CLAUDIA ROSS, Ph.D. Simplified morphology for easier reading comprehension 200 sets of practice exercises Pronunciation key thoughout _- Chinese/English and English/Chinese glossaries Use with these courses: (A Beginning Chinese | [2% Beginning Chinese il [= Mandarin | (7 Mandarin Il (7 Elementary Chinese (7% Intermediate ChineseSCHAUM’S OUTLINE OF CHINESE GRAMMAR CLAUDIA ROSS, Ph.D. Professor of Chinese Department of Modern Languages and Literature College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts SCHAUM’S OUTLINE SERIES McGRAW-HILL New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Torontoareata lecitet oe Claudia Ross is coordinator of the Chinese language program at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and has 20 years’ experience teaching Chinese as a second language. She received her Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Michigan. Schaum’s Outline of CHINESE GRAMMAR Copyright © 2004 by McGraw-Hill. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. i 34567890 CUS/CUS 098765 ISBN 0-07-187764-6 Acknowledgments I wish to thank the following people for their assistance in the development of this book: ding-heng Ma, Hsiu-ling Lin, Weina Zhao, Yu-tzu Zhang, Jocelyn Ross, Adam Ross, Grace Chen, and the reviewers and editors of the Schaum’s series, All errors are, of course my own.Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Contents Conventions Used in this Book NUMBERS Counting Estimates and Approximations Ordinalization Reading Numbers Fractions and Percentages NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION Nouns Noun Phrases Noun Modification VERBS AND VERB PHRASES Properties of Mandarin Verbs Stative Verbs Activity Verbs Achievement Verbs Membership in More than One Verb Category ADVERBS Characteristics of Adverbs Common Adverbs Categorized by Meaning PREPOSITIONS AND PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES Commonly Used Prepositions Properties of Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases The Meaning of Mandarin Prepositions Prepositions and Verbs THE SUFFIXES 7 le’ # zhe > AND i8/i guo JT le 5-7 le V-T le V-# zhe V-28/it guo THE RESULTATIVE STRUCTURE AND POTENTIAL SUFFIXES The Resultative Structure Potential Suffixes: - 44 T deliio able to and - # { bulido unable to ili 46 88 111 119 135Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 CONTENTS QUESTIONS AND QUESTION WORDS Questions Question Words as Indefinites LOCATION, DIRECTIONAL MOVEMENT, AND DISTANCE Location Directional Movement Distance THE #¢ ba CONSTRUCTION COMPARISONS More Than Less Than Equal To Not Equal To Including the Activity in the Comparison PHRASE AND CLAUSE CONNECTION Important Features of Phrase and Clause Connections Addition Disjunction Sequence and Simultaneity Contrast Conditionality Cause-and-Effect FOCUSING CONSTRUCTIONS Topicalization % shi ... & de He J chile ... 9h yiwai 3e/3# lidn Passives SPEAKER PERSPECTIVE Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases Sentence Final Particles ANSWERS TO EXERCISES Index 147 172 190 195 208 243 252 275Conventions Used in This Book Presentation of Examples Examples are presented in traditional characters, simplified characters, and pinyin romanization. AZRA RE RAPRA BE o zhé bén shti hén yéu yisi. This book is very interesting. When no character in an example has a simplified form, a single line of characters is presented. Ab HIRE ° w6 didi hén gao. My younger brother is very tall. In pinyin examples, capitalization is used only for proper names. RRER GCP BR ° RRER CFP At wo hén xihuan chi Zhonggud fan. I like to eat Chinese food very much. Ungrammatical Forms Ungrammatical examples are occasionally presented to indicate improper usage. All ungrammatical forms are preceded by @. Ungrammatical forms are always presented along with grammatical forms. BAA OMAR wo de péngyou péngyou de w6 my friend Conventions used in tone marking neutral tone This book follows the conventions of Beijing Mandarin in the use of neutral tone: » The classifier 4¢|/\ge is presented in neutral tone. ® The second syllable of most nouns occurs in neutral tone: (e.g. 44k méimei AA péngyou) ® The infixes# biti and #4 dé in resultative verb compounds are presented as bu and de (e.g. #45, kandejian able to see, 8 7 B| maibudado unable to buy).vi CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS BOOK tone_sandhi In spoken Mandarin, certain tone sandhi (tone change) rules apply. 8 Third tone change: Third tone is spoken as second tone when it occurs before another third tone (e.g. ni h4o becomes nf ho, wo: xihuan becomes w6 xihuan). In this book, third tone change is represented in the tone spelling only if the change occurs within a single word. It is not indicated if the change occurs across word boundaries. In this way, the two syllable words 4] vA and * # are written in pinyin as kéyi and shuigud (not as kéyi and shuYgud) but the two word phrase Lak is written in pinyin as hén hao, not hén hio. = Special tone changes: # bt: becomes bit when it occurs before a fourth toned syllable (e.g. bi: hut becomes bit hui, bi: dul becomes bu dui. In this book, fourth tone change is represented in the tone spelling within and across word boundaries. " The numbers — yi one, ’ + gi seven, and /\ ba eight sometimes change to second tone before a fourth toned syllable (e.g. —/\yige, yikuai). In this book these numbers are always represented in first tone. Conventions for writing de a] de ~ the marker of noun modification: BSNS ABA a) tishtiguan de shi the library's books. 3%, de - the marker of pre-verbal modification of activity verbs: fir fit 28 A toutou de kan secretly take a look ft de - the a of post-verbal modification of activity verbs: RAE pao a kuai run fastCONVENTIONS USED IN THIS BOOK - the potential infix in resultative verb compounds: pk JL Ott A chidewan able to finish eating - the marker of extent modification of adjectival stative verbs: tte BAG HS AR RER © Aa RAT IE ARRR © ta léi de zhanbugilai. He is so tired that he can't stand up. Conventions for writing zud #& zud as the verb meaning to do or to assume the role of: PE WS Zuo cai zud shi to cook to work 4 zud as a constituent in noun compounds: VER VF ak zuoye homeworkNumbers COUNTING Numbers 1-99 When numbers are used for counting, they occur without any additional words: — yi 1 = & 2 — san 3 WwW si 4 x wi 5 x lit 6 k q 7 nw ba 8 HK jit 9 + _ shf 10 OQ ing 60 OR #& ling 0 The numbers 11-99 are built upon 1-10 as follows: fe shfyi Il 2+ sanshi 30 — shfér 12 +H sanshiwtt 35 +2 shisan J3 w+ sishf 40 +2 shisi 14 v+HA sishiwi 45 +E shiwt{ 15 B+ —— witsht 50 +H shilit 16 A+R wishiwi 55 +4 shfqi 17 a+ litshi 60 HA sh{ba 18 AK+H litshiwi 65 +H shijiti 19 t+ qishi 70 =+ érshf 20 ++H qishiwi 75 a+— — exshiyi 21 A+ bashf 80 ata érshftr 22 A+# bashfwti 85 a+ ershisin 23 A+ jitishi 90 =+w ershist 24 Ate jitshiwi 95 —2+h ershiwi 25 AtA jitishijit 992 NUMBERS (CHAP.1 = érand Wy/ 7 liing # When counting numbers without a following classifier, the number “2” is always = er: —yi, —@, = san... (For more on classifiers, see Chapter 2: Nouns, Noun Phrases, and Noun Modification.) | « When the number “2” is part of the number 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72, 82, or 92, it is always — er: += shfér + —-+-= ershfér +» =-+= sdnshfer ... = Jn all other cases, when the number “2” occurs before a classifier, it is Fa/7A liang. (See Chapter 2: Nouns, Noun Phrases, and Noun Modification.) aA mg A aA AA liang bén shi liang ge rén two books two people 1. Complete the chart by converting the Chinese numbers to Arabic numerals and the Arabic numerals to Chinese numbers: Arabic Chinese Arabic Chinese Numeral Number Numeral Number 1. | 14 8. =—+=. ér shi ér 2. =—+= érshfsan 9. | 92 3. | 28 10. --X shi ba 4. B+ wit shf lit 11. | 77 3. | 39 12, ALA bai shf ba 6. | +-+w di shfst 13. | 26 7.) 67 14. | w-+— si shi yi Numbers 100-10,000 a bai 100 + qian 1,000 %/ wan 10,000CHAP.1] NUMBERS 3 Numbers through 9,999 are constructed as they are in English: hundreds : a aA litt bai thousands lit shf A+ @ ba bai jiti shi | st LGA At | A jit DXi | iti sh jt 2,894 | | ling qian 9,999 | LF | | jiti qian AFD In Mandarin, the numbers 10,000 and higher are counted in terms of the number of %/% wan ten thousands, followed by the number of thousands, the number of hundreds, the number of tens, and the number of ones. The number 24,000 is read 1 +-/%4 % w9-F ling wan si qian two ten thousands (and) four thousands. Numbers between 10,000 and 1,000,000 are illustrated here. ones 1-800 thousands | hundreds | tens ten-thousands WK a GP EO oT 89, 667 NA BIF ut KA aAtle | ba wan jiti qian =| lit bai lit shf | qi 273,561 | = +4 B/F 24+ AG AP | érshiqi wan san gian |witbai | lit shf | yi 892,894! N+ S/F at AF AT | a bashfjitt wan lidng qian | ba bai jitt shf | st 2,735,610 | H#AEFEBIFA AF x —+ ling bai qishfsin wan | wiigian | lit bai yi shf 8,979,999 | NA AF BIG WF Ga At | % | ba bai jitishiqi wan jit qian = | jitt bai | jiti shf | jit4 NUMBERS [CHAP.1 1 Million, 10 Million, 100 Million 1,000,000 GBIF (one hundred ten- one million bXi wan thousands) 10,000,000 +-8/7 (one thousand ten- _ ten million qian win thousands) 100,000,000 4&/4z, (or) BBIAA one hundred million yi wanwan Note: When the number “2” occurs before & bai hundred, + qian thousand, or 317 wan fen thousand it may be either = ér or / liang. 200: = 4 ér bai, G/F liing bai Anote on reading O/ ling: An empty hundreds place or tens place may be read as O/& ling. Compare the following two numbers: 3,053 stats san qian ling wishisan 70,182 + 8- GAPS 4£A-BAF= qi wan yi bai bashf ér When reading a number with a series of zeroes, the word ©/%& ling is only included once: 2,001 fheO— ATO liang qian ling yi 2. Complete the chart by converting the Chinese numbers to Arabic numerals and the Arabic numerals to Chinese numbers: Arabic Numeral | Chinese Number 6,700,000 2. (£E-tARS+=a | RA-FARAA+=H | wit wan yi qian lit bai ér shf érCHAP.1) NUMBERS 5 3. 9,202,002 4. ZBATFERRT-A ATR ZRATFEARF-F ATR san bai ba shi si wan liang qian yi bai wit shi lit 5, 74,000 6. w+Le-BS+ M+LA-BS+ si shf jiti wan yi b&i san shi 7. 2,000,000 i 8. WHEATLEAFAARS . |\RBRTRAAFTAERR liang bai wit shi wii wan lit qian jiti bai ling ér 9. 438,059 — _—_|___. = 10. iAtLBSatR a et KALA STARE | jiti shi jiti wan san qian lidng bai wit shi yi Ln ESTIMATES AND APPROXIMATIONS ERY chabudud almost & & % chabudud +Number + classifier indicates that a value is near but less than the specified number. # # 4 chabuduod is always followed by a Number + Classifier. (See Chapter 2: Nouns, Noun Phrases, and Noun Modification, and Chapter 4: Adverbs.) WERGATK © MEAGATH ta chabuduod bashf sul. He is almost 80 years old.6 NUMBERS (CHAP.1 ARAB BRZSOTE ° AKAD Io BAZOTE o jintian tébié ré. chabudué sishf db. Today it is particularly hot. It is almost forty degrees. &.#% zubdyou about/more or less Number + classiifier #4 wadydu indicates that a value isa little more or a little less than the specified number. & 4 zudyou is always preceded by a Number + Classifier. RUA P Bi Ze Fa ° WAT BE ° ta bash{ sul zudyodu. He is about 80 years old. SROTRAD ° jintian sishi dt zudyou. Today it is about forty degrees. VA_E yishang above, VA"F yYxia below Number vA_. yishang indicates that a value is equal to or greater than the specified number. Number vA-F yixia indicates that a value is equal to or less than the specified number. vA_E yishang and ¥A-F yYxia may directly follow a number alone, or a noun phrase that includes a number. ATW E wish yishang Jifty or more ETUAF wiishf yYxia Jifty or less 2+32 48 WE STRAVUE sansh{ kuai qian yishang thirty dollars or moreCHAP.1)} NUMBERS STREET ZTRAAF sanshf kuai qian yixia thirty dollars or less dus Number % dud indicates that a value is greater than the specified number. If the number is part of a noun phrase, $ dud precedes the classifier. ETS wish du6 more than fifty EF gee ETERK sanshf dud kuai qidn more than thirty dollars _ 3. Complete the chart to express the following expressions in Chinese and English. 1. | 75 people more or less 2. —FAE yi qian yishang 3. | almost 100 people 4. SGRRAD LERRAB san bai kuai qian zudyou 5. | 75 or more people 6. ERS ZGRR ERG ADRK? chabududé san bai kuai gidn. 7. | 40 or fewer8 NUMBERS (CHAP.1 gf ea HS RR yi bai dud kuai qian 9. | more than 75 10. ZAM F | san bai yixia ORDINALIZATION Ordinalization refers to sequencing or ordering: first, second, third, etc. 4. Rewrite the Chinese ordinal numbers into English and the English ordinal numbers into Chinese: 1.3" 2.8" 3. 10" 4.2% 5,99" 6 PA di wii 7. & —-+ di ér shi 8. BAL A jit 9. A— diyi 10. BW dist READING NUMBERS In certain contexts, numbers are read as individual digits. These include numbers which are part of phone numbers, addresses, licenses, passports, and other documents used for identification. The reading of phone numbers is illustrated here. Decimal fractions described below in this chapter are also read as individual digits.CHAP.1] NUMBERS Note: In standard Mandarin as spoken in Beijing and other parts of China, the number ‘1’ is pronounced yao. 6810-2232 lit ba yi ling - ér er san ér lit ba yao ling - ér ér sn ér 3551-8867 san wiiwityi - ba ba lit qi san wii wii yao - ba ba lit qi 5. Read the following phone numbers. Provide your responses in pinyin. 6839-1234 5334-2387 8833-1111 119 (fire-emergency in China) 114 (information in China) 13521056666 (cell phone number) nw sf YN FRACTIONS AND PERCENTAGES Fractions and Percentages Expressed as ‘Parts of the Whole’ Fractions and percentages are expressed as a ‘parts of the whole’ as follows: Ax 2B A fén zhi B B parts of A parts BRA wii fén zhi yi one part of five - one fifth Notice that in Chinese, the ‘whole’ is always the first number in the expression. If the ‘whole’ is expressed in terms of the number 100, then a percentage of the whole is expressed as ‘parts of one hundred.’ ad2o+ 40 parts of 100 ... 40% | bai fén zhi si shi aR2+ bai fén zhi sht yZ2aA 50 parts of 100 ... 50% ee) bai fén zhi wiishi 10 parts of 100 ... 10%10 NUMBERS BRLZATA bai fén zhi jitishf jit BDz | J part of 100 . 1% bai fén zhi yi 99 parts of 100 ... 99% If the ‘whole’ is a expressed as a number smaller than 100, then a fraction of the whole is expressed as ‘parts of the whole.’ 1 aya I part of 4... 1/4 | si fén zhi yi , SPZS 2 parts of 3 ... 2/3 san fen zhi ér NGL S parts of 8 ... 5/8 ba fén zhi wii +PZ— I part of 10... 1/10 shi fén zhi yi 6. Complete the chart to express the following fractions and percentages in Chinese and in Arabic numerals. | aRaZA+ bai fén zhi litishf 2. 18% 3.) BRPAZAFA bai fén zhi bashf jiti 4, 66% 5.) BALZER bai fén zhi sanshf{ ér 6. 