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Primary 5 · 听写

18 Primary 5 听写 words: describing things

Quick answer

These are 18 Primary 5 听写 words about describing things: 守株待兔、和谐、对牛弹琴、胜败难分、贡献、画蛇添足 and more. 11 of them come from tingxie papers Singapore schools actually set at this level. Every word below has its pinyin, an English meaning and one example sentence.

Reviewed by the Geniebook Curriculum TeamSource: MOE Mother Tongue Language syllabus

The word list

Read the word aloud, let your child write it once from memory, then check the characters. Words marked set by a school appeared in a real tingxie paper at this level.

Primary 5 听写 vocabulary on describing things, with pinyin, English meaning and an example sentence
词语PinyinMeaning
守株待兔shǒu zhū dài tùTo rely on luck/chance rather than effort 比喻死守狭隘经验，不知变通遇到问题我们要灵活处理，而不是守株待兔。yù dào wèn tí wǒ men yào líng huó chǔ lǐ ， ér bú shì shǒu zhū dài tù 。Set by a school
和谐hé xiéharmonious大家相处得很好，很友好，没有争吵。同学们互相尊重，班级气氛很和谐。tóng xué men hù xiāng zūn zhòng ， bān jí qì fēn hěn hé xié 。Set by 1 school
对牛弹琴duì niú tán qíncast pearls before swine比喻对不懂道理的人讲道理和不懂的人说大道理，真是对牛弹琴。hé bù dǒng de rén shuō dà dào lǐ ， zhēn shì duì niú tán qín 。Set by a school
胜败难分shèng bài nán fēntoo close to decide a winner双方实力差不多，分不出谁赢谁输这场篮球赛两队得分相同，胜败难分。zhè chǎng lán qiú sài liǎng duì dé fēn xiāng tóng ， shèng bài nán fēn 。Set by 1 school
贡献gòng xiàncontribution, contribute拿出力量或财物帮助国家或集体。他为学校的发展做出了巨大贡献。tā wèi xué xiào de fā zhǎn zuò chū le jù dà gòng xiàn 。Set by a school
画蛇添足huà shé tiān zúruin by adding superfluous details比喻多此一举，反而坏事小乐的画很完美，不需要再画蛇添足了。xiǎo lè de huà hěn wán měi ， bù xū yào zài huà shé tiān zú le 。Set by a school
井底之蛙jǐng dǐ zhī wāa person of narrow view井底下的青蛙，比喻见识短浅的人井底之蛙如果不跳上来，就永远见不到更大的世界。jǐng dǐ zhī wā rú guǒ bù tiào shàng lái ， jiù yǒng yuǎn jiàn bú dào gèng dà de shì jiè 。Set by a school
灵机一动líng jī yī dòngin a flash of inspiration事前没有准备，临时想出办法。康康真是个小军师，灵机一动就能想出好点子。kāng kāng zhēn shì gè xiǎo jūn shī ， líng jī yī dòng jiù néng xiǎng chū hǎo diǎn zi 。Set by 1 school
损害sǔn hàidamage / harm使事物受到破坏或失去价值，多用于健康、利益或名誉。长时间玩电子游戏会损害我们的视力。zhǎng shí jiān wán diàn zǐ yóu xì huì sǔn hài wǒ men de shì lì 。Set by 2 schools
井然有序jǐng rán yǒu xùwell-organized整齐不乱，很有条理，多用来描写物品摆放或活动安排图书馆里的书本摆放得井然有序，找起来很方便。tú shū guǎn lǐ de shū běn bǎi fàng dé jǐng rán yǒu xù ， zhǎo qǐ lái hěn fāng biàn 。Set by 1 school
画龙点睛huà lóng diǎn jīngadd the finishing touch比喻写文章或讲话时，在关键处用几句话点明实质黄老师画龙点睛的一笔，使画中的人物活了起来。huáng lǎo shī huà lóng diǎn jīng de yī bǐ ， shǐ huà zhōng de rén wù huó le qǐ lái 。Set by a school
责任zé rènresponsibility本分之内应承担的职责或任务在班级中，康康是一个有责任心的好孩子。zài bān jí zhōng ， kāng kāng shì yí gè yǒu zé rèn xīn de hǎo hái zi 。Set by 1 school
意义yì yìsignificance人或事物所包含的思想和道理；事物存在的原因、作用及其价值爸爸说这次旅行的意义就是开阔了我的眼界。bà ba shuō zhè cì lǚ xíng de yì yì jiù shì kāi kuò le wǒ de yǎn jiè 。Set by 1 school
积少成多jī shǎo chéng duōlittle by little adds up to a lot一点一滴地积攒，最后越来越多大家要积少成多，把零花钱存起来帮助有需要的同学。dà jiā yào jī shǎo chéng duō ， bǎ líng huā qián cún qǐ lái bāng zhù yǒu xū yào de tóng xué 。Set by 1 school
井井有条jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáoin perfect order形容说话办事有条有理小美的妈妈把家里收拾的井井有条。xiǎo měi de mā ma bǎ jiā lǐ shōu shi de jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo 。
独一无二dú yī wú èrunique没有相同的，没有可以相比的世界上的每一个人都是独一无二的。shì jiè shàng de měi yí gè rén dōu shì dú yī wú èr de 。Set by 1 school
不胜枚举bù shèng méi jǔtoo many to count数量太多，无法一个一个数出来公园里的花朵种类不胜枚举，多得看不过来。gōng yuán lǐ de huā duǒ zhǒng lèi bù shèng méi jǔ ， duō dé kàn bù guò lái 。Set by 1 school
其qíhis/her/its/their指代前面提到的人或事物小明把书放在桌上，其封面是蓝色的。xiǎo míng bǎ shū fàng zài zhuō shàng ， qí fēng miàn shì lán sè de 。Set by 1 school

