Vocabulary & Characters
词汇是语文学习的基础。掌握丰富的词汇量不仅能提高阅读理解能力，还能在写作和表达中更加准确、生动。本模块将系统地带你学习常用动词、日常词汇、抽象概念词、学术用语，以及词语辨析、构词规律和量词搭配等重要考点。
Remember: vocabulary is the building block of all Chinese language skills. A strong vocabulary makes reading, writing, and comprehension much easier!
What the Exam Tests
The Professional Chinese paper lasts 90 minutes and is worth 100 points; the published guides give it 80 questions. Every question is single-answer multiple choice, in six types named by the syllabus: 识解汉字 (recognising characters), 选词填空 (choosing a word for a blank), 辨析词语 (telling near-synonyms apart), 选词成段 (completing a paragraph), 补全语句 (completing a sentence) and 阅读理解 (reading comprehension). The 理科 and 文科 streams share these types and differ in their texts.
This module builds the vocabulary under the first three types: characters and their readings, academic and abstract words, collocations, measure words, formal register and chengyu.
In our 80-question mock papers 识解汉字 gets 8 questions, 选词填空 16 and 辨析词语 12. The CSCA publishes the topics but not how many questions each gets, so this split is our own reading of the syllabus.
Verbs Carry the Claim
In a university text the verb tells you what is happening to an idea: it is proposed, tested, confirmed or rejected. A typical verb item is a collocation item: four verbs that all translate as "improve" or "cause", and only one of them fits the noun in the sentence. So learn every verb together with the nouns it takes.
Near-Synonyms Sorted by Their Objects
| Verb | Typical objects | Core idea |
|---|---|---|
| 发挥 fāhuī | 作用、优势、潜力 qiánlì | bring out what is already there |
| 发扬 fāyáng | 精神、传统、优点 | carry a value forward |
| 改进 gǎijìn | 方法、技术、工艺 gōngyì | make a method better |
| 改善 gǎishàn | 条件、环境、关系 | make a situation better |
| 提高 tígāo | 水平、效率、质量 | raise a level |
| 增强 zēngqiáng | 信心、能力、意识 | strengthen a capacity |
| 增加 zēngjiā | 数量、收入、人数 | add to a quantity |
| 采取 cǎiqǔ | 措施 cuòshī、行动 | take measures |
| 采纳 cǎinà | 意见、建议 | accept advice |
- 研究小组改进了测量方法，误差明显减小。The group improved its measuring method, and the error fell markedly.
- 新政策改善了农村的医疗条件。The new policy improved medical conditions in the countryside.
Cause and Effect
导致 dǎozhì and 造成 zàochéng introduce a result that is usually bad: 导致失败, 造成损失 sǔnshī. 引起 yǐnqǐ is neutral and typical with attention or debate: 引起关注, 引起争议 zhēngyì. 促进 cùjìn promotes something good and takes a noun (促进交流), while 促使 cùshǐ makes someone do something (促使企业转型).
- 过度放牧导致草原退化。Overgrazing has led to grassland degradation. (放牧 fàngmù, 退化 tuìhuà)
- 这一发现引起了学界的广泛关注。The finding drew wide attention from scholars.
Verbs of Academic Reasoning
Research passages follow a fixed chain: 提出假设 tíchū jiǎshè (propose a hypothesis) → 收集数据 → 得出结论 déchū jiélùn. Results 表明 biǎomíng (show) something; a study 揭示 jiēshì (reveals) a 规律 guīlǜ or 机制 jīzhì; evidence 证实 zhèngshí (confirms) what was earlier only a guess.
- 实验结果表明，温度越高，反应速率越快。The results show that the higher the temperature, the faster the reaction.
- 这一猜想后来被观测数据证实。The conjecture was later confirmed by observations.
Dummy Verbs: 进行, 加以, 予以
Formal writing carries a two-syllable action noun with an empty verb: 进行 jìnxíng 研究/分析, 加以 jiāyǐ 说明/改进, 予以 yǔyǐ 批准/支持 (from an authority). The thing acted on goes before, usually after 对: 对样本进行了统计分析. 加以 and 予以 take no 了 and no second object.
Verbs That Carry a Judgement
Several verbs have a neutral twin but add attitude or register: 观察 / 窥探 kuītàn (spy on, critical); 沉默 / 缄默 jiānmò (keep deliberately silent, formal); 希望 / 觊觎 jìyú (covet what is not yours, critical); 看 / 瞻仰 zhānyǎng (look upon with reverence: 瞻仰纪念碑); 考虑 / 斟酌 zhēnzhuó (weigh carefully, above all wording: 斟酌字句); 敷衍 fūyǎn (do something perfunctorily, critical).
