Recommended books
Recommended books for intermediate learners of Mandarin Chinese (HSK 3)
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Pick the perfect books for you
Planning on acing the HSK 3 examination or similar tests? Look no further! This is a list of books that can help you achieve just that.
We invested time researching the marketplace for the best Mandarin Chinese textbooks and other printed materials, so you don’t have to. Just scroll, read and pick the ones you like or need the most.
Before you start browsing, we want to let you know that for a complete and solid foundation in Mandarin Chinese, we recommend that you pair your printed or other online learning resources with our Online Mandarin Chinese Dictionary for HSK for the simple reason that it is the only online dictionary that you will ever need to learn Chinese both thoroughly and quickly.
Enjoy your Mandarin Chinese learning journey and feel free to return to us anytime; our gates are always open.
HSK Standard Course Level 3 covers 600 words (of Levels 1, 2 and 3) and language points required by the HSK Level 3 test. The book is illustrated with photos that match the test’s style and is printed in full colour.
This course is developed for students who want to learn all aspects of the Chinese language. You will get a lot of practice in listening, speaking, reading and writing. This course also matches the HSK test in all aspects, from the content and form to the levels. So students can attend the HSK level 3 test after finishing this course.
There are 20 lessons in this course. The topics are as follows:
Lesson 1 周 Zhōu 末 mò 你 nǐ 有 yǒu 什 shén 么 má 打算 dǎsuàn ? What’s your plan for the weekend?
Lesson 2 他 tā 什么 shénme 时 shí 候 hòu 回 huí 来 lái ? When will he come back?
Lesson 3 桌子 zhuōzi 上 shǎng 放 fàng 着 zhāo 很 hěn 多 duō 饮 yǐn 料 liào There are plenty of drinks on the table
Lesson 4 她 tā 总 zǒng 是 shì 笑 xiào 着 zhāo 跟 gēn 客人 kèrén 说话 shuōhuà She always smiles when talking to customers
Lesson 5 我 wǒ 最近 zuìjìn 越 Yuè 来 lái 越 Yuè 胖 pán 了 le I am getting fatter and fatter lately
Lesson 6 怎么 zěnme 突 tū 然 rán 找 zhǎo 不 bù 到 dào 了 le Why are they suddenly missing
Lesson 7 我 wǒ 跟 gēn 她 tā 都 dōu 认识 rènshi 五 wǔ 年 Nián 了 le I‘ve known her for five years
Lesson 8 你 nǐ 去 qù 哪儿 nǎr 我 wǒ 就 jiù 去 qù 哪儿 nǎr I’ll go wherever you go
Lesson 9 她 tā 的 de 汉语 Hànyǔ 说 shuì 得 dé 跟 gēn 中国 Zhōngguó 人 rén 一样 yīyàng 好 hǎo She speaks Chinese like a native
Lesson 10 数学 shùxué 比 Bǐ 历史 lìshǐ 难 nán 多 duō 了 le Maths is much harder than history
Lesson 11 别 Bié 忘 wàng 了 le 把 bǎ 空调 kōngtiáo 关 Guān 了 le Don’t forget to turn off the air conditioner
Lesson 12 把 bǎ 重 chóng 要 yāo 的 de 东西 dōngxī 放 fàng 在 zài 我 wǒ 这儿 zhè r 吧 bā Leave the essential items with me
Lesson 13 我 wǒ 是 shì 走 zǒu 回 huí 来 lái 的 de I walked back
Lesson 14 你 nǐ 把 bǎ 水果 shuǐguǒ 拿 ná 过 Guò 来 lái Please bring the fruit here
Lesson 15 其 qí 他 tā 都 dōu 没 méi 什么 shénme 问题 wèntí The rest of them are all OK
Lesson 16 我 wǒ 现在 xiànzài 累 lěi 得 dé 下 xià 了 le 班 Bān 就 jiù 想 xiǎng 睡 shuì 觉 jiào I am so tired that I want to do nothing but sleep after work
Lesson 17 谁 shuí 都 dōu 有 yǒu 办法 bànfǎ 看 kān 好 hǎo 你 nǐ 的 de “病 bìng ” Everybody can cure your “disease”
Lesson 18 我 wǒ 相 Xiāng 信 xìn 他们 tā men 会 huì 同 tóng 意 Yì 的 de I believe they’ll agree
Lesson 19 你 nǐ 没 méi 看 kān 出 chū 来 lái 吗 mǎ Didn’t you recognise him
Lesson 20 我 wǒ 被 bèi 他 tā 影 yǐng 响 xiǎng 了 le He has influenced me
- 300 words
- Native audio pronunciation
- Dictionary pop-up
- Etymology
- Write it!
- 1500 Sentence examples with audio
These books are ideal for the AP exam
Harvest is a four-skill intermediate Chinese program that integrates the teaching of the Chinese language and culture. It draws students into the study of Chinese through its stimulating and contemporary readings, authentic language use, content-based materials, engaging and meaningful activities.
Harvest is compiled from selected works of Jia You! (1st Ed) Volume 1 and 2.
