Official Syllabus Task

饮食文化复述练习 — HSK 4 Food Culture

Understand introductions to traditional Chinese food culture — table manners, the meaning behind certain dishes, regional flavors, and time-honored shops and brands — and write a short paragraph introducing a food tradition.

26
Words
4
Skills Tested
Listening Speaking Reading Writing

Official Syllabus Requirement / 大纲要求

能听懂朋友、同学、老师等对中国传统饮食观念、中国各地饮食特点、传统店铺、品牌等中国传统饮食文化相关情况的有一定复杂度的介绍。如中国人的餐桌礼仪、某种食物的内涵,各地饮食的风味等。

读懂 → 开口 → 自查 → 再练 / Read · Speak · Review · Retry

饮食文化复述练习 / Retell a meal with friends

用自己的话讲清这次聚餐的经过和原因,不必逐句背诵。Retell what happened and why, in your own words.

自编学习活动,不是官方试题;用自己的话表达即可。Original learning activity, not an official test. No microphone needed.

第一次和朋友吃中餐

上周末,小林请外国朋友安娜到家里吃饭。安娜以前不太会用筷子,小林先给她做了示范。桌上有米饭、鱼、蔬菜和汤,大家一边吃饭,一边聊天。安娜发现,这次聚餐不是每个人只吃自己面前的菜,而是一起分享桌上的菜。她觉得这样很热闹,也有机会尝到不同的味道。饭后,安娜想把剩下的菜倒掉。小林建议把吃不完的菜妥善保存,避免浪费。安娜点了点头,说下次要请小林尝尝自己家乡的菜。

查看英文帮助 / English support

Last weekend, Xiaolin invited Anna to his home for a meal. She was not confident using chopsticks, so he demonstrated. They shared rice, fish, vegetables and soup while chatting. Anna enjoyed the lively meal and trying different flavors. Afterwards, she was about to throw away the leftovers. Xiaolin suggested storing them properly to avoid waste. Anna agreed and offered to introduce food from her hometown next time.

关键词:拼音与词义 / Key words
示范 shìfàn
demonstrate
分享 fēnxiǎng
share
剩下 shèngxià
be left over
保存 bǎocún
store; keep
浪费 làngfèi
waste
  1. 谁邀请了谁?遇到什么困难? / Who came, and what was difficult?
  2. 吃饭时怎样分享?有什么感受? / What happened during the meal?
  3. 饭后有什么建议和打算? / What happened afterwards?
卡住了?查看表达提示 / Need a hint?

请客 → 筷子、示范 → 分享、感受 → 剩菜、建议 → 下次。可以用:先……,吃饭时……,饭后……,因为……所以……。

查看一种参考表达 / One possible answer

上周末,小林请安娜到家里吃中餐。安娜不太会用筷子,所以小林教她怎么用。吃饭时,大家一起分享菜、聊天,安娜觉得很热闹,也尝到了不同的味道。饭后,小林建议把剩菜保存好,避免浪费。安娜同意了,还打算下次请小林吃家乡菜。

表达可以不同;重点是意思清楚、信息准确。Other wording is welcome. Keep the meaning clear and accurate.

自查要点 / Review points

  • 交代人物、时间和邀请 / People, time and invitation
  • 说清筷子的困难和帮助 / Difficulty and help
  • 说清分享食物和安娜的感受 / Sharing and feelings
  • 说清饭后的建议、原因和下次打算 / Advice, reason and next plan

再进一步 / Try a new situation

换一种说法:用安娜的视角,向另一位朋友讲这次聚餐。Try telling the same story from Anna’s point of view.

把剩下的菜保存好:练习把字句 → · 更多话题练习 / More guided practice

Scenario Dialogue / 情景对话

Explaining dumplings and food customs to a foreign friend. Read it aloud twice: once for meaning, once for fluency — the syllabus tests this task across listening and speaking.

A
你们家为什么喜欢在过年时吃饺子呢?
Nǐmen jiā wèishénme xǐhuan zài guònián shí chī jiǎozi ne?
Why does your family like eating dumplings at Chinese New Year?
B
饺子的样子像古代的钱,代表新的一年发财,全家一起包更热闹。
Jiǎozi de yàngzi xiàng gǔdài de qián, dàibiǎo xīn de yì nián fācái, quánjiā yìqǐ bāo gèng rènao.
Dumplings look like ancient money, symbolizing wealth for the new year — and making them together is part of the fun.
A
我听说不同地方的口味差别很大?
Wǒ tīngshuō bùtóng dìfang de kǒuwèi chābié hěn dà?
I heard flavors differ a lot from region to region?
B
对,各地有不同的口味。不过,同一个地方的人,喜欢吃的东西也不一定一样。
Duì, gèdì yǒu bùtóng de kǒuwèi. Búguò, tóng yí ge dìfang de rén, xǐhuan chī de dōngxi yě bù yídìng yíyàng.
Yes, regional flavors differ. But people from the same place do not necessarily like the same foods.
A
"民以食为天",中国的饮食文化真是博大精深。
"Mín yǐ shí wéi tiān", Zhōngguó de yǐnshí wénhuà zhēnshi bódà-jīngshēn.
"Food is heaven to the people" — Chinese food culture is truly broad and profound.

