收 shōu
“to receive; to accept; to collect”
verbHSK 4 · 2021 list level 2
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
收 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 836: 收 shōu — Level 3; official annotation 3 (动). PDF page 100
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 收
收 means to receive or accept something that is given, sent, or paid to you, and it also means to put something away. It is a regular verb that can be followed directly by the thing: 收礼物、收钱、收房租、收衣服 (put away). For the completed sense 'got/received', learners often use the two-character resultative form 收到, but 收到 is a separate compound.
例句Example sentences
- 妈妈让我把晾干的衣服收起来。mā ma ràng wǒ bǎ liàng gān de yī fu shōu qǐ lái.Mom told me to put away the dried clothes.
- 他每个月都收房租。tā měi gè yuè dōu shōu fáng zū.He collects the rent every month.
- 生日那天，我收了很多礼物。shēng rì nà tiān, wǒ shōu le hěn duō lǐ wù.On my birthday, I received many gifts.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗我给他打电话，他不收。
✓我给他打电话，他不接。
For answering or taking a phone call, Chinese uses 接, not 收.