HSK Standard Course 1: Definitive Academic Study Guide

HSK Standard Course 1: Overview and Leading Principles

• Project Oversight and Authorship

  • Lead Author: Jiang Liping.

  • Authors: Wang Fang, Wang Feng, Liu Liping.

  • Foreword Author: Xu Lin (Chief Executive of Confucius Institute Headquarters/Director-General of Hanban).

  • Publisher: Beijing Language and Culture University Press.

  • Date of Foreword: November $16^{\text{th}}$, $2013$.

• Historical and National Context

  • The HSK test was revised in $2009$. This revision marked a shift from testing knowledge of Chinese language proficiency to the assessment of communicative ability in real-world situations.

  • The HSK Standard Course was authorized by Hanban and developed jointly by Chinese Testing International (CTI) and Beijing Language and Culture University Press.

  • The HSK candidate pool has increased significantly: reached $310,000$ in $2012$ and approximately $70,000$ in the first quarter of $2013$ alone.

• Compilation Philosophy

  • The course is designed for the "post-methodological age," prioritizing people-oriented, group/cooperative study, and theme-based approaches.

  • Core concept: "Combining testing and teaching, and promoting learning and teaching by testing."

  • Student-Centered Focus: Even at Levels $1$ and $2$ (which only test listening and reading), the textbooks include material for pronunciation, handwriting, and speaking to ensure integrated skills.

  • Communicative and Task-Based: Focuses on the authenticity of language and situating language points in real-life contexts rather than repetitive drills.

Course Structure and Target Levels

• The Multi-Volume System

  • The series comprises $9$ volumes in total, covering six levels of the HSK examination.

  • Book 1: Targeted at HSK Level $1$; Objective: $150$ words; Suggested Class Hours: $30-34$.

  • Book 2: Targeted at HSK Level $2$; Objective: $300$ words; Suggested Class Hours: $30-36$.

  • Book 3: Targeted at HSK Level $3$; Objective: $600$ words; Suggested Class Hours: $35-40$.

  • Book 4 (Volumes 1 & 2): Targeted at HSK Level $4$; Objective: $1200$ words; Suggested Class Hours: $75-80$.

  • Book 5 (Volumes 1 & 2): Targeted at HSK Level $5$; Objective: $2500$ words; Suggested Class Hours: $170-180$.

  • Book 6 (Volumes 1 & 2): Targeted at HSK Level $6$; Objective: $5000$ and above words; Suggested Class Hours: $170-180$.

  • Total Suggested Hours: $510-550$.

• HSK Level 1 Specifics (Book 1)

  • Suitable for absolute beginners (zero-point learners).

  • Total Lessons: $15$ lessons.

  • Lessons $1-2$ focus on pronunciation.

  • Lessons $3-15$ are theme-based, each containing $3$ situations and $1-2$ dialogues.

  • Vocabulary: Teaches the $150$ words required by the Syllabus, with only $10$ "out-of-syllabus" words (marked with "*").

  • Duration: Suggested $2-3$ hours per lesson.

Instructional Components of a Lesson

1. Warm-up: Uses pictures to introduce key words and phrases.

2. Text: Three situations per lesson with dialogues featuring HSK syllabus words in varied contexts.

3. Notes: Simplified grammar explanations using tables and examples from the lesson text (the sentence in colored print is the original from the text).

4. Exercises: Includes answering questions, describing pictures, and completing sentences to prepare for the HSKK (Elementary Oral Test).

5. Pinyin: Differentiation of initials and finals in early lessons, transitioning to tone collocation (disyllabic, trisyllabic, and neutral tones) in later lessons.

6. Characters: Teaches $17$ basic strokes, $6$ stroke orders, $7$ structures, $52$ single-component characters, and $18$ radicals.

7. Application: Pair work and group work.

8. Culture: Present in Lessons $5, 10$, and $15$. Topics: Asking age, names, and communication tools.

Phonetics and Pinyin Rules

• The Four Tones (and Neutral Tone)

  • $1^{\text{st}}$ Tone: $55$ (High-level).

  • $2^{\text{nd}}$ Tone: $35$ (Rising).

  • $3^{\text{rd}}$ Tone: $214$ (Falling-rising).

  • $4^{\text{th}}$ Tone: $51$ (Falling).

  • Note: A neutral tone is short and light (unmarked).

• Tone Sandhi Rules

  • $3+3$ Construction: When two third-tone syllables appear in sequence, the first changes to a second tone ($3+3 \rightarrow 2+3$), e.g., "nǐ hǎo" becomes "ní hǎo".

  • Sandhi of "bù": Remains fourth tone before $1^{\text{st}}, 2^{\text{nd}}, 3^{\text{rd}}$ tones; changes to second tone before a $4^{\text{th}}$ tone syllable (e.g., "bú shì").