Why HSK 4 Candidates Struggle with Traditional Food Culture

Understand introductions to traditional Chinese food culture — table manners, the meaning behind certain dishes, regional flavors, and time-honored shops and brands — and write a short paragraph introducing a food tradition.

After studying the 26 selected words, practise combining them in extended contexts about traditional food culture. Use the dialogue to identify a sequence of events, opinions, or reasons, then describe them in your own words.

Key vocabulary to anchor your understanding: 白酒 (báijiǔ, Chinese white liquor), 茶叶 (cháyè, tea leaves), 厨师 (chúshī, cook), 丰富 (fēngfù, rich). Practise these words in listening dialogues (听力) and reading passages (阅读), using grammar patterns like comparison and measure-words.

Related Grammar Patterns / 相关语法

Practise these grammar points in traditional food culture contexts:

comparison measure-words

Core Vocabulary / 核心词汇 (26 words)

WordPinyinMeaningExample
白酒 báijiǔ Chinese white liquor 中国人过年喜欢喝白酒。
茶叶 cháyè tea leaves 这是上好的龙井茶叶。
厨师 chúshī cook; chef 这家饭店的厨师手艺很好。
丰富 fēngfù rich; abundant; plentiful 他的经验很丰富。
干杯 gānbēi cheers; to toast 为我们的友谊干杯!
节约 jiéyuē to save; to economize 我们要节约用水。
聚餐 jùcān to have a group meal; group dinner 部门下周五聚餐。
烤 kǎo to grill; to roast; to bake 我们周末去烤肉吧。
苦 kǔ bitter 这杯咖啡太苦了。
辣 là spicy; hot (taste) 四川菜又辣又好吃。
馒头 mántou steamed bun (without filling) 北方人喜欢吃馒头。
美食 měishí delicious food; gourmet food 成都有很多美食。
葡萄酒 pútaojiǔ wine; grape wine 他喜欢喝葡萄酒。
十字路口 shízì lùkǒu crossroads; intersection 到十字路口往左拐就是银行。
酸 suān sour; tart 这个柠檬太酸了。
特点 tèdiǎn characteristic; feature; trait 这种茶的特点是味道清香。
味 wèi taste; flavor 这道菜有家乡的味儿。
味道 wèidào taste; flavor 这个菜的味道很不错。
鲜 xiān fresh; bright (color) 这些鱼非常新鲜。
咸 xián salty 这道汤太咸了。
香 xiāng fragrant; pleasant- smelling 这朵花真香。
小吃 xiǎochī snack; street food 北京有很多特色小吃。
月饼 yuèbing mooncake 中秋节要吃月饼。
中餐 zhōngcān Chinese food; Chinese cuisine 今天中午我们吃中餐。
著名 zhùmíng famous; well-know n; renowned 长城是中国著名的景点。
做法 zuòfǎ way of doing; practice; method 这道菜的做法很简单。

Vocabulary Quiz / 词汇练习

Match the Chinese word to its English meaning.

味 wèi
聚餐 jùcān
辣 là
咸 xián
苦 kǔ
Study All HSK 4 Vocabulary Take a Mock Exam Confusable Words

Traditional Food Culture FAQ / 常见问题

How many HSK 4 words cover traditional food culture?

This page groups 26 words using this site’s topic tags for traditional food culture. It is a study selection, not an official separate topic word list or a guarantee of comprehension.

Which HSK 4 grammar points are most relevant to traditional food culture?

comparison and measure-words are suggested here for practising traditional food culture contexts. The HSK 4 syllabus expects you to not only understand but also produce these patterns when they involve traditional food culture vocabulary.

What's the difference between HSK 3 and HSK 4 expectations on traditional food culture?

HSK 3 expects simple statements about traditional food culture (e.g., basic facts and short descriptions). HSK 4 raises the bar to "有一定复杂度" — handling extended contexts with opinions, comparisons, and reasoning. You'll need to express feelings (感受) and views (看法) about traditional food culture, not just describe them.

Practice This HSK 4 Topic

Test your knowledge of traditional food culture vocabulary in context:

Mock Test 01 Mock Test 03 Mock Test 06 Sentence Ordering

Apply This HSK 4 Vocabulary on Test Day

Traditional Food Culture vocabulary appears in HSK 4 listening dialogues, reading passages, and the writing section. These resources turn the words you learned above into test points:

⚡ Strategy
HSK 4 listening dialog tactics
⚡ Strategy
HSK 4 reading comprehension
📝 Patterns
100 essential HSK 4 sentences
🔍 Confusables
43 HSK 4 confusable pairs
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