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01
01x
02
02x
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?
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04
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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05
05x
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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07
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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11
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.
Sentence Pattern 11:
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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11x
12
12x
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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14
Sentence Pattern 13:
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 Pattern 14:
SENTENCE = SENTENCE
Adding at the end of a sentence changes a command or a flat statement
into a suggestion.
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15
15x
Sentence Pattern 15:
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
Sentence Pattern 16:
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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17x
18
Sentence Pattern 17:
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
Sentence Pattern 18:
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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19
19x
Examples: T hu shu Zhng Gu hua`. T lo le, b nng zu l le. N zhi yng zu sh b k yde.
Sentence Pattern 19:
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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21
21x
Sentence Pattern 20:
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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22x
Sentence Pattern 22:
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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23
23x
RULE RULE
Sentence Pattern 23:
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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24
24x
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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25x
26
Sentence Pattern 25:
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.
Sentence Pattern 26:
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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27
27x
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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29
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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30
30x
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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32
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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33x
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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35
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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36
36x
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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37x
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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38
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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38x
39
39x
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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41
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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42
42x
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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43
43x
44
44x
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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45
45x
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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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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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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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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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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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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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
Sentence Pattern 73 [[BLDS 58]]
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
Sentence Pattern 77 [[BLDS 59]]
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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Sentence Pattern 79 [[BLDS 61]]
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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Sentence Pattern 80 [[BLDS 62]]
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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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)
Sentence Pattern 82 [[BLDS 82]]
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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83
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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Sentence Pattern 84 [[BLDS 84]]
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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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
Sentence Pattern 88 [[BLDS 88]]
SENT = lin ns y/du PRED
Example: Lin bi lo sh du shu wn hn nn.
Example
Sentence Pattern 89 [[BLDS 89]]
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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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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Sentence Pattern 92 [[BLDS 91]]
SENT = Ns TV No TV d g
n Nstandard y yng PRED
Example: Tki ch kide gn w ddi y yng zo go.
Example
Sentence Pattern 93 [[BLDS 92]]
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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Sentence Pattern 94 [[BLDS 93]]
Resultative verbs when the second element has a negative
Example: Tmen po d b kui.
Extension of a previous pattern
Example
Sentence Pattern 95
More complex predicates like fi shng li ...... fi hu shnshang li.
Extension of a previous pattern
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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Sentence Pattern 98 [[BLDS 94]]
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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Sentence Pattern 100
Giving free rein:
Sentence = NOUNsubject yo PREDICATEa ji PREDICATEa
Example
Sentence Pattern 102
VERB = VERB + qli
Example: W xing qli le!
Example
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Sentence Pattern 103
SENTENCE = Ns ADVmanner PRED
Example: T sho gile y kui qin.
T kuikurde po hu ji q le.
Example
Sentence Pattern 105
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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Sentence Pattern 106
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
Sentence Pattern 107
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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Sentence Pattern 109 [[BLDS 90]]
ADV = y (meaning immediately upon)
Example: Ny go s nddi, t ji gn w shu le.
Example
Sentence Pattern 110
ADVERB = y (meaning the entire)
Example: Tb y le, wmen y jidu ho le!
Example
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