HSK 3.0 · Advanced Band · Updated for 2026
HSK 7-9 Grammar Points 2026
HSK 7-9 grammar moves beyond sentence-level structures into discourse-level organization. New elements include quasi-affixes, advanced adverbs with formal nuance, A-B fixed patterns, classical conjunctions and particles, and multi-clause complex sentences for argumentative writing.
9
Grammar sections
6
New adverb types
15
A-B patterns
8+
Complex sentence types
🔤 Quasi-Prefixes and Quasi-Suffixes🔧 New Function Words at HSK 7-9⚡ New Adverbs📍 New Prepositions🔗 New Conjunctions🌸 New Modal Particles🔀 A-B Fixed Patterns💬 Fixed Discourse Phrases📐 Fixed Sentence Patterns🏗️ Complex Sentence Structures
🔤
Quasi-Prefixes and Quasi-Suffixes (准词缀)
Bound morphemes that function like prefixes or suffixes and form a productive class of new words in formal and academic Chinese.
Quasi-Prefixes (准前缀)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 后— | 后现代、后天、后备 | post-, later, backup |
| 亲— | 亲历、亲笔、亲手 | personally-, one's own- |
Quasi-Suffixes (准后缀)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| —观 | 价值观、世界观、人生观 | worldview; philosophy; outlook |
| —鬼 | 醉鬼、抠门鬼、捣蛋鬼 | derogatory person marker |
| —界 | 政界、学界、艺界 | sector; field; world of... |
| —然 | 坦然、欣然、悄然 | adverbial suffix: calmly, joyfully, quietly |
| —坛 | 政坛、文坛、体坛 | arena; circle; world of (formal) |
| —为 | 作为、行为、无为 | conduct; behavior; action |
| —制 | 单一制、两党制、学分制 | system; institution; regime |
🔧
New Function Words at HSK 7-9
New formal, literary, and semi-classical function words. Many appear frequently in written Chinese but are avoided in everyday speech.
New Formal Verbs (verb-like)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 巴不得 | 他巴不得马上离开。 | to wish eagerly; to long for |
| 并非 | 这并非易事。 | is not; by no means (formal negation) |
| 犯不着 | 为这事犯不着生气。 | not worth it to; not necessary to |
| 犯得着 | 这事犯得着大动干戈吗？ | is it worth it? (interrogative) |
| 恨不得 | 恨不得立刻飞回家。 | to wish one could; to be dying to |
| 可否 | 可否请您稍等？ | may one...?; is it possible to...? (formal) |
| 可谓 | 此举可谓一石二鸟。 | can be said to be; it can be called |
| 免不了 | 出门旅行免不了一些麻烦。 | cannot avoid; inevitably |
| 所谓 | 所谓天才，不过是勤奋加坚持。 | so-called; what is called |
| 有所 | 经过努力，成绩有所提高。 | somewhat; to some extent (formal) |
| 予以 | 对此行为予以批评。 | to give; to grant (formal/official) |
| 除外 | 特殊情况除外。 | except; with the exception of |
New Pronouns
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 我 (special use) | 我老师说…… | my (used as possessive prefix in some dialects/formal contexts) |
| 彼 | 知彼知己，百战不殆。 | that one; he/she/it (classical/literary) |
| 这么着 | 这么着行不行？ | this way; like this (spoken) |
| 兹 | 兹有申请如下。 | here; herewith (formal/official documents) |
| 何 | 你为何而来？ | why; what; how (literary/formal) |
| 怎么着 | 你怎么着？ | what about; what happened (spoken) |
| 若干 | 经过若干年的努力。 | some; several; a number of (formal) |
New Nominal Measure Words
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 重 | 一重意思 | layer; level; dimension |
| 截 | 一截木头 | section; segment (of objects) |
| 缕 | 一缕阳光 | strand; wisp (of light, smoke) |
| 码 | 一码事 | matter; issue; one thing |
| 枚 | 一枚硬币 | piece; individual item (formal/literary) |
| 摊 | 一摊血 | pool; puddle (of liquid) |
| 丸 | 一丸药 | pill; pellet |
| 则 | 一则新闻、一则消息 | item; piece (of news/text) |
| 幢 | 一幢楼 | building; large structure |
| 宗 | 一宗案件 | case; affair; transaction |
New Verbal Measure Word
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 通 | 打了一通电话 | time(s) for calls/scolding/beating |
| 人次 | 接待游客三百万人次 | person-times; person-visits (compound) |
⚡
New Adverbs (副词)
HSK 7-9 introduces a large set of formal, literary, and nuanced adverbs across multiple semantic categories. Mastery of these is critical for formal written Chinese.
