之 zhī
“(possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的); him; her”
particle, pronounHSK 4
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
之 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entries. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 1938: 之1 zhī — Level 4; official annotation 4 (助). PDF page 128
- Entry 10674: 之2 zhī — Levels 7–9; official annotation 7-9 (代). PDF page 346
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 之
之 is a literary particle roughly equal to 的, and in modern everyday Chinese it survives mainly inside fixed expressions such as 之一 (one of), 之间 (between) and 总之 (in short). HSK learners meet it most often in 之一, where it follows a noun to mean 'one of that group'. It is not used freely as 的 in ordinary speech.
例句Example sentences
- 他是我们班最高的学生之一。tā shì wǒ men bān zuì gāo de xué sheng zhī yī.He is one of the tallest students in our class.
- 这两个城市之间的距离很远。zhè liǎng gè chéng shì zhī jiān de jù lí hěn yuǎn.The distance between these two cities is long.
- 总之，我们明天八点在学校门口见面。zǒng zhī, wǒ men míng tiān bā diǎn zài xué xiào mén kǒu jiàn miàn.In short, we'll meet at the school gate at eight tomorrow.
相关词语Related words
- 分之 fēn zhī