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Free · 117 films measured

Which Chinese movies can you understand?

Pick your HSK level. Every film’s subtitles are counted word by word, so you see how much of it you’d follow.

At HSK 1

Hong Kong Nocturne 1967

都了
A line from its subtitles as you’d hear it at HSK 1. Tap a hidden word.

Learn these 8 and you’d follow 57%

  1. 跟gēnto follow; heel
  2. 就jiùthen; in that case (what follows from the condition before)
  3. 着zhedurative 着: ongoing or continuous state — "-ing", "while"
  4. 可是kě shìbut; however
  5. 跳tiàoto jump; to leap
  6. 又yòuagain (it already happened again); and also
  7. 表演biǎo yǎnperformance; show; to perform; to act
  8. 走zǒuto go; to leave
Print as flashcards

All 117 films at HSK 1

Share of the words each film says that are HSK 1 or below. Press one to see its line and words.

  1. 1Return Ticket 到阜阳六百里 2011 65%
  2. 2Eighteen Springs 半生缘 1997 62%
  3. 3Curiosity Kills the Cat 好奇害死猫 2006 61%
  4. 4Driverless 无人驾驶 2010 61%
  5. 5So Close to Paradise 扁担·姑娘 1998 60%
  6. 6Spring Subway 开往春天的地铁 2002 60%
  7. 7Everlasting Regret 长恨歌 2005 60%
  8. 8The Postmodern Life of My Aunt 姨妈的后现代生活 2006 59%
  9. 9Buddha Mountain 观音山 2010 59%
  10. 10Eternal Moment 將愛 2011 59%
  11. 11Together 和你在一起 2002 58%
  12. 12The Terrorizers 恐怖分子 1986 58%
  13. 13Keep Cool 有话好好说 1997 58%
  14. 14Sophie's Revenge 非常完美 2009 58%
  15. 15Be There or Be Square 不见不散 1998 58%
  16. 16Go Lala Go! 杜拉拉升职记 2010 58%
  17. 17Song at Midnight 夜半歌声 1937 57%
  18. 18The Bedevilled 心魔 1975 57%
  19. 19The Sun Also Rises 太阳照常升起 2007 57%
  20. 20Waiting Alone 独自等待 2004 57%
  21. 21The Missing Gun 寻枪 2002 57%
  22. 22Jade Goddess of Mercy 玉观音 2003 57%
  23. 23Aftershock 唐山大地震 2010 57%
  24. 24Under the Hawthorn Tree 山楂树之恋 2010 57%
  25. 25Raise the Red Lantern 大红灯笼高高挂 1991 56%
  26. 26Eat Drink Man Woman 饮食男女 1994 56%
  27. 27Dangerous Liaisons 危险关系 2012 56%
  28. 28The Promise 无极 2005 56%
  29. 29A Time for Love 1970 56%
  30. 30Cry Woman 2002 56%
  31. 31Once Upon a Time in Tibet 西藏往事 2010 56%
  32. 3220 30 40 20 30 40 2004 56%
  33. 33Starry Starry Night 星空 2011 56%
  34. 34Love 爱 2012 56%
  35. 35Painted Skin 画皮 2008 56%
  36. 36So Young 致我们终将逝去的青春 2013 56%
  37. 37Springtime in a Small Town 小城之春 2002 55%
  38. 38Help Me Eros 帮帮我爱神 2007 55%
  39. 39Black Snow 本命年 1990 55%
  40. 40Blind Shaft 盲井 2003 55%
  41. 41Ocean Heaven 海洋天堂 2010 55%
  42. 42Fit Lover 爱情呼叫转移2：爱情左右 2008 55%
  43. 43Love in Disguise 恋爱通告 2010 55%
  44. 44City of Life and Death 南京！南京！ 2009 55%
  45. 45The Most Distant Course 最遥远的距离 2007 55%
  46. 46If You Are the One 非诚勿扰 2008 55%
  47. 47The Big Boss 唐山大兄 1971 55%
  48. 48Police Story 2013 警察故事2013 2013 55%
  49. 49Platform 站台 2000 54%
  50. 50This Life of Mine 1950 54%
  51. 51The Herdsman 牧马人 1982 54%
  52. 52The Road Home 我的父亲母亲 1999 54%
  53. 53Hong Kong Nocturne 1967 54%
  54. 54Zombie 108 Z-108弃城 2012 54%
  55. 55Curse of the Deserted 荒村公寓 2010 54%
  56. 56The Sorcerer and the White Snake 白蛇传说 2011 54%
  57. 57Pushing Hands 推手 1991 54%
  58. 58Troubled Laughter 苦恼人的笑 1979 53%
  59. 59Shanghai Triad 摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥 1995 53%
  60. 60Fengming, a Chinese Memoir 和凤鸣 2007 53%
  61. 61In the Heat of the Sun 阳光灿烂的日子 1994 53%
  62. 62Lover's Grief over the Yellow River 黄河绝恋 1999 53%
  63. 63Night Train 夜车 2007 53%
  64. 64Little Big Soldier 大兵小将 2011 53%
  65. 65Heroes Two 方世玉与洪熙官 1974 53%
  66. 66Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl 天浴 1998 53%
  67. 67American Dreams in China 中国合伙人 2013 53%
  68. 68Taipei Exchanges 第36个故事 2010 53%
  69. 69The Human Goddess 1972 52%
  70. 70Ripples of Desire 花漾 2012 52%
  71. 71House of Flying Daggers 十面埋伏 2004 52%
  72. 72Switch 富春山居图 2013 52%
  73. 73If You Are the One 2 非诚勿扰2 2010 52%
  74. 74Legend of a Rabbit 兔侠传奇 2011 52%
  75. 75You Are the Apple of My Eye 那些年，我们一起追的女孩 2011 52%
  76. 76The Second Woman 情迷 2012 52%
  77. 77Crazy Racer 疯狂的赛车 2009 52%
  78. 78Candy Rain 花吃了那女孩 2008 51%
  79. 79Ju Dou 菊豆 1990 51%
  80. 80The Last Supper 王的盛宴 2012 51%
  81. 81Dragon 武侠 2011 51%
  82. 82The Treasure Hunter 刺陵 2009 51%
  83. 83Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 西游·降魔篇 2013 51%
  84. 84An Inaccurate Memoir 匹夫 2012 51%
  85. 85Drug War 毒戰 2012 50%
  86. 86Jump Ashin! 翻滚吧！阿信 2011 50%
  87. 87Let the Bullets Fly 让子弹飞 2010 50%
  88. 88The Guillotines 血滴子 2012 50%
  89. 89Guns and Roses 黄金大劫案 2012 50%
  90. 90True Legend 苏乞儿 2010 49%
  91. 91The Great Magician 大魔术师 2011 49%
  92. 92A Touch of Zen 侠女 1971 48%
  93. 93The Warlords 投名状 2007 48%
  94. 94The Message 风声 2009 48%
  95. 95Adventure of the King 龙凤店 2010 48%
  96. 96Curse of the Golden Flower 满城尽带黄金甲 2006 47%
  97. 97Painted Skin: The Resurrection 画皮II 2012 47%
  98. 98The Lost Bladesman 关云长 2011 47%
  99. 99The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman 刀见笑 2010 46%
  100. 100Farewell My Concubine 霸王别姬 1993 46%
  101. 101Delightful Forest 快活林 1972 46%
  102. 102A Touch of Sin 天注定 2013 46%
  103. 103Flying Swords of Dragon Gate 龙门飞甲 2011 46%
  104. 104An Empress and the Warriors 江山美人 2008 45%
  105. 105Men Behind the Sun 黑太阳731 1988 45%
  106. 106Zhong Kui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal 钟馗伏魔之雪妖魔灵 2015 45%
  107. 107Hand of Death 少林门 1976 44%
  108. 108The Taking of Tiger Mountain 智取威虎山 2014 44%
  109. 109Havoc in Heaven 大闹天宫 1961 43%
  110. 110Death and Glory in Changde 喋血孤城 2010 40%
  111. 111Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame 狄仁杰之通天帝国 2010 40%
  112. 112Tai Chi 0 太极1从零开始 2012 40%
  113. 113White Vengeance 鸿门宴 2011 39%
  114. 114Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon 三国之见龙卸甲 2008 39%
  115. 115The Assassins 铜雀台 2012 39%
  116. 116The Emperor's Shadow 秦颂 1996 38%
  117. 117Hero 英雄 2002 37%

