HSK 6 represents near-native mastery with about 120+ words including classical references, chengyu (成语, four-character idioms), academic terminology, and sophisticated written expressions. At this level you can read academic papers, appreciate Chinese literature, and engage in nuanced debate.
Grammar You'll Use at This Level
文言文残余 (classical remnants)
之于 (zhī yú) = 'in terms of'
At this level you'll encounter classical Chinese patterns that survived into modern formal writing. Don't try to analyze them — learn them as fixed expressions.
成语 (chengyu)
画蛇添足 → draw snake add feet = gild the lily
Four-character idioms that pack entire stories into four syllables. You can't guess the meaning from the characters — you have to learn each one.
修辞疑问 (rhetorical questions)
这还用说吗？→ Does this even need to be said?
Questions that aren't really questions. Used for emphasis in both speech and writing. The answer is always obvious from context.
⚠️ Easily Confused at This Level
精致 (jīngzhì) vs. 细致 (xìzhì)
精致 = delicately made, exquisite (object quality). 细致 = careful, meticulous (person's approach). A watch is 精致; a person's attention to detail is 细致.
逐步 (zhúbù) vs. 逐渐 (zhújiàn)
Both = 'gradually.' 逐步 implies step-by-step (human-planned). 逐渐 implies natural, organic change. Reform is 逐步; the seasons changing is 逐渐.
| # | Character | Pinyin | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 爱戴 | àidài | |
| 2 | 安宁 | ānníng | |
| 3 | 昂贵 | ángguì | |
| 4 | 巴结 | bājie | |
| 5 | 饱满 | bǎomǎn | |
| 6 | 保守 | bǎoshǒu | |
| 7 | 保障 | bǎozhàng | |
| 8 | 背叛 | bèipàn | |
| 9 | 边界 | biānjiè | |
| 10 | 编制 | biānzhì | |
| 11 | 博大精深 | bódà jīngshēn | |
| 12 | 补偿 | bǔcháng | |
| 13 | 残酷 | cánkù | |
| 14 | 差距 | chājù | |
| 15 | 谗言 | chányán | |
| 16 | 沉思 | chénsī | |
| 17 | 成本 | chéngběn | |
| 18 | 承诺 | chéngnuò | |
| 19 | 赤字 | chìzì | |
| 20 | 崇拜 | chóngbài | |
| 21 | 慈善 | císhàn | |
| 22 | 大体 | dàtǐ | |
| 23 | 档案 | dàng'àn | |
| 24 | 抵制 | dǐzhì | |
| 25 | 典范 | diǎnfàn | |
| 26 | 雕塑 | diāosù | |
| 27 | 点缀 | diǎnzhuì | |
| 28 | 动态 | dòngtài | |
| 29 | 分歧 | fēnqí | |
| 30 | 腐败 | fǔbài | |
| 31 | 副 | fù | |
| 32 | 高潮 | gāocháo | |
| 33 | 格局 | géjú | |
| 34 | 根源 | gēnyuán | |
| 35 | 公安局 | gōng'ānjú | |
| 36 | 巩固 | gǒnggù | |
| 37 | 供不应求 | gōng bú yìng qiú | |
| 38 | 国务院 | Guówùyuàn | |
| 39 | 过度 | guòdù | |
| 40 | 含义 | hányì | |
| 41 | 和谐 | héxié | |
| 42 | 轰动 | hōngdòng | |
| 43 | 宏观 | hóngguān | |
| 44 | 候选 | hòuxuǎn | |
| 45 | 荒谬 | huāngmiù | |
| 46 | 回顾 | huígù | |
| 47 | 机构 | jīgòu | |
| 48 | 监督 | jiāndū | |
| 49 | 境界 | jìngjiè | |
| 50 | 开幕 | kāimù | |
| 51 | 抗议 | kàngyì | |
| 52 | 克 | kè | |
| 53 | 夸张 | kuāzhāng | |
| 54 | 理想 | lǐxiǎng | |
| 55 | 领域 | lǐngyù | |
| 56 | 论坛 | lùntán | |
| 57 | 络绎不绝 | luòyì bùjué | |
| 58 | 茫 | máng | |
| 59 | 面貌 | miànmào | |
| 60 | 民主 | mínzhǔ | |
| 61 | 敏感 | mǐngǎn | |
| 62 | 模范 | mófàn | |
| 63 | 内涵 | nèihán | |
| 64 | 徘徊 | páihuái | |
| 65 | 赔偿 | péicháng | |
| 66 | 片断 | piànduàn | |
| 67 | 平凡 | píngfán | |
| 68 | 拼搏 | pīnbó | |
| 69 | 奇迹 | qíjì | |
| 70 | 启事 | qǐshì | |
| 71 | 迄今为止 | qìjīn wéizhǐ | |
| 72 | 谦逊 | qiānxùn | |
| 73 | 缺陷 | quēxiàn | |
| 74 | 日益 | rìyì | |
| 75 | 荣誉 | róngyù | |
| 76 | 设立 | shèlì | |
| 77 | 神圣 | shénshèng | |
| 78 | 慎重 | shènzhòng | |
| 79 | 食言 | shíyán | |