What trips children up on this list

Written for a parent who does not read Chinese. You do not need to know the characters to help. You need to know which ones are easy to mix up.

Characters that look alike

Children often mix up 井底之蛙, 井然有序 and 井井有条 because they all start with the same character. The difference is that 井底之蛙 describes a narrow-minded person, 井然有序 means well-organised and 井井有条 means in perfect order. 胜败难分 and 不胜枚举 also share the character 胜, but the first describes a close contest while the second means too many to count.

Words that sound alike

The word 意义 (yì yì) sounds exactly like 异议 (objection) and 容易 (róng yì) can be misheard as 荣誉 (róng yù). A child might write 贡献 (gòng xiàn) as 共献 or confuse 损害 (sǔn hài) with 损失 (sǔn shī) because the first syllable is identical. 责任 (zé rèn) is often misheard as 则任 due to the similar initial sound.

Worth the extra practice

Practise 守株待兔, 对牛弹琴 and 画蛇添足 together. These three idioms are long and children often forget the middle characters or swap the order. Have your child write each idiom twice while saying the meaning aloud. This links the shape of the characters to the story behind them and makes recall easier during dictation.

A picture for each word

Children remember a character far better when it is attached to an image. These are the same pictures gtx shows during practice.

  • 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) — To rely on luck/chance rather than effort 守株待兔shǒu zhū dài tù
  • 和谐 (hé xié) — harmonious和谐hé xié
  • 对牛弹琴 (duì niú tán qín) — cast pearls before swine对牛弹琴duì niú tán qín
  • 胜败难分 (shèng bài nán fēn) — too close to decide a winner胜败难分shèng bài nán fēn
  • 贡献 (gòng xiàn) — contribution, contribute贡献gòng xiàn
  • 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) — ruin by adding superfluous details画蛇添足huà shé tiān zú
  • 井底之蛙 (jǐng dǐ zhī wā) — a person of narrow view井底之蛙jǐng dǐ zhī wā
  • 灵机一动 (líng jī yī dòng) — in a flash of inspiration灵机一动líng jī yī dòng
  • 损害 (sǔn hài) — damage / harm损害sǔn hài
  • 井然有序 (jǐng rán yǒu xù) — well-organized井然有序jǐng rán yǒu xù
  • 画龙点睛 (huà lóng diǎn jīng) — add the finishing touch画龙点睛huà lóng diǎn jīng
  • 责任 (zé rèn) — responsibility责任zé rèn
  • 意义 (yì yì) — significance意义yì yì
  • 积少成多 (jī shǎo chéng duō) — little by little adds up to a lot积少成多jī shǎo chéng duō
  • 井井有条 (jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo) — in perfect order井井有条jǐng jǐng yǒu tiáo
  • 独一无二 (dú yī wú èr) — unique独一无二dú yī wú èr
  • 不胜枚举 (bù shèng méi jǔ) — too many to count不胜枚举bù shèng méi jǔ
  • 其 (qí) — his/her/its/their其qí