  • Sandhi of "yī": Changes to fourth tone before $1^{\text{st}}, 2^{\text{nd}}, 3^{\text{rd}}$ tones; changes to second tone before a $4^{\text{th}}$ tone. It remains first tone when used alone or as a number.

• Pinyin Orthography

  • For 'i' and 'ü' acting as solo syllables, add 'y' (remove dots from 'ü' $\rightarrow$ "yu"). For 'u', add 'w' $\rightarrow$ "wu".

  • Abbreviation rules: "iou", "uei", and "uen" become "iu", "ui", and "un" respectively when preceded by an initial.

  • Tone marks follow the priorities: $a, o, e, i, u, ü$. For "iu", the mark goes on "u".

Chinese Character Orthography and Structure

• Fundamental Strokes

  • héng (-): Horizontal.

  • shù (|): Vertical.

  • piě (丿): Left-falling.

  • diǎn (丶): Dot.

  • nà (乀): Right-falling.

  • héngzhé (┐): Horizontal-turning.

• Stroke Order Principles

  • Horizontal preceding vertical (e.g., $十$).

  • Left-falling preceding right-falling (e.g., $八$).

  • Top preceding bottom (e.g., $二$).

  • Left preceding right (e.g., $八$).

  • Outside preceding inside (e.g., $四$).

  • Middle preceding sides (e.g., $水$).

• Character Structures

  • Single-component (e.g., $人, 我, 中$).

  • Compound structures (e.g., $你, 做$).

  • Left-right (e.g., $好$) and Left-middle-right (e.g., $谢$).

  • Top-bottom (e.g., $是$) and Top-middle-bottom (e.g., $茶$).

  • Half-enclosure (e.g., $店, 这, 医$) and Enclosure (e.g., $四, 国$).

Grammar and Usage Notes (Lessons 1-15)

• Interrogatives and Pronouns

  • Shénme (什么): Interrogative pronoun for "what."

  • Ma (吗): Question particle added to the end of declarative sentences.

  • Ne (呢): (1) Used for elliptical questions "What about…?"; (2) Used at the end of a sentence for location questions.

  • Nǎ (哪) and Nǎr (哪儿): "Which" and "Where."

  • Jǐ (几): Interrogative for numbers, usually below $10$.

  • Duōshao (多少): Interrogative for numbers above $10$ or prices.

• Sentence Patterns

  • Shì (是) Sentences: Determinative "to be" sentences ($A = B$). Negation: "bú shì."

  • The "De" (的) Structure: Noun/Pronoun + "de" + Noun indicates possession. "De" is often omitted for kinship or close persons.

  • The "You" (有) Sentence: To indicate existence or possession. Negation: "méiyǒu."

  • The "Shì… de" (是…的) Structure: Emphasizes specific details of a past action (time, place, manner).

• Modern Concepts and Modals

  • Huì (会): Indicates an ability acquired through learning.

  • Xiǎng (想): Indicates desire or intending to do something.

  • Néng (能): Indicates ability or possibility, also used for requests.

  • Le (了): (1) Indicates a change of state or situation; (2) Indicates completion of an action.

Time and Measurement Expressions

• Dates

  • Follows the order: Year + Month + Date ($号$ in spoken/$日$ in written) + Week ($星期$).

  • Months: Names are numbers $1-12$ plus "yuè" (e.g., "jǐu yuè" for September).

  • Weeks: "Xīngqī" + Number $1-6$. Sunday is "Xīngqīrì" or "Xīngqītiān."

• Time of Day

  • Units: Diǎn ($点$) for o'clock; Fēn ($分$) for minute.

  • 2:00 is "liǎng diǎn," not "èr diǎn."

• Money

  • Unit: "Yuán" (written) or "Kuài" (spoken).

Questions & Discussion

• Question: How do you ask someone's age properly in Chinese culture?

• Response:

  • For children (under $10$): "Nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì le?"

  • For peers/young adults: "Nǐ jīnnián duō dà le?"

  • For elders (to show respect): "Nín jīnnián duō dà niánjì le?"

• Question: What are the components of a Chinese name?

• Response: The family name (surname) comes first, followed by the given name. Common surnames include Zhāng, Wáng, Lǐ, and Zhào. Surnames can be single-character (e.g., Wáng) or compound-character (e.g., Ōuyáng). People can be addressed by Family Name + Professional Title (e.g., Lǐ Lǎoshī).

• Classroom Commands and Expressions

  • Shàng kè! Class begins!

  • Xià kè! Class is over!

  • Xiànzài xiūxi! Take a break now!

  • Kàn hēibǎn! Look at the blackboard!

  • Gēn wǒ dú! Read after me!

  • Dǎkāi shū. Open your book.

  • Qǐng dà shēng dú. Please read aloud.

  • Zài dú yì biàn. Read it once more / Repeat.

  • Yìqǐ dú. Read together.

  • Yǒu wèntí ma? Any questions?