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All 593 outline points · choose a level to see its categories and available lessons.
Fixed patterns
X来X去 presents an action repeated back and forth. With 都是 or 就是, the speaker then summarizes a common feature or highlights a conclusion. The result may be frustrating, neutral or positive; repetition does not automatically mean the effort w…
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The fixed phrase A的A，B的B describes a plural group in which some members do or experience A while others do or experience B. The first A or B before 的 acts like a nominalized subgroup ('those who A'), and the second repeats the verb or adjec…
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不得了 intensifies a quality or feeling in the frame ……得不得了. As a separate evaluation or exclamation, it can signal a serious situation or a strong reaction; context determines whether the speaker is alarmed or impressed.
View detailsPhrases › Fixed phrases › Other fixed phrases
用不着 says that an action, extra effort or a resource is unnecessary. In conversation it can reassure someone or decline extra help; wording and tone also matter when referring directly to a person.
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X也不是，Y也不是 describes a dilemma in which neither option feels appropriate. X and Y commonly form a contrasting pair or a verb and its negation, but they need not be dictionary antonyms. Here 也不是 can be understood as “does not feel right eithe…
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The fixed phrase 什么X不X（的） is used in spoken Chinese to brush aside a word or topic just mentioned, showing that the speaker considers it unimportant, irrelevant, or unnecessary to fuss over in the current situation.
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The fixed phrase X也X不得，Y也Y不得 expresses a dilemma in which neither action X nor action Y is acceptable, advisable, or physically manageable. Listed under Level 5 fixed phrases in the HSK syllabus outline, it typically pairs two related or co…
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The fixed phrase 从……来看 frames a conclusion or evaluation by stating the evidence, aspect, or angle on which it is based, corresponding closely to 'judging from...' or 'from the perspective of...' in English.
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The fixed phrase X什么X uses repetition around 什么 to form a rhetorical objection, telling the listener there is no reason to do, say, or worry about X.
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不管怎样说 means “no matter how one puts it” or “in any case.” As a discourse marker, it sets aside competing arguments and introduces a conclusion the speaker wants to maintain.
View detailsPhrases › Fixed phrases › Four-character patterns
The fixed pattern 说A就A describes an action or state change that happens abruptly, immediately, or without warning—either because a person acts on impulse or because a situation shifts rapidly.
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The fixed phrase 由……组成 (yóu... zǔchéng) means 'to be composed of' or 'to consist of'. It places the complete whole as the subject and introduces its constituent parts after the preposition 由.
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