Is HSK 4 really B1? Kungfucius's view
The table above lists B1 as the approximate European equivalent and marks it as disputed. Kungfucius's view depends on which HSK 4 you mean.
The old HSK 4 asked for 1,200 words. When that exam was launched in 2010, its organisers presented it as equal to B2. On 1 June 2010 the Fachverband Chinesisch, the association of Chinese teachers in German-speaking countries, published a statement that flatly rejected the link. It put HSK 3 at A1, HSK 4 at A2, HSK 5 at B1 and HSK 6 at B2, and argued that European languages expect about 1,000 words at A2 and 2,000 at B1. Kungfucius agrees: under the old rules, HSK 4 is more of a high A2 level.
The new HSK 4 asks for 2,000 words. That is a major upgrade, and Kungfucius thinks the new HSK 4 may come rather close to B1. No official European mapping has been published for the nine-level HSK that starts in December 2026, so this remains a judgement.
The remaining doubt is about what people can do with those words. A real B1 means entering an unprepared conversation, telling a story with its twists, and following the main points of radio or television. Learners who have just passed HSK 4 typically manage the exam's tidy listening clips and short texts, then lose the thread when a taxi driver speaks at his own speed. A word list is a promise of ability, and Chinese adds a tax on it: every word has to be recognised by ear with its tones and by eye as characters.
None of this makes HSK 4 a small thing. It is the first level that universities accept for Chinese-taught degrees, and it marks the point where you can start learning from Chinese made for Chinese people. It is simply the end of the beginning. The full argument about mappings is at HSK to CEFR, and what B1 demands is described on the B1 page.
What to do with this
- If an institution asks for "B1 Chinese", ask which certificate it accepts instead of assuming HSK 4 will do.
- Prepare the speaking test seriously. It is the part of HSK 4 that comes closest to testing B1 skills.
- Train with unscripted audio alongside the mock papers, so that your listening does not depend on studio voices.
- Plan the remaining weeks with the HSK study plan, and look ahead to HSK 5, where B1 is beyond dispute.
