The learning path
All 156 grammar topics in the order in which they support one another — numbered from 1 to 156.
Your progress at a glance
Your progress at a glanceEach petal is a category: easy topics on the inside, hard ones on the outside. Tap a petal to see only its topics.
Where are you right now?
- 1Sounds and tones, simple sentences, the first measure words.
- Words first · 9Words first · 9Words first · 9Words first · 9Reading pinyinInitials, finals, and the handful of letters that do not sound the way English reads them.
- Words first · 9Words first · 9Words first · 9The four tonesEvery syllable has a pitch shape, and a different shape makes a different word.
- Words first · 10Words first · 9Tone changesTwo third tones in a row, and the words yī and bù, change their tone before another syllable.
- Words first · 9Words first · 9What a character isOne character is one syllable with a meaning, built from a small set of recurring parts.
- Words first · 10Words first · 9Word orderSubject, verb, object as in English — but time and place come before the verb, and the verb never changes.
- Words first · 9Words first · 9Counting with shí, bǎi, qiān and wànTen digits and four place words build every number up to the hundred millions.
- Words first · 9Words first · 9Time words before the verbWhen something happens goes before the verb, and a date or a clock time runs from the biggest unit to the smallest.
- Words first · 9A is B with shìShì links two nouns — “A is B” — but never a noun and an adjective.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6Would like and want: xiǎng and yàoXiǎng is a gentle wish, yào a firm intention or a need — and “don’t want to” is bù xiǎng.
- Words first · 6Words first · 5Two kinds of two: èr and liǎngÈr is the digit you count with; liǎng is the two you have of something.
- Words first · 8Adjectives as predicatesAn adjective works like a verb on its own; hěn usually stands before it, often meaning no more than “is”.
- Words first · 9Number, measure word, nounA number never stands directly before a noun: a measure word goes between them.
- Words first · 9Having and existing with yǒuYǒu means both “to have” and “there is”, and its negative is always méiyǒu.
- Words first · 3Zài: where it is, where it happensZài says where something is, and before another verb it says where the action happens.
- Words first · 6Possession with de: wǒ de shūOwner, de, thing: de works like the English 's, and drops out between a pronoun and family or a group.
- Words first · 7Also and all: yě and dōuYě adds “too”, dōu sums up “all” — and both stand between the subject and the verb.
- Words first · 8Words first · 8Polite address: nín and titlesNín is the polite “you”, and people are addressed by family name plus title, in that order.
- Words first · 9Negation with bù and méiBù negates what you do, want or are; méi negates what did not happen, and the verb yǒu.
- Words first · 2This, that and which: zhè, nà and nǎZhè and nà point, nǎ asks — and before a noun all three want a measure word.
- Words first · 4Yes-no questions with maAdd ma to the end of a statement and it becomes a question; answer by repeating the verb.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6Can (learned skill): huìHuì is “can” for a skill you have learned — and also “will” for what is likely to happen.
- Words first · 4The suffix men: a plural for peopleMen makes the pronouns plural and can follow a noun for people — and nothing else.
- Words first · 5Question wordsA question word stands where the answer will stand, and the sentence keeps its statement order.
- Words first · 8On, in, under: place wordsChinese says “the table on” rather than “on the table”: the word for the position follows the noun.
- Words first · 7Asking how many: jǐ and duōshaoJǐ expects a small number and takes a measure word; duōshao expects any number and can do without one.
- Words first · 1The particle neNe after a noun asks “and what about …?” or “where is …?”; at the end of a statement it marks something still going on.
- 2了, 过 and 在, comparisons, the first complements.
- Words first · 5Neutral tone and the r endingMany words end in an unstressed syllable, and some take an r sound on the end.
- Words first · 9Characters and wordsMost words have two characters, and nothing on the page shows where one word ends.
- Words first · 6Chinese punctuationEach mark fills a full square, lists have a comma of their own, and numbers are written in digits or characters.
- Words first · 6Words first · 6Verb + le: completed actionLe straight after a verb presents an action as finished and complete — most often with a number or an amount after it.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6From … to … with cóng and dàoCóng marks where or when something starts, dào where or when it ends, and the frame goes before the verb.
- Words first · 8Three kinds of again: hái, zài and yòuYòu is again for what has happened, zài is again for what has not, and hái is still or as well.
- Words first · 6Words first · 6Don’t: bié and búyàoBié or búyào before a verb tells someone not to do something; with le at the end it tells them to stop.
- Words first · 9Result complementsA second word straight after the verb says what the action achieved: finished, understood, found, done wrong.
- Words first · 6Comparing with bǐA, then bǐ, then B, then the adjective — and no hěn in front of it.
