HSK 4 cheat sheet

HSK 4 listening has three parts: 45 items total, roughly 25 minutes of audio, played once only; Part 1 is true/false on a short sentence matched to a picture-free statement, Parts 2 and 3 are multiple choice on dialogues and short passages.

Question stems and options are printed in the test paper; the audio contains the answer, so pre-reading options during the pause reveals what to listen for (numbers, places, reasons, or a speaker's attitude).

Signal words for the answer: 但是/可是/不过 (contrast), 因为…所以 (cause), 虽然…但是 (concession), 除了…还 (addition), 先…然后…最后 (sequence); the correct option usually restates the clause after the contrast marker.

Numbers and times are frequent distractors: listen for 差一点儿, 差不多, 左右, 多/少, 早/晚, and 提前/推迟; the wrong option often quotes a number mentioned before a correction such as 不，是…

Tone questions (Part 3) hinge on 语气 adverbs: 竟然/居然 (surprise), 幸亏 (luck), 只好 (reluctance), 难道 (rhetorical challenge), 千万 (warning); match these to options like 惊讶, 庆幸, 无奈, 反对.

Part 3 passages often ask 主要意思 or 说话人想说明什么; the answer is a general summary, not a detail repeated verbatim in the audio-reject options that copy one phrase but distort the overall point.

Common trap: an option repeats words heard in the audio but reverses the relationship (谁做什么, cause vs result); verify subject and direction of the action before choosing.

Idioms and set phrases tested at this level include 不见不散, 越来越, 越…越…, 一…就…, 不但…而且…; recognizing them as fixed chunks speeds comprehension and prevents word-by-word misparsing.

HSK 4 reading has three parts: Part 1 fill-in-the-blank with word choices (about 10 items), Part 2 matching sentences to short passages (about 10 items), Part 3 short-passage multiple choice (about 20 items); total 40 items in 40 minutes.

Part 1 tests collocations: choose the word that fits the grammatical slot-verb+object (提高水平, 养成习惯, 解决问题), adjective+noun, and adverb+verb (认真地听, 不断地努力); the wrong options are grammatical but collocationally wrong.

Distinguish near-synonyms by transitivity and object type: 举行 (ceremonies/meetings), 举办 (events), 进行 (activities), 开展 (campaigns); 提高 (level) vs 增加 (quantity) vs 加强 (strength/management).

Part 2 matching: read the four candidate sentences first, note pronouns (他/她/这/那/这样), conjunctions (因此, 另外, 总之), and time markers; a sentence starting with 因此 must follow a cause, and one with 另外 introduces a new parallel point.

Part 3 strategy: locate the sentence containing the key noun of the question, then read one sentence before and after; answers are paraphrases, so match meaning, not identical characters.

Passage genres recur: notices (通知), personal narratives, popular-science explanations, and letters; for notices, the answer is usually who/what/when/where-scan for 时间, 地点, 参加者.

Cohesive devices to track: 虽然…但是, 不但…而且, 只有…才, 只要…就, 无论…都, 即使…也; the clause after the second connector typically carries the main claim tested.

Measure words and 的/地/得 errors appear in distractors: 得 after verbs for degree (说得很好), 地 before verbs for manner (慢慢地走), 的 before nouns; a distractor with the wrong particle can be eliminated immediately.

HSK 4 writing has two parts: Part 1 make sentences from given words (about 10 items), Part 2 write a short composition of about 80 characters on a given topic and picture prompt, in roughly 25 minutes total.

Part 1 rule: the given words must all be used, and only word order plus necessary particles may be added; the standard frame is subject + time + place + adverb + verb + complement + object.

Sentence-order cues: 把 comes before the verb with the object after it (我把书放在桌子上); 被 marks the passive with the agent after it (书被他拿走了); 比 compares before the adjective (他比我高).

Time words and adverbs go before the verb, not after: 我昨天去了, not 我去了昨天; 也/都/才/就 follow the subject and precede the verb.

Complements: 得 follows the verb (跑得快), 了/过 follow the verb (吃了, 去过), and directional complements 来/去 attach after the verb (进来, 出去); misplacing these is the most common Part 1 error.

Part 2 composition: aim for 5-8 short sentences covering 时间, 人物, 地点, 事情, 结果/感受; use at least two connectives (因为…所以, 虽然…但是, 然后, 最后) to show cohesion.

Keep characters within HSK 4 vocabulary; a clear, grammatical 80-character text scores better than an ambitious one with wrong characters, since the rubric rewards relevance, length, and grammatical accuracy.

Checklist before submitting: every given word used exactly once in Part 1, punctuation at sentence ends, no pinyin substitutions, and the composition addresses the picture rather than a memorized template.

HSK 4 translation is a sentence-level task: about 10 English sentences to render into Chinese within the writing section time, testing grammar patterns and vocabulary rather than literary style.

Core patterns to render accurately: 把 construction for disposal (把作业做完), 被 for passive, 比 for comparison, 越来越 for 'more and more', 越…越… for correlated change, 除了…以外 for 'besides/except'.

Tense and aspect are carried by particles, not by verb endings: 了 for completed action, 过 for experience, 正在/呢 for ongoing, 会/要 for future; omitting 了 in a past-event sentence is a frequent deduction.

Measure words must be supplied: 一个, 一件, 一次, 一场, 一位; English articles 'a/the' do not translate directly, so choose the noun-appropriate classifier.

Adverb placement: 也, 都, 常常, 已经, 一直 sit between subject and verb; time expressions (今天, 上个月) precede the verb or open the sentence.

Numbers, dates, and money follow Chinese order: year-month-day (2024年5月3日), 万/亿 grouping (十万 = 100,000), and 半/多 placement (三个多小时 = more than three hours).

For 'because…so…' and 'although…but…', Chinese keeps both connectors (因为…所以…, 虽然…但是…), unlike English; dropping the second half is a common error to avoid.

Leave no English words or pinyin in the answer; if a word is unknown, paraphrase with a simpler HSK 1-3 word that preserves the sentence's meaning.