Idioms, slang & advanced Chinese
Chengyu, formal connectors, written language and specialized topics.
20 subtopics · ~1,062 words
Advanced and idiomatic is deliberately last on the hub. Chengyu, proverbs, slang, living wenyan and news Chinese will not get you off a 地铁 on day one. Open it when HSK 4 no longer scares you and you want to read comments or headlines. Treat slang as dated and chengyu as bundles: one a day, in a sentence of yours. Chinese Trainer may tag HSK 5–6; that does not make a chengyu into survival. If you still order food by pointing, go back to Wave 1.
Detailed physical descriptions
Appearance, height, build, hair and detailed adjectives.
103 words →
Abstract concepts
Ideas, values, logic and abstract nouns.
47 words →
Logical connectors & formal discourse
Formal linking words and written-style connectors.
99 words →
Action & movement verbs
Verbs of motion, action and change.
130 words →
Degree adverbs & modality
Intensity, frequency, certainty and modal adverbs.
123 words →
Synonyms, antonyms & nuance
Near-synonyms, antonyms and subtle differences.
30 words →
Philosophy, ethics & debate
Ethics, argumentation and philosophical concepts.
25 words →
Restaurant, hotel & services
Dialogues for dining, hotels and customer service.
39 words →
Chengyu (成语) by category
Common chengyu grouped by theme and usage.
35 words →
Proverbs, sayings & xiehouyu
Traditional sayings and two-part allegorical phrases.
39 words →
Slang, internet & youth language
Online slang, memes and informal youth speech.
25 words →
Regional variants & dialects
Regional differences and dialect awareness.
25 words →
Formal written vs spoken language
Written-style Chinese and formal register.
38 words →
Yearly internet buzzwords
A rotating shelf of 网络热词: 内卷, 躺平 and what HSK will not ask… yet.
28 words →
Classical Chinese still alive
文言文 phrases that still show up in headlines, toasts and dish names.
24 words →
Euphemisms & sound puns
谐音: why a clock is a funeral and 8 opens a shop.
71 words →
Fillers & repairing a sentence
就是说, 那个, 我的意思是: real spoken Chinese is not the textbook.
69 words →
Newspaper Chinese
Headline, 据悉, 呼吁: the register of a short news item, not an editorial.
45 words →
False friends ES/EN → ZH
Words Spanish or English push you toward the wrong character.
46 words →
Swearwords: recognise, don't use
Words you will hear in a 出租. Comprehension only, not production.
21 words →