201 patterns chinese sentences

7/29/2019 201 patterns chinese sentences

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Sentence Pattern 1:

SENTENCE = NOUN (that is a subject) (Adverb) STATIVE VERBSENT = Ns ADV SV

Example: W hn li.

I [am] pretty tired.

Examples: W hn li. W hn mng

W hn go xng. W hn mn. W hn tng! T hn m fn. N hn to yn!

Sentence Pattern 2:

SENTENCE = SENTENCE + ma

Example: Nhn li ma?

Are you tired?

Examples: T sh Mi Gu rn ma? N q ch fn ma? Nmen b li ma?

Tmen zi jili ma?

Chinese Sentence Patterns 2009 Patrick Edwin Moran 1


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Sentence Pattern 3

SENTENCE = A noun that is a subject, a transitive verb, and anoun that is an object.

SENT = Ns (ADV) TV No

Example: Wmen mi fngzi.

We buy houses. We buy a house.

Example

Wmen mi q ch.

Tmen xi z.

Lo h ch ru.

Sentence Pattern 4:

A sentence may be formed by a subject plus the word sh plus the name of aset of things.

SENTENCE = Ns sh Nset

Example: Xio Hush mo.

Little Flower is a cat.



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Example

T

men sh shi? Tmen sh lo sh ma?

Tmen sh png yu ma?

Tmen du sh png yu.

Sentence Pattern 5:

A predicate can be formed from an adverb and an immmediately following

verb, verb and object, etc..

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject ADVERB PREDICATE

SENT = Ns ADV PRED

Example: Xio Hub sh mo.

Little Flower is not a cat.

Examples: Wmen zu tin li le. Tmen y jng zi. Wmen hi mi zu. Tmen y jng zu le.



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Sentence Pattern 6:

Certain nouns preceded by certain stative verbs (which functionadjectively) can take the place of simple nouns in many sentences.

NOUN = SV N

Example: ho hizi

good child

Examples: go fngzi i fngzi go chzi i chzi d rn xio hizi go sh i sh

Sentence Pattern 7:

A sentence can appear in a multiple choice format, i.e., the sentence

includes a verb in its positive form and follows it with that verb in its

negative form, and to answer that question one selects the correct

alternative and repeats the sentence with only that verb present.

SENTENCE = Ns PRED negative PRED

Examples: Td b d? Tb d. or Thn d.

Is he big? He is not big. or He is pretty big.Tmen sh b sh png yu? Tmen sh png yu. or Tmen bshi png

yu.

Are they friends? They are friends. or They are not friends.



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Examples: Tmen yu mi you shng q? T sh bshi nde lo sh?() T pio (liang) b pio liang? Nmen zu tin zi b zai ji?

Sentence Pattern 8:

The locational zerb zi

A sentence is formed with a subject + a locational verb +

a noun that names a place

Sentence = Ns LV NOUNloc

Examples: Shi zi mn kur? N zi shme sh hu li ? Zi w kn, n zu pio ling!



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Sentence Pattern 9:

The locations where people or things are found may be formed by

mentioning, e.g., a building, and then adding a determining term such as

"inside." So one says, "the barn behind," rather than "behind the barn."

NOUNloc = broad location name + inside, outside, etc.

NOUNloc = NOUNloc + ltou/witou/shngtou/xitou/dxi,

etc.

Examples: fngzi ltou, fngzi witou, fngzi shngtou,

inside the house, outside the house, on the house,

fngzi xitou, fngzi dxi,

at the bottom of the house, under the house,

fngzi qintou, fngz hutou, etc.

in front of the house, at the back of the house, etc.

ExampleDdi b zi fngzi ltou, t zi fngzi shngtou.Mmi b zi fngzi shngtou, t zi fngzi d xi..



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Sentence Pattern 10:

Saying "there are" in Chinese requires mention, or at least implicitreference to, a place or time, and an affirmation that it has a certain person

or thing. The full form of this statement is as follows:

SENTENCE = zi location yu object

(In location there is/are [object or objects])

Examples:() (Zi) jio sh ltou yu r shge rn. Zi shnshang mi yu rn. Zi sn din zhng, Mma y jng hu li le.


A specifier, a number, a measure word, and a noun can stand in for a simple

noun.

(Either the specifier or the number may be omitted.)

NOUN = SP # MW NOUN

example: zhi sn bi kfi (these three cups of coffee)

sn bi kfi (three cups of coffee

zhi bi kfi (this cup of coffee)



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Examples:

Sentence pattern 12:

Indefinite vs. Definite

Some sentences have indefinite reference, e.g., "Fngzi ltou yu y xirn." (There are some people in the house.)

Once those sentences have drawn attention to the formerly indefinite

individuals, they become identified in everyone's minds as "the

individuals," "these individuals," "those individuals," etc.

Example: Fngzi ltou yu y xi rn. Ni xi rn du sh png yu. (In the

house there are some people. Those people are all friends.)

S sh witou yu jge rn. Ni xi rn du sh xu shng.

(Outside the dormitory there were several people. Those people are all

students.)

Example Zi fngzi qintou zhnzhe wge rn. n xi rn du zho b do gng zu. Zi zhng shn gu xio yu qge lo

sh. tmen du sh n lo sh ma?



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A sentence can be formed with a subject plus an intransitive verb.Sentence = Ns ITV

Example: Lo Sh mng tin li. (Teacher is coming tomorrow.)

Examples: W b q. Mimei hi mi yu li ne. W men zu ba.

B yo lun po.


SENTENCE = SENTENCE

Adding at the end of a sentence changes a command or a flat statement

into a suggestion.



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A noun expression can be formed by a modifying phrase or clause linked to

the original (unmodified) noun usingde.

NOUN = modifier de NOUN

Examples: q de rn (people who go)

li de rn (people who came)

b q de rn (people who are not going)

mi yu li de rn (people who did not come)

zu tin li de rn (people who came yesterday)

b zi de rn (people who are not present)

Examples: B qde rn hn du. W hn hui y n xi b qde rn. B qde rn zai` nr? M Gung zi n xi b qde rn l min ma?