Degree Adverbs (程度副词)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 大为 | 大为震惊 | greatly; tremendously (positive/negative) |
| 分外 | 分外激动 | extraordinarily; exceptionally |
| 何等 | 何等艰辛！ | how; what a... (exclamatory) |
| 极度 | 极度紧张 | extremely; to an extreme degree |
| 极力 | 极力反对 | do one's utmost; strenuously |
| 略 / 略微 | 略有不同 / 略微疲倦 | slightly; a little |
| 颇 | 颇有感触 | quite; rather; considerably |
| 稍稍 | 稍稍放松 | slightly; a bit; a little more |
| 万分 | 万分感谢 | ten-thousand-fold; extremely; profoundly |
| 微 | 微有不适 | slightly; faintly; imperceptibly |
| 尤为 | 尤为突出 | especially; particularly; most notably |
| 愈加 / 越发 | 愈加严重 / 越发明显 | even more; increasingly |
Scope Adverbs (范围副词)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 大体 | 大体上同意 | generally; roughly; in the main |
| 概 | 概不退款 | all; without exception (formal/notices) |
| 皆 / 均 | 皆大欢喜 / 均已到场 | all; every; without exception |
| 尽 | 尽人皆知 | fully; entirely; all (literary) |
| 通通 / 统统 | 通通带走 | all; the whole lot; entirely |
| 唯 / 唯独 / 唯有 | 唯你为准 | only; solely; it is only...that |
| 无非 | 无非想表达意见 | nothing but; simply; merely |
| 一概 | 一概否认 | categorically; without exception |
Time Adverbs (时间副词)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 姑且 | 姑且一试 | for now; tentatively; for the time being |
| 即 / 即时 / 随即 | 随即离开 | immediately; right away; at once |
| 届时 | 届时请莅临指导。 | at that time; at the appointed time |
| 尽早 | 请尽早完成。 | as early as possible; at the earliest |
| 就此 | 就此别过。 | henceforth; from now; at this point |
| 历来 / 向来 | 历来如此 / 向来守规 | always; has always been |
| 尚 | 事情尚未结束。 | still; yet; further (formal) |
| 一经 | 一经发现，严肃处理。 | once; as soon as; upon |
| 暂且 | 暂且搁置 | for the moment; temporarily |
| 早日 | 祝您早日康复。 | at an early date; soon; at the soonest |
Frequency Adverbs (频率副词)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 连连 | 连连摇头 | repeatedly; again and again; continuously |
| 屡次 / 屡屡 | 屡次犯错 / 屡屡出事 | repeatedly; time and again |
| 频 | 频繁出现 | frequently; often (formal) |
| 时而 | 时而哭，时而笑 | sometimes...sometimes; from time to time |
| 时时 | 时时提醒自己 | constantly; always; at all times |
| 相继 | 相继出现问题 | one after another; in succession |
| 一个劲（儿） | 一个劲儿往前走 | persistently; doggedly; keep on doing |
| 一连 | 一连三天下雨 | in a row; for a stretch of; consecutively |
| 再度 | 再度当选 | once more; again; for the second time |
Manner Adverbs (方式副词) — Selection
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 断然 | 断然拒绝 | flatly; resolutely; absolutely |
| 公然 | 公然违法 | openly; brazenly; in public |
| 竭力 / 极力 | 竭力推荐 | with all one's strength; do one's utmost |
| 毅然 | 毅然辞职 | resolutely; decisively; firmly |
| 私自 / 擅自 | 擅自修改文件 | without authorization; on one's own |
| 骤然 | 骤然降温 | suddenly; abruptly; all at once |
| 逐一 | 逐一检查 | one by one; individually; in sequence |
| 照常 / 照样 / 照例 | 照常营业 | as usual; as normal; as before |
Negation & Mood Adverbs (否定/情态副词) — Selection
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 不见得 | 不见得更好。 | not necessarily; not be sure |
| 绝不 | 绝不妥协 | absolutely not; by no means |
| 无从 | 无从得知 | have no way to; cannot possibly |
| 无须 / 无可 | 无须多言 / 无可辩解 | no need to / no way to (fixed) |
| 勿 | 请勿打扰。 | do not; must not (formal/signs) |
| 务必 | 务必准时到达。 | must; be sure to; without fail |
| 偏偏 | 偏偏没带钥匙 | of all things; just happens to; stubbornly |
| 索性 | 索性直接说清楚 | simply; just go ahead; might as well |
| 终究 | 终究是个问题 | in the end; after all; ultimately |
| 乃 (judgment) | 此乃正确之道。 | is; this is (formal/classical copula) |
📍
New Prepositions (介词)
Formal and classical prepositions introducing time, place, recipient, basis, or manner. Common in official writing and academic texts.
