HSK 5 Chinese grammar
3.063 grammar rules of the new HSK standard at this level, with structures, examples and an interactive exercise for every rule.
"Even If" Statements
Adjectives
Adverbs
再…也 — no matter how
再 (zài) + Adj., 也 (yě) + Result再难，也要坚持下去。Zài nán, yě yào jiānchí xiàqù.No matter how hard it is, we still have to persevere.老是 — always (complaining)
Subj. + 老是 (lǎoshì) + Verb/Adj.他老是抱怨。Tā lǎoshì bàoyuàn.He is always complaining.毕竟 — after all
毕竟 (bìjìng) + Clause别怪他了，毕竟他还是个孩子。Bié guài tā le, bìjìng tā háishì gè háizi.Don’t blame him; after all, he is still a child.反正 — anyway
反正 (fǎnzhèng) + Fact/Reason, Main Clause不管你去不去，反正我去。Bùguǎn nǐ qù bù qù, fǎnzhèng wǒ qù.Whether you go or not, anyway I’m going.尽量 — as much as possible
尽量 (jǐnliàng) + Verb Phrase我会尽量帮助你。Wǒ huì jǐnliàng bāngzhù nǐ.I will help you as much as I can.曾经 — once
Subj. + 曾经 (céngjīng) + Verb + 过 (guo)我曾经在北京住过。Wǒ céngjīng zài Běijīng zhù guo.I once lived in Beijing.简直 — simply
简直 (jiǎnzhí) + Verb / Adj.他简直疯了！Tā jiǎnzhí fēng le!He’s simply gone mad!白 — wasted effort
白 (bái) + Verb Phrase他白跑了一趟，人不在。Tā bái pǎo le yī tàng, rén bù zài.He made a wasted trip; the person wasn’t there.果然 — as expected
果然 (guǒrán) + Result (matching expectation)天气预报说会下雨，果然下雨了。Tiānqì yùbào shuō huì xià yǔ, guǒrán xià yǔ le.The weather forecast said it would rain, and sure enough it rained.似乎 — as if, seemingly
似乎 (sìhū) + Clause (speculative)他似乎不太高兴。Tā sìhū bù tài gāoxìng.He seems not very happy.反而 vs 却 — contrary to expectation vs but
反而 (fǎn'ér): contrary to expectation / 却 (què): however, but他努力了，反而失败了。 / 他说帮忙，却没来。Tā nǔlì le, fǎn'ér shībài le. / Tā shuō bāngmáng, què méi lái.He tried hard, but contrary to expectations, he failed. / He said he would help, yet he didn’t come.根本 vs 到底 — at all vs after all
根本 (gēnběn): at all (negatives), fundamental / 到底 (dàodǐ): after all, finally我根本不知道。 / 你到底想怎样？Wǒ gēnběn bù zhīdào. / Nǐ dàodǐ xiǎng zěnyàng?I didn’t know at all. / What do you really want?居然 vs 反而 — unexpected vs on the contrary
居然 (jūrán): unexpectedly (surprise) / 反而 (fǎn'ér): on the contrary他居然迟到了。 / 帮忙反而添了乱。Tā jūrán chídào le. / Bāngmáng fǎn'ér tiān le luàn.He was unexpectedly late. / Helping actually made things worse.绝对 vs 的确 — certainty and confirmation
Subject + 绝对 (juéduì) / 的确 (díquè) + Predicate这个办法的确好，但绝对不能着急。Zhège bànfǎ díquè hǎo, dàn juéduì bù néng zháojí.This method is indeed good, but you absolutely must not rush.亲自 — doing it in person
Subject + 亲自 (qīnzì) + Verb Phrase这件事很重要，我要亲自去。Zhè jiàn shì hěn zhòngyào, wǒ yào qīnzì qù.This matter is very important; I want to go personally.相当 — quite, considerably
相当 (xiāngdāng) + Adj./Verb这个箱子相当重。Zhège xiāngzi xiāngdāng zhòng.This suitcase is quite heavy.通常 vs 时常 — usually vs often
通常 (tōngcháng) / 时常 (shícháng) + Verb/Adj.我通常坐地铁上班，时常遇到同事。Wǒ tōngcháng zuò dìtiě shàng bān, shícháng yùdào tóngshì.I usually take the subway to work and often run into colleagues.即将 vs 尽快 vs 早晚 — future timing
即将 (jíjiāng) + Verb / 尽快 (jǐnkuài) + Verb / 早晚 (zǎowǎn) + Verb火车即将出发，请尽快上车。Huǒchē jíjiāng chūfā, qǐng jǐnkuài shàng chē.The train is about to depart; please board as soon as possible.渐渐 — gradually
Subject + 渐渐 (jiànjiàn) + Verb/Adj.天渐渐黑了，我们回家吧。Tiān jiànjiàn hēi le, wǒmen huí jiā ba.It gradually got dark, let's go home.立刻, 连忙, 急忙 — immediate or hurried action