35% 7.) OLE si fén zhi san 9. [FLA shf fén zhi jitCHAP.1) NUMBERS ll =RZ— ér fén zhi yi Questioning Percentages and Fractions The question words % “+ dudshao and #8/JL jY are used to ask about the value of a percent or fraction. In the response, a number replaces the question word. (See Chapter 8: Questions and Question Words.) Percentages Q ALS H ? A BRLET bai fén zhi dudshao? bai fén zhi qishf what percent? 70% QVARLSY ? A BAZiTS bai fén zhi dudshao? bai fén zhi érshf st what percent? 24% Fractions ADZH ? ADZIL? A fén zhi ji? Q: EPZHK? MEDQZS LFZIL? EDZS wii fén zhi ji? wii fén zhi =. How many fifths? two-fifths (2/5) QADZHK? AAP ZEB AAAI? NDS jit fén zhi j¥? jiti fen zhi wit How many ninths? Sive-ninths (5/9) 7. Answer the following questions in Chinese based on the number in parentheses. LARLSP? (91% ) bai fén zhi dudshao? 2 BDL S 2? (26%) bai fén zhi duéshao?12 NUMBERS 3, BDLSY? (49%) bai fen zhi duGshao? 4 ADZEB? (78) ARZIL? ba fén zhi ji? 5. Fr-PLKR? (10/11 ) +-P2ZIL? shfyi fén zhi ji 6 REZEK? (4/5) EFZIL? wii fén zhi ji? Decimal Fractions (CHAP.1 Decimal fractions are expressed by 24/ 4% dian followed by the decimal number. The decimal! number is read as a series of individual digits. Notes: If a number begins with a decimal point, the number may optionally be read as © 3 / O48 ling didn. In decimal fractions, the number ‘2’ is always read as — ér. =) (OO) (O)a&& (ling) didn wit 79 (O) +24 (O) atk (ling) diin qi wii 758 (QO) BRERA (O) REBRAN (ling) didn qi wii ba 7508 (QO) BtERON (O) AEBRON (ling) dian qi wii ling ba 18 —EEAI- AA yi diin ba 34.69 EZ+WEAA 2B aK sanshi si didn lit jitCHAP.1} NUMBERS 8. Complete the chart to express these decimal fractions in Chinese and in Arabic QO numerals. 1. OBOB/OKROR | Mingdiningwh 2. | 2.3 3. —#-OO2/-&— yi din yi ling ling san 4} 666 | 5. OBARIO BARK ling dikn ba lit 6. | 9.7 7. OS AORIOBRAOK __| ling di&n ba ling lit 8. | 1.05 9. atagaoa/a+tn érshf ér didn ér ér 10. | 84 Discounts: Percentage Off Total Price e- neo 13 Discounts are expressed as the percentage of the original price at which goods are offered as follows: Number + 47 zhé Note: Typically, Arabic numerals rather than Chinese numbers are used with 4 zhé to express discounted price. Wat (9 HF) jiti zhé AAR (8 af ) ' ba zhé |=BbRa (2.5 47) ér diin wii zhé 73% off 50% off14 NUMBERS {[CHAP.1 23) OF san dao si zhé or af 2] aR (3-4 HH) san zhé dao si zhé Af (2 4) ér zhé (3-4 47) | 60-70% off 80% off The verb used to express discounts is 47 da. The following examples express the percentage and the discounted selling price of an item whose original price was $100. Note: The question word #4/JL ji is used to ask the percentage of the discount. Original Price | Percentage of Discount? | Discount Discounted ay Kala La ? Selling d& ji zhé? Price ee ree $100 dt HUF 10% $90 da jiti zhé $100 [at A 20% $80 | da ba zh $100 a Eb ASF 75% $25 da ér didn wii zhé PETAR OT en $100 a Aa 50% $50 da wii zhé | $100 47 =H 80% $20 da ér zhé 9. Express these discounts in Chinese using #7 zhé. 1. 40% off 2. 25% off 60% off ty * 65 % off 90% off inCHAP.1) NUMBERS 10. Compute the discounted price for each of the following items. | Original Price | Discount $100 ig af shoes: 2. 3. 4. | gloves: $20 125 if Discounted Selling Price se 15Nouns, Noun Phrases, and Noun Modification NOUNS Mandarin has three kinds of nouns: common nouns, pronouns, and proper nouns. Common Nouns Common nouns may be concrete or abstract Pronouns Proper Nouns Features of Mandarin Nouns 2/4 shi book, #/# ché car, B® yisi meaning, etc. ‘ Singular #& w6 1" person (I/me) 4g nY 2" person (you) #8 nin 2" person polite form (you) fta,/-4e/E, ta 3" person (he, she, itvhim, her, it) 2G aijY reflexive pronoun (self) Plural # 41/44] w6men I" person (we, us) of 4F4/% 4] z&énmen I* person inclusive (includes speaker and addressees)(we, us) 4eAFU/4e 4] nimen 2” person (you) RAV, HAV HAI, APE 47 tamen ° 3” person (they, them) B/? | Zhongguo China % B/ B Méiguo America 5% F 1/4)? 1b Stin Zhongshan Sun Yatsen * Number: Common nouns are typically neutral with respect to number and have no separate singular and plural forms. Common nouns referring to people may be suffixed with the plural suffix {fi/4] men (4141/4 F-4 hdizimen children, & 2 4P]/ 447 xuéshengmen students), though the use of the plural suffix is relatively uncommon.” Pronouns have distinct singular and plural forms. “In this form, nouns cannot be further modified by a number + classifier phrase. In addition, they are definite in reference. 16CHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 17 * Gender: Common nouns are neutral with respect to gender and Mandarin does not distinguish ‘masculine,’ ‘feminine,’ and ‘neuter’ nouns, Pronouns are neutral in their spoken form. As illustrated above, gender is distinguished in the third person in the contemporary written language: 4 ta he, him /-+4 ta she, her /'€ ta it, ® Grammatical case: In Mandarin, there are no separate forms of nouns associated with their use as subject (nominative case), possessive (genitive case), object (accusative case), etc. There is no distinction among pronouns equivalent to English 'T/my/me,' etc. Special Uses of Pronouns 78 41/4 411 zanmen and 4474/4, 41] w6men Mandarin spoken in and around Beijing makes a distinction between inclusive we and exclusive we. Inclusive we includes the speaker and the addressee and is expressed with the word »¢| #P]/24 47] zanmen: AT eG | A ee | zanmen. zu ba! Let's go! malate PBA © 9A ila PBA © zanmen dou shi Zhongguo rén. We are all Chinese. Exclusive we includes the speaker and not necessarily the addressee and is expressed with the word # 171/447] w6men: BANVE RAR RK © BANTER RAK © women xiing gén ni téntdn. We want to speak with you. RMBLRE PX 0 EMBER # Ko women dou xihuan xué Zhongwen. We all like to study Chinese.18 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION [CHAP.2 Even in Beijing, #,4P1/4%,4/] wOmen may be used for both senses of we. A @ ait self Mandarin has a single reflexive pronoun, 4 @ zijY se/f, which is unmarked for person or gender. 8 @ zijY has the following uses. It occurs as an object to mark identity of reference with the subject: 4 EP Bl — 30.75 RRR T° he O-RARMA Lo ni zai waigud yiding déi zhaogt zijf. When you are in a foreign country you must take care of yourself. RABRKA Le RAERAT wo bit xvhuan zijy. I don't like myself. It can follow a personal pronoun for emphasis, especially for contrastive L i emphasis. (See section on modification of pronouns below for additional examples using AZ ayf.) Rm BINS THERA LAR BH oO Ra BH TRA ALARA o wo xiwang tamen jiéhiin, késhi w6 zij¥ bu xing jiéhiin. I hope they will get married, but I myself don't plan to get married. HERA LHS o RRA LHS o zhé shi w6 zijy de shi. This is my affair. 1. Complete the following sentences according to the English translations by adding the appropriate pronoun or pronouns. 1. KEE ° RAF HE 0 shi daxuéshéng. They are college students. 2. AAG © eK FE 0 yé shi daxuéshéng. We are also college students.CHAP 2} NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 19 3 aR "& ? TR eB? renshi ma? Do you know them? 4. Pre? eS Aye LY 3 ? nian Zhongwén ma? Do you study Chinese? 5. RHR MBAR Lo RAP. HEAR » HAAN PK © RSP Ke méimei, ji€jie dou nian Zhongwén. bi nian Zhongwén. : My younger sister and older sister both study Chinese. I myself don't study Chinese. 6. ha FH OK “| qu chang kalaOK ba! Let's go sing karaoke! 7. RRRA RBA KE o KRRILA RRA KE © shi wi xiao j¥ ge zui congming de niishéng. They are a few of the brightest women students in our school. SRRLAE BER bth SRLS > BAIR "74K © jintian wanshang you shi, bt néng gén chi fan. I'm busy tonight. I can't eat with you. 9 Az ? (you polite) shi néi wei? Who are you? 10. BE REBF? BIA AR ° _ _ BREKF? LRAWAE hai zhY shi hdizi, bixti you biéren guain . You are still only a child. You have to have other people taking care of you. o NOUN PHRASES A noun phrase (NP) is a noun and any modifiers of the noun. NPs serve as the topic of a sentence, the subject of a sentence, the direct or indirect object of a verb, or the object of a preposition.20 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION (CHAP.2 Topic ER? KHFHARTS—-SBe AER? KHFRAEFS—-Ao zhe ge xuéxido, nti hdizi bi nan haizi duo yidian. (In) this school, there are somewhat more girls than boys. Subject AMERERA LZ 0 AN KEIRA Z © na ge daxué hén yOu ming. That college is very famous. , Direct Object of a verb RERRKLEA T SY © RERKLA TSH © w6 zudtian wanshang kan le yi ge dianying. I saw a movie last night. Indirect object of a verb RARER RAE © RABAT RIM © wo bi xing géi ni zh3o méfan. I don’t want to give you trouble. Object of a preposition RPA RAR ARH © REF RAM ARH © w6 méi ge zhoumd dou gén péngyou yiqi wan. I have fun with my friends every weekend. Note: Verb phrases (VPs) may also be used like NPs. In this case, the VPs are considered 'nominalized.' "CPR IRAE HE ASR RAR HR o "CAR SRAE TE RARRBAH F Ro chi fan gén shui jiéo shi rénléi zul ji bén de xtqit. Eating and sleeping are human beings’ basic needs. Identity of Reference There are two ways to indicate identity of reference between NPs in Mandarin: omission and pronominalization.CHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 21 Omission When NPs with identical reference occur in the same grammatical role (subject or object) in a series of sentences, all instances of the NP after the first one are often omitted.” NPs with identical reference are both subjects: RPREKGE HAMLET o RPRRKRPE > HARB T © wo didi shi daxuéshéng, mingnian jit: biyé le. My younger brother is a college student. Next year he graduates. QAR RS GBR ? A: RA ER o AB ARAB EZ AE ? na bén shi zénmeyang? hén you yisi. ' How is that book? (It is) very interesting. NPs with identical reference are both objects: Q: RR EAH ? A: 322K © UDR EAA ? UR 0 ni rénshi Wang Ming ma? rénshi. Do you know Wang Ming? I know (him). When a NP refers to an inanimate object, a second reference in subject or object position is always omitted. Q: HCA ARH ? A: Z°Ti& © LA AKRSG ? Rat ni chiguo Ribén cai ma? méi chiguo. Have you eaten Japanese food before? I've never eaten (it) before. Pronominalization When NPs with identical reference occur in different grammatical roles in a series of sentences, the second occurrence is typically represented with a pronoun. EM Rfe Ho REL EEE o EV ihe A, o RA —-REER th o Wang Ming hén héqi. w6 xiang nf yiding hul xYhuan ta. Wang Ming is very friendly. I think you will certainly like him. * Omission of an NP marks it as the topic of the passage.22 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION [CHAP.2 2. Complete the sentences with a pronoun or omission. For some sentences, either choice is possible. 1 nN eo > Ww ROY Go HUT _ 2A? (E/d) BARB MH ot T 2A? (4/9) zhé ge dongxi jido jianbing. nY chiguole__ mdi ydu?( ta/¢) This is called a fried pancake. Have you eaten one before? MAAR © AABB AR 0 (f/d) MAAR o AAA ER 0 (fe/¢) ta rén hén hao. rénrén dou ziinjing _. (ta/¢) He is a really good person. Everyone respects him. PRR PARE A _ FRARRE REE © (fetl/9) PH RPLRNS A? FRABHERS ° (1011/9) Zhonggud gaozhdngshéng tebié nti, _—xia ke yihou jit: hufjia xuéxi. (tamen/ ¢) Chinese high school students are especially hard working. After they get out of class they go home and study. OAM ERI AREAL RRB _ % ? (R/d) HA ER? RAW RT RRR __ FB? (A) Q: qingwén, nY shi shéi? A: wé shi nYde bidogé ni bi rénshi___ma? (w6/¢) Q: Excuse me. Who are you? A: I am your cousin. Don't you recognize me? WEL IAME EB o M>OKRKRLERKA__ ° (4/9) WAAL OE o MOARLERGAA__ °(C/0) ta re ba méi kanguo na ge didnying. ta jintian wanshang yao gén ni qu . (ta/ 9) Se still hasn't seen that movie. She wants to see it with you tonight. NOUN MODIFICATION ‘Noun modification is the description of a noun by another word or phrase. The noun which is being described is the "head noun’ and the description is the ‘noun modifier.’ In the Mandarin noun phrase, the modifier always precedes the head noun. There are two types of noun modifiers in Mandarin, those that involve numbers and specifiers (12/3% zhé this or 48 na thaf), and those that involve any other kind of phrase. Both types of noun modification structures are described below.CHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 23 Modification Involving Numbers and Specifiers Modification Involving Numbers: the Number+Classifier phrase Common nouns may be described in terms of quantity: one book, two books, several books, etc. In Mandarin, numbers may not directly precede a noun. Numbers precede classifiers, and the number+classifier phrase precedes the noun. -KE RA yi bén shit one book SBA BAA san ge rén three people Quantifiers, words which indicate an indefinite quantity, may also modify the noun. The following quantifiers must be followed by a classifier. RAG LAA ji bén shit several books eg A BRA méi ge rén every person The phrase — 2& yi xi several/a few may also serve as a quantifier phrase. kg ke yixié shit several books Some classifiers indicate a specific meaning (for example, the shape of a noun, or some information about the quantity of a noun) and are always used with a particular noun in a particular context.24 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION (CHAP.2 4 ka yi tido hé one (long thin) river A KA yi kuai rou one lump of meat 1 — TRAN — KK yi zhang zhyY one sheet of paper Some classifiers provide information about the container of a noun, or its size or weight. used. FER yijin pingguo one pound of apples — Ah a yi béi cha one cup of tea When the noun does not have a specialized classifier, the classifier (€/4+ ge is AR BRAKe RRARM—-RATABR © EPPMRKA co RRR CTR 0 zhé ge wént{ bri tai di. wd xiing wémen yiding kéy! ji&jué. This problem isn't too big. I think we can certainly solve it. RAGA RA AR 0 REMARBDR » wo méi ge zhoumd dou hut jia. I go home every weekend. “One Jf jinis .5 kilograms, slightly more than a pound.CHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 25 3. Match each number ~+ classifier with the appropriate noun. 1. —4&/— & yi tido long thin shape a. #/# ché car 2. Fy 5k/ FA GK lidng zhang flat surface b. A rén person 3. Z5k/ = 4k san zhang flat surface —c. #/ 2, DY pen 4. ©) #/ 9 #4 si lidng vehicle d. &-F zhuozi sable 5, B4G/B.%* wit ge general classifier e. $/ + shi book 6. F< 4% lit zhi long narrow things f. #2/4& fan rice 7. +46 qi b& things which can be g. 442K qishuY soda (pop) grasped with the hand h. 2/4 zhi paper 8. A ba bEn volume i. ST hé river 9. ALAR jiti ping bottle j. BE yizi chair 10. +45 shf win bowl 4. Rewrite these noun phrases in Mandarin. 1. 12 pencils 6. 7 rivers 2. 5 cups of tea 7. 8 books 3. 22 people 8. 2 chairs 4. 3 bowls of rice 9. 4 sheets of paper 5. 2 cars 10. 