In the field of second language vocabulary acquisition, there are still no definite answers about how vocabulary can best be learned or taught. This study aimed to investigate this question with 99 Chinese university EFL learners. In particular, three approaches were examined: (a) incidental vocabulary learning from reading (no instruction), (b) focused vocabulary learning before reading (students learning vocabulary themselves from word lists), (c) vocabulary instruction after reading.Pre-test and post-tests of the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale were administrated and a repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to identify any significant difference among the three groups at each test administration. The results indicated that all three approaches resulted in significant vocabulary gains, but focused vocabulary learning before reading led to greater gains, both in terms of the number of words acquired and in the depth of word knowledge acquired. The results were interpreted in relation to learning attention/consciousness, learning style, and culture context.