Where these words come from

Primary 5 lists lean on abstract and formal vocabulary, the kind that turns up later in composition. Many schools fold tingxie into a wider weekly Chinese assessment at this stage.

Of the 18 words here, 11 have been seen on a real tingxie paper from a named Singapore primary school, and 损害 has appeared at 2 different schools. Counting every school that set each word, that is 12 sightings across papers parents have sent us since April 2026. Which school set which word is not published.

11 of these 18 words are marked as set by a school at Primary 5; the rest are levelled by curriculum judgement. How we build these lists explains the difference, and why this is not an official MOE list. MOE publishes the syllabus itself: Mother Tongue Language learning, MOE.

Reviewed 26 July 2026 by the Geniebook Curriculum Team. Corrections: tell Hua Hua on WhatsApp.

Practise your child’s own list

Every school sets a different list. Send us a photo of the one that came home and Hua Hua builds a practice from exactly those words: each one read aloud, a picture that helps it stick, and a sheet you can print and write on. The five-step method is the same one teachers use in class.

Send your word list on WhatsAppSee how gtx works

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What Primary 5 听写 words should my child know about describing things?
This page lists 18: 守株待兔、和谐、对牛弹琴、胜败难分、贡献、画蛇添足、井底之蛙、灵机一动 and more. 11 of them appeared in tingxie papers that Singapore schools actually set for this level. Each word has its pinyin, an English meaning and an example sentence your child can read aloud.
How is 听写 (tingxie) tested in Primary 5?
The teacher reads each word aloud, usually two or three times. The child writes it from memory in Chinese characters. Primary 5 lists lean on abstract and formal vocabulary, the kind that turns up later in composition. Many schools fold tingxie into a wider weekly Chinese assessment at this stage.
How do you pronounce 守株待兔 in Chinese?
守株待兔 is pronounced shǒu zhū dài tù. It means "To rely on luck/chance rather than effort ". 比喻死守狭隘经验，不知变通. For example: 遇到问题我们要灵活处理，而不是守株待兔。 (yù dào wèn tí wǒ men yào líng huó chǔ lǐ ， ér bú shì shǒu zhū dài tù 。)
How do you pronounce 和谐 in Chinese?
和谐 is pronounced hé xié. It means "harmonious". 大家相处得很好，很友好，没有争吵。. For example: 同学们互相尊重，班级气氛很和谐。 (tóng xué men hù xiāng zūn zhòng ， bān jí qì fēn hěn hé xié 。)
How do you pronounce 对牛弹琴 in Chinese?
对牛弹琴 is pronounced duì niú tán qín. It means "cast pearls before swine". 比喻对不懂道理的人讲道理. For example: 和不懂的人说大道理，真是对牛弹琴。 (hé bù dǒng de rén shuō dà dào lǐ ， zhēn shì duì niú tán qín 。)
How do you pronounce 胜败难分 in Chinese?
胜败难分 is pronounced shèng bài nán fēn. It means "too close to decide a winner". 双方实力差不多，分不出谁赢谁输. For example: 这场篮球赛两队得分相同，胜败难分。 (zhè chǎng lán qiú sài liǎng duì dé fēn xiāng tóng ， shèng bài nán fēn 。)
Are these Primary 5 听写 words from the MOE syllabus?
They are checked against MOE Primary Chinese level expectations, but this is not an official MOE word list. 11 of the 18 words here came from a tingxie paper a Singapore school actually set at Primary 5; the rest are levelled by curriculum judgement. MOE publishes the syllabus itself at moe.gov.sg.

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