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- 我
- wǒ — I; me (HSK 1)
- 家
- jiā — home; family; house (HSK 1)
- 的
- de — (possessive particle) 's; of (HSK 1)
- 後面
- hòu mian — behind; the back; the rear (HSK 1)
- 有
- yǒu — to have; there is (HSK 1)
- 一個
- yī gè — one; a (with the general measure word) (HSK 1)
- 很
- hěn — very (HSK 1)
- 大
- dà — big; large (HSK 1)
- 的
- de — (possessive particle) 's; of (HSK 1)
HSK● 1· plain = off-list
魯迅《朝花夕拾·從百草園到三味書屋》(1926) · public domain
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One chapter per level, ordered easiest first by how much of its vocabulary sits at HSK 4 or below. One click lands you in the reader.
- HSK 1–2: 第三章 (Grandfather and the Back Garden) — 呼蘭河傳 Not ready for original literature? Start the HSK 1–2 course →
- HSK 3: 春風沉醉的晚上 (Intoxicated Spring Nights) — 郁達夫小說選 Not ready for original literature? Start the HSK 3 course →
- HSK 4: 在酒樓上 (In the Wine Shop) — 彷徨 Not ready for original literature? Start the HSK 4 course →
- HSK 5: 五 羊群 (The Flock of Sheep) — 生死場 Not ready for original literature? Start the HSK 5 course →
- HSK 6+: 疲倦的母親 (The Weary Mother) — 空山靈雨 Not ready for original literature? Start the HSK 6+ course →
New to reading Chinese? Browse beginner-friendly chapters →
All eleven books
呼蘭河傳河hé — 1. river (classifier: 條 (tiáo), 道 (dào))
2. (bound form) the Yellow River
3. (bound form) the Milky Way
4. (bound form) (on restaurant menus) rice noodles 河粉 (hé fěn) (HSK 2)傳chuán — 1. to pass on
2. to spread
3. to transmit
4. to infect
5. to transfer
6. to circulate
7. to conduct (electricity) (HSK 3) · 呼兰河传Tales of Hulan River
蕭紅紅hóng — 1. red
2. popular
3. revolutionary
4. bonus (HSK 2) · 萧红 Xiao Hong · 1940 · 8 pieces
Xiao Hong's lyrical last novel — a childhood in a small Manchurian town, told in seven chapters and an epilogue.
73% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 第三章第dì — 1. (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六 (dì liù) "sixth")
2. (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed
3. (old) residence of a high official
4. (literary) but; however
5. (literary) only; just (HSK 1)三sān — 1. three
2. 3 (HSK 1)章zhāng — 1. chapter
2. section
3. clause
4. movement (of symphony)
5. seal
6. badge
7. regulation
8. order (HSK 6) (Grandfather and the Back Garden) →All 8 pieces →
郁達夫小說選小說xiǎo shuō — 1. novel
2. fiction
3. classifier: 本 (běn), 部 (bù) (HSK 2)選xuǎn — 1. to choose
2. to pick
3. to select
4. to elect (HSK 2) · 郁达夫小说选Yu Dafu: Selected Stories
郁達夫 · 郁达夫 Yu Dafu · 1921–1924 · 9 pieces
Nine stories of exile, poverty and thwarted desire from the most confessional voice of the May Fourth generation — 沉淪 (Sinking) scandalised 1921 and made his name.
71% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 春風沉醉的晚上風fēng — 1. wind
2. news
3. style
4. custom
5. manner
6. classifier: 陣 (zhèn), 絲 (sī) (HSK 1)沉chén — 1. to submerge
2. to immerse
3. to sink
4. to keep down
5. to lower
6. to drop
7. deep
8. profound
9. heavy (HSK 4)醉zuì — intoxicated (HSK 5)的de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one")
5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)晚上wǎn shang — 1. evening
2. night
3. classifier: 個 (gè)
4. in the evening (HSK 1) · 春风沉醉的晚上 (Intoxicated Spring Nights) →All 9 pieces →
彷徨彷páng — used in 彷徨 (páng huáng) and 彷徉 (páng yáng) (HSK 7-9)Wandering
魯迅 · 鲁迅 Lu Xun · 1924–1925 · 11 pieces
The second collection — 祝福 (New Year's Sacrifice), 傷逝 and nine more stories of disillusion after the May Fourth movement.
69% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 在酒樓上在zài — 1. to exist; to be alive
2. (of sb or sth) to be (located) at
3. (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) (HSK 1)酒樓jiǔ lóu — restaurant (HSK 7-9)上shàng — 1. (bound form) up; upper; above; previous
2. first (of multiple parts)
3. to climb; to get onto; to go up
4. to attend (class or university)
5. (directional complement) up
6. (noun suffix) on; above (HSK 1) · 在酒楼上 (In the Wine Shop) →All 11 pieces →
生死場生死shēng sǐ — life or death (HSK 7-9)場chǎng — 1. large place used for a specific purpose
2. stage
3. scene (of a play)
4. classifier for sporting or recreational activities
5. classifier for number of exams (HSK 2) · 生死场The Field of Life and Death
蕭紅紅hóng — 1. red
2. popular
3. revolutionary
4. bonus (HSK 2) · 萧红 Xiao Hong · 1935 · 18 pieces
The novel that made Xiao Hong's name, published under Lu Xun's wing with his preface — peasant life in a Manchurian village, then what the Japanese occupation did to it. Seventeen short, unsparing chapters.
69% of words ≤ HSK 4
空山靈雨空kōng — 1. empty
2. air
3. sky
4. in vain (HSK 3)山shān — 1. mountain; hill (classifier: 座 (zuò))
2. (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on (HSK 1)靈líng — 1. quick
2. alert
3. efficacious
4. effective
5. to come true
6. spirit
7. departed soul
8. coffin (HSK 7-9)雨yǔ — 1. rain
2. classifier: 陣 (zhèn), 場 (cháng) (HSK 1) · 空山灵雨Empty Mountain, Spiritual Rain
許地山許xǔ — 1. to allow
2. to permit
3. to promise
4. to praise
5. somewhat
6. perhaps (HSK 7-9)地de — 1. -ly
2. structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct (HSK 1)山shān — 1. mountain; hill (classifier: 座 (zuò))
2. (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on (HSK 1) · 许地山 Xu Dishan · 1922–1925 · 45 pieces
Forty-odd prose miniatures — parables, sketches and aphorisms, most of them a page or less. Alongside 朝花夕拾, the gentlest way into the library.
69% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 疲倦的母親疲倦pí juàn — 1. to tire
2. tired (HSK 7-9)的de — 1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 (pí gé de) "one made of leather" or 跑堂兒的 (pǎo táng r de) "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 (xīn de) "new one")
5. also pr. (dì) or (di) in poetry and songs (HSK 1)母親mǔ qīn — mother (HSK 3) · 疲倦的母亲 (The Weary Mother) →All 45 pieces →
朝花夕拾朝cháo — 1. imperial or royal court
2. government
3. dynasty
4. reign of a sovereign or emperor
5. court or assembly held by a sovereign or emperor
6. to make a pilgrimage to
7. facing
8. towards (HSK 3)花huā — 1. flower
2. blossom
3. classifier: 朵 (duǒ), 支 (zhī), 束 (shù), 把 (bǎ), 盆 (pén), 簇 (cù)
4. fancy pattern
5. florid
6. to spend (money, time)
7. (coll.) lecherous
8. lustful (HSK 1)拾shí — 1. to pick up
2. to collate or arrange
3. ten (banker's anti-fraud numeral) (HSK 5)Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk
魯迅 · 鲁迅 Lu Xun · 1926 · 12 pieces
Ten warm, sharp memoir essays about childhood in Shaoxing — the gentlest entry point into Lu Xun's prose.
67% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 阿長與《山海經》長cháng — 1. long
2. (bound form) length
3. (bound form) strong point; forte
4. (bound form) to be good at
5. (literary) surplus; spare (Taiwan pr. (zhàng)) (HSK 2)與yǔ — 1. (formal) and; together with (linking parallel nouns, verbs, or phrases)
2. (formal) with; from (marking the other participant in an interaction, comparison, or contrast, e.g. 與他握手 (yǔ tā wò shǒu) "shake hands with him", 與去年不同 (yǔ qù nián bù tóng) "different from last year")
3. (literary) to give; to grant; to bestow (HSK 6)山shān — 1. mountain; hill (classifier: 座 (zuò))
2. (coll.) small bundle of straw for silkworms to spin cocoons on (HSK 1)海hǎi — 1. ocean
2. sea
3. classifier: 個 (gè), 片 (piàn)
4. great number of people or things
5. (dialect) numerous (HSK 2)經jīng — 1. classics
2. sacred book
3. scripture
4. to pass through
5. to undergo
6. to bear
7. to endure
8. warp (textile)
9. longitude
10. menstruation
11. channel (TCM)
12. abbr. for economics 經濟 (jīng jì) (HSK 7-9) · 阿长与《山海经》 (Ah Chang and the Book of Hills and Seas) →All 12 pieces →
故事新編故事gù shi — narrative; story; tale (HSK 2)新xīn — 1. new
2. newly
3. meso- (chemistry) (HSK 1)編biān — 1. to weave
2. to plait
3. to organize
4. to group
5. to arrange
6. to edit
7. to compile
8. to write
9. to compose
10. to fabricate
11. to make up (HSK 4) · 故事新编Old Tales Retold
魯迅 · 鲁迅 Lu Xun · 1922–1935 · 9 pieces
Lu Xun's last fiction collection — eight myths and histories retold deadpan: Nüwa patching the sky, Yi shooting down the suns, Yu taming the flood, Zhuangzi arguing with a skeleton he just revived.
66% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 出關出chū — 1. to go out; to come out
2. to arise; to occur
3. to produce; to yield
4. to go beyond; to exceed
5. (used after a verb to indicate an outward direction or a positive result)
6. classifier for dramas, plays, operas etc (HSK 1)關guān — 1. mountain pass
2. to close; to shut; to turn off
3. to confine; to lock (sb) up; to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc)
4. to concern; to involve (HSK 1) · 出关 (Leaving the Pass) →All 9 pieces →
吶喊吶喊nà hǎn — 1. shout
2. rallying cry
3. cheering
4. to shout (HSK 7-9) · 呐喊Call to Arms
魯迅 · 鲁迅 Lu Xun · 1918–1922 · 15 pieces
Lu Xun's first story collection — 狂人日記, 孔乙己, 阿Q正傳 and the other stories that started modern Chinese literature.
65% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 兔和貓兔tù — rabbit (HSK 5)和hé — 1. (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. (hàn))
2. (math.) sum
3. to make peace
4. (sports) to draw; to tie
5. (bound form) harmonious
6. (bound form) Japan; Japanese (HSK 1)貓māo — 1. cat (classifier: 隻 (zhī))
2. (dialect) to hide oneself
3. (loanword) (coll.) modem (HSK 2) · 兔和猫 (The Rabbits and the Cat) →All 15 pieces →
野草野yě — 1. field
2. plain
3. open space
4. limit
5. boundary
6. rude
7. feral (HSK 6)草cǎo — 1. grass
2. straw
3. manuscript
4. draft (of a document)
5. careless
6. rough
7. classifier: 棵 (kē), 撮 (zuǒ), 株 (zhū), 根 (gēn) (HSK 2)Wild Grass
魯迅 · 鲁迅 Lu Xun · 1924–1926 · 22 pieces
Twenty-three prose poems — short, dark, and strange. The most literary and most challenging collection here.
