reading: timed pass + analysis pass (connectors, references, synonyms).
Writing: 100–150 characters (email, invitation, brief opinion). Ask for naturalness and particle feedback, not textbook grammar only.
Grammar and discourse
Consolidate 把 / 被 / 比 and result complements under time pressure.
Connectors: 因为…所以…, 虽然…但是…, 然后, 不过 — use them in oral summaries.
Experience structures: 过, 已经…了, 还没….
Practice «repairing» sentences: say a wrong version on purpose and fix it.
Mocks every 2 weeks, with ritual
Full timed mock. Same day: classify errors (vocab / grammar / listening trap / time).
Five mocks in a row without fixing reinforces panic, not skill.
Between mocks, work only 1–2 error patterns — measurable improvement comes from there.
Mistakes that block HSK 4
Word hoarding without context or collocations.
Ignoring synonyms — text uses 高兴 and you only studied 快乐.
Saving listening for the last month.
Mocks without analysis.
Checklist
Follow HSK 4 dialogue and explain what changed in the plan.
Timed short text + inference questions.
Write 120 characters with 2–3 correct connectors.
Leech list under control — short list, not a graveyard.
Next step
When the checklist is green, continue with the HSK 5 guide: the jump is stamina and register, not just more cards.
Register on chinesetest.cn. Optional practice: log in.
Related resources
Official HSK sources
Register and check dates on Chinese Testing International. The framework is run by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (formerly Hanban).
- Chinese Testing International — official HSK registration
Official HSK dates, test centers, and registration. Chinese Trainer is not a test center.
- Center for Language Education and Cooperation (formerly Hanban)
The body behind Chinese as a foreign language programs and the HSK framework.
- HSK on Wikipedia
Overview of the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi: levels, history, and format.
Put it into practice
Train HSK 4 through collocations, not loose definitions. Register on the official site when the mock ritual stops being a lottery.