5 bottles of soda Omission of the Head Noun When the identity of the noun is clear from the context, the number + classifier phrase can occur without a following noun. QHERARE? A HE tp BK ILE ? FR AK © ni yao mai jY zhi bi? liang zhi How many pens do you want to buy? Two. Classifiers Which Always Occur without a Head Noun Some classifiers have nominal meaning and do not have an associated noun. These include the following words: # nian year F- tin day 4%, wei _ person (polite classifier for people) REAKET —H eo w6 zai Ribén zht le yi nian. I lived in Japan for a year.26 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION (CHAP.2 BRU ROR © RI RK OK © t yi tian méi chi fan. She didn't eat for a whole day. AML EE? Mi Ba? na wei shi shéi? Who is that person? Using the Word -# ban half with Classifiers s -# ban is used in the expression 'a number and a half.’ It follows the classifier: —tg 4 A/—/+ A yi ge ban yueé / % months, 2 wit nidn ban 5 % years = When indicating half of a noun, + ban precedes the classifier: #48) A/E4S FL ban ge yue halfa month, + ban nian half a year 5. Rewrite these number phrases in Mandarin, being careful to put the word +# ban in the right place. 1. 2 1/2 days 6. 9 1/2 years 2. 4 1/2 hours 7, 12 1/2 minutes 3. 1/2 bowl of rice 8. 1/2 a book 4.1 1/2 pounds of rice 9. 5 1/2 bottles of soda 5.3 1/2 months 10. 1/2 a year Specifiers The most common specifiers are 48 na (alternatively pronounced nei) ¢hat/those and i2/2% zhé (alternatively pronounced zhéi) this/these. Like numbers, specifiers cannot immediately precede a noun. They are followed by a number + classifier phrase, or by a classifier. ERE REAR zhé san bén shi these three booksCHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 27 AZ RAB zhé bén shti this book MEARE REAR na san bén shi those three books MRAZ ABA , na bén shi that book Specifiers may also be used to refer to a physical, concrete object. In this usage, they can occur without a following classifier. AS EAE ER? AB A+ Z ? na shi shénme? What's that? Re LS 0 Mm LE ° na shi méobt. That's a Chinese writing brush. Specifiers with Literary Usage A bén and 4% m6u may be used as specifiers in formal, literary contexts. 4 bén refers to a specific NP which is associated with the speaker. Its meaning incorporates ‘our’ and ‘this.’ ARR LG — NO ESE o RERLT HAWES 0 bén xiao chéngli yt yi ba si wit nian. This school of ours was established in 1845. FAR WEAE WA o + BLA ASE O45 F 0 yangrou chuar shi bén dian de téchin. Lamb kebabs are the specialty of our store.28 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION [CHAP.2 mOu refers to an entity whose identity is not revealed by the speaker. iH SRAM RG e REEKAM ARG zhé xié shi mourén de dingxi. These are somebody's things. (These things belong to someone.) UR BL Tk IE? TRA ? ARB) RA LE? ERA? ni shud de Zhang mou shi shéi? shi Zhang Ming ma? Who is this Zhang so-and-so that you are talking about? Is it Zhang Ming? 6. Rewrite these NPs in Mandarin: 1. four pencils 2. three friends 3. 17 books 4. that cup of tea 5. these 10 years 7. Rewrite these NPs in English: 1 2+ RiRA/—+ BK ershiwii zhang zhi 2. ABA Ae F na lid D4 yizi 3. + =18 A/+=—+ Al shiér ge yud 4.2 ARAMARK zhe wii tian 5. HR Pai A/AB RSA na liing ge rén Time and Money Calendar Time The Days of the Week EM #2 FF 14H Monday xingai yi l¥bai yi 2M RA ALIF— — Tuesday xingqi ér lYbai ér BMS EFF ZIGLFS Wednesday xingqi san l¥bai san 24a #2 FO /FLFE Thursday xingai st lYbai si ZAR #2 FF BAL E Friday xingq! wii l¥bai wtCHAP.2) NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 29 BUA REFERER Saturday xinga? lit lybai lit BRA REF RIG R Sunday xingqi tian lybai tian ZG #2 ## 8 /4LF 8 xingqi ri lfbai nl Years Years are presented as a series of single digits followed by -# nian year. 1997: —ALAL+ # yi jit jit gi nian 1492: —we j= yi si jit ér nidn 1911: —2.-—# yi jiti yi yi nian The Months of the Year —F yiyue = Jammary +A qiyue July =} @ryue = =—- February ANA bayue August =F sanyue March LA jittyue September aA styue April +A shfyué October 2A wityue May +— FA shfyiyue November we litiyué = June +=Al shféryue December Note: The names of the months of the year do not include a classifier. However, when months are counted, a classifier occurs: —44§ H/—/s A yi ge yué one month, wa4g A / 4 Fl lidng ge yué two months, etc. . Dates of the Month Dates of the month are indicated with a number plus the classifier $/-$ hao (spoken/informal form) or H ri (literary/formal form): =%i/=F san hao or 24 san ti the third (day of the month).30 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION [CHAP.2 Reciting Dates Dates are always presented from the largest to the smallest unit: Year Month Date of the month August 22,2001 =’ —se AR —+—H/5 (8) ér ling ling yinidn bayué érshf ér hao (11) May 3, 1995 HARE EA 25/4 (8) yi jit jit wt nidn wityueé san hao (ri) December 31 +A = +— H/F (4) shf'ér yue sanshf yi hao (ri) 8. Write the Chinese dates in English and the English dates in Chinese. . January 1, 1980 2. -hAAF + ASA yi jit lit jiti nian qi yue ér shin . July 4, 1776 -AAAE+AAS+—H yi jiti jit jiti nian shf'ér yue sanshfyi oi . October 5, 2002 HRREET—-AaT LE HBREE+—-Aa+k4 ér ling ling san nian shfyi yué érshfwit hao . February 14, 1997 TAO REA AAR —-7L ERA AF yi jiti st wii nidn wtiyué bahao 9. August 16, 1970 10. -ARZ4+—-A+78 yi ba litt san nian shtyi yue shf jitin Clock Time — _ w& nar ao ~ The units of time in Mandarin are 4838/4 & zhongtou or -}24/+)-8 xiXoshf hour, = f€n minute, and #% mi%o second” ” Different regions of China have different preferences for 48.38/47 zhongtdu and +)\1¢/-)-& xidoshf. 4855/4¢ & zhOngtou is used in Beijing and northern China. -}+#/-}8 xi%oshf is used in Taiwan,CHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 31 ZAG Re 9B/ = AGH 24g) E/E AN. Bt san ge zhongtéu san ge xidoshi 3 hours 3 hours += 5 (38/4) sh{ ér fén (zhong) 12 minutes ate érsh{ mio 20 seconds When reciting time, time on the hour (o’ clock time) is expressed using the expression 25/,&diin dot. Clock time phrases may end with the noun 48/4? zhong, clock, but the use of 42/4? zhong is not common in standard Mandarin as spoken in and around Beijing. ral FR Bb) S (42/47) ling diin (zhong) 2 o'clock . F 8b) @ (48/47) lit diin (zhéng) _60'clock +b) & (48/4%) shfér diin (zhong) 12 o'clock Note: When reading or reciting time, 2 o’clock is read as *aEb/H & lidng dian. When time includes minutes, it can be recited as follows: * minutes past the hour (with optional 24/31 gud): ( ) i ( )2 ( at ( )# ( ) didn gud ( ) fen + sbi +3 tat? qi dian gud shi fen 10 minutes past 7 (7:10)82 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION [CHAP.2 Wy 2b — 3p A Rap liang didn guo érshf fén 20 minutes past 2 (2:20) #4/3t gud can be omitted from the phrase, as can the classifier 3 fen. ++ +A shi dian érshi 10:20 FEET Rh ARTE lit. din shfwti 6:15 ASOT ARO liang didn sishfwii 2:45 = cha + minutes to the hour #& cha + minutes can occur before the hour or after the hour. # cha and > fén cannot be omitted from the expression. 2 cha + minutes before the hour: cha( )fén( ) din ELDAR cha wii fén jiti didn J minutes to 9 (8:55) ETPAR ETDAR cha shi fén ba din 10 minutes to 8 (7:50)CHAP.2) NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 33 # cha + minutes occurring after the hour: () BZ ()% () & EB ()% ( ) dian cha ( ) fén WLS EBD WUREBD jit dian cha wii fén 5 minutes to 9 (8:55) NBETD ™~ m = + am ba dian cha shf fén 10 minutes to 8 (7:50) Expressions used with clock time == ban hal Ag se 98/3 HN GbR ban ge zhongtéu = half an hour 4g] os 5 FEA +] BY ban ge xixosh{ — {8-45 58/—- 4K yi ge ban zhongtéu J 1/2 hours 48 /— AE LAY yi ge ban xiXoshi oe f/m we si diin ban half past 4 (4:30) &_ké the quarter hour — Ri) 48 /— Hi 4h yi ké zhong 15 minutes 28/2 —2] san dign yiké a quarter past three (3:15) wet/ es = zl si dign san ke 45 minutes after 4 (4:45) F.35/ RE — Hl wii didn cha yiké — a quarter to five (4:45) Note: There is no expression —#] ér ké. 30 minutes is expressed as -£ ban or as =-+ 5} sanshf fén.384 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION (CHAP.2 9. Complete the chart by converting the times to Arabic numerals or Mandarin. Use #4/it gud or ¥ cha in the Mandarin times where indicated. 1, 5. 10. 2:15 (2/3 gud) 3:45 (2 cha) 7:50 (é cha) 4:10 cha yi fén jiti diin . Po : T-BERD +-RELD shfyt diin cha wii fen LRUPED wti dian gud shiqi fen +a RSs shf'ér dian ban AEE RD ARERR B-RILA t ELBIT ED | 8:20 (B/E gud) oo Se litt di8n cha lidng fen [- iaCHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 385 Money Money is indicated as a series of number + classifier phrases followed by the noun 4%/4% qidn money, The units of money in informal spoken Mandarin are 3%,/3% kuai dollar, £, mdo dime (one-tenth of 3./3% kuai) and 4 fén penny" (one-tenth of a & mao). In formal, written Mandarin the word for dollar is 7 yuan and the word for dime is & jido.' When % yudn and & jido are used, the noun 48/4% qian does not occur in the phrase. As illustrated below, 7. yudn and jio are generally when the monetary expression can be expressed exclusively in either 7 yuan or fj jido. Monetary values of less than one dollar are expressed as follows. 75 cents 12 cenis 36 cents $17.35 | PEI R 2s, shf qi kuai san mado "3 fen as a unit of money is rapidly disappearing in China. ‘7 yudn and i jido are the words printed on Chinese currency.36 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 7G yuan i B17 tH shi gi yuan (CHAP.2 The noun 4%/4% qian is optional in a money phrase. If it is omitted, the classifier £, mdo or > fén penny may be omitted if it is the last classifier in the number phrase. | IRR & | kuai mao fen - 51735 | +B | 2h a | shi qi kuai san mado wit $23.81 | = FeepR [AZ — | ershisan kuai ba mao yi ‘Sa Tap TH sishf ba kudi_ jiti § 6.20 Fe HB / 3k = | lit: kuai er 10. Complete the chart so that all prices are presented in English and Chinese. Price in English Price in Mandarin 1. i $ 18.25 ot = OFABALD PS sishijiti kuai ba mao si fen qian . | $519.31 aes SSE Eee ="|@_| TT 1 mA STAD $117.62 +t Ba+AH QARALGSR ABASA+AERD liing bai sanshf wti kuai si qi bai érshf lit yudnCHAP. 2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 87 Noun Modifiers That End with # de Common nouns may be modified by pronouns, nouns, NPs, verbs, VPs, subject + verb sequences, and clauses. = The modifier is typically followed by # de « The modifying phrase (modifier + %]) always precedes the head noun regardless of the properties of the modifier. When the modifier is a pronoun, noun, or an adjectival stative verb, the order of the modifier and the head in Mandarin is the same as in the English translation. Modifier is Pronoun* R wo I" person singular aR ni 24 person singular AG zit reflexive pronoun Noun AA péngyou jriend NP Ra AR wo de péngyou my friend Adjectival & Stative Verb py, good RS RY wo de shi my book Ag 84 Sade ni de dizhy your address howe ziji de shi one's own affairs MAWES MAY péngyou de shii Jriend’s book A MAE HOY AA AY wo de péngyou de shi my friend’s book HS ty 4 hao de shi a good book * There is no separate set of possessive pronouns in Mandarin.88 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION [CHAP.2 Modifiers involving other kinds of verbs or a clause also precede the head noun. Notice, however, that their English equivalents follow the noun, typically in the form of a relative clause. There is no Mandarin equivalent for relative pronouns (who, whom, which) or the complementizer (that) which introduces the modifier in English relative clauses. (See Chapter 3: Verbs and Verb Phrases.) Modifier is Verb oF, Peay A ' chi chi de rén eat the people who are eatin PP+Verh SRR R FRA RA ABABA Ore RRR RRMA gén w6 lai gén wo ldi de na ge rén come with me the person who comes with me Verb + it Fb AME A Object X46, KY AB RA mai hua mai hua de na ge rén sell flowers the person who sells flowers Subject + HF, LH BA Verb wo chi ALOE E [eat wo chi de déngxi things that I eat clause’ LF LE ROE gongzi gao LF FH 64 AR ab wages are high gongzi gao de zhfy& an occupation in which wages are high In formal, written texts, when the modifier includes an activity verb, Af sud can occur before the verb. AL OF AT 64 ARF RB BATH HY AB ARIF © LY ldoshi sud xié de shi dou hén h¥o. The books that teacher Li wrote are very good. Pronouns and proper nouns are more restricted than common nouns in their choice of modifiers. Pronouns can be modified by a very limited number of stative verbs: ” When the modifier is a clause, the verb of the clause is typically a stative verb.CHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 33 Tih RUT 6 A kélian de w6 poor me KB de KH a méili de ta beautiful her WA A AR / FR A 89 coOngming de ni smart you/clever you Proper nouns can also be modified by a limited number of stative verbs: KY? BAH TB weida de Zhonggud great China HEPA Ade O/ HE LA AIRS zhuangguan de Da Xidgtt magnificent Grand Canyon The reflexive pronoun 4 @ ziji can be modified by a personal pronoun. #&) de never occurs between a personal pronoun and 4 © zijY. (See section on Special Uses of Pronouns above for additional examples using A @ zijf.) HARA? TRA LAM ER » HALZMAK TRMALARER e biéren yao ta 14i, késhi ta ziji but yuanyi di. Other people want him to come but he himself is not willing to come. REAREH: TRARA LAR LH RSAB RH? TRARALAARH hén dud rén you aihao, késhi w6 zijY méi y6u aihao. Lots of people have a hobby, but I don't have a hobby. The Order of Modifying Phrases A noun may be modified by any number of modifying phrases. Each modifying phrase occurs in succession, and the last one is followed by the head noun itself: AME i a 72 BA ABN ey ade ABO A na ge gao gao shdu shou de rén that very tall, very thin person40 - NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION (CHAP.2 Modifiers which involve specifiers and numbers generally occur at the beginning of the NP, though they may occur closer to the head noun to contrast one NP with another: rey Fey Fe SY AS A ee RY ABAA gao gao shou shdu de na ge rén that very tall very thin person (in contrast to some other person) Modifiers which describe inherent, permanent characteristics of a noun tend to occur closest to the head noun. AME F KARA BAR WBA ABA FAR ARR BA na ge chuan dayi de bai téufa de lio rén that old white haired man who is wearing an overcoat 11. Put the Mandarin phrases in the proper order to correspond to the English translations. L FMR PR Hg RPK shi de wé Zhongwén my Chinese book 2. 