62% of words ≤ HSK 4
紅樓夢紅hóng — 1. red
2. popular
3. revolutionary
4. bonus (HSK 2)樓lóu — 1. house with more than 1 story
2. storied building
3. floor
4. classifier: 層 (céng), 座 (zuò), 棟 (dòng) (HSK 1)夢mèng — 1. dream (classifier: 場 (cháng))
2. (bound form) to dream (HSK 4) · 红楼梦Dream of the Red Chamber
曹雪芹雪xuě — 1. snow
2. classifier: 場 (cháng)
3. (literary) to wipe away (a humiliation etc) (HSK 2) Cao Xueqin · c. 1791 · 120 pieces
The greatest of the Qing novels — the Jia family's slow ruin and Baoyu's doomed love for Daiyu, in one hundred and twenty 回. The last forty are traditionally credited to 高鶚.
61% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 第三十二回 訴肺腑心迷活寶玉 含耻辱情烈死金釧第dì — 1. (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六 (dì liù) "sixth")
2. (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed
3. (old) residence of a high official
4. (literary) but; however
5. (literary) only; just (HSK 1)三sān — 1. three
2. 3 (HSK 1)十shí — 1. ten
2. 10 (HSK 1)二èr — 1. two
2. 2
3. (Beijing dialect) stupid (HSK 1)回huí — 1. to go back; to return; to turn back; to turn around
2. to reply; to answer
3. classifier for literary divisions (acts of a play, sections or chapters of a classic book)
4. classifier for occurrences or times (HSK 1)肺fèi — 1. lung
2. classifier: 個 (gè) (HSK 6)心xīn — 1. heart
2. mind
3. intention
4. center
5. core
6. classifier: 顆 (kē), 個 (gè) (HSK 3)迷mí — 1. to bewilder
2. crazy about
3. fan
4. enthusiast
5. lost
6. confused (HSK 3)活huó — 1. to live
2. alive
3. living
4. work
5. workmanship (HSK 3)寶bǎo — 1. jewel
2. gem
3. treasure
4. precious (HSK 4)玉yù — jade (HSK 4)含hán — 1. to keep in the mouth
2. to contain (HSK 4)耻辱chǐ rǔ — 1. disgrace
2. shame
3. humiliation (HSK 7-9)情qíng — 1. (bound form) feelings; emotion; sentiment; passion
2. (bound form) situation; condition (HSK 7-9)死sǐ — 1. to die
2. impassable
3. uncrossable
4. inflexible
5. rigid
6. extremely
7. damned (HSK 3)金jīn — 1. gold
2. chemical element Au
3. generic term for lustrous and ductile metals
4. money
5. golden
6. highly respected
7. one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments 八音 (bā yīn) (HSK 3) · 第三十二回 诉肺腑心迷活宝玉 含耻辱情烈死金钏 (Baoyu Bares His Heart in Confusion; Jinchuan Dies of Shame and Wounded Love) →All 120 pieces →
西遊記西xī — west (HSK 1)記jì — 1. to record
2. to note
3. to memorize
4. to remember
5. mark
6. sign
7. classifier for blows, kicks, shots (HSK 1) · 西游记Journey to the West
吳承恩 · 吴承恩 Wu Cheng'en · c. 1592 · 100 pieces
The Ming-dynasty classic — Monkey, Pigsy and the monk Tripitaka's journey west, one 回 per chapter, all one hundred of them.
54% of words ≤ HSK 4
Start with 第034回第dì — 1. (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六 (dì liù) "sixth")
2. (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed
3. (old) residence of a high official
4. (literary) but; however
5. (literary) only; just (HSK 1)回huí — 1. to go back; to return; to turn back; to turn around
2. to reply; to answer
3. classifier for literary divisions (acts of a play, sections or chapters of a classic book)
4. classifier for occurrences or times (HSK 1) (Monkey Tricks the Demons and Steals Their Magic Gourds) →All 100 pieces →
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