- Words first · 9Because and so: yīnwèi … suǒyǐThe reason comes first with yīnwèi and the result second with suǒyǐ — and Chinese is happy to use both words at once.
- Words first · 6Words first · 6Néng and kěyǐ: able to and allowed toNéng is being able in the circumstances, kěyǐ is being allowed — and when you ask permission, both will do.
- Words first · 6Sentence-final le: a changeLe at the very end of a sentence says that a situation is new: it has changed, or it is now the case.
- Words first · 6Words first · 6The everyday measure wordsAbout fifteen measure words cover daily life, and most of them sort nouns by shape or by kind.
- Words first · 6Words first · 5Describing a noun: adjective, de, nounAn adjective with a word like hěn in front of it takes de before the noun; a bare one-syllable adjective usually joins the noun directly.
- Words first · 10Verbs with two objectsWith verbs like gěi, sòng, jiāo, wèn and gàosu, the person comes first and the thing second, both straight after the verb.
- Words first · 4Ba: suggestions and softer commandsBa at the end of a sentence turns it into a suggestion, a guess that asks to be confirmed, or a gentler request.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6How far from: líLí measures the gap between two places: A lí B, then near, far or a distance.
- Words first · 7Already and once: yǐjīng and céngjīngYǐjīng with le says something is done by now; céngjīng with guo says it happened once and is over.
- Words first · 4Méi and méiyǒu: it did not happenTo say that something did not happen, put méi or méiyǒu before the verb — and drop le.
- Words first · 7How big, how far: duō before an adjectiveDuō before an adjective asks how much of it there is: duō dà, duō gāo, duō yuǎn, duō cháng shíjiān.
- Words first · 9Degree complement with deVerb, then de, then an adjective: how an action is done or how well.
- Words first · 4Not as … as: méiyǒu … nàmeA méiyǒu B (nàme) and an adjective says that A does not come up to B.
- Words first · 7Although: suīrán … dànshìSuīrán admits something and dànshì or kěshì sets the contrast against it — Chinese says both words where English says only one.
- Words first · 4Guo: having done something beforeGuo after a verb says that something has happened at least once, at some point in the past.
- Words first · 6Zài, yǒu and shì for where things areA known thing + zài + place; a place + yǒu + something new; a place + shì + what fills it.
- Words first · 6Words first · 5Should: yīnggāiYīnggāi gives advice or says what is right — and also what you would expect to be the case.
- Words first · 6Only: zhǐ and jiùZhǐ limits what follows it and stands before the verb; to put “only” in front of a person, say zhǐyǒu.
- Words first · 8Asking politelyQǐng, máfan nǐ and néngbunéng make a request polite; yíxià and a doubled verb make it light.
- Words first · 6Zài and zhèngzài: in progressZài or zhèngzài before the verb, often with ne at the end, says that an action is going on.
- Words first · 1A-not-A questionsSay the verb, then bù and the verb again, and you have a question without ma.
- Words first · 6Direction: lái and qù after verbsLái after a verb points towards the speaker, qù points away.
- Words first · 6Words first · 5The same and different: gēn … yíyàngA gēn B yíyàng says that A and B are the same; an adjective after it says in what way.
- Words first · 6If: rúguǒ … jiùThe condition comes first with rúguǒ or yàoshi, and the consequence follows with jiù after its subject.
- Words first · 5About to happen: kuài … leYào, kuài or jiù yào before the verb and le at the end say that something is just about to happen.
- Words first · 1Duration after the verbA point in time goes before the verb, a length of time after it.
- Words first · 6How often: from always to neverChángcháng, jīngcháng, zǒngshì, yìzhí, yǒushíhou and cónglái bù or méi — all before the verb.
- Words first · 6Words first · 6Ordinals, fractions, multiplesDì before a number makes it an ordinal; a fraction names the whole first; bèi multiplies.
- Words first · 3De without a noun: mine, the red oneWhen the noun is clear or general, it can be left out, and the phrase with de stands for it.
- Words first · 7Have a look: doubled verbsA verb said twice — kànkan, kàn yi kàn, xiūxi xiūxi — does the action briefly or casually, and softens a request.
- Words first · 6A and its sound changes: ya, wa, naA at the end of a sentence adds warmth, surprise or urgency, and it takes on the sound of the word before it.
- Words first · 2Shì … de: stressing when or howWhen both speakers know that something happened, shì … de puts the spotlight on a detail: when, where, how, or with whom.
- Words first · 7Maybe and probably: kěnéngKěnéng says something may be so — before the verb, or at the start of the sentence for the whole statement.
