· 5 lists · 201 words
Set expressions and written Chinese
Four-character expressions, formal verbs and the words that make a text sound written.
What holds these lists together
This category has no counterpart in English, because these are not subjects but kinds of word. A four-character expression, a 成语, behaves like a single word and often carries a whole story: 半途而废, to give up halfway, is literally "half the road, and abandon". Written Chinese uses one-character words where speech uses two or uses others: 此 where speech says 这, 若 where speech says 如果. And formal verbs come with their nouns attached: measures are taken with 采取措施, and such pairs are learned as pairs rather than word by word. Each of these is a pattern learned once and then met in every other list.
The five lists
Spread across the levels
The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.
| Level | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 27 | 13 % |
| 5 | 174 | 87 % |
Practise this category
Multiple choice and gaps, across all five lists and all 201 words. Whatever you get wrong comes back tomorrow.