HSK 3.0 · Updated for 2026
HSK 5 Grammar Points 2026: Advanced Patterns
HSK 5 grammar focuses on formal written registers, extended complement uses, and idiomatic fixed expressions. New directional complement extensions (下来/下去/起来/过来/过去), complex stative complements, advanced passive constructions, and a rich set of fixed patterns like A来A去 and 再…也… dominate this level.
50+
New function words
5
New complement types
9
Complex sentence types
15
New measure words
13+
New mood adverbs
14+
Fixed expressions
5 types
Extended complements
1. New Function Words
Morpheme: Suffix
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| —头 (suffix) | 木头、念头、苦头 | Nominalizing suffix: 木头 (wood), 念头 (thought/idea), 苦头 (hardship). Makes abstract or physical nouns from other words. |
Pronouns
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 彼此 | 彼此了解很重要。 | Each other; one another (formal/written, more literary than 互相) |
| 如此 | 事情并非如此。 | Like this; so; in this way (formal/written equivalent of 这样) |
| 本 (adj/pron) | 本公司成立于2010年。/ 本周 | This (very); the present; our own — used before institution, time, or place words in formal contexts |
Measure Words (New)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 册 | 一册书 | Volume; book (for bound books/volumes) |
| 朵 | 一朵花 / 一朵云 | For flowers and clouds |
| 届 | 第三届奥运会 | Session; term; generation (for events, elections) |
| 颗 | 一颗星星 / 一颗牙齿 | For small round objects: stars, teeth, seeds, pills |
| 匹 | 一匹马 | For horses; also bolt (of fabric) |
| 行 | 一行字 | A line (of text) |
| 架 | 一架飞机 / 一架钢琴 | For aircraft, pianos, and large framed objects |
| 群 | 一群人 / 一群鸟 | A group; a flock; a crowd |
| 支 | 一支笔 / 一支军队 | For pens, candles, songs, and military units |
| 根 | 一根绳子 / 一根骨头 | For long thin objects: ropes, bones, hair strands |
| 批 | 一批商品 | A batch; a lot (for goods, people, things in groups) |
| 束 | 一束花 | A bunch; a bouquet (of flowers, light beams) |
| 副 | 一副手套 / 一副对联 | A pair; a set (for gloves, glasses, couplets, expressions) |
| 集 | 第三集 | Episode (of a TV series) |
| 眼 (verbal MW) | 看了一眼 | A glance; a look (verbal measure word for quick seeing) |
Degree Adverbs (New)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 过于 | 他过于谨慎了。 | Overly; excessively; too (implies negative consequence) |
| 相当 | 这件事相当复杂。 | Quite; fairly; considerably (equivalent in degree to 很 but more formal) |
| 较1 | 今天气温较低。 | Relatively; comparatively (formal/written; shorter than 比较) |
| 可2 (adv) | 这可真不容易！ | Quite; really (emphatic in spoken language: 可好了、可厉害了) |
| 格外 | 今天格外冷。 | Especially; extraordinarily; unusually |
| 极其 | 情况极其危险。 | Extremely; exceedingly (stronger than 非常, often formal) |
Time Adverbs (New)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 时刻 | 我们时刻准备着。 | At all times; constantly; at every moment |
| 曾经 | 我曾经去过北京。 | Once; formerly; at one time (with past experience) |
| 立刻 | 请立刻出发。 | Immediately; at once; right away |
| 连忙 | 他连忙道歉。 | Hurriedly; promptly (in quick response to something) |
| 始终 | 他始终没有放弃。 | Always; all along; throughout; from beginning to end |
| 早已 | 大家早已知道了。 | Long since; already for a long time |
| 即将 | 比赛即将开始。 | About to; imminent (formal/written, stronger than 快要) |
| 急忙 | 她急忙跑出去。 | In a hurry; hastily (implies urgency or haste) |
| 渐渐 | 天渐渐暗了。 | Gradually; little by little |
| 尽快 | 请尽快回复。 | As quickly as possible; ASAP |
| 早晚 | 他早晚会明白的。 | Sooner or later; eventually |
Other Adverbs (New)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 老是 (freq) | 他老是迟到。 | Always; forever (colloquial, often negative: someone repeatedly does something annoying) |
| 通常 (freq) | 我通常七点起床。 | Usually; normally; as a rule |
| 时常 (freq) | 她时常想起那段日子。 | Often; frequently (more literary than 经常) |