- Words first · 4Or: háishi and huòzhěHáishi offers a choice in a question; huòzhě joins two possibilities in a statement.
- Words first · 7How often: cì, biàn, tàng and yíxiàA number with cì, biàn or tàng after the verb says how many times; yíxià makes an action short and casual.
- Words first · 5More and most: gèng and zuìGèng before an adjective means “more” or “even more”; zuì means “most”.
- Words first · 8Words first · 8First, then: xiān … ránhòuXiān marks the first step; ránhòu, zài, jiēzhe and yǐhòu bring in the next one.
- Words first · 6When, before, after: de shíhouA whole clause becomes a time phrase with de shíhou, yǐqián or yǐhòu after it, and it goes before the main clause.
- Words first · 2A bit: yǒudiǎnr or yìdiǎnrYǒudiǎnr before an adjective says “a bit too”, usually as a complaint; yìdiǎnr after it says “a bit more”, in comparisons and requests.
- Words first · 7Hái méi … ne: not yetHái méi before the verb, often with ne at the end, says that something has not happened yet but is expected to.
- 3Complements, 把 and 被, linked sentences.
- Words first · 6The bǎ sentenceBǎ brings a definite object in front of the verb to say what was done to it, and the verb cannot stand bare at the end.
- Words first · 6Words first · 5As soon as: yī … jiùYī before the first verb and jiù before the second: the second thing follows straight on from the first.
- Words first · 5Compound direction complementsA verb of movement, a direction word and lái or qù: zǒu jìnlai, ná chūlai, pǎo huíqu.
- Words first · 5Nice and clean: doubled adjectivesAn adjective said twice — hónghóng de, gāngānjìngjìng de — paints a vivid picture; it already contains its degree, so hěn and bù cannot stand before it.
- Words first · 3How much more: bǐ with amountsThe size of a difference comes after the adjective: a little, much, or an exact amount.
- Words first · 4Jiù and cái: earlier or laterJiù says it happened earlier or more easily than expected; cái says it happened later or with more trouble.
- Words first · 5Double le, and leaving le outVerb-le plus sentence-le says that something has gone on up to now — and many past sentences need no le at all.
- Words first · 7Must and need not: děi, bìxū and búyòngDěi is the everyday “have to”, bìxū the firm “must” of rules — and the negative of both is búyòng.
- Words first · 2Roughly: approximate numbersDuō, jǐ, zuǒyòu, shàngxià and two neighbouring numbers make a number vague, each in its own place.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6The passive with bèiBèi puts the one who undergoes an action first and the doer after bèi, and it usually reports something unwelcome.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6Not only … but also: búdàn … érqiěBúdàn sets up a first point and érqiě adds a second, usually a stronger one.
- Words first · 6Can or cannot: potential complementsDe or bu between a verb and its complement says whether the result is possible: kàndedǒng, kànbudǒng.
- Words first · 2Two verbs in a rowOne subject, two verb phrases one after the other: the first says where or how, the second says what for.
- Words first · 8Oneself and each other: zìjǐ and hùxiāngZìjǐ is “self”: by oneself, oneself, one’s own. Hùxiāng is “each other”, and it stands before the verb, not after it.
- Words first · 6Words first · 6Towards: wǎng, xiàng and cháoWǎng points a movement somewhere, xiàng can also aim at a person, and cháo says which way something faces.
- Words first · 9Relative clauses with deA whole clause can describe a noun: it stands before the noun, ends in de, and needs no who, which or that.
- Words first · 2Like and as if: xiàng … yíyàng and hǎoxiàngXiàng is “to be like”: A xiàng B yíyàng makes a comparison or a simile; hǎoxiàng says “it seems”, “as if”.
- Just now: gāng and gāngcáiGāng is an adverb glued to the verb; gāngcái is a time word for a few minutes ago.
- Words first · 10As long as, only if: zhǐyào, zhǐyǒuZhǐyào … jiù names a condition that is enough; zhǐyǒu … cái names the one condition without which nothing happens.
- Words first · 5Ne in depthNe asks “and what about …?”, keeps a situation going, makes a question thoughtful, and quietly points something out.
- Words first · 9Modesty and complimentsA compliment is turned aside rather than simply accepted, and what is your own is played down.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6In order to: wèileWèile puts the purpose first: in order to do this, somebody does that.
- Words first · 4Make, let, ask: ràng, jiào, qǐngThe person after ràng, jiào or qǐng is the object of the first verb and the subject of the second.
- Words first · 1Duration with an objectA length of time goes after the verb; with an object as well, say the verb twice or put the time before the object.
