Learn with joy, remember for longer
Eight vocabulary games, Yuanbao you earn by studying, a shop of cosmetics, Lunar New Year red envelopes, a learning streak and ranked avatar frames. Here is everything new, and how to use it to remember words for longer.
Vocabulary games
8 games, each training one skill
Review a lesson's words, or the words you tend to miss, in eight short games. Four brand-new ones have you build, write, hear and type words from memory instead of just recognising them.
Meaning reflex
Speed match
Pair each character with its meaning before the clock runs out.
Fast reading
Word rain
Characters fall from the sky. Zap the right one before it lands.
Tones
Tone catcher
Hear a word and catch its tones.
Mixed review
Mountain climb
Answer right to climb higher. Five right answers clear a level.
Character order and pinyin
Word builder
Put words together tile by tile: characters in order, or a character's pinyin.
Character recognition
Dragon hunt
Steer the dragon to the pearl with the right character.
Writing from memory
Brush master
Write each word from memory, stroke by stroke, with a real brush feel.
Recognise, listen and type pinyin
Word duel
Duel martial artists with your words. Every win makes the next challenge harder.
Brush master: write every stroke from memory
- Read the meaning, hear the word, then write it on a 田字格 grid with a mouse, a stylus or your finger.
- Miss a stroke and the right one flashes faintly so you can fix it; miss three and an outline appears to trace.
- Any character that needed help comes back a few turns later, until you write it cleanly.
- A clean word earns the seal 神, a helped one 妙, a traced one 好.
Word duel: every word is a bout
- Each word has three levels, getting harder: recognise the meaning, pick the word you hear, then type its pinyin with tones.
- A right answer strikes. A wrong one lets your opponent strike back, and that word returns sooner at an easier level.
- Five right answers in a row unleash a special move. You have three lives; each knockout gives one back.
- The final master is built from the words you miss the most.
How it works
Pick the words
Open Review to play with the words you miss and the words of your latest lessons, or open Games inside any lesson.
Play a short round
A round takes a few minutes. Keyboard shortcuts on a computer, tap and swipe on a phone; Esc pauses, M mutes.
Missed words come back
Words you miss are remembered and come first in your next review. Answer one cleanly and it leaves the list.
Earn XP and Yuanbao
Results are verified by the server and count on the leaderboard. A round of 8 words or more with at least 70% right also earns Yuanbao.
Playable with the sound off. Tone catcher now works muted too: the word is shown in writing so you can read it and pick its tones.
Open the games hubA new currency
Yuanbao 元宝: a reward for studying
Yuanbao is the app's currency. You earn it only by studying, and spend it in the shop on cosmetics, streak freezes and AI tickets.
How to earn Yuanbao
- Finish a lesson+8 · up to 5 lessons a day
- Reach the daily goal of 100 XP+15 · more with a 7- or 30-day streak
- Play a game of 8+ words with 70%+ right+3 a round, +2 for a new best · up to 15 a day
- Review 20 or more flashcards+4 · once a day
- Take an HSK practice test graded by the server+10 · once a day
- Each day you keep your streak+2
100
Up to 100 a day
Study activity earns at most 100 Yuanbao a day, so steady learners always keep up with marathon sessions. Streak milestones and weekly and season rewards don't count toward this limit.
Never sold for real money. The only way to get Yuanbao is to study.
Big rewards
Milestone rewards
- 7 days+30
- 30 days+120
- 100 days+400
- 365 days+1,500
- Weekly reward: 20 to 250 when you earn at least 300 XP in the week, more for the top 50, top 10, top 3 or first place.
- Season reward: from 40 (Silver) to 400 (Master), by the tier you reach in the season.
Your balance sits at the top of the screen; details, today's limit and your history are in the Wallet on your profile.
Open my walletShop
The Yuanbao shop: a new look for your profile
Preview every item on your own avatar and name before you buy. Cosmetics show on the leaderboard, your player card and your profile.
Frames
Six hand-drawn frames, from an ink-brush circle to a jade dragon coiled round your photo.
See in the shopName colours
Your name on the leaderboard in a colour of its own.
See in the shopTitles
A 称号 title right under your name.
See in the shopSeals
A 印章 seal carved with 2–4 characters you choose.
See in the shopEffects
An effect whenever you appear on the podium and your player card.
See in the shopCard themes
A painted scene across your whole player card.
See in the shopGame skins
Recolour the dragon in Dragon hunt (only you see it).
See in the shopItems
Streak freezes protect your learning streak; an AI ticket gives free accounts 20 extra AI uses for the day.
See in the shop
Rent to try, or buy for good
Every cosmetic can be rented cheaply for 3, 7 or 30 days, or bought to keep forever. Renting again adds to the time you already have.
Example: a common frame (Ink, Bamboo)
- 3 days50
- 7 days100
- 30 days350
- Permanent2,400
Legendary items are for long-term learners
To buy a legendary item for good (such as the Dragon frame or the Heir of the Dragon title), you need to have earned 12,000 Yuanbao from learning in total and have a best streak of 60 days or more. Anyone can rent them.
Pick a tab and preview the item on your avatar, name and card.
Choose how long: 3, 7 or 30 days, or permanent.
Tap Use to equip it; take it off or switch anytime in the shop or on your profile.
