Chinese Reading Practice: Intermediate

Level: HSK 3 (intermediate). At HSK 3 a text starts to tell a real story: several sentences, a sequence of events, and an opinion at the end. This page gives one short HSK 3 text about a weekend trip, with pinyin on every line, and a clear method to work through it.

By the end of this page you can…

…read a short intermediate Chinese text about a trip, follow its order of events through sequence words, and answer comprehension and discussion questions about it.

How to read an intermediate Chinese text

Do not translate character by character. Work in passes, each with its own goal:

1. First read — the gist. Read the whole text once, using the pinyin, without stopping. Who went where, and when?
2. Second read — the order. Read again and mark the sequence words 先 (xiān, first), 然后 (ránhòu, then), 下午 (xiàwǔ, afternoon), 晚上 (wǎnshang, evening); they carry the timeline.
3. Spot 了 (le). The particle 了 (le) signals a completed or changed situation — a quick clue that the action already happened.
4. Word list, then answer. Only now check the glossed words below, then do the questions, returning to the text to confirm each answer.

The text: A weekend in Beijing

上个周末我和朋友去了北京。 (Shàng ge zhōumò wǒ hé péngyou qù le Běijīng.) — Last weekend, my friend and I went to Beijing. 我们先去了长城。 (Wǒmen xiān qù le Chángchéng.) — First we went to the Great Wall. 长城非常长也很高。 (Chángchéng fēicháng cháng yě hěn gāo.) — The Great Wall is very long and also very high. 下午我们在一家饭馆吃饭。 (Xiàwǔ wǒmen zài yì jiā fànguǎn chīfàn.) — In the afternoon we ate at a restaurant. 那家饭馆的菜很好吃也不贵。 (Nà jiā fànguǎn de cài hěn hǎochī yě bú guì.) — That restaurant’s food was tasty and not expensive. 晚上我们坐火车回家。 (Wǎnshang wǒmen zuò huǒchē huí jiā.) — In the evening we took the train home. 我觉得这次旅行很有意思。 (Wǒ juéde zhè cì lǚxíng hěn yǒuyìsi.) — I think this trip was very interesting. 下个月我想再去一次。 (Xià ge yuè wǒ xiǎng zài qù yí cì.) — Next month I want to go again.

New words

Listen and repeat

Play each line, then say it aloud with the tones before you read on.

Comprehension practice

Quick recap before you answer.

Quiz

Discussion

Try answering in simple Chinese, reusing the text’s words: 你上个周末做了什么？ (Nǐ shàng ge zhōumò zuò le shénme?) — What did you do last weekend? 你想去哪个城市旅行？ (Nǐ xiǎng qù nǎ ge chéngshì lǚxíng?) — Which city would you like to travel to? There is no single right answer; borrow 周末 (zhōumò), 旅行 (lǚxíng) and 有意思 (yǒuyìsi) to build your own sentences.

Next

• Go back over the elementary text: Chinese Reading Practice: Elementary
• Build the grammar behind the text in the Chinese grammar section
• New here? Start with Start Learning Chinese Here