- Words first · 4Except and besides: chúle … yǐwàiChúle sets something aside; the adverb that follows decides whether it is left out or added in.
- Words first · 6Zhe: a lasting stateZhe after a verb describes the state an action leaves behind — and, before a second verb, the way something is done.
- Words first · 5Willing, daring: yuànyì, gǎn, kěnYuànyì is being willing, gǎn having the nerve, and kěn agreeing to do what you were asked.
- Words first · 5Every one: doubled measure wordsA measure word or a one-syllable noun said twice means every one of them, usually with dōu after it.
- Words first · 1Verbs that split: jiàn le miàn, bāng tā de mángJiànmiàn, bāngmáng, shuìjiào and their relatives are a verb with its own object inside: they take no second object, and other words go between the two halves.
- Words first · 4Three written forms of deOne neutral-tone de is written three ways: before a noun, before a verb, and after a verb.
- Words first · 3More and more: yuèláiyuè and yuè … yuèYuèláiyuè describes a change that keeps growing; yuè … yuè ties one change to another.
- Words first · 10Almost: chàdiǎnrChàdiǎnr before a verb says something nearly happened and did not; with méi, what happens depends on whether the event was wanted.
- Words first · 5Extremely: jíle, sǐle, huàileAfter an adjective, jíle, de hěn, sǐle or huàile push it to an extreme.
- Words first · 6Two at once: yìbiān … yìbiānYìbiān … yìbiān puts two actions side by side; yòu … yòu puts two qualities side by side.
- Words first · 3Even: lián … dōu and lián … yěLián picks out the most extreme case, and dōu or yě after it says that the statement holds even there.
- 4Finer connectives, framing expressions.
- Words first · 7Words first · 7From the view of: duì … lái shuōDuì, a person or group, then lái shuō — the frame that says whose point of view a judgement holds for.
- Words first · 10Even if: jíshǐ … yěJíshǐ supposes something, even something unlikely, and yě says that the result stands all the same.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6About and regarding: guānyú and duìyúGuānyú names the subject matter something is about; duìyú names what an attitude or a treatment is aimed at.
- Words first · 5Passives with ràng, jiào and gěiIn speech ràng and jiào often stand where bèi would, gěi can stand before the verb, and many passives need no marker at all.
- Words first · 6Finally, on earth: zhōngyú, dàodǐZhōngyú is relief at the end of a wait; dàodǐ and jiūjìng press for the real answer.
- Words first · 5No matter: wúlùn and bùguǎn … dōuWúlùn or bùguǎn opens a range of possibilities, and dōu or yě says the result is the same for all of them.
- Words first · 6Words first · 5By means of and through: tōngguòTōngguò names the means, the method or the go-between through which something is done — and as a verb it means to pass.
- Words first · 8Words first · 8Words first · 8As things change: suízheSuízhe ties one change to another: as the first develops, the second follows.
- Words first · 4Since, given that: jìrán … jiùJìrán takes something both speakers already accept, and jiù draws the conclusion from it.
- Words first · 10Words first · 10According to: gēnjù and ànzhàoGēnjù names the basis a conclusion is drawn from; ànzhào names the rule or plan an action follows.
- Words first · 5Figurative direction complementsQǐlai, xiàqu, chūlai and xiàlai also mean starting, carrying on, bringing to light and settling.
- Words first · 5Not as good as: bùrúA bùrú B means that A is not as good as B — and bùrú before an action suggests a better plan.
- Words first · 4Appearing, disappearing and existingPlace first, then the verb, then the new arrival: the order Chinese uses for something that is somewhere, turns up or goes away.
- Words first · 6Words first · 5Not, as it happens: bìng bù and bìng méiyǒuBìng before bù or méiyǒu makes a negative push back against what someone assumed: not, in fact; not at all as you think.
- Words first · 2Ma and bei: it is obviousA second ma, written with a different character, says “it is obvious”; bei adds “so just do that, simple as that”.
- Words first · 8Words first · 8Words first · 8Owing to: yóuyúYóuyú gives a cause in a measured, written tone — at the front of the sentence, often with yīncǐ after it.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6Otherwise: fǒuzé, bùrán, yàobùránFirst what should happen, then fǒuzé or bùrán and what will follow if it does not.
- Words first · 7Words first · 7Under, in, in terms of: zài … xiàZài, a noun and xià, zhōng or shàng set the condition, the process or the area a statement holds in.
- Words first · 4Either … or: búshì … jiùshìBúshì A, jiùshì B says it is certainly one or the other, or that it is always one or the other; búshì A, érshì B corrects A to B.
- Words first · 8Worth it, hard to, no choice butZhíde says an action is worth it, nányǐ says it can hardly be done, bùdébù says there was no way round it.
