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BASIC CHINESE A GRAMMAR AND WORKBOOK
Praise for the first edition
lsquoVery well structured and clearly explainedrsquoDr Qian Kan Cambridge University
Basic Chinese introduces the essentials of Chinese syntax Each ofthe 25 units deals with a particular grammatical point and providesassociated exercises Features include
bull clear accessible formatbull many useful language examplesbull jargon-free explanations of grammarbull ample drills and exercisesbull full key to exercises
All Chinese entries are presented in both pinyin romanization andChinese characters and are accompanied in most cases by Englishtranslations to facilitate self-tuition as well as classroom teaching inboth spoken and written Chinese
Basic Chinese is designed for students new to the language Togetherwith its sister volume Intermediate Chinese it forms a compendiumof the essentials of Chinese syntax
Yip Po-Ching was formerly Lecturer in Chinese Studies at theUniversity of Leeds and Don Rimmington is Emeritus Professor of East Asian Studies and former head of the East Asian StudiesDepartment at the University of Leeds They are the authors of Chinese An Essential Grammar (1996 2nd edition 2006)Intermediate Chinese A Grammar and Workbook (1998 2nd editionforthcoming) and Chinese A Comprehensive Grammar (2004)
Titles of related interest published by Routledge
Intermediate Chinese A Grammar and Workbookby Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
Chinese An Essential Grammarby Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
Chinese A Comprehensive Grammarby Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
Colloquial Chinese A Complete Language Courseby Kan Qian
Colloquial Chinese CD-ROMby Kan Qian
Colloquial Chinese (Reprint of the first edition)by Ping-Cheng Trsquoung and David E Pollard
The Chinese Lexiconby Yip Po-Ching
Basic Cantonese A Grammar and Workbookby Virginia Yip and Stephen Matthews
Intermediate Cantonese A Grammar and Workbookby Virginia Yip and Stephen Matthews
Cantonese A Comprehensive Grammarby Stephen Matthews and Virginia Yip
Colloquial Cantonese A Complete Language Courseby Keith S T Tong and Gregory James
Other titles available in the Grammar Workbooks series are
Basic CantoneseIntermediate Cantonese
Basic DutchIntermediate Dutch
Basic GermanIntermediate German
Basic IrishIntermediate Irish
Basic Italian
Basic KoreanIntermediate Korean (forthcoming)
Basic PolishIntermediate Polish
Basic RussianIntermediate Russian
Basic SpanishIntermediate Spanish
Basic WelshIntermediate Welsh
BASIC CHINESE A GRAMMAR ANDWORKBOOK
2nd edition
Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmingtonwith Zhang Xiaoming Rachel Henson and Yip Li Quzhen
First published 1998by Routledge2 Park Square Milton Park Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canadaby Routledge270 Madison Ave New York NY 10016
Second edition published 2009
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor amp Francis Group an informa business
copy 1998 2009 Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilizedin any form or by any electronic mechanical or other means now known orhereafter invented including photocopying and recording or in any informationstorage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the publishers
British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication DataYip Po-ching 1935ndash
Basic Chinese a grammar and workbook Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmingtonp cm
Includes index1 Chinese languagemdashGrammar 2 Chinese languagemdashSyntax 3 Chinese
languagemdashTextbooks for foreign speakersmdashEnglish I Rimmington DonII Title
PL1111Y56 20094951prime82421mdashdc22
2008031535
ISBN10 0ndash415ndash47216ndash4 (hbk)ISBN10 0ndash415ndash47215ndash6 (pbk)ISBN10 0ndash203ndash88340ndash3 (ebk)
ISBN13 978ndash0ndash415ndash47216ndash6 (hbk)ISBN13 978ndash0ndash415ndash47215ndash9 (pbk)ISBN13 978ndash0ndash203ndash88340ndash2 (ebk)
This edition published in the Taylor amp Francis e-Library 2009
ldquoTo purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor amp Francis or Routledgersquoscollection of thousands of eBooks please go to wwweBookstoretandfcoukrdquo
ISBN 0-203-88340-3 Master e-book ISBN
CONTENTS
Introduction vii
1 Nouns singular and plural 1
2 Definite and indefinite reference and demonstratives 8
3 Personal pronouns 17
4 Interrogative pronouns 28
5 Numbers 38
6 Measure words 49
7 Indefinite plurals 63
8 Times and dates 73
9 More interrogative expressions 84
10 Adjectives attributive and predicative 93
11 shigrave and yiu 103
12 Comparisons 113
13 Verbs and location expressions 127
14 Verbs and time expressions 139
15 Verbs and aspect markers 154
16 Modal verbs 165 v
Contents
vi
17 Negators bugrave and ( ) meacutei(yiu) 174
18 Types of question (1) 185
19 Types of question (2) 196
20 Imperatives and exclamations 206
21 Complements of direction and location (or destination) 214
22 Complements of result and manner 225
23 Potential complements 234
24 Coverbal phrases 242
25 Disyllabic prepositions 255
Key to exercises 264
Vocabulary list Chinese to English 320
Vocabulary list English to Chinese 340
Glossary of grammatical terms 359
Index 364
vii
INTRODUCTION
This book is designed to assist learners of Mandarin or ModernStandard Chinese which is the language spoken by close on 70 per centof the people of China It presents the essential features of Chinesesyntax in an easily accessible reference-and-practice format We hopethat it will be helpful to students of the language at all levels thoughsome initial knowledge will be an advantage and we envisage that itwill be suitable for classroom use as well as for individual study andreference
