Questions tagged [grammar]
Questions about the grammatical rules governing Chinese structure and composition.
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Placement of 了 in 停在了离小岛不太远的地方
The sentence is from Mandarin Companion's "Journey to the center of the Earth".
我们把船停在了离小岛不太远的地方，晚上我们还是在船上休息。
I know that the rules of 了 are tricky, but I dont understand what its doing ...
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Help understand this: 每本小人书都用牛皮纸加了层封皮，封皮上用毛笔写上书名
为了减少损坏程度，每本小人书都用牛皮纸加了层封皮，封皮上用毛笔写上书名，整齐漂亮的毛笔字能充分地显示出书摊主人的文化水平。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 20. I need your help in understanding this: 每本小人书都用牛皮纸加了层封皮，封皮上用毛笔写上书名,...
Actually ...
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Repetition of the first verb (separable verbs)
I am learning Chinese and I have a question about separable verbs. I understand that separable verbs are verbs that can be split by an object or a complement, such as 看书 (read a book) or 看见 (see). ...
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If A伴随着B, then is it true that B伴随着A?
CC-CEDICT: 伴随 (bànsuí) to accompany / to follow / to occur together with / concomitant
I saw on Tateoba the sentence
闪电常常伴随着雷鸣。
Lightning is usually followed by thunder.
The English sentence ...
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Meaning of 还 other than "still, also, even more"
I've got some sentences with 还. But I can't figure out the purpose of 还 in them.
你还出去做什么？
(Does it mean "still", or what?)
快下雪了，我还以为今天是好天气。
(I searched the Internet, and I found many ...
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Are "v. 不好 n." sentences inherently ambiguous in that 不好 could modify the verb or noun?
There's quite a few "v. 不好 n." phrases in Chinese, such as:
睡不好觉
写不好字
讲不好故事
唱不好歌
弹不好吉他
They all seem a bit ambiguous to me: the 不好 could modify the verb to imply the verb is performed ...
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What does 一抹 mean?
我看到他眼裡亮起一抹笑意。
First, what tone is "一" in 一抹 pronounced?
Second, what does it mean? It seems to be a quantity based on 一, but 抹 means mop/clean so I don't know what it means here and how that ...
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Is 很下面 in 它们静静地躺在身后很下面的地方 considered grammatical?
This is from a Chinese version of The Hobbit (here) when the dwarves have left Rivendell:
此时，他们回头就能看见已经离开的那片土地，它们静静地躺在身后很下面的地方。
[Google Translate] At this time, they could look back and see the land ...
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Why is this sentence grammatical without 的? [duplicate]
I'm reading a short narrative about someone who bought a big clock, much to the surprise of his roommate. The roommate asks him: “你家里不是已经有几个钟了吗？”
I'm not exactly sure why this construction is ...
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Collection of Chinese sentence-level grammar rules as semi-structured "data"?
I am looking for structured data of Chinese grammar, however much might have been done. Specifically sentence-level grammar. By "structured data", I mean something more structured than ...
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The meaning of 要 in the pattern "要 + adjective"
I sometimes see the pattern "要 + adjective", for example "去火车站比去机场的距离要近得多". I know that example means "The distance to the train station is much closer than the distance to ...
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What are the correct ways to add subjects (主语) in 虽然……但是 sentences?
I just had a class with my iTalki teacher, and she pointed out a preference for where to add the subject (主语) when writing a particular 虽然……但是 sentence. So I'd like to systematically go through the ...
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Is it okay to fill in the blanks of 那种汽车 ____ 价钱很贵， ____ 的确质量很好 with 虽然……但是 despite the 的确?
This is a fill-in-the-blanks exercise on page 56 of 新实用汉语课本5 (photo):
那种汽车 ____ 价钱很贵， ____ 的确质量很好。
We're asked to fill in the blanks with 关联词语. What's tripping me up here: if the 的确 weren't there, ...
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Is there a limit on the number of 的 in a sentence?
In the official translation of Friedrich Engels's 论封建制度的瓦解和民族国家的产生, there is a sentence 罗马法是纯粹私有制占统治的社会的生活条件和冲突的十分经典性的法律表现.
With so many 的 crowded in a short sentence, the reading is placed under high ...
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Why is the structures for duration different in past and present tenses?
In my Chinese lesson, I learnt “我去美国出差一个星期” (present tense) as the duration comes after the verb, but when I said “我去美国出了差一个星期” (past tense), my teacher said it was wrong and corrected my sentence to “...
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你在那裏可以安心**地**生活下去 Why not use 的
你在那裏可以安心地生活下去
I thought the correct word should be 的. How is 生活 a verb/action? I know 安心 is describing the type of 生活, but 生活 is a noun.