立刻 (lìkè) / 连忙 (liánmáng) / 急忙 (jímáng) + Verb听到消息，他连忙给我打电话。Tīngdào xiāoxi, tā liánmáng gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà.On hearing the news, he hurried to call me.可 — emphatic “really”
Subj. + 可 (kě) + Verb / Adj. (+ 了 (le))这件事你可别忘了！Zhè jiàn shì nǐ kě bié wàng le!Don't you forget about this!过于 — too, excessively
过于 (guòyú) + Adj./Verb你过于紧张了。Nǐ guòyú jǐnzhāng le.You are too nervous.极其 — extremely
极其 (jíqí) + Adj./Stative Verb这个办法极其简单。Zhège bànfǎ jíqí jiǎndān.This method is extremely simple."But" Statements
Adverbs with Adjectives
Conjunctions
以及 — as well as
Noun A + 以及 (yǐjí) + Noun B苹果、香蕉以及橘子都买了。Píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo yǐjí júzi dōu mǎi le.I bought apples, bananas, as well as oranges.总之 — in short
总之 (zǒngzhī) + Summary / Conclusion总之，我们不能放弃。Zǒngzhī, wǒmen bù néng fàngqì.In short, we cannot give up.不但不 — not only not, but the opposite
Subject + 不但不 (búdàn bù) + Verb + 反而 (fǎn'ér) + Verb / Subject + 不但没有 (búdàn méiyǒu) + Verb + 反而 (fǎn'ér) + Verb他不但没生气，反而笑了。Tā búdàn méi shēngqì, fǎn'ér xiào le.He not only didn't get angry, but instead laughed.不是 — not enough, also need
不是 (bú shì) + Action + 就可以了 (jiù kěyǐ le) / 就行了 (jiù xíng le)，还 (hái) / 还是 (háishi) + Further requirement不是看完这本书就可以了，还要写一篇作文。Bú shì kànwán zhè běn shū jiù kěyǐ le, hái yào xiě yì piān zuòwén.It's not enough to finish reading this book — you also need to write an essay.要不然 — otherwise
Condition, 要不然 (yàoburán) / 不然 (bùrán) + consequence快点走，要不然我们会迟到。Kuài diǎn zǒu, yàoburán wǒmen huì chídào.Walk faster, otherwise we'll be late."If" Statements
假如 — if… then…
假如 (jiǎrú) + Condition, 就 (jiù) + Result假如明天天气好，我们就去野餐。Jiǎrú míngtiān tiānqì hǎo, wǒmen jiù qù yěcān.If the weather is good tomorrow, we will go on a picnic.万一 — what if
万一 (wànyī) + (Undesirable) Condition + 怎么办 (zěnme bàn)？万一他不同意怎么办？Wànyī tā bù tóngyì zěnme bàn?What if he doesn’t agree?Conditional Statements
Nouns
以来 — ever since
Time / Event + 以来 (yǐlái)，⋯⋯毕业以来，他一直当老师。Bìyè yǐlái, tā yīzhí dāng lǎoshī.Ever since he graduated, he has been a teacher.彼此 — each other
彼此 (bǐcǐ) + Verb他们彼此很了解。Tāmen bǐcǐ hěn liǎojiě.They know each other well.本 — your side with 本
本 (běn) + Noun (our/this)本公司提供服务。 / 本人同意。 / 本店今天休息。Běn gōngsī tígōng fúwù. / Běnrén tóngyì. / Běn diàn jīntiān xiūxi.Our company provides services. / I myself agree. / Our store is closed today.彼此 vs 对方 — each other vs the other party
彼此 (bǐcǐ): each other (reciprocal) / 对方 (duìfāng): the other side, counterpart他们彼此了解，也尊重对方。Tāmen bǐcǐ liǎojiě, yě zūnzhòng duìfāng.They understand each other and respect the other party.Prepositions
朝 vs 向 vs 往 — direction prepositions
朝 (cháo) / 向 (xiàng) / 往 (wǎng) + Direction + Verb他朝前走。 / 请向左转。 / 鸟往东飞。Tā cháo qián zǒu. / Qǐng xiàng zuǒ zhuǎn. / Niǎo wǎng dōng fēi.He walks forward. / Please turn left. / The bird flies east.替 — on someone’s behalf
替 (tì) + Person + Verb你累了，我替你做饭吧。Nǐ lèi le, wǒ tì nǐ zuò fàn ba.You're tired, so I'll cook instead of you.沿 — along a route
沿 (yán) / 沿着 (yánzhe) + Noun (path) + Verb我们沿着河边走。Wǒmen yánzhe hébiān zǒu.We walk along the river.自从 — ever since
自从 (zìcóng) + Event, Subj. + 就 (jiù) / 一直 (yìzhí) + Verb自从有了孩子，她就没工作过。Zìcóng yǒu le háizi, tā jiù méi gōngzuò guo.Ever since she had a child, she hasn’t worked.凭 — on the basis of