Everyday Verbs, Extended Meanings
Common verbs take extended senses in formal text: 打下基础 (lay a foundation), 打破纪录 (break a record), 开展研究 (carry out research), 吃苦 (endure hardship). If the literal sense makes no sense, look for the extended one: 为后续研究打下了基础 means "laid the groundwork for later research".
Key takeaway: Learn verbs as verb + object pairs: 发挥作用, 发扬传统, 改进方法, 改善条件, 提高效率, 采取措施. For cause and effect, 导致/造成 bring bad results, 引起 brings attention or debate, 促进 + noun, 促使 + someone + verb.
Key Formulas
Verb + object pairs:
- 发挥 + 作用/优势/潜力 · 发扬 + 精神/传统/优点
- 改进 + 方法/技术/工艺 · 改善 + 条件/环境/关系 · 提高 + 水平/效率/质量
- 增强 + 信心/能力/意识 · 增加 + 数量/收入/人数 · 增进 + 了解/友谊
- 采取 + 措施/行动 · 采用 + 方法/技术/材料 · 采纳 + 意见/建议
- 导致/造成 + a bad result · 引起 + 关注/争议 · 促进 + noun · 促使 + someone + verb
- 对……进行/加以 + two-syllable verb · 予以 + 批准/支持 (from an authority)
Worked Example 1
Example 1 (选词填空): 为了缓解交通拥堵，市政府（ ）了一系列措施。 A. 采用 B. 采取 C. 采纳 D. 采集
Step 1: The noun after the blank is 措施 (measures), and the shared character 采 tells you nothing, so compare the second characters.
Step 2: 采取措施 is the fixed pair. 采用 goes with 方法 or 技术, 采纳 with 意见 or 建议, 采集 with 样本 or 数据.
Answer: B. 采取
Worked Example 2
Example 2 (辨析词语): 下列句子中，动词使用恰当的一项是 A. 这项改革改进了居民的居住条件。 B. 过量使用化肥导致了土壤板结。 C. 这次讲座促进我下定决心学习中文。 D. 我们应当发挥艰苦奋斗的优良传统。
Step 1: Check each verb against its object. A: 条件 needs 改善. C: "make me decide" is 促使我下定决心; 促进 takes a noun. D: a 传统 is carried forward, 发扬传统.
Step 2: B: 导致 introduces an undesirable result, and soil compaction (板结 bǎnjié) is one.
Answer: B
Worked Example 3
Example 3 (two blanks): 观测数据（①）了最初的假设，研究者据此（②）了新的理论模型。 A. ①证实 ②提出 B. ①证实 ②提起 C. ①表明 ②提出 D. ①发现 ②提出
Step 1, blank ①: a hypothesis is confirmed, 证实假设. 表明 is followed by what is shown: a clause (数据表明，……) or a stance (表明立场). 表明假设 is not a collocation, because a hypothesis is confirmed, not "shown", and you do not "discover" a hypothesis either, so C and D fail.
Step 2, blank ②: a model or theory is put forward, 提出模型; 提起 means to mention or to file (提起诉讼). B fails.
Answer: A
Exam tip: Read the noun after the blank before the options: in Chinese the object usually decides the verb.
Exam tip: When all four options share a character (采取/采用/采纳/采集), ignore it and compare the character that differs: 取 take, 用 use, 纳 accept, 集 gather.
Exam tip: For 导致, 造成 and 引起, judge the result first: harm suits 导致 or 造成; attention, interest or debate suits 引起.
Common mistake: 改进 for 改善: 改进 improves a method or a technique; living conditions, the environment and relations are 改善.
Common mistake: 促进 with a person and a verb: 促进 takes a noun (促进合作); "make someone do something" is 促使 or 使: 促使他改变主意.
Common mistake: An object after 加以 or 予以: 对问题加以分析 is right; *加以分析问题 is not. The thing acted on goes before, after 对.
Try This Yourself
选词填空：这家工厂引进了自动化生产线，大幅（ ）了生产效率。 A. 增加 B. 提高 C. 增进 D. 增长
Module Summary
本模块系统学习了词汇运用的核心知识：常用动词搭配、日常词汇、抽象概念词、学术用语、近义词辨析、语境推断、偏旁部首构词、量词搭配、书面语与口语的区别，以及HSK4-5核心词汇和识解汉字（形近字、多音字与语素义）。掌握这些知识并运用"四步法"和"排除法"等应试策略，能帮助你在词汇题上取得好成绩。
Open and read all sections to complete this module