| 80 | 使命 | shǐmìng | |
| 81 | 素质 | sùzhì | |
| 82 | 踏实 | tāshi | |
| 83 | 陶冶 | táoyě | |
| 84 | 特性 | tèxìng | |
| 85 | 挺拔 | tǐngbá | |
| 86 | 突破 | tūpò | |
| 87 | 威力 | wēilì | |
| 88 | 维护 | wéihù | |
| 89 | 污蔑 | wūmiè | |
| 90 | 向往 | xiàngwǎng | |
| 91 | 协调 | xiétiáo | |
| 92 | 信仰 | xìnyǎng | |
| 93 | 严峻 | yánjùn | |
| 94 | 掩饰 | yǎnshì | |
| 95 | 遗传 | yíchuán | |
| 96 | 毅力 | yìlì | |
| 97 | 宰 | zǎi | |
| 98 | 战略 | zhànlüè | |
| 99 | 整顿 | zhěngdùn | |
| 100 | 卓越 | zhuóyuè |
How to Master HSK 6 Vocabulary
1. Read through the full word list first.
Don't try to memorize on the first pass. Scroll through the entire table. Which words do you already recognize? Which ones look completely unfamiliar? Get a sense of the terrain before you start climbing. Mark or note the words that seem hardest — those are the ones you'll spend the most time on.
2. Listen to every word's audio — twice.
Tap the 🔊 button for every word in this list, even the ones you think you know. First listen: just listen. Second listen: say the word out loud with the audio, matching the tone exactly. If your voice doesn't follow the same pitch contour, say it again. Tones are physical skills, not intellectual ones — your mouth needs practice, not your brain.
3. Read every example sentence out loud.
The example sentences aren't decoration. They show you how the word fits into a real Chinese sentence — what comes before it, what comes after it, what grammatical particles it needs. You can memorize that 会 means “can,” but you haven't learned it until you can recognize it in a sentence and produce it correctly in context. Read the Chinese sentence, then the pinyin, then the translation. Then read the Chinese again without looking at the pinyin.
4. Move to flashcards when you recognize ~60%.
You don't need to know every word before starting flashcards. Once about 60% of the words look familiar, switch to the HSK 6 flashcards. The act of guessing and checking — even when you're wrong — builds stronger memories than re-reading a table. Mark words honestly. The flashcard system cycles back words you mark “Still Learning,” so you get more repetitions on the hard ones and fewer on the easy ones.
5. Test yourself, then write the ones you miss.
Take the HSK 6 quiz. At the end, you'll see every question you got wrong. For each wrong answer, go to the Writing page and practice writing that character — watch the animation, then write it 10 times on paper. The combination of being wrong (which makes the answer more memorable), seeing the correct answer, and then writing the character creates three memory anchors for one word. It's dramatically more effective than just re-reading the table.
What Next?
You've tackled the most advanced formal vocabulary. What now? Honest answer: full literacy in Chinese is a lifelong project. The gap between HSK 6 and an educated native speaker is mostly cultural — classical poetry, historical references, regional expressions. Keep reading. Read things written before 1950 to encounter classical patterns. Read things written this week on Weibo to encounter current slang. And if you haven't already, spend time in a Chinese-speaking environment. At this level, immersion does things that no vocabulary list can.