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RULE RULE


A predicate can be composed of a locative verb, the name of a location, anda predicate indicating what is done there.

PRED = LV Nlv PRED

example: zi t sh gun nin sh

study at the library

Examples: Tmen chng chng zi jili chng g. Nmen b yo zi t sh gunli shu jio W zi r lng lng sn nin hu li le.

Rule: Set the stage and only then tell the action.

Note: Chinese word order is strongly dominated by the sequence of events

in the real world. For instance, causes are mentioned before effects. Where

something occurs has to be mentioned before the action moves onto that

stage. In English, to the contrary, the information about time and place is

frequently put into a tag ending such as, "in 1948," "on the elevator," etc.



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Questions and sentences about indefinite items can be formed by using X-words.

n n (that "which" or "something")

ni ni (that "which" or "something")

Examples:

n gu rn people of which country n tin which day (when) n wi which person of status (which honorable lady/gentleman) n xi which several items


A predicate can be formed by placing a modifying or auxillary verb before

the main verb.

PRED = AUX V PRED

These auxillary verbs have similar meanings.means to be physically

able to do something and/or that environmental factors permit doing

something.means to have learned how to do something, andmeans

"permissible," although it is often used to mean "can" in the sense that a

possibility for some action or result exists.

example Rn hu shu hu (People know how to talk)

Rn b nng fei-. (Humans do not have the physical ability to fly.) Nmen b k yzi zhr ch fn. (You may not eat here.)



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Examples: T hu shu Zhng Gu hua`. T lo le, b nng zu l le. N zhi yng zu sh b k yde.


A predicate can be composed of a locative verb, the name of a location, and

a predicate indicating what is done there, but a predicate can also be

composed of one predicate that indicates something like going somewhere

in order to do something, doing something in order to be able to do

something else, etc. In English we generally use the word "to" as a link

between the first and second predicate, e.g., "He bought a saw to cut thewood," or, "She went to London to see the Queen." In Chinese, however,

there typically is no word corresponding to that "to," and the two clauses

are simply jammed together.

PRED = PREDa (to) PREDbExample hu jixixi

go home to rest

Examples: W do chng l q mi. T do chi chng q wn. Nmen do din yng yun q kn "R Ch" ba. T mi sh sng gi t mma.

T yng shu d ki xing zi. T yng wng yun jng kn Hu Xng de yn h. T ma-ma mi j dn zu dn go.

Jijie do D Gu q li xu.



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Anywhere a noun can be used in a sentence it can be replaced by an

exclusive or construction (either X or else Y).

NOUN = NOUNa hishi NOUNb

Example: Xio wwa sh nn hizi hishi n hizi?

Is the baby a boy or a girl?

Examples:T sh nde lo sh hishi nde n png yu?

N jn tin xing ch j ru hishi ni ru?W b zh do nge rn sh

lo xinsheng hi shi nin qng rn.

Sentence pattern 21

A sentence can be formed using the special verb compound zh zi (which

means something close to the English expression resides at).

SENTENCE = Ns zh zi Nlocation

Example: Nige xushng b zh zi s sh.

That student does not reside in the dormitory.

Examples:



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COVERBS:

A coverb is can be a special kind of verb that cooperates with the verb that

follows it and acts to give additional information about that verb. Often

coverbs cannot be used alone or are rarely used alone. One such coverb,

which otherwise appears in resultative verb compounds, is l. As an active

verb it means "to separate from." As a coverb, it means "is separated from"

and requires a following stative verb or something indicating a length in

space or time and that functions like a stative verb in such sentences.

PRED = COVERB NOUNcoverb PRED

example: T sh

gu

n l xu xio b yu

n.The library is separated from the school not far.

Examples: Ji Jn Shn l Bi Jng hn yun. W ji l n ji b yun. Shu Xng l T Xng hn yun.



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RULE RULE


In the development of the Chinese language its speakers felt a need to flag

certain sentences as indicating that there had been a change in the status

of events. In English we sometimes do this by prefixing a sentence with the

phrase, "It came to pass that..." By sometime around the year 1200,

Chinese speakers were doing much the same thing by appending the word

"li" (to come) to sentences. In somewhat the same way that the English

phrase, "God be with you" tranformed into "goodbye," the terminal "li"

became "le," also losing its tone in the process.

SENTENCE = SENTENCE le

Example: Mma li le. (There's been a change. Mom is coming!) or

(There's been a new development. Mom is here!)

Example: Bba b li le. (There's been a change. Dad is not coming after

all.)

Example: Wwa ch fn le. (Baby has started eating solid food!)

(Sometimes a change is "the first time ever.")

If nothing happens, do not use



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Pattern 24:

Numbers are formed in a very orderly way in Chinese. In high school mathwe learn to write numbers in the following format:

d (1000) + e (100) + f (10) + g

But we say fifty instead of five tens. Chinese follows the basic

mathematical schema shown above:

c (10,000) + d (1,000) + e (100) +f (10) + g

c (wn) + d (qin) + e (bi) + f (sh) + g

So, for example, 17,345 is read:

y wn q qi

n s

n b

i s sh w

.

Examples:

y wn lng w sh 10050 sn sh wn lng w kui qin $30,005 y bi y sh tin 115 days y wn lng r bi lng sn 10,0203



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Chinese uses a logical order or a sentence order that follows the time

sequence of events in almost every situation. One such case is the sentencepattern that is used to indicate the actuality and/or the future potentiality

to achieve a result. Many of the instances of this pattern are figurative and

may seem abstract to English speakers. So it is important to start with an

example that may make more sense to the beginning learner of the Chinese

language:

VERB = VERB + Resultative VERB

Example: Tmen ch bo.

They eat [and so] get full.

The negative form of this sentence, indicating that they did not get enough

to eat is:

Example: Tmen mi (yu) ch bo.

They have not gotten full.

Examples:

T shu zho le. T men hi mi ch wn ne. W mi yu kn dng. N zh mo po dio le.


As mentioned in Pattern 20, the coverb l can also be used with the

designation of a length of space or time, and that expression functions like

a stative verb in such sentences.

