HSK 4 Grammar
固定格式与四字格 — Fixed Patterns & Four-Character Structures
Master 20+ essential fixed expressions, four-character patterns, and sentence formulas tested at HSK 4 with interactive exercises and quizzes.
20+
Patterns
3
Categories
35+
Exercises
Section A: 四字格 Four-Character Patterns / 四字格式
A-1
一A一B
one A, one B (gradual / repetitive)
时间一天一天地过去了。
Shíjiān yī tiān yī tiān de guòqù le.
Time passed day by day.
孩子一年一年地长大了。
Háizi yī nián yī nián de zhǎng dà le.
The child grew up year by year.
我们要一步一步地来。
Wǒmen yào yī bù yī bù de lái.
We need to take it step by step.
A-2
无A无B
without A, without B
孩子们无忧无虑地玩着。
Háizimen wú yōu wú lǜ de wán zhe.
The children played carefree.
他无声无息地离开了。
Tā wú shēng wú xī de líkāi le.
He left silently (without a sound).
A-3
有A有B
have A and have B (well provided)
在他家，有吃有喝，什么都不缺。
Zài tā jiā, yǒu chī yǒu hē, shénme dōu bù quē.
At his home, there was plenty of food and drink; nothing was lacking.
大家有说有笑，气氛很好。
Dàjiā yǒu shuō yǒu xiào, qìfēn hěn hǎo.
Everyone was chatting and laughing; the atmosphere was great.
Section B: 固定格式 Fixed Expressions / 固定格式
B-1
来得及 / 来不及
in time / too late
别着急，还来得及。
Bié zháojí, hái lái de jí.
Don't worry, there's still time.
现在出发的话，来得及赶上火车。
Xiànzài chūfā de huà, lái de jí gǎnshàng huǒchē.
If we leave now, we can make it in time for the train.
已经来不及了，飞机已经起飞了。
Yǐjīng lái bu jí le, fēijī yǐjīng qǐfēi le.
It's too late; the plane has already taken off.
✗ 我来及不赶上公共汽车。
✓ 我来不及赶上公共汽车。
The negative form is 来不及 (lái bu jí), not 来及不. The 不 goes between 来 and 及.
B-2
有的是
plenty of / there's no shortage of
别担心钱的问题，我有的是时间慢慢赚。
Bié dānxīn qián de wèntí, wǒ yǒu de shì shíjiān mànmàn zhuàn.
Don't worry about money; I have plenty of time to earn it slowly.
这种东西超市里有的是。
Zhè zhǒng dōngxi chāoshì lǐ yǒu de shì.
There's no shortage of this kind of thing in the supermarket.
B-3
说不定
maybe / perhaps
他还没来，说不定路上堵车了。
Tā hái méi lái, shuōbudìng lùshàng dǔchē le.
He hasn't come yet; maybe there's a traffic jam on the way.
说不定明天就会下雪。
Shuōbudìng míngtiān jiù huì xià xuě.
Perhaps it will snow tomorrow.
B-4
不怎么
not very / not particularly
这部电影不怎么好看。
Zhè bù diànyǐng bù zěnme hǎokàn.
This movie isn't particularly good.
他最近不怎么说话。
Tā zuìjìn bù zěnme shuōhuà.
He hasn't been talking much lately.
B-5
就是说
that is to say
他不来了，就是说我们只有三个人。
Tā bù lái le, jiù shì shuō wǒmen zhǐ yǒu sān ge rén.
He's not coming, which means we only have three people.
也就是说，你已经决定了？
Yě jiù shì shuō, nǐ yǐjīng juédìng le?
In other words, you've already decided?
Section C: 句式格式 Sentence Pattern Formulas / 句式格式
C-1
拿…来说
take ... for example
拿北京来说，冬天非常冷。
Ná Běijīng lái shuō, dōngtiān fēicháng lěng.
Take Beijing for example; winters are very cold.
拿我自己来说，学中文花了三年时间。
Ná wǒ zìjǐ lái shuō, xué Zhōngwén huā le sān nián shíjiān.
Take myself for example; learning Chinese took three years.
C-2
再也不/没…
never again
他再也不迟到了。
Tā zài yě bù chídào le.
He never arrived late again.
从那以后，她再也没回来过。
Cóng nà yǐhòu, tā zài yě méi huílái guò.
After that, she never came back again.
C-3
在…方面
in terms of / regarding
她在学习方面非常努力。
Tā zài xuéxí fāngmiàn fēicháng nǔlì.
She is very diligent in terms of studying.
在工作方面，他有很多经验。
Zài gōngzuò fāngmiàn, tā yǒu hěn duō jīngyàn.
Regarding work, he has a lot of experience.
C-4
够…的
quite ... enough
今天够冷的！
Jīntiān gòu lěng de!
It's quite cold enough today!
这道题够难的。
Zhè dào tí gòu nán de.
This question is really difficult enough.
C-5
为了…而…
in order to ... and thus ...
他为了学好中文而搬到了北京。
Tā wèile xué hǎo Zhōngwén ér bān dào le Běijīng.
He moved to Beijing in order to learn Chinese well.
她为了健康而每天跑步。
Tā wèile jiànkāng ér měitiān pǎobù.
She runs every day for the sake of her health.
Pattern Generator / 格式生成器
Pick a pattern template, fill in the slots, and generate a complete expression. Click an example pair to auto-fill.
Error Spotting / 纠错练习
Is this sentence using the fixed pattern correctly? Judge each sentence.
Comprehensive Quiz / 综合测试 (12 questions)
时间地过去了。
一A一B pattern: 一天一天 (day by day). The pattern uses 一+measure/noun repeated to express gradual progression.
别担心钱，我时间。
有的是 means "plenty of / there's no shortage of." It emphasizes abundance and goes before the noun it modifies.
他还没来，路上堵车了。
说不定 means "maybe / perhaps," expressing a guess about a situation. It is a fixed expression used at the beginning of a clause.
北京来说，冬天非常冷。
拿…来说 means "take ... for example." The structure is: 拿 + topic + 来说 + comment.
从那以后，她回来过。
再也没… means "never again (in the past)." The fixed order is 再也 + 没 + verb + 过, emphasizing finality.
她学习方面非常努力。
在…方面 means "in terms of / regarding." The preposition 在 introduces the aspect being discussed, followed by 方面.
Which sentence uses 够…的 correctly?
够…的 wraps around an adjective: 够 + adj + 的. It expresses "quite enough" with a tone of emphasis or even complaint.
这部电影好看。
不怎么 means "not very / not particularly." It softens the negation compared to 不. The word order is fixed: 不怎么 + adj/verb.
孩子们地玩着。
无忧无虑 is a fixed four-character expression meaning "carefree." The order is fixed (忧 before 虑), and it uses 无, not 没 or 不.
他不来了，我们只有三个人。
就是说 means "that is to say / in other words." It is a fixed expression used to restate or clarify a previous point.
他学好中文而搬到了北京。
为了…而… means "in order to ... (and thus) ...." 为了 introduces the purpose, and 而 connects it to the resulting action.
Which is the correct meaning of 来不及?
来不及 is a fixed expression meaning "too late / not enough time (to do something)." It has nothing to do with the literal meaning of "come." Its positive form is 来得及 (in time).
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