| 尽量 (manner) | 请尽量准时到。 | As much as possible; to the best of one's ability |
| 亲自 (manner) | 老师亲自来了。 | In person; personally; oneself |
| 似乎 (modal) | 他似乎不太高兴。 | It seems; apparently (expresses uncertainty or inference) |
| 仿佛 (modal) | 仿佛回到了童年。 | As if; as though; it seems like (often literary) |
| 毕竟 (stance) | 毕竟他还是个孩子。 | After all; in the end; when all is said and done |
| 居然 (stance) | 他居然通过了考试！ | Surprisingly; unexpectedly; to everyone's surprise |
| 反正 (stance) | 反正我不去了。 | Anyway; in any case; no matter what |
| 根本 (stance) | 我根本没说过那句话。 | At all; fundamentally (usually with negative: 根本不/没) |
| 果然 (stance) | 果然不出所料。 | Sure enough; as expected; indeed |
| 简直 (stance) | 简直不敢相信！ | Simply; just; absolutely (intensifies exaggeration or disbelief) |
| 绝对 (stance) | 这绝对不可能。 | Absolutely; definitely; without doubt |
| 的确 (stance) | 这道题的确很难。 | Indeed; truly; certainly |
| 反而 (stance) | 越说越反而更乱了。 | On the contrary; instead; unexpectedly the opposite |
| 白 (stance) | 白跑了一趟。 | In vain; for nothing; wasted (an effort without result) |
| 刚好 (stance) | 你来得刚好。 | Just right; exactly; happen to (fits perfectly) |
Prepositions (New)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 自从 | 自从搬家以后，我就没去过了。 | Since (a point in time); ever since |
| 朝 | 朝南走五分钟。 | Towards; facing; in the direction of |
| 沿（着） | 沿着河边走。 | Along; alongside |
| 替 | 我替你去。 | On behalf of; in place of; for (the benefit of) |
| 同1 (prep) | 同大家商量一下。 | With; together with (formal equivalent of 和 as preposition) |
| 凭 | 凭票入场。 | Based on; relying on; by virtue of; on the strength of |
| 据 | 据说他已经回国了。 | According to; based on (据说 = it is said that) |
| 依据 | 依据合同规定。 | According to; in accordance with; based on |
Conjunctions (New)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 以及 | 学生以及老师都来了。 | As well as; and also; together with (formal/written, connects nouns/NPs) |
| 同2 (conj) | 老师同学生一起讨论。 | And; with (formal written conjunction between noun phrases) |
| 从而 | 他努力学习，从而取得了好成绩。 | Thereby; and thus (shows result that follows from the previous action) |
| 可见 | 他连基础都不懂，可见学得不认真。 | It can be seen that; evidently; this shows that |
| 假如 | 假如明天下雨，我们就不去了。 | If; supposing that (written/formal equivalent of 如果) |
| 总之 | 总之，这件事我们要认真对待。 | In short; in a word; to sum up (used to summarize) |
Particles (New)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 似的 | 他说话像老师似的。 | Like; as if (comparison particle; literary variant of 一样) |
2. Fixed Phrases & Idiomatic Expressions
Four-character Patterns
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A来A去 | 想来想去，还是决定不去。 | Back and forth doing A; repeatedly; around and around (shows repeated indecision or action) |
| A着A着 | 说着说着他哭了。 | While doing A, then suddenly... (indicates a gradual transition while an action is in progress) |
| 没A没B | 没头没脑的 | Having neither A nor B (negative, usually describes disorder or lack) |
| 说A就A | 说走就走的旅行 | As soon as you say A, it happens — spontaneous; no hesitation |
| A的A，B的B | 哭的哭，笑的笑 | Some A, others B — describes chaotic or mixed states simultaneously |
Common Fixed Phrases
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 不得了 | 高兴得不得了 | Extremely; incredibly; used after 得 to intensify adjectives: 高兴得不得了 = extremely happy |
| 用不着 | 用不着那么担心。 | No need to; there is no necessity to |
| 从……来看 | 从结果来看，这个方案不可行。 | Looking at it from the perspective of...; judging from... |
| （自）……以来 | 自入学以来，她进步很大。 | Since (a time); ever since (formal; 自来 = since + time + 以来) |
| 由……组成 | 委员会由十名成员组成。 | Composed of; made up of; consisting of |
| X也不是，Y也不是 | 去也不是，不去也不是。 | Neither X nor Y works; a dilemma situation |
| X也X不得，Y也Y不得 | 说也说不得，做也做不得。 | Can neither do X nor Y; in an impossible position |