PRED = COVERB NOUNcoverb PRED

Example: T sh gun l zhr sn gng l.

The library is three kilometers from here.



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Examples:

Ji Jn Shn l Bi Jng yun.

Tin Jn l Bi Jng b yun.

Sentence Pattern 27

Distances between different places can be compared by making an

sentence that follows this pattern:

SENT = (Vl W)b(X l Y) PRED

Example: Yng Gu l FGu b A r ln l D Gu jn.

The distance from England to France is (nearer =) less than the

distance from Ireland to Germany.

Examples:

Ji Jn Shn l B L bLn Dn l Lu M yun.

ShuXng l T Xng bHu Xng l Jn Xing-

yun.



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Sentence Pattern 28

Chinese regularly proceeds from the largest unit to to the least significantunit, so in giving dates, the year is mentioned first, followed by the month,

and then the date. In writing one uses r for the date, but in speaking one

usually says ho.

nin yu r

nin yu ho

Example: r lng y sn nin s yu w r

2013 April 5

Examples:

Tde shng r sh sn yu r sh qho.

T mng nin sh yyu w ho hu gu .

Sentence Pattern 29

As well as indicating that a given location has certain people or things in it,

in Chinese one can also show that a given location has certain people or

things in it doing something.

SENTENCE = (zi) LOCATION yu NOUNsubject PREDICATE

SENT = (zi) Nlocation yu Ns PRED

Example: (Zi) t sh gun witou yu rn tz qi.Outside the library there are people playing soccer.



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Examples:

Zi s sh l y

u rn d

pi.Zi t sh gun ltou mi yu rn b shu jio.

Bi tin mi yu rn zi s shli shu jio.

Sentence pattern 30

A sentence can be formed with a coverb that introduces a point of origin

and a verb that indicates whether the subjects motion is toward the

speaker or not.

SENTENCE = Subject COVERB NOUNorigin VERB

SENT = Ns CV Norgin VERB

Example: Tcng Mi Gu li.

S/he comes from America.

Examples:

Tmen cng Hn Gu li le.

W mng tin b cng ji l li.

W mng tin cng w png yu de ji l li.



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Sentence pattern 31

A sentence can be formed with a coverb that introduces a point of originand a verb that indicates whether the subjects motion is toward the

speaker or not, which is then followed by the action that the subject

performs after arrival.

SENTENCE = Subject COVERB NOUNorigin VERB (to) PREDICATE

SENT = Ns CV Norgin VERB (to) PRED

Example: Tcng Mi Gu li nin sh.

S/he comes from America to study.

Examples:

Tmen mi tin zo shng cng jili li mi du jing. Yude rn zh ji cng s sh li shng k. Mi yge rn cng z jde ku di li n ch y kui qin.

Sentence Pattern 32

In Chinese, some verbs make function as transitive verbs part of the time

and as passive verbs the rest of the time. One example is jio, which can

mean to call, to yell, or to order, but it can also mean, to be called,

to be named.

Example: W jio Kng An Gu.I called out to Kng An Gu.

or

I am called Kng An Gu.



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Examples:

W jio Wng Xio Xin.

Qng jio n bba ch l i. W jio M S Ling. N jio shme mng zi?

Sentence Pattern 33

The Chinese language mentions causes before effects and tools before the

effects they cause. One instance of this general rule is to mention modes of

conveyance before telling of the journey.

SENTENCE = Nsubject COVERB NOUNcoverb PREDICATE

SENT = Ns CV NcvPRED

Example: Wmen zu ch q.

We go by car.

Examples:

N zu ch q ma? W b yo zu fi j q. T d sun zu hu ch li. N b yunyi zu chun do Zhng Gu q ma?



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Pattern 34

In Chinese sentences about going to someplace are parallel in structure tosentences about coming from someplace. (See Pattern 27.)

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject do NOUNdestination li/q

SENT = Ns do Ndestination li/q

Examples: Tmen do xu xio li.

They come to school.

Tmen do t sh gun q.

They go to the library.

Examples:

N do nr q? W do D Hu fn gun q. Nde hizi y jng do zhr li le.

Pattern 35

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject do NOUNdestination VERB PREDICATE

SENT = Ns do Ndestination VERB PRED

Examples: Tmen do xu xio li nin sh

They come to school to study.

Tmen do t sh gun q ji sh. They go to the library to borrow books.



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Examples:

N do nr q ch fn? W do D Hu fn gun q ch fn. Nde hizi y jng do zhr li mi sh le.

Sentence Pattern 36

Chinese uses a weakened form of a resultative verb, lio, to clarify

conversations about whether some expected action has actually been done.As a verb ending, lio is pronounced le.

Example: A: Nyu mi yu ch yo? B: Chle.

A: Did you take your medicine? B: I did [take it].

Examples

@411 @911989 @421 @921 979



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Step Four

Sentence Pattern 37

Coordinated use of le. The verb le flags the fact that someone did dosomething, and so a change must have occurred. The sentence le flags the

fact that a change has occurred, so in cases where a verb le is used it is

frequently appropriate to add a sentence le. When an intransitive verb

occurs at the end of a sentence, the two le merge into one.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject TRANSITIVE VERB le NOUNobject le

Ns TV le No le

Example: W ch le yo le

I did take the medicine. (I took the medicine.)

L

o b

n li le! The boss is here!

Sentence Pattern 37a

.

A sentence terminal le indicates that a possible change has now occurred.

In other words, a sentence that previously was not true has now becometrue. For instance, the following statement is not true, but someday it

might become true: "The first human being has set foot on the planet

Mars." When the adverbial expression yjng is used in a sentence, a

sentence terminal le is generally obligatory because saying "already"

indicates that some change must have occurred.

SENT = SENT le

example: W b y le.

I have graduated.

Tb sh xio hizi le, tyjng sh d rn le.

He is not a child anymore, he has already become an adult.



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Sentence Pattern 37b

A verb final -le indicates that the subject of the sentence did do something.

(Such sentences generally can be construed as answers to a question of theform, "Did you do [the expected action]?" For instance a parent might ask the

children, "Did you all eat your brussels sprouts yet?")

