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My Chinese text has this sentence.

他常练习在电脑上用汉语写东西.

As I think, 在电脑上 indicates the "place" that all actions ("练习","用汉语写东西") take place. So what I do not understand is, why 在电脑上 (PLACE) is put after 练习 (VERB). It should have been put after 常.

Please explain to me. Thank you so much.

2 Answers 2

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她写东西。
她用汉语写东西。
她练习用汉语写东西。
她用汉语练习写东西。
她在电脑上用汉语练习写东西。
她用汉语在电脑上练习写东西。
她常用汉语在电脑上练习写东西。
她常在电脑上用汉语练习写东西。

I think I covered all the options!

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In "他常在电脑上练习用汉语写东西", the location '电脑上' is placed before the verb '练习'

他常 (he often)

在电脑上(on computer) -- location

练习 practice -- verb

用汉语写东西 -- relative clause

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In "他常练习在电脑上用汉语写东西" , the location '电脑上' is placed before the verb phrase '用汉语写东西'

他常(he often)

练习 (verb)

在电脑上用汉语写东西 -- relative clause

~

在电脑上 location

用汉语写东西 -- verb phrase (the verb is 写)

Both sentences mean "He often practices writing in Chinese on a computer". The difference is in the first sentence the location '在电脑上' is a relative phrase for the main verb '练习' (在电脑上练习) ; and in the second sentence, the location '在电脑上' is a relative phrase for the verb in the relative clause '用汉语写东西' (在电脑上用汉语写东西)

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  • So, if the predicate has 2 more actions, for example, I can write in 2 ways, right? E.g: 我学 /在晚饭/ 用筷子/ 吃中国菜。 我 /在晚饭/ 学 / 用筷子/ 吃中国菜。
    – Jenny
    Apr 1, 2020 at 14:18
  • 在晚饭(时) is a description of "time" And yes, you can write "我学习 /在晚饭时/ / 用筷子/ 吃中国菜。(I learn to use chopsticks to eat Chinese food in dinner time) or " 我 /在晚饭时/ 学习/ 用筷子/ 吃中国菜 (I, in dinner time, learn to use chopsticks to eat Chinese food)
    – Tang Ho
    Apr 1, 2020 at 14:30
  • thank you so much :D
    – Jenny
    Apr 1, 2020 at 14:40
  • As long as the 'location before verb rule' are complied. " 他常练习在电脑上" would be ungrammatical; "他常用汉语写东西在电脑上" would be grammatical, but 电脑 in 写东西在电脑上 is not a location but an object
    – Tang Ho
    Apr 1, 2020 at 14:44

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