Designed to be covered in one academic year, Harvest offers 6 units or 12 chapters covering a wide variety of cultural topics – School, Family, Food, Sports, Festivals and Customs, Travel, Famous People, History, Literature and Arts.
Ideal for AP* Chinese or equivalent intermediate-level courses, the 2nd edition Harvest textbook has full-color layouts, new and updated content.
The Harvest textbook is offered in Simplied Characters and paperback edition only. Workbook and FREE MP3 audio downloads The Harvest workbook, sold separately, offers 12 sets of simulated tests modeled after the AP* Chinese exam format.
Improve your Chinese skills and grow your vocabulary with these 10 entertaining Chinese short stories!
The best part of learning a new language is experiencing the culture and diving into activities that will enrich your life and vocabulary. The best way to learn a new language is by reading, and in this Chinese book you will find yourself turning page after page to get to the end of each captivating story that will engage your mind and help you improve your grasp of the Chinese language.
Chapter by chapter you will find yourself effortlessly reading each story. Not struggling like in basic textbooks or boring reads.
You will get involved by reading the dialogue of the characters by learning how to express yourself in different contexts and more importantly by learning new Chinese words that will get you closer to your goal of becoming fully conversational.
In this book you will find:
- 10 challenging and captivating stories containing a wide variety of topics that you will find easy to relate to – all while learning about Chinese culture and folklore!
- The stories are broken down into manageable chapters, so you always make progress with each chapter.
- Pinyin, which enables you to understand Chinese characters better and learn how they are pronounced out loud.
- Carefully written stories for intermediate-level readers like you, using straightforward grammar and commonly used words so you can enjoy reading while challenging yourself with new grammatical structures that aren’t overwhelming.
- Plenty of natural dialogues in each story that you would actually use in an everyday conversation, which will drastically improve your speaking and comprehension ability at the same time!
- At the end of each chapter, there will be a comprehensive guide specially designed for beginner-level readers – it will take you through a summary of each story, followed by a vocabulary of some of the words from the story to make sure that you understand the story entirely.
Routledge Grammar workbooks
Intermediate Chinese is the ideal reference and practice book for students with some knowledge of the language. Each of the 25 units deals with a particular grammatical point and provides associated exercises.
- Features include:
- clear, accessible format
- many useful language examples
- jargon-free grammar explanations
- sample drills and exercises with full answer key.
- All Chinese entries are presented in both pinyin romanisation and Chinese characters, and are accompanied, in most cases, by English translations to facilitate self-tuition in both the spoken and the written language.
- This new edition also includes a glossary of vocabulary and a glossary of grammatical terms.
Intermediate Chinese reviews the principal elements presented in its sister volume, Basic Chinese, and introduces more complicated structures. The two books form a compendium of the essentials of Chinese grammar.
Are you a Passionate Mandarin Learner looking to level up your spoken Chinese in a fun way? If your answer is YES – this book is for you!
Learn Chinese with Stories – The book is designed to immerse you in authentic daily conversations in modern China through short fun stories: Time to Speak and Sound Like a Chinese Native.
- Speak naturally and confidently in various types of conversations
- Handle friendly chats, romantic talk, telling jokes, business talk.
- Master the most up-to-date vocabularies, slang, idioms and phrase
- Explore Chinese culture and society through short fun stories.
- This book consists of 60 expanded conversational dialogues for intermediate students. They follow a consistent storyline set in modern China and cover daily life, travel, work, lifestyles, relationships, Chinese festivals, and contemporary hot topics through fun stories that will make you laugh and remember! You will also explore China and obtain a deeper understanding of its society and culture.
Learn and enjoy with:
- Simplified Chinese version with Pinyin below
- English translation of the Chinese
- Key vocabulary list to review and guide your learning
- Key words and phrases highlighted in Chinese and English to ease your learning
- Learning tips and culture corner to enhance your understanding and insight
- Free audio, recorded by native speakers, to help with your listening and speaking
Are you a Passionate Mandarin Learner looking to level up your spoken Chinese in a fun way? If your answer is YES – this book is for you!
Learn Chinese with Stories – The book is designed to immerse you in authentic daily conversations in modern China through short fun stories: Time to Speak and Sound Like a Chinese Native.
- Speak naturally and confidently in various types of conversations
- Handle friendly chats, romantic talk, telling jokes, business talk.
- Master the most up-to-date vocabularies, slang, idioms and phrase
- Explore Chinese culture and society through short fun stories.
- This book consists of 60 expanded conversational dialogues for intermediate students. They follow a consistent storyline set in modern China and cover daily life, travel, work, lifestyles, relationships, Chinese festivals, and contemporary hot topics through fun stories that will make you laugh and remember! You will also explore China and obtain a deeper understanding of its society and culture.
Learn and enjoy with:
- Simplified Chinese version with Pinyin below
- English translation of the Chinese
- Key vocabulary list to review and guide your learning
- Key words and phrases highlighted in Chinese and English to ease your learning
- Learning tips and culture corner to enhance your understanding and insight
- Free audio, recorded by native speakers, to help with your listening and speaking