VERB = VERB-le

example: Nmen chle b ci mi yu?

Have you eaten your spinach?

Chle.

[We] did.

Example

Sentence Pattern 38

Both the point of origin and the destination can be mentioned in the same

sentence. As with other cases, the Chinese language always follows the

natural order, so the origin gets mentioned before the destination.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject cng NOUNorigin do NOUNdestination li /q

SENT = Ns cng Norigin do Ndestination li /q

Example: Mma cng xu xio do yn hng q .

Mama went from the school to the bank.



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Examples:

@141 @641 @151 @651 @161 @661 @171 @671

Sentence Pattern 30

An example of the narrative structure embedded in many Chinesesentences is the mention of an action done in preparation for another

action followed by the intended action.

The verbmeans to head oneself in a certain direction. It must be

followed by a word meaning to walk, to run, to turn, etc.

SENTENCE = wng NOUNdirection INTRANSITIVE VERB

SENT = wng Ndirection ITV

Example: Wng dng zu .

(Lit.) Head yourself toward the east and then walk. Wng x po.

(Lit.) Head yourself toward the west and then run.

Examples:

@191 @691 @201 @701 @211 @711 @221 @721



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Sentence Pattern 40

Trigger events with le. When the trigger event shall have occurred (le) itwill then (ji ) be appropriate to do the next thing.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject TRANSITIVE VERB le NOUNobject, NOUNsubjectjiPREDICATE. (If the same subject is used in both clauses, mention it only

once.)

SENT = Ns1 TV le No (Ns2) ji PRED

Example: N do le yn hng, ji wng dng gui .

When you do get to the bank then turn east.

Do le xu xio , t ji do ltou q le. When he got to school, he then went inside.

Example

Sentence Pattern 41

Narrative structure: A frequent device used in conveying directions is to

indicate what is done prior (xin ) to doing something else, and then

indicating what is done thereafter (rn hu ). This format works for

future actions, plans, etc.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject 1 xin PREDICATE, rn hu (NOUNsubject 2 )PREDICATE

SENT = Ns1 xin PRED, rn hu (Ns2 ) PRED

Example: N xin do yn hng q , rn hu wng x gui .

First go to the bank, and after that turn west.



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Examples:

Sentence Pattern 42

Two verbs can be used in series to communicate ideas like ugly (difficult

to look at).

In English it is necessary to separate two predicates with "to", but in

Chinese there is no such necessary separator. Expressions like "difficult tolook at" can mean "ugly," so "difficult to read" is usually expressed by using

instead of.

PREDICATE = PREDICATE1 [to] PREDICATE2PRED = PRED1 [to] PRED2

Example: nn kn

difficult to look at

Example



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Sentence pattern 43

One coverb is so often used that it is treated here as forming a sentence pattern in its ownright. That coverb is b, which means as compared to. the subject is compared tosome standard known to all parties in the conversation.

Examples:

@271 @771 @281 @781

sentence pattern 44

Predicates involving resultative verbs (pattern 24) can be expanded to indicate the

potentiality, or lack of it, to achieve the result.SENTENCE = NOUNsubjectVERB d/b RESULTATIVE VERBSENT = Ns V d/b RV

Example: T ch b bo. W ch d bo.He cannot eat to satiety. I can get full.

Examples:



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Sentence Pattern 45

Narrative structure is often aided by expressions such as the man who

came to dinner. If both parties is a discussion know some such fact about

a third party, but do not know that persons name, the commonly held

information can substitute for a name.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject sh (PREDICATE de NOUN)

SENT = Ns sh (PRED de N)

or

SENTENCE = (PREDICATE de NOUN) PREDICATE

SENT = (PRED de N) PRED

Examples:

Ty dng sh zu tin lide nige rn.

He is surely that person who came yesterday.

Zu tin lide nige rn mile xn q ch le.

Now that person who came yesterday has purchased a new automobile.

Examples:



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Sentence Pattern 46

One special kind of predicate modifier comes after the main verb because itfollows the general pattern whereby the natural order of events is

mirrored by sentence structure. If, for instance, one speaks and thereby

get a good result, that establish the fact that one speaks well. The same

statement can record past events or indicate future potentialities. The

positive form of these sentences uses a main verb followed by d and then

by a complement that expresses the capacity that has been demonstrated,

so these modifiers are called adverbs of capacity.

PREDICATE = INTRANSITIVE VERB d MODIFIER

PRED = ITV d MOD

Examples: Tshu d ho.

He speaks well.

Tmen po d kui.

They run fast.

Examples:



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Sentence Pattern 47

Simply stating that someone sings well may not tell other people verymuch. Others frequently want to know that someone sings well in

comparison to some well-known singer. The basic sentence pattern

involved is: Ns V de2 PRED. That sequence does not change, but it is

supplemented by putting in a coverb, bi3:

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject bNOUNstandard PREDICATE

SENT = Ns bNstandard PRED

Example: Tmen bmpo d kui

They run faster than horses.

Examples:

Miriam Makeba@181@681@499@999



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Sentence Pattern 48

The so-called shi...de pattern is another case wherein something already

mentioned or obvious from context is habitually omitted. For instance, in a

story about the Marx brothers or the Van Trapp family of singers, Tmen

sh hn yu mngde rn, has a redundant element because everyone in the

conversation knows full well that the Marx brothers are humans, and so

are the members of the Van Trapp family. But this sentence pattern has

two special functions: (1) It is frequently used to correct misinformation

voiced by someone else. (2) Its use generally indicates, since somebody can

be characterized as, e.g., a graduate of some university, that event must

have already happened. So it gives some of the same information thatputting a sentence into past tense does in the English language.

This structure has many practical uses. It can indicate a kind of passive

idea when, e.g., a book is described as one that that Hemingway wrote, it

can be used to give prominence in a sentence to the element that

immediately follows, and it can give essentially the same information as

is given in English by putting the main verb of a sentence in past tense.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject sh PREDICATE de.

SENT = Ns sh PRED de.

Example: W b sh qin tin lide, w sh zu tin li de.

