Beyond the Classroom: Building Your Intermediate Chinese Study Routine

If you're taking Chinese classes at intermediate level (roughly HSK 4-6) and you're anything like me, you might be feeling like your progress is slowing down. Even though you're learning new vocabulary and grammar each week, somehow it's not quite translating into the fluency you're working towards.

Lessons are super important at this level, you definitely need structured teaching and feedback from a teacher, but two or three hours per week isn't enough exposure or practice to develop real fluency. At this level, it's critical to be supplementing teacher-led learning with other tools and/or methods.

In this post, I'll break down the different types of practice you could incorporate into your routine alongside your Chinese lessons, and why each one helps towards building fluency.

Input: Building Comprehension Through Exposure

At the intermediate level, you need loads of input - reading and listening - to internalize grammar patterns, build vocabulary in context, and develop an intuitive sense for what "sounds right" in Chinese.

Graded Readers

Graded readers are books specifically written (or adapted) for language learners at different levels. They use controlled vocabulary and grammar, making them much more accessible than native content, while still providing authentic reading practice.

Why they matter: They bridge the gap between textbook exercises and native content. You get sustained reading practice without constantly stopping to look up words, which helps you build reading stamina and start recognizing patterns naturally.

How to use them: Choose readers at or slightly below your current level- I think this is quite important as you don't want to have to keep checking definitions. I really like the Mandarin Companion series, but there are lots of different options out there. Aim to read without looking up every unknown word- if you understand 80-90% of what you're reading, that's good enough.

TV Shows, YouTube, and Native Content

Once you're at HSK 4+, you should also start incorporating native content, even if you don't understand everything at first.

Why it matters: Native content exposes you to natural speech patterns, colloquialisms, cultural context, and the actual pace of real conversations. It's messy and challenging, but it's what you need to bridge the gap to real-world fluency.

How to use it: Start with content that has Chinese subtitles (not English). I really liked Light the Night (華燈初上), but YouTubers who speak clearly can be good starting points too. Don't aim to understand 100%- even catching 40-50% is valuable exposure- the key is consistent exposure over time.

Why Input Alone Isn't Enough

Here's the problem with stopping at input: you can read and listen all day and still struggle to speak or write. Input builds your passive vocabulary (words you recognize), but it doesn't automatically convert to active vocabulary (words you can use)- that requires a different type of practice.

Output: The Missing Piece

This is where most intermediate learners struggle: You're getting plenty of input from classes, textbooks, and native content, but are you actually producing language regularly?

Shadowing and Chorusing

Shadowing (repeating what you hear immediately after hearing it) and chorusing (speaking along simultaneously with audio) are incredibly effective but often overlooked techniques. Outlier Linguistics have brilliant resources that go into detail on both of these.

Why they matter: These techniques force you to practice pronunciation, intonation, and the natural rhythm of Chinese in a way that silent listening doesn't. They help you develop muscle memory for speaking and train your mouth to produce sounds quickly and accurately.

How to use them: Start with content slightly below your level- dialogue from your textbook or graded reader audio is a great place to start. Play a sentence, pause, and repeat it out loud, trying to match the pronunciation, tone, and rhythm exactly. Once you're comfortable, try speaking along simultaneously with the audio (chorusing).

Even 10-15 minutes a day of shadowing can dramatically improve your speaking fluency over time.

Speaking Practice

Why it matters: Speaking is the ultimate test of whether you've internalized what you've learned. It requires you to retrieve vocabulary quickly, construct sentences in real-time, and respond to unpredictable situations.

How to practice: Language exchange partners, conversation tutors on italki, or Chinese-speaking friends. The key is regular practice, even if it's just 15-30 minutes a few times per week.

Writing Practice

Writing is often completely neglected in self-study routines, but it's one of the most valuable forms of output practice.

Why it matters: Writing gives you time to think and construct sentences carefully, which speaking doesn't always allow. It's a lower-pressure way to practice using new vocabulary and grammar patterns actively, and unlike speaking, you can review and get feedback on what you've written.

How to practice:

Journaling: Write a few sentences each day about your day, thoughts, or anything else in Chinese. This builds consistency and forces you to express your own ideas.
Sentence creation: When you learn new vocabulary, challenge yourself to write original sentences using those words. This is more effective than just memorizing definitions because it forces you to understand usage and context.

The problem with writing practice is that feedback can be inconsistent. Journaling is great for building the habit, but without feedback, you might be reinforcing mistakes. This is where structured writing practice with feedback becomes valuable, whether that's through a teacher reviewing your work, language exchange partners, or tools specifically designed for this purpose (like SentenceLab for sentence-level practice with AI feedback).

Retention: Making Sure It Sticks

You can do all the input and output practice in the world, but without systematic review, you'll forget most of what you learn.

Spaced Repetition Systems

Spaced repetition is a review technique where you review information at increasing intervals over time. It's been proven to be one of the most effective ways to move information into long-term memory.

Why it matters: Without spaced repetition, you learn something on Monday and forget it by the following week. With it, the information gets reinforced at optimal intervals until it's firmly in your long-term memory.

How to use it: Apps like Pleco (for flashcard-style character review), Anki (customizable flashcards), HackChinese (structured vocabulary learning), or tools that incorporate spaced repetition into output practice.

The key is consistency! Even 10-15 minutes of daily review is more effective than hour-long cram sessions once a week.

Putting It Together: What You Actually Need

At the intermediate level, your study routine should include:

Structured classes - For systematic instruction and teacher feedback
Regular input - Reading and listening to build comprehension and passive vocabulary
Active output - Speaking and writing to convert passive knowledge into active skills
Systematic review - Spaced repetition to ensure vocabulary and patterns stick long-term

Start With What's Missing

Don't try to overhaul your entire routine at once. Instead, identify what's missing from your current study habits:

Getting input but no output? Add 15 minutes of writing practice (journaling or sentence creation) to your daily routine.
Lots of passive listening but struggling with pronunciation? Try 10 minutes of shadowing each day.
Learning new vocab but forgetting it quickly? Implement a spaced repetition system for regular review.
Practicing output but no feedback? Find a language exchange partner or use tools that provide structured feedback.

The goal isn't to spend hours studying every day, it's to build a balanced routine that covers all the bases: structured learning (classes), comprehension (input), production (output), and retention (review).

Classes give you the foundation, but everything else you add on top is what actually builds fluency.

Looking to add structured writing practice to your routine?

If you're an intermediate learner who wants to practice actively using vocabulary with feedback and spaced repetition, try SentenceLab free for 7 days. It's designed specifically to fill the output gap that most study routines are missing.