7 BS hay + Bl Bk Zhonggué shi chii de a book published in China 3. KARR a HY shuigué hén tidn de very sweet fruit 4. AH AR SB péngyou nan de ni jiéjie your older sister's boyfriend 5. Fy REL SHREK K shi de w6 xYhuan zud things I like to doCHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 4) 6. BRO SAT “J oo 10. BAHZAD gudjia de dud rénkou a country with a large population SPeHARH EWHBHAREH ché zhizdo de zai Méigud a car manufactured in America AMEE FT HE 1 RAG ASA HK FALE 1 RAR na ge nti haizi shud hua de gén ni that girl who is speaking with you EA Ri FH ARR HA | yi ge daxué méu chéngshi de Mazhou a college in a certain city in Massachusetts PRA ARE PH IA AY AR HE Zhongwen kaoshi de hén nén a very difficult Chinese exam 12. Translate the following noun phrases into English. 1. XN MERA RSH SB MBERA BEM WY na bt hén yu yisi de dianyYng 28H ARBOR A Be (e/ A chizdo mamyfacture, Ba AAAMBOREHRR Wa/ EM Erhudn earrings) zhé fii Rib&én zhizdo de hén gui de érhuan . ithe RY TS A AAS H wo de lidng ge gége TR? BS (HANK F guanyt regarding) HAF? BH yixié guanyd Zhonggus de shit42 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION [(CHAP.2 LA SE ADAR ALA (ALBEE fuzd complicated) XDMRZ RH PAS zhé ge hén ftizé de Zhonggué zi ARE 0 FR (FF 4eI-F & sh6ubido wrist watch) RETR hén gui de shéubiao ' RAH PRS RSA AB / wo nian de na bén shi a ee OL PARA A FE zudtian k¥oshi de xuésheng 9. 9A EH bo BR BY Z héng yansé de bi 10. EP RE ah Agee xué Zhongwén de xuésheng NP Modification without 4 de nN Modifiers which are numerals or specifiers must end in a classifier. Modifiers which belong to other categories usually end in #4, but in some cases, & may be absent. Here are some common conditions in which #4 is absent. * The modifier and the head noun form a compound word or a name for a thing: ae Bdigong the White House JK xigua watermelon KPUANY damén front door/main gate ® BE /% EK3R WanlY Chéngchéng the Great WallCHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 43 If %) is inserted between the modifier and the head, the phrase is unacceptable or the meaning of the phrase changes: eagHes bai de gong a white palace @w & IK xi de gua a western melon AM PATI da de mén a big door & ea eh wanli de a ten thousand mile wall FEWER changchéng * The modifier and the head noun describe a specific entity with consistent reference: FABRE RA Méiguo zongténg The American President 9598/1 wo mama my mom Note: For this kind of phrase, # de may occur between the modifier and the head with no change in meaning. = The modifier is a one-syllable stative verb commonly associated with the noun. Notice that the meaning may shift when 4) de is included. AA ag A hao péngyou hao de péngyou good friend (refers to a specific friend) a good friend (a type of friend) 4 ae 2 BY Bi &, 8 ae 2 a) A bai yénsé bai de yénsé white whitish color When a stative verb is preceded by an intensifer, #4) de must occur between the modifier and the noun: ARES HAR OURS MAR hén hao de péngyou hén hdo péngyou very good friend44 NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION (CHAP.2 REY RAR OX E HMR Ke MR KG RAK tai jit de yifu tai jit yifu clothing that is too old Omission of the Head Noun in &% de Modification Structures The head noun may be omitted when its identity is clear from context. Typically, the identity of a noun is clear if it has been mentioned in the preceding discourse: Q: 4 FE BR ? A: KW 4Rat o 8) — BRR ° WT EA ? KARE o HA — RR © jazi zénme yang? da de hén tidn. xi%o de you yidiin suan. How are the tangerines? The big ones are very sweet. The small ones are a little sour. The head noun may also be omitted when the modifier + 49 refers to an entity with the properties of the modifier: Rw Za Hg sdodi de something which sweeps the floor = a broom or one who sweeps the floor = a floor sweeper Rew suan ming de one who figures out someone's life = a fortune teller ZRH RIRH yaofan de one who begs for food = begger 3818 song xin de one who delivers letters = letter carrier 3K FRAY RAR song bao de one who delivers newspapers = newspaper delivery personCHAP.2] NOUNS, NOUN PHRASES, AND NOUN MODIFICATION 45 aS a) BH jiao shai de one who teaches = teacher 13. Name the entity referred to in each of the following phrases. 1. FAR 89/84 89 zud fan de 2. & 74%) kan bing de 3. B] 269/09 kai ché de 4, A $i FAY ySu qidn de 5. RSRH/RRW méi qidn de 6. BARE A/ KALED zud feiji de 7. #| SA Y/#] KAY ti tou de 8. HRHY/RA HAH mai dongxi de 9. PARAL EY zud yifu de 10. 824/44 #4) nian shti deVerbs and Verb Phrases PROPERTIES OF MANDARIN VERBS All Mandarin verbs have the following properties: Full Predicate Status Mandarin verbs can serve as the predicate in a complete sentence without an intervening helping verb such as the verb ‘to be’ in English. AEB o REKMN o wo xihuan ta. J like him. AME RE KH ° AB AK © na ge dongxi tai gui. that thing is too expensive, Negation Mandarin verbs can be directly preceded by negation. The words that are used for negation in Mandarin are # bt and 7% méi. HIRF B ° méimei bi gao. Younger sister is not tall. RHE RACH © AE REBAR wo zudétian méi chi winfan. Yesterday, I didn’t eat dinner. Verb-NEG-Verb Questions Mandarin verbs can be used as the repeated word in Verb-NEG-Verb questions (See Chapter 8: Questions and Question Words.) Note that Mandarin verbs are not always translated by verbs in English. This will be discussed in more detail below. 46CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 47 ERAS M ? ERAGE Ke ? ni xihuan bi xyhuan ta? Do you like him? EVRLTE? We RRA T ? dianyYng pido gui bit gui? Are movie tickets expensive? WERE HRRL ? WEREBR LK ? mi hui bi hul shud Yingwén? Can you speak English? WeRRARA? ta shi bi shi Ribén rén? Is he Japanese? BRB bw BRB LR ? ni gai bli gai gi xiXofei? Should you give a tip? Bean RRAREARRE? G£AM > RRREUIRBE? litxué yigidn, yinggai bu yinggai shéntY jiinchd? Before studying abroad, should you have a physical exam? Inflection Mandarin verbs are not inflected. A single verb form.is used regardless of the tense, aspect, or modality of the sentence, and regardless of the number or gender of the subject.” Rafael tase T KAR © Hepa HeATT TKR © ta/ta/tamen chi le shufgud. He/she/they ate fruit. ” In inflected languages, verbal inflection also serves to identify the inflected word as a verb and to prevent it from being used in any other category.48 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [CHAP.3 MEEK © ta xidng chi shufgud. He wants to eat fruit. KRRBEOLET « KRUELBFRELET © shuigué rang hdizi g&i chiwan le. The fruit was eaten up by the children. Based on their meanings and grammatical properties, Mandarin verbs can be grouped into one of three types of verb categories: Stative Verbs, Activity Verbs, and Achievement Verbs. Each of these types of verbs has certain properties which are not shared by the other verb types. Activity verbs and-achievement verbs have some properties in common because they both describe actions, that is, things that happen (e.g. eating, speaking, sitting down, selling, breaking, etc.) Stative verbs do not describe actions and do not share many properties with the other two verb types. Grammatical Category Shifts A very important feature of Mandarin is that a word may belong to more than one category depending on the way it is used in a sentence. For example, the word # bing may function as a verb or a noun. tA Te © ta you bing. He has an illness. (noun) fda J ° ta bing le. He has become ill. (verb) The word 26/24 gé&i may function as either a preposition or a verb. (See Chapter 5: Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases.) Role RAS AMAR TBS © fle RSA Ay MARE TH ILe ta zudtian g&i ta de nii péngyou mii le huar. Yesterday he bought flowers for his girlfriend. (preposition) ” This is primarily due to the absence of inflection in Mandarin.CHAP.3) VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 49 tae # Robt a « te fe P Rub Zh) Fe 0 ni zai Zhonggud biibi géi xidofei. In China, you don't have to give tips. (verb) Many verbs belong to more than one verb category. The meaning of a verb is slightly different depending upon the category in which it is used. For example, the verb # chuan may behave in some contexts like a stative verb, and in others like an achievement verb. As a stative verb it refers to a state and means fo be wearing. As an achievement verb it refers to an action and means fo put on. One of the most challenging tasks in learning Chinese is to become familiar with the different ways in which a single word may be used. Keep in mind that each verb category is identified by a group of properties. Ifa verb has one of the properties associated with a verb category, it will have all of the properties that characterize that category of verbs. A list of some common verbs which function in two or more categories is provided at the end of this chapter. STATIVE VERBS Stative verbs are words which describe states of being. Some stative verbs can be translated as adjectives in English. These are referred to here as adjectival stative verbs. Other stative verbs are translated as English verbs. These are referred to here as non- adjectival stative verbs. Examples of adjectival and non-adjectival stative verbs include ~ the following. adjectival stative verbs B hao good Blt gui expensive Be kuai Jast AA zhaojf anxious MEH gaoxing happy #F AR shtifu comfortable Bae / Ree jinzhang nervous K da big a bai white (and other color words) af tidn sweet fA B/ je jiandan simple50 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES / [CHAP.3 non-adjectival stative verbs Ze/hx xthuan like 1B xiang resemble FR/B& yuanyi willing ti pa fear $/F ai love BH zanjing respect HA xidngnian miss, long for i a . dong understand é In addition, the linking verbs shi and 4: xing, the words which indicate ability and possibilty @/4 hui, 42 néng, and 7 vA kéyY, and the obligation words [0 24/& & yinggai, %/% gai and &S/m 4 yingdang, are stative verbs. They will be discussed in more detail at the end of this section. Many textbooks and grammars label adjectival stative verbs as ‘adjectives.’ While these words have the descriptive meaning associated with adjectives, they differ from adjectives in a language like English in one very important way: Adjectival stative verbs are not preceded by a ‘helping verb’ such as the verb ‘to be’ in English. Compare these correct and incorrect uses of adjectival stative verbs. Correct Incorrect HURT ° Ose (4k) A ° ta hén gao. ta shi (hén) gio. She is tall. SPR ° OSVRRIR)A ° Wie aT ° We (AR) © dianying pido gui. dianying piao shi (hén) gui. Movie tickets are expensive. * The verb 3 shi may precede a stative verb, but only for contrastive emphasis. When = shi occurs before a stative verb, it functions to emphasize the predicate and to contrast it with some belief or expectation held by the speaker or listener. ERE ! ta shi hén gao! She ts tall! (... and until I saw her I didn’t believe you when you said she was.)CHAP.3) Properties of All Stative Verbs VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 51 All stative verbs have the following properties: Negation The word which negates stative verbs is # bu. & méi (or &# méi yOu) is not used to negate stative verbs, with one exception. The verb @ yOu may only be negated by & méi. HUT Hh ta bi gao. She is not tall. ERB © WH RR ° dianying pido bi gui. Movie tickets are not expensive. RAE BR RF 7 x mR ie ° gonggong qiché bi kuai. Buses are not fast. RAZR © RRB 0 w6 bi xihuan ta. I don’t like him. ROA BAR HR © RE AERA © t bi yuany! zud feiji. He is not willing to travel by plane. MARAE o WREKZA o ta bti shi daxuésheng. He is not a college student. MAE PE ° SARAH FE 0 ta bil hui kai che. He isn’t able to drive a car. Osh 7% o ta méi gao. OTHER We te dianying piao méi gui. er © i Ho OSZABZAKR ? RRAEAR © gonggong giché méi kuai. OX RER ° RARER ° wo méi xYhuan ta. © te HAE 2 ER © MAREE EM ° ta méi yuanyi zud féiji. OWREKEE 0 MI EK-HE © ta méi shi daxuésheng. OR eG Fe] B 0 MREHE 0 ta méi hut kai ché.52 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 OmRAKM A ° ta bu you nti péngyou. MEAKMA e ta méi yOu nti péngyou. He doesn’t have a girlfriend. Aspectual Suffixes Stative verbs cannot be suffixed with the aspectual suffixes V- 7 le or #8/3¢ guo. The reason for this is that they are not compatible with the meanings contributed by these suffixes. (For a detailed presentation of the meanings associated with these suffixes, see f Chapter 6: The Suffixes J le, # zhe, and 24/# guo.) As the last example below shows, a stative verb can be followed by T le, but only if it is the last word in the sentence. In this case, J le must be interpreted as sentence final J le in which it contributes the meaning of change of state or new situation. J le after a stative.verb never contributes the meaning of completion or conclusion associated with V- Tf le . RER o ORERT th o ORR o RERM o REX T 1B o REKWM o w6 xihuan ta. w6 xihuanle ta. wo xihuanguo ta. 1 like him. tee KSA © Ota TRB o Ofte tid KB o EKA o METRE MEK o ta shi daxuésheng. ta shile daxuésheng. ta shiguo daxuésheng. He is a college student. tier SE ° ORT TM > OAM » RLS FE 0 WE THE o Wet HE o ta hut kai ché. ta hutle kai ché. ta huiguo kai ché. He is able to drive a car. KURA Ze ° iik&® &T ° OLA SiG o ta h€n zhaojf. ta hén zhaojile. ta zhdojiguo. He is very anxious. He has become anxious. This sentence cannot have the meaning associated with the use of V-T le. It cannot mean: ‘He was very anxious. *CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 53 Some stative verbs can be suffixed with the durational aspect marker #4 zhe. # zhe emphasizes the general continuation of the state and not the specific length of the duration. Stative verbs which can be suffixed with 4 zhe may often also be used as achievement verbs. See the last section of this chapter for additional examples of this kind of verb. RFLAARS RE o RFLRARS RG zhuozi shang fangzhe hén dud déngxi. There are a lot of things sitting on the table. OH a RH HER © HOW AR 1 EK ta daizhe hén gui de érhuan. She's wearing very expensive earrings. Duration and Frequency Complementation Unlike activity verbs, stative verbs cannot be used with durational complements that quantify duration. For example,.one cannot say in Chinese: / liked him for a year. Unlike activity verbs and achievement verbs, stative verbs cannot be used with frequency complements that indicate the number of times a situation occurs. Modification by Intensifiers Intensifiers are words which express the degree of a state. They are compatible with all words whose meanings can be qualified in terms of degree. Almost all stative verbs can be modified by intensifiers. The smal! number of exceptions which cannot be modified by intensifiers include the the linking verbs shi and 44 xing, the words of possibility and ability, 4& néng and *J A kéyY, and the obligation words R2%/& %& yinggai, %/i% gai, and KB/s 4 yingdang. Note that the word @/4 hui can be modified by intensifiers. . Linguists sometimes refer to words which can be qualified in terms of degree as ‘scalar predicates.’54 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES Intensifiers K tai R zul JER feichang EIR E jtat ae FF tebié KE yougi BE zhén 4k hén HE ting gz geng Poa / HL RR bYjido we /48 2 xiangdang (A)—- #4 A) & (you) yidian intensifier + Stative Verb KA tai gao RA zul gao dE féichang gao BH HALE ifaf gao 43 BD tebié gao KEG youq{ gao A® zhén gao RA hén gao 42% ting gao £m geng gao ross y/o ae bYjido gao aS Blas | xidngdang gao (A)-#4/(A)—A® youyidisn gao A Note on Stative Verbs, Syllable Length, and Intensifiers [(CHAP.3 too the most exiremely (colloquial) extremely (formal) especially especially | really very very, rather even more relatively (colloquial) rather (formal) a little very tall/too tall the tallest extremely tall extremely tall (literary) especially tall especially tall really tall very tall very tall even taller relatively tall rather tall a little tall if the stative verb is one syllable in length, it must be preceded by a modifier. In negated sentences, the modifier is % bu. In affirmative sentences, the default modifier is the intensifier 42 hén. Without 7% h&n, the sentence is grammatical but not natural sounding.CHAP.3)} VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 55 tha BBR PAR OY Ho He i ni de didi hén gao. ni de didi gao. Your younger brother is (very) tall. Your younger brother is tall. khOBBRE ni de didi bi: gao. Your younger brother is not tall. Modification Involving Progressive Change The following structures involving the word #& yue indicate a change ina situation over time. © ARR / RRA SV yue ldi yué SV more and more SV 2 a V, & SV yue V; yuk SV —_the more Vj the more SV All stative verbs which can be modified by intensifiers may occur in these patterns in the position indicated. Only stative verbs are acceptable. Activity verbs and achievement verbs cannot be used in these structures. Ri RAB Bie RH SV yue l4i yué SV more and more SV Fr Fr RRM © BRR A didi yué lai yué gao. Younger brother is taller and taller. (more and more tall) BRKRRAT o FRET 0 kuangquén shut yué léi yué gui. Spring water is more and more expensive. HORE RLS AME F 4) o WORE KALE KAR HS F WY 0 ta yué ldi yué xYhuan na ge nan de. She likes that guy more and more. RF? RBA A o LF? REBGA o Han zi, yué xi€ yué h¥okan. Chinese characters, the more you write (them), the nicer looking they get.56 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [CHAP.3 HV, HK SV yue V; yue SV the more V, the more SV In this pattern, the first verb (V;) can be either a stative verb or an activity verb, but the second verb (labeled as SV) must be stative. Fa Fa RSA RBAR © didi yué pao yueé kuai. The more younger brother runs, the faster he gets. | RRA © yueé kuai yué hao. The faster the better. BAR > RaAkeC ak SR © PER? RATA EK © Zhonggud fan, wo yue chi yué xYhuan. Chinese food, the more I eat it, the more I like it. 1. Describe #5 Zhang Ming in complete sentences using the following stative verbs. i Zhang Ming is: #5 Zhang Ming is not: 1. & gio tall 6. #& Hi short 2. RE pang fat 7. # shou thin 3. HA8A/HR8A congming smart 8. A bén stupid 4. 4 yonggong hardworking 9. A lin lazy 5. at Ri / GR KE qiainxti modest 10. *] 4 k&kdo reliable 2. The main verb in each of the following sentences is a stative verb. Rewrite each sentence in the negative form. 1. Wee BA HURRAH o ta shi xuésheng. She is a student, 2. RBH ° ROR wo xihuan zud fan. J like to cook.CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 57 3. SHKABRRRE © DRAB BRE gonggong qiché piao hén gui. Bus tickets are very expensive. 4, RRA DAE © RLEMAF © w6 yao mdi na bén shi. L want to buy that book. 5. AME AAR A ° ABS AMRF A na ge rén hén hao kan. That person is very good looking. 6. RERIRBLE © BIRR LIE © wo xing gén ni shud hua. 1 want to speak with you. 7, 18 “(BIR AH HE E-MRAM AM o zhe shi yi ge hén da de wéntf. This is a big problem. 8. RATE AT AaB © 4p KIL Vda Ie o ni zai zhér kéyY chou yan. You can smoke here. 9. RP St A GB ° RB AB ° wo hui shud Riyti. I can speak Japanese. 10. RFE WRI © AR 5k B LIRR FH © na zhang huar hén pidoliang. That picture is very pretty.58 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [CHAP.3 3. The main verb in each of the following sentences is # yOu. Rewrite each sentence in the negative form. 1. a — 1B a He ° a — +S ah Fo ta yOu yi ge didi. He has a younger brother. LAPFERE ° ' RFLA H zhuozi shang you shi. There are books on the table. ALATA RRR © A411 A le] AA o tamen ydu weéntt. They have a problem/question. BTRAA? BFERA: wiuzi lf you rén. There are people in the room. MARA SR o WAR ° ta hén you qian. He has a lot of money. (negative: He doesn’t have money.) w > ws 4. Select the right intensifier from the list above to complete each sentence according to its English translation. LRA-EH BEM He . RA-RMoRRHM_ Hoe wo you yizhi gdu. zhé zhi gdu___—sho. Ihave a dog. This dog is very good. 2.4% BERR o fe KR ta___xhuan wo. He likes me a lot. 3. Ree BRAY o Rw Bho wo yé___ xihuan ta. Z also like him extremely much.CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 59 4.44 BREADEH B8 © fh xBKEDWEWe ta___ xYhuan zai gdngyudn IT pao. He likes best to run in the park. 5. tude 4e HR (sade _ KR o ta pode __kuai. He runs extremely fast. (use a colloquial intensifier) 6. 4a BHR TFA fe BRUT A ta xthuan chi nitirdu. He especially likes to eat beef. 7. RAR WOR % o He HE RAR eC Bo te AR e wo xiing tachide —s- duo. ta_ pang. I think he eats too much. He is a little fat. 8. MEE R-EM_ IR o WHEE? R-RA__AM shud shizai, ying yizhi gou_ —s mafan. Truthfully speaking, raising a dog is relatively bothersome/time-consuming. 9. A> Ri FSR o HE RE FRe binggié, yao hua du qin. Also, you have to spend a lot of money. 1.7 AEB késhi_ ss yu yisi. But it is really interesting. 5. Write Mandarin sentences using the #& JR #4./#& AK yue lai yue + Stative Verb pattern with each of the following pairs of phrases. LWA .. S ta de péngyou ... dud His friends ... more 2. HH) RAR... He oy wentt... shdo His problems ... fewer60 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 3. RAS .. eyes .. RR ni de gtishi ... flizd your story ... complex 4.2.8 4... # shi ... gui books ... expensive ‘ 5. FB wR we OR qiché ... kuai cars ... fast 6. Use the pattern #% V # SV yué V yué SV with each of the following pairs of phrases to write Mandarin sentences that match the English meanings. 1. The more you do it the better it gets. K ... 4 ud... h¥0 do ... well/good XN The more you read the faster you get. & .. Ponian... kudi read ... fast ww . The more you sleep the more tired you get. BE... & shui... lei sleep ... tired 4. The more you eat the fatter you get. %, ... BE chi... pang eat ... fat wa . [he more you practice the more accurate you gel. B/S... AE/HE liamxi ... zhiin practice ... accurate 7. Translate these sentences into English. 1. HE38 FEAR RAR © 4 3 AG A RRB IR © ta pao dé yué ldi yué kuai. 2. RAK RAR R o (R Ii tired) wo yue lai yué 1éi. 3. Arak Rate oe | (A Se/5 HE nidnging young) UR 8 RAF HB | ni yueé léi yué nidnqing! ~CHAP.3] 4. VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 61 fe) EAR ARE o (F8-5/R HF fayin pronunciation, eg RAR R Bide eo FRIAR HE diaozhtin accurate) ta de fayin yueé 14i yué bidozhtin. MRR RA c (R/K AB ching gao grow tall) WKAR RAR Ho ta zhing dé yué lai yué gao. PP RRR A o (RRIF iii cha green tea), PR RAL RAL TH © Zhonggud lh cha yue 1di yue gui. BRR 0 (MBAS shixué math, BP AR HE © ¥8/x8 nan difficult) shtxuéd yué lai yué nan. EES hy aR ARE o (BUF shiging situation, SES lah RAZR o WAZ A firzd complicated) zhé jian shiqing yué léi yué fuzd. We AA A RRR AR Z 0 et) A RRR 0 ta de péngyou yue lai yué duo. EAE A RAR ART o (HA/AA yrnyue music, ik #P RAR ARI © #iL4AT litixing popular) zhé zhong yinyué yué lai yué litixing. Modification of Adjectival Stative Verbs In addition to modification by preceding intensifiers, adjectival stative verbs can also be modified in the following ways. Modification by Intensifier Suffixes A small number of intensifiers are verb suffixes. They include % T /%% T jile extremely, 4% 7-4 J de bidélido extremely, and #4 de hén very. These intensifier suffixes can only modify adjectival stative verbs.62 Intensifier Suffix Stative Verb +Intensifier a T 1/4 T HE T 35-98 T jile haojfle extremely extremely good AFAR AAR dehén hdodehén very very good BARBI BERET debudéliao haodebidélido extremely extremely good Modification by Repetition VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 Example Sentence ZGAKSS RRB KAKFFRERBT © Méiguéd daxué xuéféi guijile. The tuition at American universities is extremely expensive. KAASSP RAR» KRBKEF RRR © Méigué daxué xuéféi guidehén. The tuition at American universities is very expensive. £BKSSPRAFAT © ZAKFERKAAAT Méiguéd daxué xuéfei guidebtidéliao. The tuition at American universities is extremely expensive. Some one-syllable adjectival stative verbs can serve as noun modifiers when they are repeated. The meaning of this structure is equivalent to very+stative verb+noun. 4 ABA 8) AB ASA gao gao de na ge rén that very tall person AR IR 8) BF RABY BF na ge shou shdu de hdizi that very thin child AR fea 84 AB A A AR i 89 AB ASA hén gao de na ge rén that very tall person AMBRE BF AR AARE HBF na ge hén shou de hdaizi that very thin child Modification by Extent Phrases: So Adjectival Stative Verb that ... Extent phrases introduce the consequence of an adjectival stative verb. They are formed as follows: Adj. Stative Verb # de VP/Clause MASSE RRA aR AP GCA REAR 0 na zhdng ché gui de méi yu rén mii. That kind of car isso expensive that no one buys it.CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES He DEVE SA BER © LEAR HER © ta gaoxing de shud bu chii hua 1di. She is so happy that she can’t speak. {te RAG SE Ay HE Ma RG 3b HEL © ta léi de zhanzhe shui jiao. He is so tired that he is sleeping standing up. 63 8. Select the best extent phrase from the list below to complete each sentence and translate each sentence into English. 1, aA a ~ ‘Oo ARAM A RRA jintian ré de We 83 4 ta qidéng de BRR w6 léi de RIE ww f w6 mang de EAB ABATE Faguo jit gui de He RG ta de jio da de RKBRKG zhé ci k¥oshi chang de . RRT BT wo xia de RO A HON AS ° ta lin de ° (24/ # re hot) (38 gidng poor) (# lei tired) (‘TE mang busy) (2/4 gul expensive) (3 jido foot/feet) (e/-K chang Jong) (sb °F xia frightened) (RA/ 18 14 lazy)64 10. VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 HOS At ° ta h3o de Extent Phrases a. os ° Q AKRAM AA HEKRAAA © lian dayi dou méi you. he doesn't even have an overcoat. AAR ER © AKA ER HG 0 rén rén d6u xYhuan ta. everyone likes her. ERLE o chuanbushang xiézi. can't put on shoes. ER aT ° shuibuzhdo le. couldn't sleep. ATL SAK © RAAB SAE © women dou xiébuwan. we all couldn't finish. £ RAT WER © BAT WR o zudbulido gongke. unable to do school work BL AR © EWE AR © shéi yé madibudi. no one can afford to buy it. -BRART o HRRRT jit kiigilai le. began to cry.CHAP.3)} VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 65 i. BEAR ABH AK © TE ARAB FH AK © lian fan dou bii zud. doesn’t even cook, j. & TOR ET OK © wang le chi fan. Jorgot to eat. Properties of shi, # xing and 4 you ze shitobe NP, shi NP, The verb % shi joins two NPs and expresses a relationship of identity between the NPs. HREEE o REED wo shi xuésheng. lam a student. RANMA ARA © wo de péngyou shi Ribén rén. My friend is Japanese. SRE AH e HEREC AGF o jintian shi qryué sihao. Today is July 4”. In affirmative sentences, when NP) refers to time, money, or age, shi may be omitted, ERR) AH © SR(X)+E As o jintian (shi) qiyué si hao. Today is July 4". AAG (%e)—tT+ BS © ABA A (2e)— TARA © nei bén shit (shiérshi kuai qidn. That book is $20.66 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 HIRE) RMR ? IR()ILY ? méimei (shi) ji sul? How old is younger sister? & shi may never be omitted in negated sentences. The negation of % shi is always # bt shi. SREB A WH» SRFRCEAF jintian bi shi qiyué sthao. Today is not July 4". MAE REAP 0 ABA +h RT IRR © nei bén shii bii shi érshf kuai qian. That book is not $20. HIARREAR © KARA G © méimei bi shi lit sui. Younger sister is not 6 years old. 4 xing to be surnamed +E xing introduces a surname (family name). The polite way to inquire about a surname is as follows: Q BAH? A: REG ede? w6 xing Gao. _ nin gui xing? My family name is Gao. What is your family name? The neutral way to inquire about a surname is as follows: Q: ARE ? A: Bk EAE w6 xing Gao. ny xing shénme? My family name is Gao. What is your family name?CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 67 Notice that the reply is the same for both forms of the question,” 4% xing is always followed by the family name alone. When including a family name plus a given name or title, the word % shi is used. HOUE Ho he SoA Wed Ao WES IP ta xing Gao. ta shi Gao laoshi. Her family name is Gao. She is teacher Gao. WHEE o fee LRH o ta xing WAng. ta shi Wang Méiling. Her family name is Wang. She is Wang Meiling. AL you to have, to exist %# you has two distinct meanings: = Possessive ® you fo have RA-APRER o w6 you yi bén Zhong-Ying zidian. I have a Chinese-English dictionary. « Existential A yu fo exist RELA-APRERo zhudzi shang you yi bén Zhong-Ying zidian. On the table there is a Chinese-English dictionary. Existential 4 yOu does not take a subject. Existential 4 yOu typically occurs in expressions referring to location. (See Chapter 9: Location, Directional Movement, and Distance.) 9. Fill in the blanks with shi, #: xing, or # you. LRP Ro. ROPLS MH wo de Zhongwén ldoshi__—sHudng. My Chinese teacher's family name is Huang. ° ” A rarely used, self-deprecating reply to the polite question is as follows. (# bi means low/y/miserable.) HK HE bixing Gao. My lowly surname is Gao.68 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [CHAP.3 2. aay Le Re Ha FL MR tadexiansheng —- Chén. Her husband's family name is Chen. Re AF? AF ei] ARB? —PILF-*+E)L tamen __liing ge hdizi, yi ge érzi yi ge nii'ér. They have two children, a son and a daughter. MOTE SL REE WAH ILF _ KFEe tamen de érzi___— daxuéshéng. Their son is a college student. 4% = +me fh +H ta___sérshi sul. He is 20 years old. 6 MMRKE BSH MAK —-AGPFE nage daxué _—syiwan dud xuésheng. That college has more than 10,000 students. ee) - Wa TRAM MA FET eo KERNEN _ FET o Huang lxoshi de nii'ér b.___—sxuésheng le. Teacher Huang's daughter is not a student anymore. 