All New Prepositions
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 打 (time/place) | 打今天起 / 打这儿向右走 | from; starting from (colloquial) |
| 当着 | 当着大家的面道歉 | in front of; before (someone) |
| 就⑥ | 就此问题进行讨论 | regarding; in regard to; as to (formal) |
| 本着 | 本着负责的态度处理问题 | in accordance with; guided by; based on (principles) |
| 基于 | 基于以上分析，…… | based on; in view of; given (academic) |
| 鉴于① | 鉴于情况紧急…… | given that; in light of; considering (formal) |
| 经 | 经专家鉴定 | through; by; via; after (process) |
| 依 | 依规定办事 | according to; in accordance with (formal) |
🔗
New Conjunctions (连词)
Clause-linking and phrase-linking conjunctions that appear frequently in formal written Chinese, particularly in argumentative and academic texts.
Clausal Conjunctions (连句连词)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 鉴于② (conj.) | 鉴于上述情况，建议…… | given that; since; in view of the fact that |
| 况且 | 他能力强，况且经验丰富。 | furthermore; moreover; what's more |
| 免得 | 早点出发，免得迟到。 | so as not to; lest; to avoid |
| 若 | 若有问题，请联系我。 | if; provided that (literary/formal) |
| 倘若 | 倘若不成功，再想办法。 | if; should; in case (literary emphasis) |
| 以防 | 备好雨伞，以防下雨。 | in order to prevent; just in case |
Phrase & Clause Conjunctions (连词)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 加之 | 工作繁忙，加之健康不佳。 | furthermore; in addition; besides that |
| 乃至 | 数十人，乃至上百人参与 | even; even as much as; up to and including |
| 且 | 价格公道且质量上乘。 | and; moreover; additionally (literary) |
🌸
New Modal Particles (语气词)
Literary and semi-classical modal particles used at sentence-end to signal attitude, resignation, finality, or classical register.
New Modal Particles
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 罢了 | 这不过是个借口罢了。 | that's all; nothing more; merely (dismissive) |
| 也罢 | 去也罢，不去也罢。 | whether...or... it doesn't matter; so be it |
| 矣 | 大势已去矣。 | literary sentence-final particle; it is done; alas (classical) |
🔀
A-B Fixed Patterns (A-B格式)
Productive patterns where A and B slots are filled with antonyms, synonyms, or related syllables to create specific rhetorical or pragmatic effects.
All 16 Patterns
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 爱A不A | 爱学不学，随便你。 | do as you please; take it or leave it (indifferent) |
| 半A半B | 半真半假 / 半信半疑 | half A and half B (ambivalent state) |
| 不A不B | 不上不下 / 不冷不热 | neither A nor B (between two states) |
| 不A而B | 不言而喻 / 不劳而获 | without A, yet B; B without A |
| 东A西B | 东拼西凑 / 东张西望 | disorderly; haphazardly; here and there |
| 非A非B | 非亲非故 / 非驴非马 | neither A nor B (completely different) |
| 忽A忽B | 忽冷忽热 / 忽明忽暗 | alternately A and B; now...now... |
| 或A或B | 或进或退，随机应变 | either A or B; sometimes one, sometimes the other |
| 可A可B | 可进可退 / 可快可慢 | can be either A or B; flexible |
| 连A带B | 连哭带喊 / 连说带比划 | A and B at the same time; doing both |
| 七A八B | 七嘴八舌 / 七手八脚 | in a chaotic or confused manner (many doing) |
| 时A时B | 时好时坏 / 时高时低 | sometimes A, sometimes B (inconsistent) |
| 无A不B | 无微不至 / 无所不知 | no A without B; absolutely (emphatic) |
| 无A可B | 无法可依 / 无处可逃 | no A to do B with; having no recourse |
| 自A自B | 自生自灭 / 自给自足 | self-sufficient in A and B; doing by oneself |
💬
Fixed Discourse Phrases (固定话语)
Pragmatic fixed expressions used in conversation and formal discourse to structure arguments, transition topics, signal stance, or manage interaction.