Fixed Formats (Idiomatic Patterns)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| X是它，Y也是它 | 好处是它，坏处也是它。 | Both the pros and cons are the same thing; a double-edged characteristic |
| X着也是X着 | 闲着也是闲着，不如干点儿活。 | Might as well (do something); since you are just [doing X] anyway |
| 不管怎样说 | 不管怎样说，我们得先试试。 | No matter what; whatever you say; in any case |
| 真有你的 | 你真有你的，居然想出这个办法！ | You are something else; you are quite something (admiration or mild exasperation) |
| X什么X | 跑什么跑，慢点儿！ | Why are you X-ing? What is the point of X? (mild reproach) |
| 不X白不X | 不用白不用。 | Might as well do X if it is free/available; not doing X wastes the opportunity |
| 再……也…… | 再难也要坚持。 | No matter how [adj], still [result] — even the most extreme condition does not change the outcome |
3. Advanced Complement Patterns
Potential Complement (Type 2)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 动词+得/不得 | 这件事说不得。/ 饭凉了，还吃得？ | Type 2 potential: something CAN or CANNOT be done (due to permission, norms, or appropriateness — not physical capacity) |
Degree Complement (Type 2)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 形容词/心理动词+得+不得了 | 累得不得了。/ 高兴得不得了。 | Extremely; to an extreme degree (stronger than 死了; more formal) |
Directional Complement Extended Uses (Type 3)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| V/Adj + 下来 | 冷静下来 / 记录下来 / 黑暗下来 | Extended: indicates a change to a stable/completed state: calm down, write down, get dark |
| V/Adj + 下去 | 坚持下去 / 继续下去 | Extended: indicates continuation of an action or state into the future: keep going, continue |
| V/Adj + 起来 | 唱起来 / 暖和起来 / 联系起来 | Extended: start doing; begin to become; bring together (multifunctional) |
| V/Adj + 过来 | 醒过来 / 正过来 / 想过来 | Extended: return to normal state, correct orientation, or come to realize |
| V/Adj + 过去 | 晕过去 / 传过去 | Extended: move away/transfer, or lose consciousness (opposite direction from 过来) |
Stative Complement (Type 2)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 动/形+得+动词短语 | 他激动得说不出话来。 | V/Adj + 得 + verb phrase: so [adj] that [verb phrase result] |
| 动/形+得+主谓短语 | 她高兴得眼睛都亮了。 | V/Adj + 得 + subject-predicate phrase: so [adj] that [full clause] |
| 动/形+得+固定短语 | 笑得不得了 / 累得要命 | V/Adj + 得 + fixed phrase: common intensifying expressions |
4. Advanced Special Sentence Patterns
有字句 Type 3
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 主语+有+着+宾语 | 墙上有着一幅画。 | 存在: There is [something] (with 着 indicating a static state of existence) |
| 主语+动词+有+宾语 | 他的手上刺有一朵花。 | 附着: [Something] has/is attached — the object is affixed to the subject via an action |
把字句 Type 3
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 主语+把+宾语+一+动词 | 他把门一推，走了进来。 | 把+O+一+V: a single decisive action performed on the object; often with narrative momentum |
| 主语+把+宾语1+动词+宾语2 | 请把这封信翻译成中文。 | 把+O1+V+O2: perform an action on O1 that results in or produces O2 |
连动句 Type 3
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 前后动词具有因果、转折、条件关系 | 他努力学习，终于取得了好成绩。（因果）/ 下了大雨，没能出门。（转折） | Serial verb constructions where the two verbs have cause-and-effect, contrast, or conditional relationships (not just sequential) |
比较句 Type 4
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A+形容词+B+数量补语 | 他比我高五厘米。 | Comparison with a specific quantified difference: A is [adj] than B by [amount] |
被动句 Type 3
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 主语+被/叫/让+宾语+给+动词+其他 | 那本书被他给借走了。 | Passive with 给 inserted between the agent and verb — marks completed disposal; often indicates an undesirable result |
5. New Complex Sentence Patterns
Sequential (承接)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ……，便…… | 她一回来，便告诉了大家。 | As soon as; thereupon (formal/written equivalent of 就; indicates immediate sequence) |