- Emphasis: shì and question wordsA stressed shì insists that something really is so, and a question word before dōu or yě means everybody, everything or anywhere.
- Words first · 5Originally and actually: běnlái, qíshíBěnlái recalls a plan that changed, yuánlái announces a discovery, and qíshí corrects an impression.
- Words first · 9It seems, I hear: kànqǐlai, tīngshuōFour ways to say that something seems so — from how it looks, from what you conclude, or from what you have heard.
- Words first · 7Words first · 6Moreover: érqiě, bìngqiě, shènzhìÉrqiě adds a point, bìngqiě adds a step in a more formal register, and shènzhì goes as far as the surprising extreme.
- Words first · 3However much: zěnme yě, zài … yěZěnme yě or zěnme dōu before a negative says that no way works; zài … yě says that even more would not help.
- 5Written style, four-character expressions, stance.
- Words first · 9Even and let alone: shènzhì and hékuàngShènzhì climbs to the surprising case; hékuàng points to the case that follows all the more.
- Words first · 8Words first · 8Zhī and qí in modern writingZhī is the written de and lives on in fixed forms like zhīyī and zhījiān; qí means its, their or of them.
- Words first · 10Not necessarily: wèibì, bù yídìngThree ways to doubt that something must be so — without saying that it is not.
- Words first · 10Even though: jǐnguǎn and nǎpàJǐnguǎn admits a fact more firmly than suīrán; nǎpà supposes the worst or smallest case and says it changes nothing.
- Words first · 10As for: zhìyúZhìyú opens a clause about the next point; bú zhìyú says it will not come to that.
- Words first · 8Words first · 7Written yú, yǐ and érYú marks place, time, comparison and target in writing; yǐ means with, by or so that; ér links two parts and often contrasts them.
- Words first · 8On the contrary: fǎn'ér and dàoFǎn'ér turns the expected result upside down; dào does the same, more softly, in speech.
- Words first · 9Surprise, as expected: jìngrán, guǒránJìngrán says nobody expected it; guǒrán says somebody did, and was right.
- Words first · 9Adverbs of attitude: jiǎnzhí, bìjìngFive adverbs that add no facts but tell the listener how to take them.
- Words first · 2Only, that is all: éryǐ, bàleÉryǐ and bàle close a sentence with “only, nothing more”; jiùshì le closes it with “and that settles it”.
- Words first · 8Formal letters and business ChineseA small set of words — guì, běn, bì, guānglín, fǔshàng, gōngxǐ — raises the other side and lowers your own in formal speech and writing.
- Words first · 5Taking X as Y: yǐ X wéi YYǐ X wéi Y says that X is taken as, treated as or made into Y — a compact frame from written Chinese.
- Words first · 9Words first · 9Words first · 9Written adverbs: jiāng, yǐ, wèiFive single characters that written Chinese uses for will, already, not yet and all.
- Words first · 9In case and once: wànyī and yídànWànyī prepares for what you hope will not happen; yídàn names the point after which things change.
- Words first · 9So as not to: miǎnde, yǐmiǎnThree words that open a second clause and name the trouble the first clause is meant to avoid.
- Words first · 7Suǒ and the passive wéi … suǒSuǒ before a verb points at the thing that is done; wéi … suǒ … is the passive of written prose.
- Words first · 6Rather than: yǔqí … bùrúYǔqí … bùrú weighs two options and picks the second; nìngkě … yě bù accepts a cost rather than do something.
- Words first · 3Rhetorical questions: nándàoNándào asks a question that already holds its answer — the opposite of what it says.
- Words first · 10In short: zǒngzhī, huànjùhuàshuōZǒngzhī sums up what came before; huànjùhuàshuō says it again in other words.
- Words first · 10Words first · 9Spoken and written Chinese side by sideMany spoken words have a written partner — yóuyú for yīnwèi, rán'ér for dànshì, yīncǐ for suǒyǐ, ruò for rúguǒ — and a text keeps to one of the two.
- Words first · 9Words first · 9Four-character idioms: chéngyǔHow the four-syllable idioms are built, where they go in a sentence, and why they never take hěn.
The finish: the whole grammar
156 topics, from the first sentences to the finishing touches.
How to read the path. Every dot is a grammar topic; a click opens it. The colour of a dot is its category, the colour of the path is the difficulty — green and easy at the top, berry red and hard at the bottom. Within a level the categories follow one another, but you need not take them in order: you can work on a tense and on a topic from another category side by side.
On every topic page you can note how well it has sunk in — understood or not sure yet. The path shows it here and highlights the next open topic.
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