8.44 LAR Eo a LARP 0 ta gngchéngshi. She is an engineer. Properties of Stative Verbs of Ability, Possibility, and Permission 4/4 hui, 4% néng, and VA kéyy are equivalent in meaning to modal auxiliary verbs in English. The meanings they convey are as follows. @/2 hui —_ future, probability, ability or skill: ‘will,’ ‘can’ #2 néng physical ability, capability: ‘can’ *. VA kéyY permission: ‘may,’ ‘can’CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 69 The English equivalents of these words are not inflected and are therefore not full verbs. As we have seen, in Mandarin, these words have the properties of full verbs. In Mandarin, they are typically followed directly by another verb, though they may occur without a following verb in response to a question or in other contexts in which the following verb is implied. QVEFRRLAG ? A. @ ° EHRLG ? Be ni hul shud Yingwén ma? hui. Can you speak English? Yes. Q: HER TART ahs ? A: TV e HRILTAART Asha ? kéyi zai zhér kéyi bt: kéyY chou yan? It's okay. Is it okay to smoke here? When used in the V-NEG-V structure, @/4 hui and 4@/%# bu hui may be split up. @/4 hut occurs as the first verb of the VP, before any prepositional phrase or location phrase. %-@/#4 btt hut occurs at the end of the VP, after the object. (See Chapter 8: Questions and Question Words.) QVEFRRELAG ? A: @ ° GAERRLARE ? Be ni hul shud Yingwén bi hui? hui. Can you speak English? Yes. 10. Select #/4 hui, #& néng, or J vA kéy¥ to complete each sentence. Some sentences may have two correct choices. LQ RHBRT otk FR FAB? ROERT off RHR? wo.de ché huaile.n¥ — bu__ bang wé xii? My car is broken. Can you help me fix it? LAHORE MAR © RR c dulbuqY.w6 bt. Sorry. I can't,70 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 3.Q:%% A __ Bieas ? i RK __ SRPDR? ni bu____xi@ zhé ge zi? Can you write this character? 4.A: ° o T can, 5.35? RSAML _ F__ 4488? Wo RAMBLE E__#AWH? ma, wd jintian winshang = bu'_—__sa qt kan dianying? Mom, can I go see a movie tonight? 64% RK _ ats? tk oR _ AH? nib —_s qf zixingché? Can you ride a bicycle? 7 AMER _ BB TH? BM bRF _ wie T A? na ge xifo hdizi __— shud hua le ma? Can that child speak yet? he a rn a mPs R_ Fe? gaozhongshéng = br_ ki ché? Can high school students drive? — 9.4 _ ss R___ HLTA FMI ? Ws R_ WRKAFMRBA? ny bu____ b& zhé zhang zhudzi ban jin qtr? Can you move this table in? 10. 48_. F__. RAMP KR ? __ F__ RRRM-RARH? ni bu__ gén w6men yiay qi ltiyéu? Can you go traveling with us?CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 7 11. Complete these sentences to match the English translations, adding the parenthesized expressions in the correct location. LRA SEMA o (88) AEB BA ABA Ro (88) ni zai tishiiguin jié na bén shi. (néng) You can borrow that book at the library. AGS RARE 0 (TVA) WA RRS 0 (TV) ni dangran jié w6 de ché. (kéy¥) Of course you can borrow my car. . PY AR A RH ? (AT VA) FAH RA FAY ? (TV) kai ché de shfhou yéng shduji ma? (kéyY) When you drive a car can you use a cell phone? ABU RE (TART A) ARURRE 2 (TART) w6 gén ni tanhua? (kéyY bi kéyD Can I speak with you? AAAS SH? (4) KBARAFS? (2) Méigué rén dou kaiché ma? (hut) Can all Americans drive? RARRERURAE ? (ie KA) BD RRERMAH ? (J HAE wo jintian wanshang gén ni nian shti? (néng bu néng) Can I study with you tonight? EAD PY > OR ALAR 2 (4) RANT] RAGA ? (88) zhé ge mén, ni kaidekai ma? (néng) Can you open this door? RARER © (#) BRAPM © (4) wo zhi zud zXofan. (hut) I can only cook breakfast. nr ie) ang w an “N 272 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [CHAP.3 9. SEAS Bo (#) RBH So (2) mao dou zhua ld4oshiti. (hut) All cats can catch mice. 10. RBI SE ? (SARS) ARTLINE ? (BARE) nY shud waiyti? (hut bti hut) Can you speak a foreign language? Properties of Words of Obligation RBI yinggai, s4/7% gai, and 4/4 yingdang are three of the words used to express obligation in Mandarin. They are included in this chapter because they have the properties of stative verbs, including the ability to occur in Verb-NEG-Verb questions. The other words of obligation are adverbs. They are presented in more detail in Chapter 4: Adverbs. ACTIVITY VERBS Activity verbs refer to actions that have duration. Examples include: #& kan to read/to look BIS xié to write SE / i shud to talk Fe / or ting to listen B/ mai to shop ae shui to sleep AE nian to study Properties of Activity Verbs Negation Activity verbs may be negated with # bu or & méi. % bit is used for non-past or general time. 1 méi is used to indicate that the action did not happen in the past. (See Chapter 6: The Suffixes J le, 4 zhe, and i&/3t guo.) AREER & RRL EMG 0 wo bu chi zXofan. I don’t eat breakfast.CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 73 RPREELACER © RARE EAGER © w6 jintian z¥oshang méi chi zdofan. Today I didn’t eat breakfast. Aspectual Suffixes Activity verbs can be suffixed by the aspect markers J le, # zhe, and i8/ guo. (See Chapter 6: The Suffixes 7 le, 4 zhe, and 8/3 guo.) " Perfective aspect marker V- 7 le. REBT EH KLBTT FR © wo yijing chile z#ofan. I’ve already eaten breakfast. # Durational suffix V-4 zhe. HE "OA RE © ta zhéng chizhe fan ne. He's eating. = Experiential aspect marker 24/i¢ guo. RCI P AR ° ROR PF AK © ‘wo chiguo Zhinggué fan. I have eaten Chinese food before. Duration Activity verbs describe actions which have duration. As noted above, they can be suffixed by the durational suffix V-#% zhe. The suffix highlights the ongoing activity. EEE A wt A A © 6B H wt A GK © baba hézhe kafei kan baozhY. Dad drinks coffee while reading the newspaper. Activity verbs can also be used with other expressions which indicate duration. These include the following: = s£ zhéng+ VP, 4 zhéngzai+ VP. These phrases immediately precede the verb and often occur with the durational suffix V-# zhe.14 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 MEER © —@P LER EE © LIER © — SILA IE © ta zhéngzai xi zo. yihuir géi nf huf dianhua. He’s taking a shower right now. He'll call you back soon. (He's right in the middle of a shower.) * Durational complements. These expressions follow the verb. When the verb is not followed by an object, the durational complement immediately follows the verb: . Verb + Duration Rune J —{E) SEHR © Rake J —47K © ta shui le yi ge zhdngtou. He slept for an hour. When the verb is followed by an object and a durational complement, the sentence may take either of the following forms: Verb + Duration & de Object or Verb + Object Verb + Duration abe J —1] 4e 58 0) ME o oh SE ak J —{] E98 © RRE T —A4P AY T © oa BE J — 47 & © ta shui le yi ge zhongtou de jido. ta shui jido shui le yi ge zhongtou. He slept for an hour. He slept for an hour. Frequency Activity verbs may be suffixed with frequency complements. When the verb is not followed by an object, the frequency complement simply follows the verb: Verb + Frequency MRE? RLBAT RK o MEOH? RLAAT RK o na bi dianying, w6 yYjing kan le liing cl. That movie, I've already seen it two times. When the verb is followed by an object and a frequency complement, the structure is as follows:CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 5 Verb + Object Verb + Frequency RSRALRF BET BK © ROR CRF CBI AK wo jintian chi jiiozi yijing chile liaing cl. Today I've already eaten dumplings twice. Obligatory Objects Almost all activity verbs are transitive, taking a direct object NP. Many activity verbs have a default object which automatically occurs with the verb unless the verb has a specific object. These default objects are typically absent in the English translations, but their presence in Mandarin is required. Activity verbs with default objects include the following: Activity Verb Activity Verb + Default Object English Translation # kin read # 21% 4 kan shi read /S xié write B /B F xi€ i write SLi shud talk B/E shud hua talk *% chi — eat "$8 °%,4% chi fan eat #& shul sleep a /B i, shul jido sleep Verb + Default Obiect: RPC | RAT CRE | women chi fan ba! Let’s eat! Verb + Question Word: AR BOAT BE? HEED ni yao chi shénme? What do you want to eat? When there is a more specific object, it replaces the default object: Verb + Content Object AMET 0 RAT CARPE 0 women chi jidozi ba. Let's eat dumplings.76 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [(CHAP.3 Resultative Endings Activity verbs refer to open-ended actions. Resultative verb endings can be added to activity verbs to indicate the ending or result of the action, Only activity verbs can be suffixed with resultative verb endings. A SL kanjian to perceive Bese xiéceud to write incorrectly i 3844/4344 shudhao to come to anagreement Rete /ep Ge — tingddng —_ 0. understand (by listening) ' A B|/KF| mMaidao to buy a AK, nianwén to finish studying For more on resultative endings, including exercises involving the resultative structure, see Chapter 7: The Resultative Structure and Potential Suffixes. 12. Rewrite these sentences to include the frequency or duration expression. 1. RIB T Ho (18 ) XN tw i BHT BR e (4) BT) wo ting le yiriyue. (yi ge xidoshf) J listened to music for an hour. RERA EH ° (142) RRA WAL © (—S-F 4K) w6 méitian kan dianshi. (yi ge ban zhongtéu) 1 watch television every day for an hour and a half. REE T FR 0 (2X) REFLT Kc (2X) wo qtinidn zud le féiji. (san ct) I rode a plane three times last year. RHKIBE A o (WR) RACE HB o (WR) wo quguo Fagué. (st ct) I went to France four times. RERRLE PL o (21-57) RERRLES PR (S24) wo méitian wanshang xué Zhongwén. (san ge xixoshf) I study Chinese every night for three hours.CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 77 6. a T AR SH © (FX) de TARA EY (AR) wo kan le na ge dianying. (ling ci) I saw that movie twice. 7. RESET ° (4182288) oO © RET T o (447K) w6 shui jido le. (qi ge zhngtdu) I slept for seven hours. . RTI F BAR ° (XR) REN F BAR o (LR) wo chiguo Zhonggué fan. (ji ct) I ate Chinese food a few times. RAW ° (— xX) RMR 0 (—) wo yongguo kuaizi. (yi cl) I've used chopsticks once. 10. REAR PAF ° (—fG HF) REAS PAF 0 (—+*-)#) w6 méitidn xi€ Zhongegud zi. (yi ge xidoshf) I write Chinese characiers for an hour every day. Modification by Manner Adverbials Activity verbs can be modified by phrases which indicate the manner in which an activity i. manner. Pattern 1: is performed, Mandarin uses two patterns to express modification in terms of 4; The manner phrase occurs after the verb. This pattern is used to describe the way that the verb is performed by the subject. The marker for this kind of adverbial modification is # de. Verb #4 de Stative Verb 244-12 RRB CARE chi de man wo méimei chi de hén man. eat slowly My little sister eats slowly.78 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 BIS RS tp? BF AIRY © xiéde hao tp? BES AIRE © write well ni Zhongguo zi xiéde hén hao. You write Chinese characters well. Note: Negation precedes the stative verb: BRE fist WO RAE RIE 0 DAG FE He 8h 09 FB LAS AH if shud de bi: zhtin ta de sishéng shud de biti zhiin. speaks inaccurately He speaks his tones inaccurately. 7 If the verb is followed by an object and a manner adverbial, verb + object must be stated before verb 4 de stative verb. Verb + Object Verb # de Stative Verb WTR TARR © ROC CITA © ta chi fan chi de hén man. She eats slowly. WE PLE RRRH WS PRE SHIR © ta xié Zhongwen ai xié de hén hao. She writes Chinese characters well. WS A RBA RARE © RUTL A UR ia HE © ta shud Riwén shud de hén biaozhiin. She speaks Japanese accurately. RCAC ENR © WUC RTATARR © ta chi fan chi de hén man. She eats slowly, Note: When an activity verb is modified by a stative verb in this way, the VP behaves like a stative verb phrase. The verb cannot be suffixed by the aspect markers T le ori4/i guo. # zhe is also not acceptable. Ow T ALAR © S406 T A CUT RAR HE o ta shud le Riwén shud de hén bidozhtin.CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 79 Ox Bi? LE RARE © weLPLE RGR © ta xiéguo ZhoOngwén zi xié de hén hao. Pattern 2: The manner phrase occurs before the VP. This pattern describes the way that the entire VP is performed by the subject. The marker for this kind of adverbial modification is #4 de. Stative Verb #4 de VP Hee 12 tote PPA BAT ° MwiR RITA T° ta manman de ba mén kai kai le. He slowly opened the door. HARE IE MAE HAR RATS LAGE SAR © ni déi hXohaor de zhtinbéi gongké. You'd better prepare your lessons well. Negation precedes the adverbial modifier. We RA FAS BOK © Rae A FEAF DUBE © ta méi yOu hdohaor de zud. He didn't do the job weil. 13. Complete these sentences with the appropriate Mandarin words to match the English translation. Use the 'Verb + Object Verb 7 de Stative Verb' pattern. LRRBRR OB) KRERL 2 (1) méimei xié Yingwén Little sister writes English slowly. 2. FRE TAR °° (F) PA eR _ ° ($) zhongxuéshéng chi fan . (dud) Middle school students eat a lot. 3. SARL _° ('R) WA ETE o (kuai) jigjie shud hua . (kuai) Older sister speaks quickly. . (man)80 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES (CHAP.3 4 BPR TR) Sr CAR © (RR) didi chi fan . (man) Little brother eats slowly. S@GAS OF) EEA FH °(f) baba kan sha (dus) Dad reads a lot. 6 RBS ° (AF) REF ° (AHF) w6 xié zi . (bt: hao) I write Chinese characters poorly. 7. $535 Fe] & ° (4F) HWE _____° (HF) mama kai ché , (hao) Mom drives well. 8. a ef oe ie o() gége hé kafei . (sh4o) Older brother drinks litile coffee. 9. WF ° (RB) WSF OO ( K) jigjie xié zi . (pidoliang) Older sister writes characters beautifully. 10. HHA EAR, °(¥) ph A AL, °($) didi kan dianshi . (dud) Younger brother watches a lot of television. 14. Put the adverbial phrase in the right place in each sentence to match the English translations. 