Red envelopes 红包: send New Year luck to fellow learners
During Lunar New Year you can send Yuanbao in a red envelope to anyone with a public player card. Envelopes open with fireworks and a festive sound.
Open a player card
Tap someone on the leaderboard to open their public card, then choose Send red envelope.
Choose an amount and a wish
From 50 to 200 Yuanbao, with a short wish if you like. A 10% fee comes out of the amount you send.
They open it
The envelope waits under Red envelopes in their account menu. Opening it sets off fireworks.
Unopened? It comes back
Any envelope not opened within 7 days returns to you.
Learning streak
One learning streak for the whole app
Any day you earn XP, from a lesson, flashcards, a game, an HSK test or writing practice, keeps your streak going. It shows in the sidebar and on your account card.
- M
- T
- W
- T
- F
- S
- S
Tip: 10 minutes every day beats 2 hours crammed into the weekend.
Streak freeze
Missed a day? A streak freeze (200 Yuanbao) covers it automatically so your streak doesn't break. You can hold up to 2.
Milestone rewards
- 7 days+30
- 30 days+120
- 100 days+400
- 365 days+1,500
Ranks
Ranked avatar frames and a new podium
Each season lasts a month. Season XP takes you through six tiers, from Bronze to Master; each tier unlocks a more splendid animated frame, and you keep them forever.
Tier frames
- Bronze0 XP
- Silver300 XP
- Gold900 XP
- Platinum2,000 XP
- Diamond4,000 XP
- Master7,000 XP
The podium
The top three stand on the podium with their frames, titles and entrance effects. Switch between week and season, worldwide or your country.
Season and country frames
At the end of each season, the worldwide top 10, top 3 and number one get their own season frames; the leader of each country gets the country champion frame.
Profile
Your player card, wallet and collection
Your profile now has a Yuanbao wallet and a collection of cosmetics. The account menu at the top shows off your card with your balance, tier and streak.
- 2,480
- Diamond
- Wallet: balance, today's earnings against the limit, streak, streak freezes, red envelopes and history.
- My items: equip or take off titles, seals, effects, card themes and skins; see how long a rental has left.
- Make your profile public so others can see your card and send you red envelopes.
- Change the characters on your seal for free while you own it.
- The account card at the top: frame, name colour, title, Yuanbao, tier and streak in one place.
Fair XP
Every XP point is verified by the server
To keep the leaderboard fair for everyone, XP is now only added when the server can confirm you really studied.
Lessons and flashcards open a study session on the server. When you finish, it checks the cards you did and a plausible pace before adding XP.
HSK practice tests are graded on the server; you need to answer enough questions for the XP to count.
Game results are checked by the server; a score above what is possible is refused.
Each XP source has a daily limit, and the app tells you when you reach it.
Memory tips
Remember more with the same study time
The new games are built around well-researched ways of learning. Use them on purpose and new words stay with you longer.
Write from memory
Recalling a character is harder than looking at it again, and that effort is what makes memories last. Brush master and Word duel's pinyin level make you recall, not just recognise.
Space it out
Reviewing a word just as you're about to forget it works better than ten reviews in a row. Missed words come back soon; words you know are spaced further apart.
Switch games to switch skills
Take one word: recognise it (Speed match), hear it (Tone catcher), build it (Word builder), then write it (Brush master). Each way adds another path back to that word.
Welcome mistakes
A mistake corrected right away helps you remember better than a lucky guess. Don't skip the review of your missed words.
Little and often
One game and one lesson a day beat a weekend cram. Your learning streak reminds you to come back.
Sleep on it
Sleep consolidates what you learned during the day. Run through a few words before bed, then try to recall them the next morning.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy Yuanbao with money?
No. Yuanbao can only be earned by studying and is never sold for real money, so anyone wearing a fine item has studied hard for it.
What does renting an item mean?
You pay fewer Yuanbao to use an item for 3, 7 or 30 days. Renting again adds the days to the time you already have. To keep it forever, buy it permanently.
What happens when a rental ends?
The item is taken off and leaves your collection; you lose nothing else. You can rent it again or buy it for good at any time. Note: buying permanently during a rental doesn't refund the rental days left.
How do I send a red envelope?
During Lunar New Year, open a learner's public card (from the leaderboard, for example), tap Send red envelope, choose 50 to 200 Yuanbao and write a wish. A 10% fee comes out of the amount; an envelope not opened within 7 days returns to you.
Why didn't I get XP?
XP is now verified by the server. You won't get XP when you're signed out, when you go too fast or answer too few questions (an HSK test with too few answers, for example), when you've reached today's limit for that source, or when the connection drops before the study session ends. Keep studying as usual and your XP will count.
Why didn't a game give me Yuanbao?
A round needs at least 8 words and 70% right answers. Games give at most 15 Yuanbao a day, and all study activity together at most 100 a day.
Do I lose my streak if I miss a day?
If you hold a streak freeze, it covers the missed day automatically. Without one the streak starts over, but your best streak is kept.
Why can't I buy a legendary item permanently yet?
Legendary items reward long-term study: you need 12,000 Yuanbao earned from learning in total and a best streak of 60 days or more. Meanwhile you can still rent them.
Can I play without signing in?
Yes. You can play every game with the lessons you can open, but results, XP and Yuanbao are only saved when you sign in.
Ready to try it?
Start with a round of Brush master on the words you just learned. Five minutes, and you'll feel the difference.