则 (zé) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning & Stroke Order
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 则 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.
Stroke Order & Practice
Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.
HSK 4 Words Containing 则
否则
otherwise; or else; if not
快点走，否则就要迟到了。
Kuài diǎn zǒu, fǒuzé jiù yào chídào le.
Hurry up, otherwise we'll be late.
About the character 则
则 (zé) means rule; then; in that case (as in 规则/否则). It is one of the 150 characters HSK 4 expects you to write from memory. Practice the stroke order until it feels automatic — most learners need 5–10 successful traces before a character "sticks".