I did not come the day before yesterday, I came yesterday.

Tsh d xu b yde.

She is a college graduate. (She has graduated from college.)

Structure note:

These sentences always leave out a redundant part, the noun after the at the

end of the sentence. For instance:

Similarly, it would not be idiomatically correct to say:

Those people are from France.



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Examples:

B du. W b sh hu shu R y de, w sh hu shu Yng y de.No. I'm not the one who knows how to speak Japanese, I'm the one who knowshow to speak English. (= I can't speak Japanese, I speak English.)

Pattern 49 (see Pattern 21)

One of the frequently used coverbs is gi. Literally it means to give

somebody something as a present, or just to give, but it can also be used

when one is doing something for somebody as a favor.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject gi NOUNindirect object NOUNdirect objectSENT = Ns gi Nido Ndo

Example: Mma gi w xyfu.

Mama washed (my) clothes for me.

Examples:



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51

Sentence Pattern 50

A sentence involving an adverb of capacity along with a transitive verb anda direct object takes the form

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject TRANSITIVE VERB NOUNdirect object

TRANSITIVE VERB d PREDICATE

SENT = Ns TV No TV d PRED

Example: Tmen xi z xi d kui.

They write quickly.

Example

W ddi xi z xi de hn lun.My little brother scribbles badly.

Sentence Pattern 52

Another coverb that is frequently used to make sentences is du , which

means to direct oneself toward, to address (someone).

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject COVERB NOUNobject PREDICATE

SENT = Ns COVERB No PRED

Example: Jng ch du d jishu : Qng mshng hu jiq

The policeman said to everyone: Please return home

immediately!



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Examples:

Sentence Pattern 52

Another coverb that is frequently used to make sentences is dui4, whichmeans to direct oneself toward, to address (someone).means to

direct oneself toward some object to perform some action, e.g., "She spoke

to me," or "They were not very good to their visitors."

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject COVERB NOUNobject PREDICATE

SENT = Ns COVERB No PRED

Example:Jng ch du d ji shu: Qng m shng hu ji q!The policeman said to everyone: Please return home immediately!

Example

Qin wn b yo du Wng lo b lmo!For Heaven's sake do not be impolite to Don Wang!



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54

Sentence Pattern 53

A sentence can compare the capabilities of two subjects. The second subjectmentioned is generally the better known of the two because it can then

serve as a standard for comparison.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject ITV d bNOUNstandard RESULT

SENT = Ns ITV d bNstandard RESULT

Example: T po d bw kui.She runs faster than I do.

Example

Sentence Pattern: 54 ne

The sentence-ending particle ne gives a sense of suspension or anticipation. Itis used in contexts where a rising intonation would be found in English, e.g., "Iam Cyrus Brown. And you are?

It also gives an indication that something has not yet changed. In that case it

frequently coordinates with hi mi yu, "still have not."

Examples:

W jio Zhng n Gu , nne?

Wmen hi mi yu ch fn.



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Example

W hi mi yu b y ne. I still have not graduated.

W xng Zhng. nne? I am surnamed Zhang. And you

Sentence Pattern:55 Be aware: There are two kinds of.

after a verb means: Did do it.

after a sentence means: There has been a change.

Rule: If nothing happens, do not use.

Example



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57

Sentence Pattern: 56

SENTENCE = Ns PREDa (to) PREDb -- with

Dng sh, nnde m qn du w hn ho.

At the time, your mother was very good to me.

These verbs tell what tool was used, whom something was given to

(or whom some favor was done for), and toward whom some

attitude or behavior was directed.

Example

Sentence Pattern 57 The word y meaning to the in expressions indicating direction from some point isused in many sentences, often in conjunction with zi.

place = nounreference place y nouncompass direction

example: D Gu zi F Gu y dng.Germany is located to the east of France.



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Example Tde q ch hn gu. sn sh wn y shng.

Xio zhng hn lo. y dng w sh su yshng.

IQ P g tude IQ b go. y dng y bi fn yxi.

Ch fn y qin yng gi x shu.

sentence pattern 58

Sentence = Ns Verb db result NOUNdestination NOUNcomplement

Example: T po b shng shn li.He is unable to run up the mountain (to where we are).

Example Xio nio fi b gu d hi. W bba y dng hu d lio ji.

Wmen ji k nng mi d shng n su fngzi.



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60

Sentence Pattern 59

Another aspect marker: guo. The aspect marker le coming after a verb gives a positiveanswer to the implicit question, Did you do it? The aspect marker guo coming after averb gives a positive answer to the implicit question, Have you done it (within a specifiedor implicit time period)?

Example: N chguo zo fn ma?Have you eaten breakfast (today)?Tmen qguo Bi J ma?Have they (ever) been to the North Pole?

Example

N y qin knguo b jn xide n bn shma?

Shi knguo yu qide lng wi y min? Nmen tngguo fi zhu yn yu mi yu?

Sentence Pattern 60 Causation can be expressed by sentences that seem redundant in English, having thestructure Because....., therefore.......SENTENCE = yn wi SENTENCE1, su y SENTENCE2SENT = yn wi SENT1, su y SENT2

Example: Yn wi t bng le, su y tmi yu li shng k.Because he got sick, (therefore) he did not come to attend class.



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Example Yn wi mma n tin hu b lio ji, su y jijie t t zu fn.

Yn wi qin b gu, su y wmen zh ho chbi ci.

Yn wi hi lng hu hn lhai, su y d ji du hn p tmen.

Sentence Pattern 61

Using y with (be)fore and aft(er) to indicate ideas of time sequence:

Y qin is, literally, to the fore, so it can translated as before, and y hu is,literally, to the aft, so it can be translated as after. These expressions coordinate withzi in the structure of a sentence, and one says the word-for-word equivalent of, I at eat-the-meal-before wash hands. These expressions function as movable adverbs, so theymay come before or after the subject of the sentence. Zi is frequently omitted.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject (zi) event y qin/hu PREDICATE= (Zi) event y qin/hu, NOUNsubjectPREDICATE

SENT = Ns (zi) event y qin/hu PRED= (Zi) event y qin/hu, Ns PRED

Example: T zi tng xumen li y qin xin zu le fn.Zi tng xumen li y qin, t xin zu le fn.He cooked a meal before his schoolmates arrived.

