HSK 7-9 flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

言外之意

Implied meaning beyond the literal words. In HSK 7-9 listening, attitude questions often ask what the speaker really intends, so the correct option restates the implication rather than the surface sentence.

反问句 polarity reversal

A rhetorical question such as 难道你不知道吗 states the opposite of its grammatical form. Recognizing it prevents choosing an option that matches the literal question rather than the intended assertion.

不是…而是 correction

This pattern cancels an earlier figure or claim and substitutes a new one. In listening, the second element is the tested fact; the first is a deliberate distractor.

首先 其次 最后

Enumeration markers that announce a list. They tell the listener how many points to expect and where each begins, which helps locate the detail a question targets.

倒是 tone marker

A particle signaling contrast, mild surprise, or concession. Its presence often indicates the speaker disagrees or is skeptical, which drives attitude and inference items.

成语 literal trap

Idioms like 开夜车 (work late) or 拍马屁 (flatter) cannot be understood word by word. Options built on the literal characters are usually wrong.

之所以…是因为

A causal frame meaning 'the reason X is so is because Y'. The clause after 是因为 carries the explanation, so gap-fill items require a clause stating a cause.

与其…不如

A comparative frame meaning 'rather than A, better B'. The blank after 不如 must express the preferred alternative, and the verb form must fit both halves.

除非…否则

A conditional frame: 'unless A, then B'. The 否则 clause states a negative consequence, so the blank must contain a clause that follows logically from the unmet condition.

Referential 这 and 其

These pronouns point backward to previously mentioned content. A sentence beginning with 这 or 因此 cannot be the first sentence of a paragraph, which constrains ordering tasks.

Collocation over synonymy

Near-synonyms differ by fixed partners: 提高 pairs with 水平, 改善 with 条件, 增强 with 意识. Vocabulary items are decided by collocation, not dictionary meaning alone.

把 construction constraint

把 requires a definite object and a verb phrase expressing result or disposal, such as 把书放在桌上. A bare verb without complement after 把 is ungrammatical and is a common error item.

Measure word mismatch

Each noun selects a classifier: 一条鱼, 一张纸, 一匹马, 一副眼镜. Error-identification items often pair a noun with the wrong classifier.

Redundant 因为 with 之所以

之所以 already marks cause, so adding 因为 in the same clause is redundant. This duplication is a standard target in error-identification questions.

Predicate vs nominal blank

Before judging meaning in gap-fill, decide the required part of speech. After 的 a noun is needed; after 很 an adjective or verb; after 把 a verb phrase.

缩写 summary task

An 80–120-character retelling of a narrative heard once. It must preserve the main events in order, use reported speech, and omit personal opinion or invented detail.

总-分-总 structure

The expected essay shape: thesis in the opening, two supported points in the body, restatement in the close. Graders reward visible structure and penalize an unstructured stream of sentences.

书面语 connectives

Formal written Chinese uses 然而, 因此, 综上所述, 不仅如此. Colloquial fillers like 然后 and 就是说 lower the stylistic band in the composition task.

Full-width punctuation

Chinese writing requires ，。、；： and the quotation marks “”. Half-width commas, missing periods, and Latin quotes are treated as errors in the writing section.

Two-space indentation

Each new paragraph begins with two full-width spaces. Missing indentation or indenting with spaces typed in a Latin keyboard layout is a formatting deduction.

的 地 得 distinction

的 precedes nouns, 地 precedes verbs as an adverbial marker, 得 follows verbs to introduce complements. Confusing them is among the most frequent writing deductions.

Reported speech in summary

Use 主人公, 他认为, 据说 rather than direct quotation. Reported speech compresses dialogue and keeps the summary within the character limit.

Topic-comment to SVO

Chinese often fronts a topic without marking its role. English translation requires identifying the logical subject and predicate and rebuilding a subject-verb-object sentence.

把 and 被 in translation

把 marks disposal of a definite object and maps to English SVO with a result; 被 marks passive and maps to be plus past participle. Recognizing the marker fixes the English voice.

成语 by meaning

Idioms are translated by their sense, not their components. 画蛇添足 corresponds to 'gild the lily'; a literal rendering is marked wrong.

万 and 亿 conversion

万 equals 10,000 and 亿 equals 100,000,000. 亿 is not 'billion'; a hundred million is the correct English equivalent, and misreading it distorts figures.

Aspect without English tense

了 marks completion, 着 ongoing state, 过 past experience. English conveys these through tense and verb choice, so translators select forms rather than adding words.

Parataxis in English-to-Chinese

English subordinate clauses are often split into short Chinese clauses joined by 这, 那, 因此. Preserving one long sentence produces unnatural Chinese.

Official romanization

Place names follow established forms: 北京 Beijing, 香港 Hong Kong, 西藏 Tibet, 内蒙古 Inner Mongolia. Personal names use pinyin with the surname first.

Consecutive note symbols

Interpreters record arrows for cause and result, plus and minus for contrast, and digits for numbers. Symbols free attention for the next segment of speech.

Sight translation pauses

Sight translation must preserve paragraph breaks and sentence boundaries of the source. Merging paragraphs or skipping a line is treated as an accuracy error.

Propositional accuracy first

Grading prioritizes whether the content propositions are correct. A fluent rendering that omits or reverses a proposition scores lower than a plain but accurate one.