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Should the blank in 他毕业以后很快 _____ 找到了一个理想的工作 be filled with 才, 可, or 便?
This is on page 11 of the textbook New Practical Chinese Reader Textbook 5 (photo of original, p.11, #8):
他毕业以后很快 _____ 找到了一个理想的工作。
And the given options for the blank are 才, 可, or 便. Now I think ...
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Is 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' used as an idiom in Chinese? If so, how is it grammatically structured?
The film title Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍/卧虎藏龙) apparently is an idiom describing a place or situation that is full of unnoticed masters. Is this phrase actually used in speech, and if so, ...
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時代的巨輪不停的滾動 question
Original sentence:
時代的巨輪不停的滾動
But I thought it also makes sense 地，得:
時代的巨輪不停 地 滾動
時代的巨輪不停 得 滾動
(1) makes sense because 地 is before the verb/action 滾動. (2) I'm not sure about, but I have seen lots ...
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do words like 一般，习惯 and 经常 when placed before or after the Time clause change the meaning of the sentence?
The words are used to express that the action occurs in general(一般), often(经常), and is done regularly(习惯)， Is this true?
should they therefore always come directly before the verb or are there ...
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以后我少的一点儿 what does this mean?
I'm doing some anki revision when this popped up. I understand the characters in isolation, but can't understand the meaning of the sentence. Google translates this to "from now on I'll have less&...
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Is 没V着 a pattern?
I came across this sample sentence (命大的例句):
这家伙命大, 车祸居然没伤着。
I'm understanding this as something along the lines of:
This guy's really lucky, such a nasty car accident and he didn't get hurt.
Anyway, I'...
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Difference between 地 and 得 in 他很難過[得/地]哭起來了
他很難過得哭起來了
他很難過地哭起來了
Which one is correct? 1 makes sense because 得 is describing the extent of how 難過 he is, but 2 also seems to make sense because 地 is just before the verb 哭. So I'm really confused ...
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Explanation of 五颜六色
棚子里有一张床板摆着各种题材的小人书，墙边还拉了几根绳子，一本本书翻开搭在上面，五颜六色的，很好看。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, segment 20.
The 五颜六色 with meaning colorful or multicolored, can it be used even if the number of the ...
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Difference between 怎么办 and 做什么？
1994年，理查德得了心脏病，当时医生说他剩下的时间可能不多了。那时，他开始思考自己的人生，“我该怎么办？ 我该做什么？”
This is from the Standard Book of HSK5, section 21.
I am in this point:
我(I)该(should)怎么(what)办(do)？ 我(I)该(should)做(do)什么(what)？
So what is ...
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Differences between 知识，知，识，知感 and 认识？
“知识” 两个字我始终认为它是要分开来谈的，“知” 就是知感，“识” 就是认识。所谓 “知感” 就是别人告诉你、说给你听、要求你记住的那一部分。但只有这一部分是不够的，还要有认识、思考。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, chapter 22.
I would appreciate if you explain the ...
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在...之间 = between?
另外还要承认人性中一些先天的不完美，就是说作为一个母亲，在自己的亲生女儿和不是亲生的灰姑娘之间，难免会更疼爱自己亲生的女儿，很难完全平等地对待她们。
This is from the Standard Course Book of HSK5, section 22. I would like you to confirm that a way of saying between is 在...之间:...
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Initial 在 zài in existential ("there is") sentences
Sentences that express that something exists in a particular place typically follow a pattern "in (or on/at, etc.) + [place] + there is/are [something] in English. For example, we can say:
In ...
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check that each file in this folder is the latest version
In my learning of Chinese, I am exploring two related sentences:
the first is the simple statement
Each file in this folder is the latest version
里 这个 文件夹 的 文件部 最新的版本
Or perhaps, one should or ...
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Is 这部电影非常精彩，我很推荐 grammatical, despite the verb 推荐 lacking an object?
这部电影非常精彩，我很推荐。
This movie is brilliant and I highly recommend it.
At the Glen Waverley library (Melbourne), they have some Chinese study classes, and the above is from their notes. I was surprised ...
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using 的 between adverb and adjective
As far as I know, 的 is used between an adjective and a noun.
Like 漂亮的姑娘
But I have seen many examples that 的 is used between an adverb and an adjective.
Here are the examples,
生活在中国不同地方的人吃的食物也非常的不一样。
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Can we simultaneously use the particles 地 and 得 with a single verb, e.g. 他高兴地跳得高?
I'm sure 他高兴地跳着 and 他跳得高 are fine, but I'm not sure if we can combine them, like in:
他高兴地跳得高。
He happily jumped high.
Here we have the grammar structure:
Subject + adv. + 地 + verb + 得 + complement.
...
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Usage of 快到碗里来 to mean "bring it on"?
Can this be used to express "bring it on".
