By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 5 June 2026
Mandarin Intermediate Grammar (B1-B2 / HSK 4-5)
This page picks up where the Mandarin grammar cheatsheet leaves off. The CEFR and the Chinese HSK system map roughly: HSK 4 corresponds to upper B1, HSK 5 corresponds to B2. At this level the grammar shifts away from sentence-level construction (which is the easy part of Mandarin) toward complements, particles, and the constructions that mark fluent speech.
Quick check
Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.
Pick the right one
0/3Mixed review of the whole page - complements, two-part conjunctions, the 把 (bǎ) and 被 (bèi) constructions and the 是...的 focus structure. Pick the word that completes each sentence.
我把作业做了。 (I finished doing the homework - resultative complement)
wǒ bǎ zuò yè zuò ___ liǎo 。 (I finished doing the homework - resultative complement)
我听不。 (I cannot understand - potential complement)
wǒ tīng bù ___。 (I cannot understand - potential complement)
他拿来一本书。 (he took out a book, towards the speaker - directional complement)
tā ná ___ lái yì běn shū 。 (he took out a book, towards the speaker - directional complement)
What "B1-B2 / HSK 4-5" means in practice (see the CEFR explainer for the full breakdown): you hold conversations on most everyday topics, navigate adult situations in Chinese, read short articles, watch dubbed material with subtitles. Your remaining errors are about complement use, the right particle in the right place, and the constructions that make your speech sound assembled rather than fluent.
The complement system
The single largest grammar topic between HSK 4 and HSK 6. English mostly handles complement information through adverbs and prepositional phrases; Mandarin handles it through verb + complement constructions that attach directly to the verb. Three main types.
Resultative complement
Verb + result. Indicates the outcome or completion of the action.
| Verb + complement | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (kan4 wan2) | finish reading / watching |
| (ting1 dong3) | hear and understand |
| (xue2 hui4) | learn (and master) |
| (zhao3 dao4) | find (successfully) |
| (chi1 bao3) | eat (until full) |
| (xie3 cuo4) | write (incorrectly) |
| (kan4 jian4) | see (successfully perceive) |
The complement is a verb or adjective that describes the result of the main verb's action. The construction is grammatically required for many actions; "" (I read a book) is grammatical but neutral, while "" (I finished reading the book) signals completion.
Directional complement
Verb + direction. Indicates the direction the action moves.
The basic directional complements: (lai2, toward speaker) and (qu4, away from speaker).
(shang4 lai2) - come up (toward speaker).(xia4 qu4) - go down (away from speaker).(jin4 lai2) - come in.(chu1 qu4) - go out.(hui2 lai2) - come back.
Compound directionals layer onto verbs:
(na2 chu1 lai2) - take out (toward speaker).(zou3 guo4 qu4) - walk past / over (away from speaker).(pao3 shang4 qu4) - run up (away from speaker).(fei1 hui2 lai2) - fly back.
The trap: English does this with prepositions ("walk over to" / "take out of"); Mandarin does it by stacking complements onto the verb. The construction is mandatory when direction is part of the meaning.
Potential complement
The construction verb + (de) / (bu) + result/direction expresses whether the action can or cannot achieve its result.
| Affirmative (can) | Negative (cannot) |
|---|---|
| (can see) | (cannot see) |
| (can understand) | (cannot understand) |
| (can afford) | (cannot afford) |
| (can finish eating) | (cannot finish eating) |
| (can go up) | (cannot go up) |
This is not the same as (neng2, "can / be able to"). expresses general possibility; the potential complement expresses whether this specific action can achieve this specific result.
(wǒ néng kàn) = I can look / I am allowed to look (general capability).(wǒ kàn de jiàn) = I can see (the action of looking is achieving the result of perception).(wǒ kàn bu jiàn) = I cannot see (the action of looking is failing to achieve perception, e.g. because it's dark).
The potential complement is unique to Mandarin (and a handful of related languages) and is one of the constructions HSK 5 candidates regularly miss.
The full 了 (le) system
(le) is the single most-discussed particle in Mandarin grammar. At intermediate level the goal is to internalise the three distinct uses and stop treating them as one thing.
了 (le) after a verb: completed action
。(Wo3 chi1 le liang3 wan3 fan4.) - I ate two bowls of rice.。(Ta1 mai3 le san1 ben3 shu1.) - He bought three books.
This (le) marks the verb's completion. It is most at home when the object is quantified or specific: a bare (wǒ chī le fàn) on its own sounds unfinished, as if another clause is coming.
了 (le) at the end of a sentence: change of state or new situation
。(Tai4 wan3 le.) - It is too late (now, different from before).。(Wo3 e4 le.) - I am hungry (a state I was not in before).。(Ta1 lai2 le.) - He has come / he is here now.
This (le) marks a change relative to what came before. It is about the speaker's frame, not the verb's completion.
了 (le) doing both: completed action that signals a new state
。(Wo3 kan4 wan2 le.) - I have finished watching (the action completed AND I am now in a different state).。(Ta1 zou3 le.) - He left (the action of leaving completed AND he is now gone).
In these cases the two uses overlap; native speakers do not analyse which is which.
不要 (bú yào) + verb + 了 (le)
"Stop doing X" / "do not X anymore."
。(Bu2 yao4 ku1 le.) - Stop crying.。(Bu2 yao4 shuo1 le.) - Stop talking / do not say anymore.
The (le) here signals "anymore" - the action was happening but should stop.
已经 (yǐ jīng) + verb + 了 (le) / 还没 (hái méi) + verb
"Already done X" / "have not yet done X."
。(Wo3 yi3 jing1 chi1 le.) - I have already eaten.。(Wo3 hai2 mei2 chi1.) - I have not eaten yet.
