HSK 5 · 270/300
The Resource Directory
45 resources annotated with exactly how I used each one. No gatekeeping — these are the same free and paid materials I used to pass HSK5 as a full-time CS student.
“I found these free, so you should too.”
Showing 22 resources for 听力 Listening
- 01
抖音 (Douyin / TikTok)
The algorithm personalises quickly, and if you stay disciplined about only consuming content made by native speakers you'll pick up at least a few phrases daily without it feeling like study. The trap is drifting into English-language content — once that happens the algorithm feeds you more of it and the value drops to zero. Treat it as a tool, not entertainment, and it's genuinely one of the best passive listening resources available.
★★★★★听力 Listening - 02
NetEase Music (网易云音乐)
Chinese music as passive listening has a low barrier to entry and a surprisingly high return for vocabulary and tonal feel. 网易云 has both Chinese and international content, and some podcasts too, so it works as a single audio app. The emotional connection to songs also helps certain phrases stay in memory longer than they would on a flashcard.
★★★★★听力 Listening - 03
Real Conversations / Language Exchange
Nothing replicates the pressure and unpredictability of a real conversation, and the online exchange communities can actually be more consistent than meeting people in person. If you're not in mainland China and don't have native-speaking friends, this is the most direct substitute. Consistency matters more than any single session — find a partner you can talk to regularly.
★★★★★听力 Listening口语 Speaking - 04
SyS Mandarin (YouTube)
A reliable source for shadowing material, and the content is well-paced for intermediate-to-advanced learners. I kept coming back to it specifically for speaking practice rather than passive listening.
★★★★★口语 Speaking听力 Listening - 05
Audiobooks
Great for building listening endurance, especially for longer stretches where you're tracking a narrative rather than isolated sentences. The main downside is that unknown vocabulary flies by and you have to make an active effort to pause and note things down — easy to get lazy with. More detail in the reading section.
★★★★☆听力 Listening阅读 Reading - 06
HSK Workbook Listening Exercises
Perfect for calibrating to the test format and the pace they expect at each level. The limitation is that it's a very controlled, clean audio environment, so it won't prepare you for real native-speed conversation on its own. I used it alongside other listening sources rather than as the main thing.
★★★★☆听力 Listening - 07
Podcasts (General)
Any podcast on any topic works — the subject matter is almost secondary to the fact that you're getting extended exposure to natural spoken Chinese. Passive listening while commuting or doing something else is a low-effort way to train your ear to parse characters mentally. I didn't track specific shows I'd recommend, but the format itself is underrated.
★★★★☆听力 Listening - 08
Acquire Mandarin (YouTube)
Comprehensible input channel. Useful for immersion-style listening without subtitles or heavy scaffolding.
Unrated听力 Listening - 09
Chinese at Dawn (YouTube)
Slower-paced content designed for learners — useful for early-morning or low-effort listening sessions.
Unrated听力 Listening - 10
Chinese Tales with Xiao Lin (YouTube)
Story-format content — good for listening practice with narrative context, which helps with retention of new vocabulary.
Unrated听力 Listening阅读 Reading - 11
ChinesePod (YouTube)
Long-running, well-structured channel with content across levels. Useful for getting a sense of how conversational Chinese sounds across different registers.
Unrated听力 Listening口语 Speaking - 12
Comprehensible Mandarin (YouTube)
Comprehensible input content pitched at learners — the immersion approach without throwing you in the deep end. Good for building reading-speed intuition and listening to natural speech at a manageable pace.
Unrated听力 Listening阅读 Reading - 13
Cozy Mandarin (YouTube)
Relaxed-format content, useful for comfortable passive listening without the pressure of test-prep materials.
Unrated听力 Listening - 14
Dashu Mandarin 大叔中文 (YouTube)
Practical, colloquial Chinese explanations. Good for filling gaps between formal study materials and how the language is actually used.
Unrated听力 Listening语法 Grammar - 15
FluentU Chinese (YouTube)
Real-world video content with learning tools layered on top. The YouTube channel gives you a taste of the approach.
Unrated听力 Listening词汇 Vocab - 16
狗熊有话说 (YouTube)
Native-speaker content at natural speed — good for advanced listening practice and getting used to authentic conversational register.
Unrated听力 Listening - 17
Learn Chinese Through Podcast (YouTube)
Podcast-format learning content on YouTube. Good for passive listening habits and picking up conversational patterns.
Unrated听力 Listening - 18
Mandarin Corner (YouTube)
Conversation-based content with native speakers — useful for listening to extended natural speech and picking up conversational patterns.
Unrated听力 Listening口语 Speaking - 19
My Chinese Short Stories (YouTube)
Short story format at a learner-accessible pace. Good for reading comprehension practice that doesn't require a full book commitment.
Unrated听力 Listening阅读 Reading - 20
NotebookLM
I use it to do audio overviews of materials I send it — useful when you want to process written study material in listening form. Not a Chinese-specific tool but worth including in any toolkit that treats AI as a genuine study partner.
Unrated听力 Listening - 21
ShuoshuoChinese 说说中文 (YouTube)
Native-hosted content with a conversational tone. Good for getting used to natural pacing and informal speech patterns.
Unrated口语 Speaking听力 Listening - 22
Zhangkai Chinese (YouTube)
Clear, well-paced explanations suited to intermediate learners working through the upper HSK levels.
Unrated听力 Listening语法 Grammar