HSK 5 reading practice

Every passage here is written inside HSK 5 — the grammar and the vocabulary stay in the level, so you read rather than decode. Shortest first.

Why Water Wins为什么水能赢A friend explains how she finally got her demanding landlord to fix the heating, not by arguing but by agreeing with everything he said until he ran o…HSK 5 · 370 characters · 4 min · philosophyNot the Season, Not Eaten不时不食A greenhouse-grown winter tomato tastes like nothing, and one friend wonders why people still buy it. The other mentions that Confucius reportedly ref…HSK 5 · 457 characters · 5 min · foodNever Give a Clock别送钟Two friends shopping for a housewarming gift nearly buy a beautiful clock before one stops the other: giving a clock sounds exactly like seeing someon…HSK 5 · 466 characters · 5 min · cultureShould You Finish Your Plate该把盘子吃光吗At a family dinner, the wife wants to finish every dish because school taught her the Clean Plate Campaign, while her husband was raised to always lea…HSK 5 · 470 characters · 5 min · foodAnswer It or Let It Ring接不接电话An older colleague who always calls first and a younger one who always texts back argue about what a ringing phone actually asks of the person who hea…HSK 5 · 480 characters · 5 min · dailyRound Like the Moon和月亮一样圆A woman living far from home realizes she will miss Mid-Autumn Festival with her family for the first time. A friend explains why the festival centers…HSK 5 · 490 characters · 5 min · cultureThe Name Only Family Uses只有家人才叫的名字A coworker overhears an elderly relative call the narrator by a soft childhood nickname completely unlike his real name and asks about it. He explains…HSK 5 · 516 characters · 6 min · cultureThe Funeral Zhuangzi Did Not Want庄子不想要的葬礼A woman worries that a simple funeral for her aging father will look disrespectful. Her friend tells her how Zhuangzi, near death, refused his student…HSK 5 · 519 characters · 6 min · philosophyWhy We Keep Old Words为什么留着老词A learner is puzzled by a four-character idiom his friend uses to describe someone waiting for luck instead of working. She explains what a chengyu is…HSK 5 · 566 characters · 6 min · cultureThe City That Planned Itself一座自己长出来的城王磊 just moved to a new district built to a plan: straight streets, everything decided in advance. 陈静 still lives on an old street that grew on its own…HSK 5 · 592 characters · 7 min · historyThe Voice That Sounds Like You听起来像你的那个声音A friend discovers that a new app can clone her voice well enough to read a text message aloud, close enough that her own mother could not tell it apa…HSK 5 · 592 characters · 7 min · techThe Livestream That Sells Everything什么都能卖的直播间A friend has bought several things this month from a livestream host she has never met in person, always during a countdown discount that expires in m…HSK 5 · 598 characters · 7 min · current-eventsThe Calendar That Still Runs the Farm还在指导农事的历法A city granddaughter is surprised her grandmother's wall calendar still marks old terms like start of summer and frost's descent. The grandmother expl…HSK 5 · 605 characters · 7 min · historyThe Turtle in the Mud泥里的乌龟A friend who has just been offered a big promotion is leaning toward turning it down, because the job means far less freedom and constant oversight. H…HSK 5 · 617 characters · 7 min · philosophyWhat a Dictionary Cannot Tell You词典说不出来的那部分Two friends who both study Chinese argue about whether a dictionary definition is enough to know a word. David describes using a word in a work meetin…HSK 5 · 684 characters · 8 min · literatureGetting the Word Right First先把名分正了A company memo announces "restructuring" instead of saying that many people will lose their jobs, and two colleagues argue over whether the softer wor…HSK 5 · 694 characters · 8 min · philosophyThe Delivery Rider's Ten Minutes骑手的十分钟A woman leaves a bad review after her food delivery arrives four minutes late, sure she is only telling the truth about what she paid for. Her friend…HSK 5 · 725 characters · 8 min · current-eventsThree in the Morning, Four at Night朝三暮四A worker complains that her new contract pays the same yearly total but in a different monthly rhythm, and she resents it anyway. Her friend tells Zhu…HSK 5 · 726 characters · 8 min · philosophy

What is in HSK 5 reading practice

18 passages, each between 370 and 726 characters (4 to 8 minutes). Themes: philosophy, culture, food, history, current-events and daily. The shortest is Why Water Wins; the longest is Three in the Morning, Four at Night.

How to read HSK 5 passages

Start with the shortest and work up. Each passage ends in comprehension questions (75 across this level), so you find out whether you followed it before you move on. They flag 64 new words between them. Unknown words are worth looking up in the dictionary.

Around HSK 5

HSK 4 readings · HSK 6 readings · printable HSK 5 word list · HSK 5 grammar · how to pass HSK 5 · free HSK 5 practice test

Questions about HSK 5 readings

How many HSK 5 readings are there?

18 passages, from 370 to 726 characters.

How long does a passage at HSK 5 take?

About 4 to 8 minutes.

What is in each HSK 5 reading?

Pinyin, a full English translation, narration, a new-word list and comprehension questions. This page shows titles and summaries; the full text opens in the study room.

Where should I start at HSK 5?

With Why Water Wins, the shortest. Then work up by length.