1. M4 EFC © (Arter 2s) ta ba dangao chiwan le. (téutou de) He secretly ate the cake up.CHAP.3} 2. w eas _ * 2 10, VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 81 UR AGL © (FEAF 3 Hd) ERAT BL © (345 )L34) ni déi zud. (haohdor de) You have to do it well. Fe ° (HR) zou. (man man) Don't hurry off. (Go slowly) Beg! (RR) Bre! (RR) xié ba! (kuai kuai) Hurry and write it. RAS PT BA Too (RR 3) RAIA A T oo (RRB) ta ba mén kaikai le. (manman de) She slowly opened the door. WHARLAS o (BBM) HOGER LA Ho (GF FIL) ta ting zai chudngshang kan shi. (jing jing de) She quietly lay on the bed reading. BUGe AKA o (HHL) MILA KR 0 (F44234) feng céng ndnfang chui l4i. (qingqing de) The breeze blows softly from the south. MERAZRT 9 (AF AGEN) MWRRRT 0 (KF FW) ta kiiqilai le. (bi: zhi bis jué de) He unconsicously started to cry. ABORT ° (BRR) hin] 32, KT ° (am% 34H) tamen po hut jid le. (gaogao xingxing de) They ran home happily. a UR ICS th ABLE oo (REE) THR S lh AL © (RR ILS) qing ni ba shiging zai shud yibian. (manmar de) Please explain the situation again slowly.82 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [CHAP.3 ACHIEVEMENT VERBS Achievement verbs are verbs whose actions are instantaneous and have no duration. The actions of many achievement verbs also result in a change of state. They include: rs wang to forget R, si to die i F chuan 0 put on (clothing) (on the torso or legs) KR dai to put on (clothing) (on the head or arms) Rit peng tobump bs po to break BE tido to jump g/x mai to sell RIX lai to come (to a location identified with the speaker) + qu to go (to a location distinct from the location of the speaker) 3b zhan __ to stand (a change from being seated to standing) a zu to sit (a change from standing to seated) BL fang to place down (a change from up to down) BA/se kai to open (a change from closed to open) Properties of Achievement Verbs Negation Like activity verbs, achievement verbs may be negated with # bt or & méi. # bit is used for non-past or general time. 34 méi is used to indicate that the action did not happen in the past. (See Chapter 6: The Suffixes J le, # zhe, and 34/it guo.) MAW BATH MAAR o WAR ATH © MRAZ 0 ta bti mai zixingché. ta mai qiché. He doesn't sell bicycles. He sells cars. fis LGB BAT Ro hee Bt BATH © ta méi qiguo zixingché. He's never ridden a bicycle before.CHAP.3} VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 83 Aspectual Suffixes Achievement verbs may be marked as completed or terminated with the perfective suffix V-T le. HOE AEA ET PUR © tote AEA T POR © ta zudtian mang de wang le chi fan. Yesterday he was so busy that he forgot to eat. hn 5B, J © ta s¥ le. He died. de J they B o WET Rew HR o | ta mai le ta de ché. She sold her car. Some achievement verbs describe repeatable actions. Those which do may be suffixed with the experiential suffix V-i8/it guo. Repeatable Event Non-Repeatable Event REA F Bo OR BiH ZF ° REN P Bo REUSE o w6 qiguo Zhonggud. wo wangguo ni de mingzi. I’ve gone to China before. (intended: I forgot your name before} Duration Since achievement verbs do not have duration, they cannot be suffixed with the durational suffix V-4 zhe and they cannot occur with durational complements or with any expressions which mark duration. Frequency Achievement verbs may be suffixed with frequency complements. The complement immediately follows the verb. RAT KIRK © RET —-K EM e wo6 zud le yi ct feijf. I rode on a plane once before.84 VERBS AND VERB PHRASES [CHAP.3 Properties of the Achievement Verbs 44/# g&i and 3% song The achievement verbs #4/¢4 géi and x& song are distinguished from most verbs in Mandarin because they can take both a direct object and an indirect object. Most Mandarin verbs take no object or a single, direct object. #/#4 g&i and i% song can also occur with a direct object and no indirect object. Direct Object and Indirect Object Direct Object ' Up Fi slo bs RIE AT RB EP A Ashe) o UR A ib te RAE A o EP Rubs viz o ni biibi géi w6 rénhé dongxi. zai Zhonggué bibi géi xidofei. You don’t have to give me anything. You don’t have to give a tip in China. FPL IE IK Hatt RAR AED ? AR FB Sb 3 FEA © BAT IK AT 2 AE AY FLAY ? AR A be 3& FLA © women yinggai song ta shénme yang de ni bib! song liwt. liwtt? You don’t have to give a gift. What kind of gift should we present to him? 15. The main verb in each of the following sentences is an activity verb or an achievement verb. Rewrite each sentence in the negative form. When doing this exercise, consult Chapter 6: The Suffixes Tle, # zhe, and :8/it guo. Note that V- T le does not occur in sentences negated with & méi. : 1 Ra T Mase o RA T ABA BH © wo kan le na ge didnying . I saw that movie. 2. fae T NFER © WET RRA o ta zuo le gdnggdng qiché. He traveled by bus. 3. RPM ZHA LER © RMZAA LR women xingqilit shang ke. We attend class on Saturday(s). 4 RORET PLE o RPRET PLR o wo zudtian shang le Zhongwén ke. / attended Chinese class yesterday.CHAP.3] VERBS AND VERB PHRASES 85 5, Re AT T OKIE © ta jintian chi le binggilin. She ate ice cream today. 6. RRR I FH RDRBTF Re wo jintian dai le shéubido. I put on a watch today. 7. WF J AR o ta chuan le dayi. He wore an overcoat. 8. Haié T 724% © Ha3& T 744 © ta song le lfwt. He presented a gift. 9 RFR T FR © RORET PMR w6 jintian chi le ziofan. I ate breakfast today. 10. APTARE PL o RNYRS PL o women mingtian kxo Zhongwén. Tomorrow we have a test in Chinese. MEMBERSHIP IN MORE THAN ONE VERB CATEGORY Many verbs shift their verb categories based on the overall properties of the sentence in which they occur. When functioning as a member of a particular category, the verb has all of the properties of that category and also the meaning associated with verbs in that category. Notice how the meanings of the following verbs shift slightly depending upon the category to which they belong. Since many achievement verbs describe actions which have resulting states, shifts between the categories of state and achievement are particularly common. Stative Verb | Achievement Verb Activity Verb BR | IABFR HE | ACF) O WR ERE— | mud | ate if &(F) ° 19 3 ESO B o wNAAFE Fo fa RL BE BE KYH 0 qing zud (xia). Please sit (down).86 BI FP kai bis fang dai VERBS AND VERB PHRASES tamen zai wiizi lY zuozhe. They are sitting in the room. PIR © I) Fr ar % ° mén kaizhe ne. The door is open. RFLKAARS R WW o KRFLAARS RK Wo zhudzi shang fangzhe | hén dud dongxi. There are a lot of things placed (sitting) on the table. SOR He AR 8 FR 0 OR Hr ART 8) IR 0 ta daizhe hén gui de érhudn. | She is wearing very | expensive earrings. WEB a MAAR | Medea AA A A ay FRR ja Ee KAA FR ° qiang shang guazhe ta nii péngyou de zhaopian. His girlfriend's photo is hanging on the wall. [CHAP.3 442 P49 Fel el T° Rede FT © ta ba mén kaikai le. He opened the door. j eee LE RFET ta ba ta de pibao fang zai zhudzi shang le. | She took her handbag | and put it on the table. WALT HF ° He put on a hat. i BYERS E fe ze fo AAA BY FR Kizh igh o ta b¥ ta nti péngyou de zhaopian gua zai qidng shang. He hung his gitlfriend’s photo on the wall. ( | ché. ta dai shang maozi le. ; ta méitian shang ban zud yi ge dud zhongtéu de ché. Every day he travels by bus more than one hour to get to work. Hod K AB AH WH KARI E 0 ta méitian dou kai He drives every day.CHAP.3) G Sy uan zhan VERBS AND VERB PHRASES Ae F BARB A Ri ta chuanzhe hén hou de dayi. He is wearing a very thick overcoat. BROS) ER AIRS A © GLAS ? pas BARGA © zénme huf shi? waibian zhanzhe hén duo rén. What's going on? There are a lot of people standing outside. ROAR AA $&, ° ta hén y6u qidn. He has a lot of money. HE RIRA © KFT REWKRE ° zudtian hén léng. wd chuan le hén hou de dayi. It was very cold yesterday. I put ona very thick overcoat. BPP RR TI © shee i RE, ! BVRRTI o abe Ke, | | Boshi kuai 14i le. zhanqilai ba! The teacher is almost here. Stand up! te A J — ER th T — 2% © ta you le yi bi qian. He has acquired a sum 87 > ss of money.Adverbs CHARACTERISTICS OF ADVERBS Adverbs are words that modify the VP. In Mandarin, they have the following characteristics: ‘ Position in the VP . Adverbs occur at the beginning of the VP, before the verb and any prepositional phrase. R—-RE © wo yiding qi. Iam definitely going. RUA EEG BLE eB RANIARS ZEAE © tamen dou hui shuo Fayi. They can all speak French. fee Heke A AAT SE © fe Bb AAT iE ta chang géi nti péngyou d& dianhua. He often phones his girlfriend. Exclusion from V-NEG-V Structure Adverbs do not participate in Verb-NEG-Verb question formation. OR-LA-LH? ni yiding bt yiding git? Are you definitely going? OUERER? hah ARE RK? ta chang bt chang 1d4i? Does he often come? 88CHAP.4] ADVERBS 89 Co-occurrence with Other Adverbs Adverbs may co-occur with adverbs from other meaning groups (presented below). Generally, adverbs which indicate uniqueness such as #€, jit, zhY, 4 cdi, and #, guang occur closest to the verb. wTRRe E-mieFs o WT ERE SAF o ta kénéng zhi hut xié yi liang ge zi - Perhaps he can only write one or two characters. AR APLAR 7 SGA — BE o ABA AB SS A BU A — HE nimen dou bixti géng rénzhén yixié. You should all be more conscientious. 4H LAR o HRA EB Ro ni déi mashang huf jia. You should go home immediately. Adverbs and Negation Adverbs usually occur before negation. REF IE © REF IE wo hai bi: ding. I still don’t understand 1 KALA KR o WAEMERK 0 ta jintian yéxti bb 14i. Perhaps he won't come today. (He may not come today.) A small number of adverbs may occur before or after negation. Those which can include 4f dou and —< yiding. RR-TEe RMA ABE 0 wo bi yiding qu. BARRE © Iam not definitely going. women bi: dou gi. We are not all going.90 ADVERBS (CHAP.4 R-LRH 0 RANTHBAE © w8 yiding bi qo. AMM © Iam definitely not going. women dou bii qi. We are all not going. As these examples illustrate, the relative position of adverb and negation influences the meaning of the sentence. The changes in meaning will be discussed below in the section on 48 dou. COMMON ADVERBS CATEGORIZED BY MEANING é Universality ap déu all/always (see below for special focus) @(#) zéng(shi) always xz lao always (colloquial) ey RK xiangl4i always (in the past up to the present time) HERD — cOnglai never (Note: # RIM must be followed by negation. When # RIM # is used, the verb is usually suffixed with the experiential suffix 18/32 guo) HES M o NRE BGR re | WE CL o SR ONY AB ! ni 1¥o chi doufu. jintian chi biéde dongxi ba! You always eat beancurd. Eat something else today! RRR Liaw o RMA HY Bo wo céngléi méi chiiguo gud. I have never been abroad before. Special Focus A$ dou all/always The basic function of 4f dou is to indicate that something is true for an entire noun phrase. The NP to which 4f dou refers must come before the VP. * When the subject is plural, the presence of 48 dou typically indicates that the VP is true for the entire subject:CHAP.4] ADVERBS 91 RMB EY ° ARMREKA BH ° women dou xYhuan kan dianying. We all like to see movies. = 4 dou can also be used to indicate that the VP is true for the entire object. In order for #8 d6u to refer to the object, the object must occur before the VP as a ‘topic.’ (See Chapter 13: Focusing Constructions.) AUS > RAAWT o ORPAIAT PES o Aik RAAT o RAPA LT AS FH o naxié shi, wo dOu kanguo le. w6 dou kanguo le naxié shi. I’ve read all of those books before. (Those books, I’ve read them all before.) AAR > PH + RABLIG © ORMEMAR > PH o HA. Hs RAPE RAOLRAKR >. He Ribén, Zhonggud, w6 dou qiguo. w6 dou qiiguo Ribén, Japan, China, I have been to them both. Zhonggud. 4$ dou can be interpreted as referring to the object if the object is implied but not specified. RAME © w6 dou dong. I understand completely, (48 8036 > +) RABE © (ARB 7E >) RAPE o (ni de hua » ) w6 dou ding. (What you say,) I understand completely. I understand everything you say. af dou can occur before or after negation. The relative position of #8 dou and negation influences the meaning of the sentence. 4f dou before negation indicates that the negated predicate refers to the entire NP:92 ADVERBS (CHAP.4 Not true for the entire subject RAM ALA BRIE TY © RIAA ERA HS LY © women dou bi xyhuan na ge dianying. We all do not like that movie. (None of us like that movie.) AAA RCI AAR © RAAB RCH ARK o women dou méi chiguo Ribén cai. We have all not eaten Japanese food. (None of us have eaten Japanese food.) Not true for the entire object WY? RAR ATE WATE > RAAT © ni de hua, w6 dou bi: ding. What you said, [ don’t understand at all. (I completely do not understand.) AA. PR. RMRAH © AA PH. RPREH 0 Ribén, Zhéngegud, w6 dou méi qiguo. Japan, China, I haven't been there. 4 dou after negation indicates that the negated predicate does not refer to all of the NP. That is, it conveys the meaning not all. Not all of the subject RN AAR BRAM SH HARARE RAB HS WY © women bi dou xYhuan na ge dianyYng. Not all of us like that movie. (Some of us don’t like it.) QFSAHRE TA BAR A APR 0 hy ? RAR 0 ARGS > Hee ZAR bu dou lai. oh 9 They won't all come. (not ail) jintian de wnhui, ni de téngxué dou l4i ma? Are all of your classmates coming to tonight’s party?CHAP.4) ADVERBS 93 Not all of the object Q: HR HE ? A: & RABE © AE ? RA AME © ni déng ma? wo bi dou dong. Do you understand? I don’t completely understand. (not all) QPER WERE? A RAB FRR? KBR? KABER © Zhonggud cai, ni dou bt: dou xihuan. xihuan ma? I don’t like all of it. (not all) De you like all Chinese food? Words that translate 4$ dou in English include all, both, always, etc. Note that Mandarin does not use separate words to distinguish two entities (bot) from more than two entities (all). #8 dou is used with question words to indicate indefinite meaning. (See Chapter 8: Questions and Question Words.) HB ERERF 0 RE K CRF 0 shéi dou xYhuan chi jidozi. Everyone likes to eat dumplings. Inclusion and Continuity au 2B /iK a 8 —i yé also hai still réngran still, as before yi zhf continuously wy Raye xianglai all along/always in the past up to the present — 1 yi xiang all along/always in the past up to the present (often used with negation) APRWRABRBAG © RUBE 0 Pe RARGARWEHoRRUBS © didi xiang mingtian dao h&ibian qu wan. meimei yé xiing qu. Younger brother is going to the ocean tomorrow to have fun. Younger sister wants to go too.94 ADVERBS {(CHAP.4 R-ARERAE EL » R-WMREKA LH ° wo yixiang bi xthuan kan dianying. I've never liked to watch movies. R-HRKPASE A-BAT AFA ° wo yizhf xiting qu Zhonggud xuéxi. I've always wanted to go to China to study. te LES TRG ° BRT? GLB T RS ° ERTS? ni yijing chile hén duo. hai xidng chi ma? You've already eaten a lot. Do you still want to eat? HO RRMA A © ta réngrdn shi w6 de hdo péngyou. She is still my good friend. Frequency, Repetition and Quantity \S zai san repeatedly wangwang — often/frequently chang often chang chang often {Be jingchdng regularly/frequently/without fail zai do again in the future you do again in the past dus more shio less ZMALSRAMNET SE o BVP RZSRAR RTD © lgoshi zai san gaosu wé bié wang le xuéxi. The teacher told me again and again not to forget to study. TiS F RHEE H HB zhé ge zi wS wangwang xiécud. This character I often write incorrectly.CHAP.4] ADVERBS 95 Hw2E 8H BABA © fn 28 Fe HB BABA © ta jingchaéng bangzht biéren. He always helps others. BRFRLET GER ° RFRLET ELAR wo jintian you wang le zénme xié. Today I forgot how to write it again. RBH ERK 0 RRA SILK © w6 zul hao zai xié ji cl. I'd best write it again several times. (WAEAEILA| 0 Re FEE IR Bo ta wangwang chidao. He's often late. Hoe BAA BA PY fee BARK] e ta chang chitiqu bi guan mén. He often goes out without shutting the door. AY EER) SEEAR Wa) BAL? ZIEBAR © ni d&i sh%o kan dianshi, dud zhiyi gongke. You should watch less television and pay more attention to your schoolwork. Obligation affirmative - RBI ER yinggai should BRSls % yingdang should BIG gai should wh 4B pid&i must At déi must whe 9A | sl Hl bixii must AR Ay feid&i ‘must96 negative FR RRIF BL AREA RBIRE Rob aR A RBI aA T fil (FR) RRA EH EWRES TNA BT RMET | RASH HIRE Ro ADVERBS k& big (ying) gai bu (CHAP.4 need not; do not have to need not; do not have to need not; do not have to need not; do not have to need not; do not have to" need not; do not have to (colloquial) not necessary to ‘ should not should not must not 1 zhé jian shiqing hén zhongyao. ni ké bié wang le! This matter is very important. Don't forget it! tk RGAE LAR © KR BGE FB Ji ° WAGE LR o FM GRE o ni yinggai anshi shang ké. bt: yinggai chidao. You should come to class on time. You shouldn't be