Now hear it in a real story

你想看电影吗？Do you want to see a film?HSK 2 · 1 minRead it free

How is each film counted?

From its own subtitles: the simplified Chinese subtitles of 117 films made in Mandarin, from OpenSubtitles. Our reader cuts every line into words and each word gets its level from the official HSK list (2025 syllabus); names are left out. A film’s share at a level is how many of all the words it says are on the list at that level or below, so a word said 300 times counts 300 times.

How much do I need to understand to enjoy a film?

Following a story with ease takes knowing about 95 to 98% of its words, and people pick up more new words from what they watch when they already follow more of it (Nation 2006; Peters and Webb 2018). With HSK 1–4, the easiest films here are at 88 to 90%; watched with Chinese subtitles and a dictionary for the rest, they are within reach.

Why are martial arts and history films the hardest?

They talk in older, formal words that the HSK list teaches late or not at all: titles, weapons, ranks and set phrases. Films about people’s lives today use the everyday words the list teaches first.

What should I do with the eight words?

Add them to your Backpack before you watch. They are the words the film says most that your level doesn’t cover, so knowing them takes you furthest, and Review brings each one back until you know it. When you hear them in the film, they will already be yours.

Where can I watch these films with Chinese subtitles?

They are on the usual streaming and rental services, which differ by country; turn on the Chinese subtitles, not the English. To start with something you can watch right now, our Chinese YouTube videos are graded the same way and play here with pinyin over every line.

More to watch and read

Counted from OpenSubtitles’ Mandarin subtitles (2018 release), each film’s names and year from Wikidata, levels from the official HSK list (2025 syllabus) and our reader. Subtitles can differ a little from what is said; only one short line of each is quoted.