Example

Zi n hu ji y qin qng gi n f m d ygedin hu.

Mma jio w ch fn y hu y dng yo shuy.

Knle nge din yng y hu, w ju d hnmn.



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Sentence Pattern 62

the sh...de sentence pattern can be used to indicate authorship.

sentence = nounsubject sh nounauthor transitive verb desent = ns sh nauthor tv de

example: zh bn sh sh b jn xi de.this book is one that ba jin wrote. (this book is by ba jin.)

Example



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Sentence Pattern 63

SENTENCE == Ns () PRED

Ni3 you4 zai4 gui2 che3!

You are now engaging in talking nonsense again.

In English we use "ing" endings to indicate two things that are split up in Chinese.When the speaker wants to indicate an action that is occuring at the moment (inthe same time slot), the adverbial expression () is used.

Note well:

would refer to people who happened at the time ofthe comment being made to be in the doorway. There being in the doorwayintersected, temporally, with something else that was going on.

would refer to people who happened to be in thedoorway at this clock time, at the present hour and minute, not earlier or later inthe day.

refers to the persistence of the behavior of people,

people who were standing around in the doorway (loitering, waiting for somethingto happen, etc.).

Similarly,

"Teacher is eating dinner." (Meaning that he is in the same timeslot with your coming to visit, so, sorry, you can't come in.)

Teacher is eating dinner." (Meaning that teacher is maintaining aprocess of putting food into his mouth and swallowing, etc., -- irrespective of

anything else that is going on. He "just keeps on" eating.)

"Teacher eats now." (Meaning that he did not eat at 11:00, and hewill not eat at 1:00. He is eating at the present clock time.)



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Example

Sentence Pattern 64

PREDICATE == VERB zhe ne ()

T kzhe ne.He just keeps on crying.

In above, the "ing" meaning "just at this moment" was expressed. In

this case the other alternative is expressed. The verb ending is

used to indicate the drawing out of some event through time. If

someone said, "" the emphasis would be on the weeping

as a continuing state of distress. In English we might translate,

"You're weeping!" but a more precise translation might be, "You'vebeen crying!" The second sentence hints that the speaker can tell from

the other person's appearance that the weeping has been going on for

some time.



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Sentence Pattern 64a

A verb final -zhe indicates continuing action, i.e., action that is not broken

off, and therefore definitely not done with. Emphasis is on thepersistenceof the action, and has nothing to do with when it occurs.

VERB = VERB-zhe

example: Zutian Bba hu lide sh hu, Mimei hi kzhe.

Little sister was still weeping when dad got back yesterday.

Example

Sentence Pattern 65

SENTENCE == Ns ITV FV (ITV =) PV

Nio fi shng li.

The birds fly up (toward us).

A PV (post-verb) is really just an ordinary intransitive verb used for a

special purpose. It indicates how the action described relates to the

speaker. Is the action coming toward the speaker () or going in

some other direction (). In the example above, the bird is flying up

(the mountain or whatever it is) and it is approaching the speaker.



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Example

Sentence Pattern 66

SENTENCE == Ns FV Nfv

T shng shn.She ascends the mountain.

Example



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Sentence Pattern 67

SENTENCE == Ns FV Nfv (ITV =) PV

T shng shn li.

He comes up the mountain.

Note that the person is "coming up the mountain" but it is possible

that this person is flying in an airplane or floating in a balloon. So the

sentence does not actually claim that the actor does anything to themountain.

Example



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Sentence Pattern 68

SENTENCE == Ns FV CV Ncv (ITV =) PV

Tmen po hu shn shng li.

They run back up onto the mountain.

This pattern is similar to others in this series. Note how simpler

patterns can be derived just by dropping elements that may already

be understood.

Example



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Sentence Pattern 69

COVERB =

T lo le, b nng zu l le. (He's gotten old

and can't walk anymore.)

Ch fn yqin b k ych tng. (You may not

eat candy before dinner.)

Nznme hi b hu ki ch?! (How come you

still can't drive?)

Qng nmng tin t w zu bo go. (Please

issue the report for me tomorrow.)

Bba t w l tu f. (Dad gave me a haircut.)

These coverbs have similar meanings.means to be physically able

to do something and/or that environmental factors permit doing

something.means to have learned how to do something, and

means "permissible," although it is often used to mean "can" in the

sense that a possibility for some action or result exists.

t means to do something in somebody's stead, e.g., it was my jobbut I was ill so she did it for me. (And she got paid, too.)



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70

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Example

Sentence Pattern 70 (See Pattern 34)[[BLDS 55]]

Resultative Verb Compounds (as distinguished from Adverbs of Capacity}

When the implicit question is whether the subject is able to do something atall or not, the predicate takes the form exemplified by kn d jin or kn b jin. Kn is theaction of opening the eyes and attempting to look. Jin is the anticipfated result, actually

seeing something. If injury to the eyes, an intervening obstacle to vision such as a densecloud of smoke, etc., prevent vision from occurring, then the Chinese expression is knb jin, and if vision occurs then the expression is kn d jin.These items cannot becompared. One either sees or fails to see. How well one sees requires a differentformulation.

SENTENCE =NOUNsubject VERBtried d/b VERBexpected result (NOUNobj)SENT = Ns Vtried d/b Vexpected result (No)

Examples: T kn b jin le.

She is no longer able to see. (Perhaps it has become too dark.) T kn b do tde mma. He cannot spot his mama. (She must be there somewhere but

There are so many other people that he cannot spot her.)

ExampleVerb phrases of this time set up the implicit (or in some cases explicit) question ofwhether some specified result follows from a certain action. For instance asserts

that it is possible or it has indeed proven possible to look and actually perceive something,whereas asserts that even though one looks one is unable to perceive. These arecalled resultative compounds.



