HSK vocabulary is the hard number: Level 1 150, Level 2 300, Level 3 600, Level 4 1,200, Level 5 2,500, Level 6 5,000. Memorisation is unavoidable.
Layered method: high-frequency spoken words first (chi, he, qu, lai), then written words (fazhan, huanjing), finally idioms and near-synonyms; 20-50 words a day, rising by level.
Character roots: Chinese is ideographic - the water radical (氵) marks water words (jiang, he, hai), the hand radical (扌) hand actions (da, la, tui). Learn radicals and one root unlocks a family.
Phrases over single words: memorise "kaifa ruanjian" (develop software) not just "kaifa"; use Anki or Quizlet spaced repetition against the forgetting curve.
All channels: write and read aloud - eyes, mouth, ears, hand together; use the official HSK word lists (downloadable) or apps like HSK Online that sort by level.
Test yourself: weekly vocabulary quizzes from past papers; wrong words go to a rolling "difficult words" list; the last two weeks focus on high-frequency exam words.
