却 què

“but; yet; however”

adverbHSK 4 · 2021 list level 4Traditional 卻

新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level

却 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.

Entry 1606: 却 què — Level 4; official annotation 4 (副). PDF page 120

Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.

用法How to use 却

却 means “but / yet / however” and marks a contrast with what was expected or just said. It is an adverb, so it normally comes after the subject and before the verb or adjective in the second clause. Typical pattern: ..., subject + 却 + verb/adjective.

例句Example sentences

天气很冷，他却只穿了一件衬衫。tiān qì hěn lěng, tā què zhī chuān le yí jiàn chèn shān.It was very cold, yet he wore only a shirt.
我们等了很久，公交车却一直没来。wǒ men děng le hěn jiǔ, gōng jiāo chē què yì zhí méi lái.We waited a long time, but the bus still didn't come.
她很想参加比赛，却因为生病放弃了。tā hěn xiǎng cān jiā bǐ sài, què yīn wéi shēng bìng fàng qì le.She really wanted to take part in the competition, but gave up because she was sick.

义项All meanings

què: old variant of 却
què: but; yet; however; while; to go back; to decline