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72

Sentence Pattern 71 [[BLDS 56]]

Money is counted in terms roughly equivalent to dollars, dimes, and pennies. (in someeconomies dimes and pennies would have so little value that they are no longer used.) Theformal dollar unit is yun, and the informal dollar unit is kui. The formal dime unit is jio,and the informal dime unit is mo. Qin means money.

amount = j yun k jio l fn qinj kui k mo l fn qin

Example: sn yun w jio q fn qinsn kui w mo q fn qin

three dollars five dimes seven cents money

three dollars and fifty-seven cents

Examples

Sentence Pattern: 72 [[BLDS 57]]

Purchasing rice by the dollar, not by the number of grains.Frequently when people go to buy things like flour, candy, etc. that are not pre-packaged, theywill be asked, How much cheese do you want? and they may say something like, Giveme three dollars worth of cheese.

NOUN = amount de NOUN

Example: W mi zh. I buy paper. N mi du sho qinde zh? You buy how much paper? W mi w kui qinde zh. I buy five dollars worth.



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Example


The coverb gn is used to form sentences indicating that two or more things are the same.The expression for the same is y yng. It functions as a stative verb. Saying,tmen y yng, asserts that they are all the same.

Anything that is already known can serve as the standard by which new things are defined.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject gn NOUNstandard y yngSENT = Ns gn Nstandard y yng

Example: T gn Kng Z y yng. She is just like Confucius.

Example Ni^ gen- wo^ ge-ge wan/ quan/ yi/ yang`.

You are just like my elder brother.Ngn w gge wn qun b y yng.

You are totally different from my elder brother.



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Sentence Pattern 74

SENTENCE =() SENTa SENTb

can be used to set up a choice between ideas expressed in two

full sentences.

Example

Sentence Pattern 75

VERB = VERB/ VERB-COMPLEMENT

()

Verb phrases of this time set up the implicit (or in some cases explicit)

question of whether some specified result follows from a certain

action. For instance asserts that it is possible or it has indeed

proven possible to look and actually perceive something, whereas

asserts that even though one looks one is unable to perceive.

These are called resultative compounds.



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Example

Sentence Pattern 76

The sh...de sentence pattern can be used to give prominence to

one element of a sentence, frequently when correcting somebody's

misinterpretation of the facts.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject sh NOUNauthor PRED de

SENT = Ns sh Nauthor PRED de

Example



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the... structureTa- shi` da` xue/ bi` ye`de.

She is someone who has graduated from college.

Thisstructurehasmanypracticaluses. Itcanindicateakindofpassiveideawhen,e.g.,abookisdescribedasonethatthatHemingwaywrote,itcanbeusedtogiveprominenceinasentencetotheelementthatimmediatelyfollows,anditcangiveessentiallythesameinformationasisgiveninEnglishbyputtingthemainverbofasentenceinpasttense.

Example


Just as candy can be measured by the dollar, work can be measured by

length of time.

NOUNobject = time de NOUNobjectNo = time de No

Example: Tmi tin kn yge zhngtou de sh.

Every day he reads an hours worth of books.



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Words such as shei2, she2me, ji3ge, duo1 shao3 are called X words becausethey can either be used to ask questions, or they can stand for

indeterminate or indefinite objects. Ta1 you3 ji3ge peng2 you3 can be a

question, How many friends does he have? or it can be a statement, He

has several friends.

Example: N jge rn zu tin hu Zhng Gu q le.Those several people returned to China yesterday.

Example



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Two individuals or groups may be the same in one respect, e.g., two peoplemay be equally tall. The verb y yng and the stative verb describing the

respect in which people or things are the same form a complex verb. When

a simple subject is involved the pattern is:

SENTENCE: NOUNsubject y yng STATIVE VERB

SENT = Nsy yng SV

Example: Tmen y yng cng mng.

They are equally intelligent.

If two individuals or groups are mentioned, the pattern is similar to #58:

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject gn NOUNstandard y yng PREDICATE

SENT = Ns gn Nstandard y yng PRED

Example: Tgn w y yng xhun n.

He likes you as much as I do.

Example Huckeberry FinnGandi



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82

Sentence Pattern 81

In English, people sometime say things like, I have as much intelligence asshe does. There is a close parallel in Chinese that is more often used:

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject yu NOUNstandard nme PREDICATE

SENT = Ns yu Nstandard nme PRED

Example: Tmi yu Kng Znme cng mng

He does not have as much intelligence as did Confucius.

Example Bill Gates(Beavis)


A special movable adverb is formed using y(to the) and wi (outside). Ittells of something being eliminated from one place and being put in another

so that it loses connection with its original background. The phrase y

wi coordinates with the expression ch le, which literally means to

weed out or to excise. So chle XYZ ywi means something like

removing XYZ from consideration and looking at the things outside of it

or other than it.

SENTENCE = chle NOUNtarget ywi, SENTENCE

SENT = chle Ntargetywi SENT

Example: Chle Bba ywi, wmen du hn hi pExcept for Papa, we were all very frightened.



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Example

Sentence Pattern 83 (repeat) [[BLDS 83]]

SENTENCE = NOUNsubject bNOUNobject PREDICATE

SENT = Ns bNo PRED.

Example: Ddi bwde tng du ch gung le

Little brother got my candy and ate it all up



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Extended note on b :

Ns No PRED

Lo h hu b ni du chdio.

The tigers are apt to eat up all the cattle.

Y. R. Zhao, A Grammar of Spoken Chinese, p. 344, notes: "As a generalizedmeaning of the second verb after a pre-transitive [ba], Wang Lih (Yeufaa, I, 160)described it as that of disposal (). But unless taken in a very broad sense,including disposal in an abstract sense, it will hardly be wide enough to apply toall cases." He also points out, on the following page, that "the one feature that iscommon to all the second verbal epressions after pretransitives is their

polysyllabicity." On p. 346 he says that "a pretransitive is employed to advancethe position of the object and get it out of the way."

The structure is typically used in two situations. One is to give prominence tothe idea of getting ones hands on something or somebody to do something tothem. The other is simply to reposition the object of the verb ahead of the rest ofthe predicate to enable it to be governed by or to avoid breaking up verbclusters and making their meaning less clear.