Discourse Markers — Opening & Framing
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 不瞒你说 | 不瞒你说，我当时真的很担心。 | to be honest with you; frankly speaking |
| 老实说 | 老实说，这不是一个好办法。 | to be honest; honestly speaking |
| 说真的 | 说真的，他说的有道理。 | to tell the truth; honestly |
| 要（让）我说 | 要我说，这样做不妥。 | if you ask me; in my opinion |
| 概括来说 | 概括来说，该项目进展顺利。 | in summary; broadly speaking |
| 归根到底 | 归根到底，问题在于沟通不足。 | in the final analysis; fundamentally |
| 总的来说 | 总的来说，结果还不错。 | generally speaking; overall |
| 总而言之 | 总而言之，以上三点至关重要。 | in short; to sum up; in a word |
| 综上所述 | 综上所述，建议如下…… | in summary of the above; based on the above |
| 简（而）言之 | 简言之，这是个错误决定。 | in brief; to put it simply; in a nutshell |
Discourse Markers — Shifting & Contrasting
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 反过来（说） | 反过来说，这也有一定好处。 | conversely; on the other hand |
| 话是这么说 | 话是这么说，但做起来很难。 | that's what one says; in theory... |
| 话（又）说回来 | 话说回来，他的出发点是好的。 | having said that; but then again |
| 换句话说 | 换句话说，你必须重做一遍。 | in other words; put differently |
| 退一步说 | 退一步说，这也算是个教训。 | even at the very least; granting that |
| 无论如何 | 无论如何，我们都要坚持到底。 | in any case; no matter what; whatever happens |
| 这样一来 | 这样一来，问题就好解决多了。 | this way; as a result; once that is done |
Informal/Conversational Fixed Phrases
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 不是 | 不是，你说的是哪件事？ | wait a moment; hold on; but actually (conversational opener) |
| 不是我说你 | 不是我说你，这样做太草率了。 | I'm not trying to criticize but...; don't take this wrong but... |
| 可不（是嘛） | 可不是嘛，我也觉得太贵了。 | you're right; exactly; isn't that the truth |
| （你）还别说 | 你还别说，他做得还真不错。 | you know what, surprisingly; actually... |
| 你看你 | 你看你，又忘了！ | look at you; see what you've done (mild reproach) |
| 说到哪儿去了 | 哎，说到哪儿去了，继续吧。 | we've gotten off track; let's get back to the point |
| 真是的 | 真是的，这也太巧了吧！ | oh honestly; honestly though; this is incredible |
| 这不 | 这不，他们已经来了。 | see, here it is; as expected; sure enough |
📐
Fixed Sentence Patterns (固定句式)
Advanced sentence frames used in expressing degree, concession, comparison, obligation, or stance — essential for formal and argumentative Chinese.