I want to list some things that may lie in the future and finish with bring it on.
Like: Hard times, good times, happiness, sadness, bring it on.
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念 vs 读 What is the difference?
My thoughts are 念 specifically means reading out loud, emphasis on "out loud".
读 can be out loud or to oneself, the emphasis is just on "reading".
If I want someone to read ...
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What purpose does 对 serve in the sentence 因为对 汉字 感兴趣
What purpose does 对 serve in the sentence 因为对 汉字 感兴趣:yīnwèi duì hànzì gǎnxìngqù , the meaning in English is "As he was interested in studying Chinese characters". If I take a literal ...
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Difference betwen 讲 的是 and 讲
In this sentence:
这个电影 讲 的是一个人因为被追杀 , 躲 在 少林寺 里边学功夫, 然后为他爸爸 报仇的故事
I do not understand the structure in the bold part. Specifically, what is the difference between using just 讲 and using 讲 的是 as in ...
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Difference between 且... 且... and 一面… 一面
The structures 且+verb 且+verb and 一面… 一面... (or 一边... 一边...) are used to describe two actions taking place at the same time.
But I've only seen us 且... 且... used with monosyllabic verbs and no ...
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How does 结果发现 work?
I was reading the HSK6 Standard Course workbook (chapter 31), and it has the sentence (photo):
结果发现，与“不爱思考的人”相比，“爱思考的人”的活动要少很多。
This is puzzling to me: 结果 = "results" (n.) is the subject, ...
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When to prefer “是……的” over “了” in “是谁把你送到机场的？” or “谁把你送到了机场？”?
When to prefer “是……的”· over “了”? Which one of the following is correct?
是谁把你送到机场的？
谁把你送到了机场？
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Differences between 既然 and 如果?
I have searched but cannot find differences between 既然 and 如果. Can anyone help me ?
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I can't understand the roles of 光 and 就 which are used inside 光写这份提纲,就花了我一个月的时间。
光写这份提纲,就花了我一个月的时间。
It took me a month to write this outline. (this translation has been made by deepL).
I can completely link the sentences of deepL and 写这份提纲,花了我一个月的时间(removed 光 and 就)。
I want to ...
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Meaning and function of "会" in 我都会把下次学生需要带东西写在黑板上?
“每次下课前，我都会把下次学生需要带东西写在黑板上”
(hsk3 standard course textbook chapter 12, text 4）
What's the meaning and function of ”会“ in this sentence?
Can I omit it and still preserve the meaning of the sentence?
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旁边那个大点儿的杯子是我的 — how to correctly break down this sentence?
I think 『那个大点儿的杯子』will be translated together as "that bigger cup", though I do not understand which thing 『旁边』 is referring to.
Is it
The object that is nearby that bigger cup is mine,
or
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What are the key examples to demonstrate whether Mandarin Chinese has a rigid or flexible word order?
I am new to Chinese (Mandarin), and looking at some grammar guides like this word order page, it suggests a very rigid word order (saying sometimes you break the order, but doesn't say when/how):
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Function of 了 in 当然是写作业了
As far as I know 了 has two main functions.
1st is the completion marker, and the 2nd one is change of state marker. Here are some examples in which I can't figure it out the function and necessity of ...
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的 at the end of the sentence (ex: 蠻有趣的)
這篇文章蠻有趣的。
Why is there a 的 at the end?
Could anyone explain the grammar to me?
Thanks!
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In 大蝎的眼珠差一点弩出来, is 弩 ("crossbow") being used as a verb?
“快回去，迷林被抢了！”大蝎的眼珠差一点弩出来。迷林似乎是一切，他的命分文不值。
老舍，猫城记, p.47 (see also photo of original for further context; note: 大蝎 is the name of a character, and 迷林 is a kind of forest/farm on Mars)
I'm confused about:...
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Meaning of 以 which is used inside 她16岁就开始以模特儿身份出道了。
她16岁就开始以模特儿身份出道了。
She started her career as a model at the age of 16
I guess 就 here is used to emphasize the earliness of the start of the career.
I want to know the meaning and the role of 以 which ...
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Why not put 了 after 看到 and how to understand that the action is completed in 我在报纸上看到一篇关于她的新闻?
听说，我在报纸上看到一篇关于她的新闻，他现在已经是一个有名的作家了。
When should I not use 了?
It's especially strange because the 了 at the end means a change in state, right? But I have seen explanations that it also refers to some ...
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去飞机场坐汽车，前面上车，飞机场下车 。。。Is this statement grammatically correct?
While I’m on my Chinese learning journey, I faced this sentence : 去飞机场坐汽车，前面上车，飞机场下车。 It supposedly mean (go to the airport by car, then get off at the airport. Actually, I’m not getting the point of ...