These sentences frequently answer the question, "Who got to your candy?" or

"Who did that to your poor nose?" The answer says that so and so got ahold of itand did something to it.

The noun governed by is always a specific individual or group. says that Grandpa gives us books every time he visits, but it is notsome known group of books. , however, has to refer to thebooks," some known group of books that he decided to give us.

In a sense this construction is very literal-minded. means "to take in hand,"and if there isn't already something there to grab then it does not make sense to

use b. In English it is possible to say something like, "Ba Jin started writing hisnew novel," but in Chinese one cannot use b as long as there is not something

that one could take hold of. After there is something concrete in existence, bcan be used to say things like, "Ba Jin finished up writing that new novel." (

B Jn b n bn xnde xio shu xi wn le.)



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B functions as an "object mover-upper" in two situations: One is to put theobject of the sentence where it can be governed by du.

Tmen du mi le q ch le. "They all bought automobiles."

but

Tmen b q ch du mi le. "They bought all of theautomobiles.

The other function is to move the object out of a tightly bound cluster of verbalelements where it can find no happy home.

As beginning learners of Chinese develop a more advanced sense for the "feel"of the language, they will begin to recognize situations in which there seems tobe no safe or appropriate place to put the object of a sentence because it keepsdisturbing the flow and organization of that sentence. The ordinary way out of

that problem is to move it up before all of those complications by using b.

Examples:

Ddi chle tng. Little brother ate some candy.

Ddi b wde tng ch le. Little brother got ahold of mycandy and ate it.

Ddi b wde tng du chgung le. Little brother gotahold of my candy and ate it all up.Ddi b wde tng n hu t png yude jili q gi tde y xi png yumen tutu rde ch le.

Little brother got ahold of my candy and took it back to his friends house andgave it to a some friends of his to eat in secrecy.

She turned my name into an object of ridicule.Your pig is too troublesome! I want to eat it!343. Do not forget the key! 346 They explicated the incident.350 All along the school has wanted to fire me.350 Do not behead that petty thief.



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85


When verbs are qualified with regard to the mental attitude with which theactions are performed, the grammatical device is an adverb of manner.

Adverbs normally are placed immediately before verbs, and adverbs of

manner are not an exception to that rule. However, they are different from

other adverbs in that they are reduplicated and often followed by another

syllable, -er. They are joined to the following verb with the particle de.

ADVERBmanner = STATIVE VERBaSTATIVE VERBa-r de

ADVmanner = SVaSVar de

Example: Qng nho ho r de xi z.

Please write your characters nicely.

Qng nkui kui r de hu jiq.

Please return home quickly.

Example

Sentence Pattern 85

Sentences with indirect objects

SENTENCE = Ns TV Nido Ndo

Example: Tmen gi wmen sn bn sh.They are giving us three books.



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87

Example

Sentence Pattern 86

Time accreted to an activity

SENT = Ns TV No you3 NOUNtime period

T nin sh yu snge zhngtou (le)

He has put three hours into reading (as of now).

Example

Sentence Pattern 87

The more it rains the more it pours, etc.

SENTENCE = NOUNsubjectyu PREDayu PREDb

Example: T yu nin sh yu kn.The more he studied the sleepier he got.



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Example


SENT = lin ns y/du PRED

Example: Lin bi lo sh du shu wn hn nn.

Example


SENT = (Ns) lin nO (Ns) y/du PRED

example: Bi lo sh lin Bi Gng du qguo.

Lin Bi Gng Bi lo sh du qguo.

Example



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91

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Sentence Pattern 90 [[BLDS ]]

SENTENCE = Ns VERB zhe No

Example: Pngzi shng xizhe Sn wn b gu gng

On the bottle was written: "Three bowls and you won't make it

over the mountain ridge."

Example

Sentence Pattern 91

At the moment, during this time period (the lunch hour, etc.)A speaker at one time can relate how two people are or were doing things

in the same time frame, e.g., When the guests arrived he was just then

taking a bath. (K rn lide sh hu, tzhng zi x zo.)

ADV = zhng zi

Example



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SENT = Ns TV No TV d g

n Nstandard y yng PRED

Example: Tki ch kide gn w ddi y yng zo go.

Example


SENT = Ns TV No TV d yu Nstandard nme PRED.

Example: Lo sh

xi xi

o shu

xi

d y

u B

Jn nme du

.

Extension of a previous pattern

Example



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95

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Resultative verbs when the second element has a negative

Example: Tmen po d b kui.


Example

Sentence Pattern 95

More complex predicates like fi shng li ...... fi hu shnshang li.


Example



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Sentence Pattern 96

Coverb = nng, hu, k y -- need to differentiate these words

Example

Sentence Pattern 97

zai4 LOCATION de NOUN

Example



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99

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None other than X did it too.

SENTENCE = Jishi Ns y PREDICATE

Example

Sentence Pattern 99

Whoever wants to:

SENTENCE = Shi yo PREDICATEa, shi ji PREDICATEa

Example



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missing 101102

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Sentence Pattern 100

Giving free rein:

Sentence = NOUNsubject yo PREDICATEa ji PREDICATEa

Example


VERB = VERB + qli

Example: W xing qli le!

Example



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missing 104104x

105

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SENTENCE = Ns ADVmanner PRED

Example: T sho gile y kui qin.

T kuikurde po hu ji q le.

Example


One thing or the other, no third choice

SENTENCE = B shi (item 1) ji sh (item 2)

Example: B shi w do t ji q ch fn, ji sh t do w ji li d pi.

Example



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107

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missing 108missing 108x


SENTENCE = VERB li VERB q (k

shi /y

) mi y

u PREDICATE

Example: Tmen y zh po li po q, kshi mi yu zho do ddi.

Example


Concessive intrusion in sentence = VERB sh VERB, kshi PRED

Example: Zhi ling q ch, ho sh ho, kshi hn mn.

Example



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ADV = y (meaning immediately upon)

Example: Ny go s nddi, t ji gn w shu le.

Example


ADVERB = y (meaning the entire)

Example: Tb y le, wmen y jidu ho le!

Example


201 patterns chinese sentences

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