Degree & Intensity
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 别提（有）多+形容词+了 | 别提有多高兴了！ | you cannot imagine how (degree of emotion) |
| X得要命/要死 | 累得要命 / 闷得要死 | incredibly; terribly (intensifier) |
| 动词+得个+X | 哭得个稀里哗啦 | verb + to the extent of (very informal intensifier) |
| 动词+个X | 玩个痛快 / 说个明白 | verb to fullness or resolution |
Comparison & Ranking
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| A+形容词+于/过+B | 他的成绩优于/好过我的。 | A is more [adj.] than B (formal written comparison) |
| 不亚于…… | 其影响力不亚于原版。 | no less than; not inferior to |
| 仅次于X | 他的成绩仅次于冠军。 | second only to X; just behind X |
| 莫过于…… | 最好的礼物莫过于陪伴。 | nothing surpasses; nothing is better than |
Condition & Obligation
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| X都不/没X | 连话都没说一句。 | not even X; even X was not done |
| 动不动就…… | 动不动就发脾气。 | apt to; prone to; at the slightest provocation |
| 该X（就）X，该Y（就）Y | 该吃就吃，该睡就睡。 | do what needs to be done; be practical |
| 非得……才…… | 非得经历失败才能成长。 | must...only then...; only after...can... |
| 任……也…… | 任你如何解释，他都不信。 | no matter how much..., still... (concessive conditional) |
Formal Stance & Rhetorical
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 无非/不过/只是……罢了/而已 | 无非是想说声谢谢罢了。 | nothing but; simply; merely...and that is all |
| 视……而定 | 结果视情况而定。 | depending on; contingent upon |
| 因……而…… | 因失误而道歉 | because of...therefore...; owing to X, resulting in Y |
| 向……致以…… | 向大家致以诚挚的感谢。 | to express...to...; to extend...to (formal) |
| 值此……之际，…… | 值此新春之际，…… | at this [auspicious/formal] occasion of... |
| （在）……之余 | 工作之余，他喜欢阅读。 | in one's spare time from; in addition to |
🏗️
Complex Sentence Structures (复句)
HSK 7-9 introduces advanced multi-clause patterns including parallel, progressive, hypothetical, concessive, and causal structures commonly used in academic and formal writing.
Parallel (并列)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 一来……，二来……，三来…… | 这么做，一来方便，二来省钱，三来高效。 | firstly..., secondly..., thirdly... (enumeration) |
| 一则……，二则……，三则…… | 一则时间不够，二则能力有限。 | for one thing..., for another... (formal enumeration) |
Explanatory & Alternative
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 所谓……，就是…… | 所谓共情，就是感受他人的感受。 | what is called...is...; to define a concept |
| 宁可/宁愿……，也不…… | 宁可少赚，也不违背良心。 | would rather...than...; prefer to...rather than... |
| 与其……，宁愿/宁可…… | 与其抱怨，不如想想解决方法。 | rather than...it is better to... |
Concessive (让步)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| X（倒）是X（了），…… | 便宜倒是便宜，就是质量不好。 | X is X alright, but... (concessive contrast) |
| 别看……，…… | 别看他年纪小，懂得不少。 | don't let...fool you; despite appearances |
| 虽说……，但/可…… | 虽说很难，可我还是要试试。 | although it is said that..., but... |
Conditional (条件)
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 无论……与否，都…… | 无论成功与否，都要认真对待。 | regardless of whether or not...both... |
| 凡……（者），均（可）…… | 凡参与活动者，均可获得奖品。 | all those who...; anyone who...may... |
| 假若/假使……，…… | 假若明天下雨，活动改期。 | if; supposing that (literary conditional) |
| 纵然/纵使……，也…… | 纵使失败，也要坚持到底。 | even if; even though (strong concessive hypothetical) |
Progressive & Causal
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 别说……，都/也…… | 别说走路，就连站起来都很难。 | let alone...even...is hard; not to mention... |
| ……不说，还…… | 工资不高不说，还经常加班。 | not only..., but also... |
| ……尚且……，（更）何况…… | 大人尚且做不到，何况孩子。 | even...let alone...; if...then much more so... |
| （因）……，故…… | 因精力有限，故不再赘述。 | because...therefore... (classical causal) |
| ……，以至（于）…… | 紧张得颤抖，以至无法开口。 | to such an extent that...; so that... |
| 幸亏/幸好……，不然/否则…… | 幸亏你来了，不然就麻烦了。 | fortunately...otherwise...; lucky that...or else... |
Purpose & Discourse Level
| Form | Example | Meaning / Note |
|---|---|---|
| 为（了）……起见，…… | 为了安全起见，请系好安全带。 | for the sake of; in the interest of |
| ……，以…… | 请仔细阅读，以便回答问题。 | in order to; so as to (formal purpose) |
| 时间顺序 | 先……，接着……，然后……，最终…… | temporal discourse: narrative/procedural order |
| 逻辑顺序 | 首先……，其次……，再者……，最后…… | logical discourse: academic/argumentative order |
| 话题延伸/转换 | 说到这里……；再说另一个问题…… | discourse management: topic extension and topic shift |
| 承前省略/蒙后省略 | 他去北京（了），（他）找到了工作。 | ellipsis: forward/backward reference in discourse |
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