University Chinese Exam Guide 2026

University Chinese Exam Guide 2026 | Generated by AI

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Question: Give an analysis of the 04729 College Chinese (University Chinese) self-study examination.

Answer:

The course 04729 University Chinese (大学语文, also known as College Chinese) is a national unified public compulsory course in China’s Higher Education Self-Study Examination (高等教育自学考试) system. It applies to most non-Chinese major specialties at both specialist (专科) and undergraduate (本科) levels. In Guangdong province, candidates take the same national unified exam papers as in other provinces (no separate provincial paper for this course).

Textbook and Syllabus

Main textbook: University Chinese (大学语文), edited by Xu Zhongyu (徐中玉) and Tao Xingchuan (陶型传), published by Peking University Press (北京大学出版社), 2018 edition.
This edition includes the attached self-study examination outline (自学考试大纲) and remains the official designated textbook as of 2025–2026.
The course focuses on cultivating humanistic literacy, reading comprehension, literary appreciation, basic writing ability, and cultural heritage understanding through selected classical and modern Chinese literary works (prose, poetry, essays, novels, etc.).

Core Content Structure (based on the 2018 textbook): The book is typically divided into four major parts:

Ancient Chinese literature — Classical prose, Tang/Song poetry, ci (词), Yuan drama excerpts, Ming-Qing novels.
Modern Chinese literature — May Fourth period to contemporary prose, essays, short stories.
Foreign literature translations — Selected famous works (Western classics in Chinese translation).
Practical writing and comprehensive ability — Argumentative writing, analysis of texts.

Key emphases:

Reading and appreciating famous articles (精读课文).
Understanding authors, background, themes, artistic features.
Basic literary common sense (genres, rhetorical devices, stylistic features).
Word/phrase explanations from texts.
Short-answer analysis of excerpts.
Composition (议论文 or 记叙文).

Exam Format and Question Types

The exam is a closed-book written test, 150 minutes, total 100 points. Passing score is ≥60.

Typical structure (very stable across recent years, e.g., 2021–2025 papers):

Single-choice questions (单项选择题): 20 questions × 1 point = 20 points. Tests literary common sense, author-work matching, basic concepts.
Multiple-choice questions (多项选择题): 5 questions × 2 points = 10 points. Select all correct options (e.g., artistic features, themes).
Word/phrase explanation questions (名词解释 / 词语解释题): 10 items × 1–2 points ≈ 10–15 points. Explain key classical terms, allusions, or modern phrases from texts.
Brief analysis / short-answer questions (简答题 / 简析题): 5–8 questions, 5–10 points each. Analyze theme, artistic characteristics, sentence appreciation, author thoughts (often quote 1–2 sentences from text).
Translation / annotation questions (古文翻译 or 断句 / 注释): Occasional, 5–10 points (more in ancient texts sections).
Composition (作文): 1 essay question, usually 40–50 points. Mostly argumentative essay (议论文), sometimes narrative or expository. Topic often related to one of the textbook articles or general social/cultural theme.

Analysis of Past Years’ Exam Questions

The exam is national unified (全国统考), so Guangdong uses the same papers (April and October sittings, sometimes January/July).

Patterns from past papers (2013–2025, especially recent 2021–2025):

High-frequency content (repeated almost every exam):
- Ancient prose: “Peach Blossom Spring” (桃花源记), “Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion” (滕王阁序), “The Memorial on Sending out the Troops” (出师表).
- Poetry/ci: Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, Li Qingzhao famous pieces.
- Modern essays: Zhu Ziqing (“Spring”), Bing Xin, Lao She, Lu Xun excerpts.
- Author background + main idea + artistic features of 20–30 key texts.
Question stability: Over 70–80% of objective questions and short answers come from or are very similar to textbook key points. Composition topics often draw inspiration from textbook themes (e.g., nature, humanity, perseverance).
Difficulty: Moderate. Objective parts test memory and basic understanding; subjective parts require accurate expression and analysis (not too deep literary theory).
Changes over time: Since the 2018 textbook revision, more emphasis on appreciation and humanistic thinking; ancient text translation slightly reduced, modern/contemporary proportion increased slightly.
Guangdong notes: No difference in content or difficulty. Pass rate is relatively high (one of the easier public courses) if candidates master the textbook + do 8–15 past papers.

Preparation Advice:

Focus on: Memorize key texts’ authors, main ideas, famous sentences, artistic features.
Practice: Do recent 5–10 years’ true papers (especially 2021–2025) under timed conditions.
Composition: Train standard argumentative structure (thesis + arguments + conclusion), aim for 800–1000 characters.
Common pitfalls: Vague analysis in short answers, off-topic or poor structure in essay, forgetting classical allusions.
Resources: Textbook + past papers collections (zikao365, zikaosw.cn, etc.) cover most needs.

This course emphasizes cultural accumulation and expression ability, making it valuable beyond just passing the exam.

References:

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