Every GraphChinese guide

By Carson 木林森 · August 2026 · 中文版

Every guide here is free and needs no account. They are grouped by what you are trying to do rather than by level, because the useful question is almost never "what is HSK 4" — it is "how do I pass it", "what do I learn first", or "what do I say when I lose the thread".

Passing the HSK

• How to pass HSK 1 — The 150 words, the exam, and an 8-week plan from zero.
• How to pass HSK 2 — 300 words, 60 questions, and the grammar that carries the level.
• How to pass HSK 3 — The level where pinyin disappears — and how to be ready for it.
• How to pass HSK 4 — 1,200 words and the level universities ask for.
• How to pass HSK 5 — 2,500 words, written-register Chinese, and two compositions.
• How to pass HSK 6 — 5,000 words, 50 reading questions in 50 minutes, and the retelling task.
• How to build an HSK study plan — How to build a plan for any level, week by week.

The new HSK (HSK 3.0)

• The new HSK, explained — What changed, when it starts, and which exam you will actually sit.
• HSK 3.0 against HSK 2.0 — Every difference, level by level, with the vocabulary tables.
• Which HSK exam should you take — Old or new, which level, and whether waiting is worth it.
• The HSK 7–9 exam — Five sections, 98 questions, and how the band is awarded.
• The nine-level standard — The framework behind the new exam, and its word counts.

The exam itself

• The HSK levels, explained — What each HSK level requires and which one you need.
• How many HSK levels are there? — Six, and nine under the revised standard — the count in full.
• Which HSK level do you need? — By goal: travel, university, work, teaching, translation.
• What HSK level do you need to work in China? — Daily life, an office, a meeting you steer, and teaching.
• Which HSK level counts as fluent? — The honest answer, in words rather than in labels.
• The HSK exam format — Sections, question counts, timing and scoring, level by level.
• HSK passing scores and grading — The pass mark, how grading works, and how long results last.
• How to register for the HSK — Sign-up steps, deadlines, fees, ID rules, and test day.
• The HSKK speaking exam — The spoken exam: three levels, format, and preparation.
• HSK levels against CEFR — HSK against CEFR — the official mapping and the practical one.
• The old HSK levels — What 初等, 中等 and 高等 meant, and what a pre-2010 certificate is worth.
• HSK against TOCFL — The mainland exam against Taiwan's, and how to choose.

Starting out

• The best way to learn Chinese — The order that works, and why most plans fail.
• How to learn Chinese from absolute zero — The dependency-ordered roadmap for absolute beginners.
• The four tones, explained — What a tone is, third-tone sandhi, and the 不 and 一 shifts.
• Chinese character practice paper — What 田字格 is for, and a printable grid on the page.
• How to learn Chinese characters — Radicals, sound components, stroke order, and how many you need.
• How to study Chinese effectively — What a daily session contains, and what to cut when you are busy.
• How long it takes to learn Chinese — The honest calendar time, from FSI hours to this course's own numbers.
• How many words you need to speak Chinese — 85% of what a learner says is 200 words, ranked by leverage.

Speaking to people

• How to have a conversation in Chinese — The kit that works at 30 memorized lines.
• The questions to ask in Chinese — 30 questions ranked by how much talking the answer produces.
• Chinese survival phrases — What to say when you have lost the conversation.
• The comment and question method — The comment and question method, and the science under it.

Tools and practice

• How to use an AI tutor for Chinese — How to give a model your actual vocabulary level.
• Chinese tutor prompts to copy — Eight copy-paste prompts for drilling with an assistant.
• The Chinese grammar reference — Every HSK grammar point, with examples and what it rests on.
• The Chinese-English dictionary — 124,727 free dictionary entries, each word on its own page.
• The graded reading library — Graded readings with audio, comprehension checks and art.
• Free printable reference sheets — Free printable vocabulary, radical and leverage sheets.
• Chinese one-pagers to share — Free one-page Chinese lessons as shareable images.
• The interactive textbook — The interactive textbook, built on the knowledge graph.
• How to type Chinese on a Mac — Set up pinyin input on macOS in ten minutes.
• How to type Chinese on Windows — Set up Microsoft Pinyin on Windows 10 and 11.

Vocabulary lists

• The HSK 1 vocabulary list — All 150 HSK 1 words with pinyin and English.
• The HSK 2 vocabulary list — The HSK 2 list — 300 cumulative words.
• The HSK 3 vocabulary list — The HSK 3 list — 600 cumulative words.
• The HSK 4 vocabulary list — The HSK 4 list — 1,200 cumulative words.
• The HSK 5 vocabulary list — The HSK 5 list — 2,500 cumulative words.
• The HSK 6 vocabulary list — The HSK 6 list — 5,000 cumulative words.

How this course works

• How to use GraphChinese — The first session, the seven-step cycle, and what each tab is for.
• The science behind GraphChinese — The learning science, principle by principle, mapped to mechanisms.
• The mastery curve — Why mastery learning moves the whole distribution.
• The full curriculum, in order — All 829 topics in the order the course serves them.
• Every Chinese learning app compared — Ten Chinese learning apps side by side, with prices.
• The Chinese characters on a mahjong set — Every character on a mahjong set, with playable practice.
• Chinese music and films for learners — Mandarin music and film for learners, with a 100-song playlist.

Frequently asked questions

Are these guides free?

Yes. Every guide, the dictionary, the vocabulary lists and the printable sheets are free and need no account. The course itself is a one-time purchase.

Where should a complete beginner start?

With the best way to learn Chinese for the order, then the four tones page, then the conversation kit. Those three cover what to do first, what to do before vocabulary, and how to start speaking in your first weeks.