凭 (píng) + Noun + Verb你凭什么这么说？Nǐ píng shénme zhème shuō?On what basis do you say that?同 vs 较 — formal “with” and “compared with”
同 (tóng) + Participant + Action / 较 (jiào) + Comparison target + Difference我们同他合作，取得了较去年更好的结果。Wǒmen tóng tā hézuò, qǔdé le jiào qùnián gèng hǎo de jiéguǒ.We worked with him and achieved better results than last year.依据 — on the basis of
依据 (yījù) + Noun (basis) + Verb我们依据合同办事。Wǒmen yījù hétong bànshì.We act in accordance with the contract.Fixed Expressions
不得了 — oh no, an extreme situation
不得了 (bùdéliǎo)! (+ Situation)不得了，孩子不见了！Bùdéliǎo, háizi bú jiàn le!Oh no! The child has disappeared!着 — while doing, something happened
Verb (A) + 着 (zhe) + Verb (A) + 着 (zhe), ...他看着看着睡着了。Tā kàn zhe kàn zhe shuìzháo le.He kept reading and reading, and fell asleep.没 — paired absence with 没A没B
没 (méi) + A + 没 (méi) + B他一天没吃没喝。Tā yì tiān méi chī méi hē.He had nothing to eat or drink all day.说 — doing it at once: 说A就A
说 (shuō) + Verb (A) + 就 (jiù) + Verb (A)他说走就走，一点儿也不犹豫。Tā shuō zǒu jiù zǒu, yìdiǎnr yě bù yóuyù.He said he’d go and went right away, without hesitating at all.用不着 — no need to
Subject + 用不着 (yòngbuzháo) + Verb/Noun路很近，用不着坐车。Lù hěn jìn, yòngbuzháo zuò chē.It's very close — there is no need to take a vehicle.的 — different people doing different things
A + 的 (de) + A，B + 的 (de) + B下课了，同学们打球的打球，看书的看书。Xiàkè le, tóngxuémen dǎ qiú de dǎ qiú, kàn shū de kàn shū.Class is over: some students play ball, while others read.不 — might as well, no reason not to
不 (bù) + Verb + 白 (bái) + 不 (bù) + Verb今天饮料免费，不喝白不喝。Jīntiān yǐnliào miǎnfèi, bù hē bái bù hē.Drinks are free today — it would be a shame not to have one.是它 — whether it's good or bad
X + 是 (shì) + 它 (tā)，Y + 也 (yě) + 是 (shì) + 它 (tā)这台旧电脑，好是它，坏也是它，我们只有这一台。Zhè tái jiù diànnǎo, hǎo shì tā, huài yě shì tā, wǒmen zhǐ yǒu zhè yì tái.Whether this old computer is good or bad, it's the only one we have.着 — since we are doing it anyway
X + 着 (zhe) + 也是 (yě shì) + X + 着 (zhe)坐着也是坐着，我们聊聊天吧。Zuò zhe yě shì zuò zhe, wǒmen liáoliao tiān ba.Since we’re sitting here anyway, let’s chat.也不是 — neither option works
X + 也不是 (yě bú shì)，Y + 也不是 (yě bú shì) / X + 也 (yě) + X + 不得 (bùdé)，Y + 也 (yě) + Y + 不得 (bùdé)走也不是，留也不是，他站在门口不知道怎么办。Zǒu yě bú shì, liú yě bú shì, tā zhàn zài ménkǒu bù zhīdào zěnme bàn.Leaving won’t do, and staying won’t do either; he stood at the door not knowing what to do.什么 — rejecting a distinction
什么 (shénme) + X + 不 (bù) + X + （的 (de)）什么好看不好看的，实用最重要。Shénme hǎokàn bu hǎokàn de, shíyòng zuì zhòngyào.Who cares whether it looks good or not — being practical is what matters most.什么 — whatever is said goes
Verb + 什么 (shénme) + (就 (jiù)) + 是 (shì) + 什么 (shénme)你说什么就是什么，我听你的。Nǐ shuō shénme jiù shì shénme, wǒ tīng nǐ de.Whatever you say goes; I’ll do as you say.想来想去 — after repeated attempts
X来 (lái) X去 (qù)，都是 (dōu shì)…… / X来 (lái) X去 (qù)，就是 (jiù shì)……想来想去，都是他的错。Xiǎng lái xiǎng qù, dōu shì tā de cuò.However much you think it over, it’s all his fault.真有你的 — you are something else
真 (zhēn) + 有 (yǒu) + 你 (nǐ) / 他 (tā) / 她 (tā) + 的 (de)这么难的题你都做对了，真有你的！Zhème nán de tí nǐ dōu zuò duì le, zhēn yǒu nǐ de!You even solved such a difficult problem — you are something else!