Alternative (选择)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 或是……，或是…… | 或是去图书馆，或是在家学习，都可以。 | Either... or... (literary/formal; interchangeable options) |
Hypothetical (假设)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 一旦……，就…… | 一旦发现问题，就要立刻处理。 | Once (something happens); if ever (emphasizes that the condition, if triggered, must be acted on immediately) |
| 假如……，（就）…… | 假如你有时间，就来帮我。 | If; supposing (formal/written variant of 如果) |
| 万一……，（就）…… | 万一出了问题，你怎么办？ | In case; what if (low-probability risk scenario; warning tone) |
| ……，要不然/不然…… | 快点儿，要不然就来不及了。 | Otherwise; or else (introduces negative consequence if condition is not met) |
Causal (因果)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ……，因而…… | 他长期锻炼，因而身体很健康。 | Therefore; as a result (formal/written; more literary than 因此) |
| ……，可见…… | 他连基础题都做错了，可见平时没有认真复习。 | It can be seen that; this shows (inference-drawing connector; used to conclude from evidence) |
Concessive (让步)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 哪怕……，也…… | 哪怕再忙，我也要来看你。 | Even if; even though (stronger than 即使; implies pushing through an extreme obstacle) |
Progressive (递进)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 不但不/不但没有……，反而…… | 他不但没有道歉，反而指责别人。 | Not only did [someone] not [do the expected thing], but instead [did the opposite] — surprise at the reversed outcome |
| 不是……，还/还是…… | 这不是问题，还是机会。 | It is not [negative], but rather [positive] — reframing something; see also 不是A而是B |
Purpose (目的)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ……，为的是…… | 他努力工作，为的是给家人更好的生活。 | The purpose is; so as to; in order to achieve (states the motivation explicitly at the end) |
Compact Sentences (紧缩句)
| Pattern | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 没有……就没有…… | 没有付出，就没有收获。 | Without A there is no B — strong conditional logic; often used for motivational statements |
| 不……不…… | 不入虎穴，不得虎子。 | Cannot [result] without [condition] — both clauses are negative; implies necessity |
| 再……也…… | 再难也要坚持到底。 | No matter how [adj/adv], still [result] — the extreme condition does not stop the action |
6. Common Confusion Points at HSK 5
Confusion 1: 似乎 vs 仿佛
Both mean 'it seems / as if' but 仿佛 is more literary and typically introduces a simile or vivid mental image. 似乎 is used for logical inference from observable evidence.
似乎: 他似乎不太高兴。(inferred from observable behavior)
仿佛: 仿佛回到了童年时代。(vivid imaginative comparison)
Confusion 2: 居然 vs 果然
居然= unexpectedly (contrary to expectations); 果然= as expected/sure enough (confirms prediction). They are near-opposites in meaning.
居然: 他居然失败了！(I did not expect him to fail)
果然: 果然下雨了。(I predicted rain, and it did rain)
Confusion 3: 哪怕 vs 即使
Both mean 'even if', but 哪怕 emphasizes pushing through an extreme or painful obstacle. 即使 is more neutral. 哪怕 carries a stronger emotional resolve.
哪怕再难，我也要坚持。(emotional willpower)
即使不下雨，你也应该带伞。(logical hypothetical)
Confusion 4: 始终 vs 一直
Both mean 'always/continuously', but 始终 specifically means 'from beginning to end; throughout a period'. 一直 is more general and can refer to ongoing present states.
始终: 他始终没有放弃。(from start to finish, never gave up)
一直: 我一直住在这里。(ongoing present state)
Confusion 5: 得/不了 vs 得/不得
得/不了 = capability/capacity (physical/circumstantial). 得/不得 = permissibility/appropriateness (social or moral norm).
吃不了那么多。(cannot eat that much — physical capacity)
这件事说不得。(this matter cannot/should not be said — appropriateness)
Practice HSK 5 Grammar in Context
PASS HSK drills every grammar point with real-exam-style sentences and tracks your weak points automatically.
Practice Grammar Free