late. ARF wl te RAB BEE © MR DERARKR 0 ni bitbi méitian dou x¥ téufa. You don't have to wash your hair everyday. RET ° WA ABT ° RET ok A AULT © w06 dong le. ni béng zai shud le. I understand. You don't have to say it again. EAE BY Sb HAT SE HE EM BY LAAT ER © zhticé qian bixii fi xuéféi. Before you register you must pay tuition. “® beng is a contraction of 7 A bit yong.CHAP.4] ADVERBS ; 97 PAR ARIE > TARBALL Zo Wa BRIE > RAR RAK ° shénqing jidshY zhéng, ni féidéi qinzi qu. When you apply for a driver's license you must go in person. Note: While included in this group of adverbs, FA2%/& 1% yinggai, %&/iK gai and BS/ ki 4 yingdang have the properties of stative verbs. (See Chapter 3: Verbs and Verb Phrases.) Special Focus dE V AT fei V bt ké must While not an adverb, the expresssion 4— V #7] féi V bir ké must is also used to indicate affirmative obligation. The literal meaning of 4k V #7 féi V bt: ké is i is not possible to not do V. Note that the verb is incorporated into the expression. TREES RARER o ERT 0 RELA SIVIRE Bo FLAT © jintian wanshang de huilyi hén zhongyao. féi qt bi: ké. Tonight's meeting is very important. You must go. HSH RERo MAT o KES HRER o FRAT 0 zhé jian shiging hén zhongyao. féi zud bi ké. This task is very important. You must do it. Certainty or Possibility = yiding certainly Se kénding — certainly B/S dijing after all, in the final analysis a) aE/a) AR diqueé in fact, really RR gudrdn sure enough ay Be kénéng possibly ee xXx huozhé perhaps (colloquial) RAR huoxiti perhaps, maybe (literary)98 ADVERBS [CHAP.4 MAUS ABRL-ZR Ra RR EEK © ta shud ta jintian wanshang yiding 1di. He said he is definitely coming tonight. Q RRRE RAG ? ARH LE ° UIRRERIT SE ? AA LE ni gén w6 qu ltixing ma? wo kénding qu. Q: Are you going to travel with me? A: I am definitely going. ; WE HELA oMAEAUERKE © WEEN >EF oP RA MERK EA © ta bijing shi yi ge xido hdizi. ni bi néng dui ta yaoqit tai gao. He is only a child after all. You should not demand too much of him. HOH AE MAF A © RH) BAR NIG A 0 ta diqué shi ge hio rén. She is certainly a good person. MMS RBRE? RRBRBT © ta shud ta jintidn géi w6 qian, gudran géi wo qian le. He said he would give me money today. Sure enough, he gave me money. IRIE > TRAGER REA EY © MIRE TRASRRM-RLG BY o ta hén mang, kénéng bit hul gén women yiqi qu kan dianyYng. He is very busy, (and) perhaps won't be able to go with us to see a movie. tue eB | HLA AH — & © ta yéxti hui wan yidiin. Perhaps she will be a little late. TR EBE | RA LERA ROR © RRC] RAR ROB © kuai yidiin ba! hudzhé hdi ldidejf cht wanfan. Hurry up! Perhaps we will be on time for dinner.CHAP.4] ADVERBS a9 RAR RAKE 0" RAR AEB ILE © huoxti w6 néng zud ci shi. Perhaps I will be able to do this. Uniqueness or Punctuality ez jit only/precisely (see below for special focus) x cai only/merely, only then (see below for special focus) x guang solely/merely Ft] / gang exactly/just Fle jing completely, merely/barely 48 [4 jin merely/barely sE(#) zhéng (zai) precisely, right now Aw ILSE > TRB AL ° OH > RB BA o ta guang shud, bi yuanyi zu0. He only talks, he’s not willing to do anything. MEA eT ° tem] eT ° ta gang zou le. He just left. MOP ERS > BR LER © MIP IE Ho AA WER o ta jing di shi, dou bi chi qh wan. He only studies, (and he) never goes out to have fun. HEAP EE) HK © He E(A) Se HK o tamen zhéng(zai) changzhe gé ne. They are singing right now. ” This example from Far East Chinese-English Dictionary (if RE RAWAK/RKRAWR yuandong hanying da cidian), Far East Publishing Company, 1995.100 ADVERBS (CHAP.4 Special Focus WL jit - only, precisely = 9 jit. as a marker of uniqueness: RMA SE © RRA RK © wo jit you yi kuai qian. 1 I only have one dollar. = gt jit: as a marker of identification. In this sense it is often used to signal a location at the end of a series of directions: Bl SME iz wR o AHAB SLE 3% JLo ttishtiguan jit: zai zhér ° The library is right here. As a marker of identification 3 jiti may also signal that a person has been located: a: WARE ? te ? ni zh3o shéi? Who are you looking for? E: REA MB o KAKA AM © w6 zh&o Bai Lina. I am looking for Bai Lina. BRR o RBI © wo jit shi. That's me. = 3 jit as a marker of immediacy: the VP will happen momentarily. RUB o BALK » wo jit lai. I'll be right there.CHAP.4] ADVERBS 101 When #4 jit: occurs in sentences indicating narrative sequence, it contributes the meaning of immediacy: the second action happens right after the first one. (For more on sequence sentences, see Chapter 12: Phrase and Clause Connection.) RCT RB © RL T RB © wo chile fan jit zou. I'll eat and leave. Z cai only/merely, only then A cai reflects a situation viewed from the speaker’s perspective. It signals that the situation expressed in the VP is less than what the speaker had expected. # When 4 cai occurs in a simple sentence, it can often be translated with the English word only or merely. aA Bm © HLT BY o ta cdi wit sul. She is only 5 years old. 4A oT — Bb e IRA ET — Ro ni cdi chi le yidian. You've only eaten a little. = 2 cai may occur before the second VP ina series of two VPs. In this case, it often indicates that the event described by the second VP occurs only after the completion of the event described by the first VP. The VPs may have different subjects. BAVA T SA GF BE © RATE T FA AEF HE © women zudwén le shi cdi néng xid ban. Only after we finish work can we go off duty. (literally: After we finish work, only then can we go off duty.) FUT E MAA RA SR © SAR FEV KT HEA LAL © déng ni ba zudyé zudwén cdi néng kan dianshi. Wait until you finish your homework and only then can you watch television.102 ADVERBS ICHAP.4 WRRERAREE © MIRRERA BREE © ni gén w6 gt wo cai yuanyi gi. Only if you go with me am I willing to go. (literally: If you go with me, only then am I willing to go.) Approximation # F-/ UF jrht just about/almost | £—8)/Z— 8 chayidiin almost (usually in negative context) ERS chabuduo almost he kuai almost, momentarily, soon tet) BEF RBERT © e892) UF RE BHT © ta de gdu jihti bei ché yas¥ le. His dog was almost crushed to death by a car. RE-BET RE aate wo cha yidian wang le. I almost forgot. tz FS ale © ta chabudud dou dong. He understands almost everything. HELE FS A—A © LEER FG A R—2 © xianzai chabudud ligng dian yi ke. Now it is almost 2:15. RAT RAZ TI © RATRA ET © women kuai zudwén le. We're almost done. Note: For expressions used in numerical approximations, see ‘Estimates and Approximations’ in Chapter 1: Numbers.CHAP.4] ADVERBS 103 Temporal Reference Beginnings and Endings BRRIBR yoanlai originally, at first, all along ARIZ dEnldi originally, at first = 4/434 dangchi originally, at first RT qichi originally, at first (same as '& #1/ 3 7) REIRG «wihou _ finally, in the end B&e/RA zizhodng finally, in the end (literary) Bi J daodi after all RUAMEPHMA? RRWTARA o RAAWEP HA? RRMWEARA © wo yiwéi ta shi Zhonggué rén, yudnldi ta sh} Ribén rén. I thought she was Chinese. All along she was Japanese. WARE LAA REURERSELT o MARTA RL RAKG REAWREKRFART ta bénldi dui lishY méi yOu xingqit, xianzai ta hén xYhuan xué lish’ le. Originally he wasn't interested in history. Now he likes to study it a lot. LSMRERE PRL? RRERT © RAMFEREPL REEKT © wo dangcht bi: xYhuan.xué Zhongwén, zul hdu xyhuan le. At the beginning I didn't like to study Chinese. In the end I liked it. Mee A ES RGR RRMA T © MRNA RRR? BRMBWST © ta qichi you yidiin jinzhang, hduldi ta fang xin le. ° At the beginning he was a bit nervous, afterwards he calmed down. ROAR HA > RIES) T Ao RAR RS A? RAAB] T Aa ta féichang niill, zui zhong dadao le midi. She was extremely hardworking, (and) in the end she achieved her goal. 48 B] BR BME ? 48 Bl BA BK He ? ni daodY x7 bi: xYhuan ta? After all, do you like him or not?104 ADVERBS ; [CHAP.4 Other Temporal Reference BR hirdn suddenly BE OR tiran suddenly and unexpectedly He kuai soon &E/GZ 4 méashang immediately Ri zA/w\A gangedi just before now MR/MK jinlai recently , @ue/ey céngjing once in the past ae gk / fay zanshi temporarily / RARBRRT WZ F © RBRRBRR TI HS F © w6 hiirdn xiangqilai le ta de mingzi. 1 suddenly remembered his name. WRART o ta tirdn si le. He suddenly and unexpectedly died. EHS RAIRR K © HE RAR K © zhé jian shi lai de hén tirén. This matter came up very suddenly and unexpectedly. BAH LGR © RNG SZ LGR © women déi mashang huf jia. We have to go home immediately. RAYA SLY SR EAE ? KAA HL EAE EK IE ? w6 gangcdi shud de hua ni ding bh ding? The thing I just told you, do you understand (it) or not? RRR © RRR RIMES © RR © RU RADE 0 duibuq?. w6 jinl4i méi banfa gen ni lidnlud. Zam sorry. I recently have been unable to get in touch with you. RG EE HOKE ? LRA ES o REALISE LRA ES o wo céngjing gaosuguo ny xué Zhongwén hén you yisi. I already told you, studying Chinese is very interesting.CHAP.4]} ADVERBS 105 HRA RNY HALAS HAR AN GH RA B © duibuqy, women zanshi méi you dian. fam sorry. We temporarily do not have electricity. Speaker Perspective These adverbs are subjective, conveying the speaker’s attitude towards an event. See Chapter 14: Speaker Perspective, for additional structures which convey speaker perspective and for additional exercises using these adverbs. aR A mingming clearly 44. hdoxiang seemingly, apparently Ba AL/ 4% 2 xiandé seemingly, apparently se/# bing not at all (must occur with negative) EER jtrén - wnexpectedly a bai in vain HERR tian in vain A H/R BR jianzhi simply (must occur with negation) HBF, BA da ho HHA HR RK ? BR BA 40 8 0 HAT A Ai? ta mingming zhidao. ta wéi shénme bt shuo? He clearly knows. Why doesn’t he speak? WFR A BRHF © MOTE ER WEF © ta hdoxiang bu: gaoxing de yangzi. He is apparently unhappy. WA RBA KR ORT © WA KRARR ORF ta jintian xiindé hén léi de yangzi. He is seemingly tired today. MHA RRA A © MHA ERMA A © ta bing bi shi wé de ho péngyou. He is absolutely not my good friend.106 ADVERBS [CHAP.4 he fe aH RCRA T © ME ATR OCR T © ta jiran ging wo chi w&nfan le. He unexpectedly invited me to dinner. (Out of the blue, he invited me to dinner.) SREB RATT © YREBKR RAMST © jintian méi kdoshi. w6 bai yubéi le. ‘ There was no test today. I wasted my time studying. HG a8 LAE HPT To AMAR T © MEM CAAIMT o MMRARKT © shangdian dou yijing guan mén le. women tirdn 1di le. The stores have all already closed. We came in vain. HH EA BATE o HTL EK BAA IE © ta shud de hua wo jiinzhi bi: ding. I simply don't understand what he says. 1. Select the best adverb from among the choices to complete each sentence. 1 REDE RATE o We ART o (HE > > eR) RTL ATE o 4 RIE o (FF? Le aR) ta shud ta déng. ta__— bs dong. (bing, you, xiangldi) He said he understands. He really doesn't understand. 2.&_ ROA (RL? —m]? RR) wo __ bichi rdu. (kénding, yixiang, yuanlai) I never eat meat. 3. 4& RP Ho (HAE > BaF > BIH) RRA B o (Hm > Bats HH) w6___ bit hui chi gud. (dfqué, zinshf, bijing) J temporarily am unable to leave the country. 4. B__ BR o ARB A ew © (Bs HER) RN BR SRGAAKGC 0 (HH? MR) women _hé cha. jintian hé qishui ba. (chang, lio, cénglai) We always drink tea. Today let's drink soda. 5. & PHI IAK o (mR? —H > HR) KR RHMAK o (MR? —H> UR) wo _____méi héguo qishuY. (xidngldi, yizhf, céngldi) I've never drunk soda before.CHAP.4] ADVERBS 107 4a AB SETAE o (a? HR? H) | ABIL DA © (4° HR? 3) ti__—szai nar gongzud. (yé, réngran, guang) She is still working there. 1&2 RARER: (1-H? R) Fe KEKFRe (-—gy’—-H’ #) ‘xuésheng bur xfhuan kaoshi. (yixiang, yizhi, hai) Students always don't like to take exams. 8. & EP BR (HR A? HE) R&R oP Bie (# a> B=) wo _ chi Zhongguo fan. (chang, dou, zai san) I often eat Chinese food. 9 RMABE_ oy PB o(-H’ wu? X) ARURBRE CT PAR e(-H’ 4° RX) w6 zudtian wanshang _ chile Zhonggué fan. (yizhf, yé, you) Last night J ate it again. 10, & 28 aE HR ek L pK © (RAR > Fb > Hs AR HH) RBEEM eT o (RR) Robo MH i ao > B) wo xiang xuésheng dou_——s—__ chi binggilfn. (yinggai, biibi, bixa; dou, dus, déi) I think students should all eat more ice cream. 11. KBE __ oi OP Ro ° (sb 4q ’ Fy FY ’ Ke ; op ’ ’ 4z fz.) REE BRR (4? TH RR b> Hh t BR) daxué sheng s&h pit. (bidéi, ké big, yinggai; sh3o, zai, wangwang) College students should drink less beer. 12. BARRA _ BE AE (KA > HRs hes BS > F) VPA _ BB GE (AA? BK bs BS: RF FS) ldoshi shud w6men___—__ shu jo. (btiydng, yinggai, bidéi; zaisan, chang, dud) Teacher says we should sleep more.ADVERBS (CHAP.4 13. ABE BASH LATHE L © (KR? Kibo RA) KG WASH ALA DTH E o (RMR > Reb > KM) daxuéshéng _ bi tai dud shfjian hua zai dianzi ydujian shang. (bi: yinggai, buibi, btiydng) College students shouldn't spend so much time on email. ' 14 dh RAE O(L 1 —K> HR) | hh RB O(L? —€° HK) ta___ hén nianging. (ydu, yiding, réngrdn) She's still very young. 15.3525 Boe o (4° AB BE) BG Hoe o (4 > Ah BH) mama _ hé kaféi. (ldo, dou, jit) Mom always drinks coffee. 16. BA AAR (MMS A? Ab) BE MR (BH? b> Rud) xuésheng _zud gongké. (yingdang, bixii, bib?) Students must do their schoolwork. 17. AMBRE ROR PL (— ey BH? HE) AR MAAR AIR Peo (— 1)? BSE HY AB) na ge fanguin de fan __ ho chi. (yixiang, bijing, diqué) The dishes in that restaurant are really good. 18 RE AT o LEO (RF HBF) RE AT LR o (BH? ERS) xianzai _jiti din le. shang ke ba. (jthi, jit, chabudus) It's almost 9 o'clock. Let's go to class. 19.48 RABE EER 0 (LH HR? BAR) MR ER TEP Re (UH? WR? BR) ni___ bi. xihuan chi zhé ge cai. (yéxtt, cénglai, jtirdn) Perhaps you won't like this dish. 200.8 _ AER (SA? MR? RK) BR REKo(SR> GR? RR) wo bi. xihuan. (dangrdn, réngrdn, gudraén) Sure enough, I didn’t like it.CHAP.4] ADVERBS 109 UAB BEAR (MB? -—H? —®) VR ER BH AERA o (EG 7-H? —z) l4oshi shud w6__ hui kdo de hén hao. (xidndé, yizhf, yiding) Teacher says I can definitely do well on the exams. 22. MEAS WE FRAW o (HE HR EH) LARA KP EE RI o (HR? HR BH) na ge daxué de xuésheng _—shhén cOngming. (dfqué, kénding, bijing) The students in that college are in fact really smart. 23. KAMARA oR BR (A AR BAR) RMB RMA OK BF uc(H aa? FAR) women dou shi péngyou. ni ___kéqi. (béng, féid&i, bu: yinggai) We are all friends. You don't have to be so polite. 24.4% RAA—-EBRo(HEoR> BR) te EAA-ARe (GER? BR) tas juéde you yidian léi.(m&shang, kuai, hiirdn) He suddenly felt a little tired, fe AR RIA PRE (FE - HR) fe RBA (FB? HR) ta__—s dul jingji: ydu xingqii.( céngjing, yixiang, réngran) He's always been interested in Beijing opera. 2 in 2. Complete this paragraph by filling in the blanks with the appropriate adverbs. LR PROM A _ BRAT BR o Bs Hs Hg AK BRAT ERR 0 w6 didi gén ta de péngyou__sxxthuan d@ ldngiti. My younger brother and his friends all like to play ball. 2. AP T RAR eM B] 2 AAT HR BAF TIT RAR BI AAT ER © méitian xia le ke yfhou tamen __—_ do gongyudn qu da git. Every day after class they always go to the park to play ball. RATER? MMF E BAM o BJ RA? MMSE BAHL o dao le xiatian, tamen zoshang dao gongyuan qi. When it gets to be summer, they go right to the park in the morning.