Note: (yǐ jīng) pairs with (le); "not yet" is (hái méi) + verb, negated with (méi) rather than (bù), and with no (le). Mixing these up is a common error even at HSK 5.
Conjunction structures
By B2 you should deploy the major two-part conjunctions naturally. Each has a two-part shape, and Mandarin uses both halves far more readily than English does.
因为 (yīn wèi)... 所以 (suǒ yǐ)... (yin1wei4 ... suo3yi3 ...): because / so
(yīn wèi xià yǔ)，。(Because it is raining, so I am not going out.)
Both halves are often present, which English forbids ("because... so" is ungrammatical in English). Either half can be dropped: (yīn wèi xià yǔ)， (wǒ bù chū qù) and (xià yǔ)， (suǒ yǐ wǒ bù chū qù) are both fine.
虽然 (suī rán)... 但是 (dàn shì)... (sui1ran2 ... dan4shi4 ...): although / but
(suī rán tā hěn lèi)，。(Although he is very tired, but he is still working.)
The English "although" stands alone; a (suī rán) clause in Mandarin almost always has a partner in the second clause: (dàn shì), (kě shì), or at least (hái shi) or (què).
不但 (bú dàn)... 而且 (ér qiě)... (bu2dan4 ... er2qie3 ...): not only / but also
(tā bú dàn cōng ming)，。(He is not only intelligent, but also very hard-working.)
The standard way to say "not only / but also", in speech and writing alike.
一 (yī)... 就 (jiù)... (yi1 ... jiu4 ...): as soon as / whenever
。(Wo3 yi1 dao4 jia1 jiu4 gei3 ni3 da3 dian4hua4.) - As soon as I get home I will call you.。(Ta1 yi1 he1 jiu3 jiu4 lian3 hong2.) - Whenever he drinks alcohol his face goes red.
The (yī)... (jiù)... pattern is one of the most distinctive Mandarin constructions. Drilling it as a unit (not as two separate words) is the key.
如果 (rú guǒ)... 就 (jiù)... (ru2guo3 ... jiu4 ...): if / then
(rú guǒ nǐ è le)，。(Ru2guo3 ni3 e4 le, jiu4 chi1fan4 ba.) - If you are hungry, then eat.
The (rú guǒ) can be replaced by (yao4shi4) in casual speech for the same meaning.
越 (yuè)... 越 (yuè)... (yue4 ... yue4 ...): the more / the more
。(Yue4 duo1 yue4 hao3.) - The more the better.。(Wo3 yue4 xiang3 yue4 sheng1qi4.) - The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
The 把 (ba3) construction, in depth
Already introduced in the cheatsheet. At B2 level the construction needs to become reflexive: you reach for it when a specific object undergoes a specific change.
The structure: Subject + (bǎ) + Object + Verb + (complement / location / result).
Reach for it when you specify what happens to the object:
。(I put the book on the table.) - location result; here(bǎ) is effectively required.。(He closed the door.) - state result;is also possible, but(bǎ) is the natural choice.。(I finished doing the homework.) - completion result.
Not required when the action is generic or the object is not specific:
。(I eat / I am eating.) - generic action.。(I drink water.) - generic action, no(bǎ).
The trap: HSK 4-5 candidates either underuse the (bǎ) construction (in contexts where the result requires it) or overuse it (in contexts where it is unnecessary). The internalised rule: use (bǎ) when the object is specific and the verb has a clear effect on it.
The 是 (shì)...的 (shi4 ... de) focus construction
Used to emphasise specific information about a completed past action: time, place, manner, agent.
。(Wo3 shi4 qu4nian2 lai2 de.) - It was last year that I came (emphasising when).。(Wo3 shi4 zuo4 fei1ji1 lai2 de.) - It was by plane that I came (emphasising how).。(Ta1 shi4 cong2 Bei3jing1 lai2 de.) - He came from Beijing (emphasising where from).
The construction is taught early (around HSK 2), but learners go on avoiding it well into B2. (wǒ qù nián lái le) reports the arrival as news; once the arrival is known and the point is when, the natural sentence is (wǒ shì qù nián lái de).
The action must be past and the speaker assumes the listener knows the basic event happened. (shì)... (de) focuses on the specific circumstance.
The 被 (bei4) passive, in depth
The (bèi) passive in Mandarin is used less than in English and traditionally carries a slight negative connotation (something unwanted happened to the subject).
。(He was hit.)。(This book was stolen.)。(I was criticised by the boss.)
Modern usage has softened this; positive uses are increasingly accepted:
。(He was elected chairman.) - neutral / positive in modern usage.
But the classical negative connotation remains. Careful writers still prefer an active sentence to a positive (bèi) passive where one would work.
Two other ways to mark the doer:
(you2): formal "by", naming who is responsible.项。(This work is my responsibility / is handled by me.)(gei3): casual passive in spoken Mandarin.。(I was tricked by him.)
What to drill at B1-B2 / HSK 4-5
- The full (le) system until you stop trying to map it onto English past tense.
- Resultative and directional complements as a default construction. "
(kàn wán)", "(tīng dǒng)", "(zǒu guò qù)" rather than verb-only forms. - The potential complement (verb +
(de)/(bù) + result) as a distinct construction from(néng). - The two-part conjunctions (
(yīn wèi)...(suǒ yǐ),(suī rán)...(dàn shì),(yī)...(jiù),(yuè)...(yuè)) until they come out as units. - The (shì)... (de) focus construction for emphasising time, place, or manner of a past action.
Once these five are solid, you are at the threshold of C1 / HSK 6. The next page, advanced Mandarin grammar, picks up there.