The book sets forth most of the basic elements of Chinese syntaxdealing with simple sentences and the main grammatical categories Thematerial is laid out over 25 units and is introduced on a graded basiswith more elementary items in the early units and more complexpatterns in the later sections
Each unit deals with an individual language category or structureIn the early stages of necessity grammatical items beyond those intro-duced in a unit are used in the illustrative sentences but explanatorynotes are added for them with cross-referencing to the later units inwhich they themselves appear
Each unit also provides follow-up exercises which are designed forimmediate reinforcement and readers are encouraged to make full use of them A key to the exercises is given at the end of the bookReaders may wish to consult the units separately or work pro-gressively through the book but we suggest that when going througha particular unit they attempt all the exercises in it before consultingthe key
In this second edition extra drills have been provided for each unitwhich draw on the additional illustrative material mentioned above andwhich give an opportunity for the reader to extend and explore his or her learning experience of the language They of course in manycases anticipate material that is to appear later in the book but theintention is to encourage from the start practice in the rhythms of thebasic structures of the language It is an advantage when learning anylanguage and particularly Chinese if you can develop good speech habits
Introduc-tion
viii
as soon as possible as well as learning grammatical rules If theexercises are there to help you with the grammatical rules the drillswill help you develop good speech habits Keys to these drills areprovided with the exercise keys at the end of the book
Practical functional vocabulary is used in the grammatical explana-tions and in the exercises and drills and it is introduced as far as possibleon a cumulative basis A complete vocabulary list is appended tofacilitate easy reference
The use of grammatical terms is kept to a minimum and explana-tions of them are given as they occur In addition a glossary of theseterms is included as an appendix An index is also provided to helplocate particular grammatical structures or explanations
All illustrative examples throughout the book are given in Chinesescript and pinyin romanization with colloquial English translations andwhere necessary with additional literal translations (marked lit)
Students interested in pursuing their practical study of the Chineselanguage to a higher level should consult the companion volume to thisbook Intermediate Chinese A Grammar and Workbook where moresyntactic patterns peculiar to the Chinese language are explained andthe important grammatical items covered in Basic Chinese are sum-marized Furthermore exercises and drills in Intermediate Chinese not only cover specific grammar points but also compare them withEnglish language usage
The preparation of this second edition is based on the first editionof the book which received financial assistance from the University ofLeeds Academic Development Fund Two Research Assistants MsZhang Xiaoming and Ms Rachel Henson carried out much of theimportant work of assembling the illustrative material The presentrevision however could not have been completed without help andcontribution from Mrs Yip Li Quzhen who closely monitored the vocabulary progression partially revamped the exercises and compiled the vocabulary list
Any errors or omissions are of course the fault of the authors
Note We have used lsquoarsquo rather than lsquoɑrsquo which is the standard formin pinyin romanization
UNIT ONENouns singular and plural
1
A In Chinese as in other languages nouns may be differentiated intoa number of categories The largest category is the common noun whichcovers tangible discrete entities eg dagraveren adult shugrave tree etc The common noun is the main focus of this unit but other nouncategories are
(i) proper noun (for one individual entity)eg zhdngguoacute China lh miacuteng Li Ming (name of a person)
(ii) material noun (for non-discrete entities)eg zhh paper chaacute tea
(iii) abstract noun (for non-tangible entities)eg weacutenhuagrave culture jcngjigrave economy
B Chinese common nouns unlike English ones make no distinctionin form between singular and plural
piacutenggui appleappleshaacuteizi childchildrenyc gegrave piacutenggui anone applelifng gegrave piacutenggui two applesyc gegrave haacuteizi aone childlifng gegrave haacuteizi two children
C Another important feature of the common noun in Chinese is that when it is used with a numeral the numeral has to have a measure word between it and the noun (see also Unit 6) gegrave(usually unstressed as ge in actual speech) is by far the most commonmeasure word and it can occur with a wide range of nouns
yc gegrave reacuten aone personlifng gegrave xueacutesheng two studentssan gegrave miagravenbao three bread rollsthree bunssigrave gegrave cheacutengzi four oranges
wj gegrave jcdagraven five eggsliugrave gegrave cheacutengshigrave six citiesqc gegrave guoacutejia seven countriesba gegrave shangdiagraven eight shopsjij gegrave naacuten haacuteizi nine boysshiacute gegrave ns haacuteizi ten girlsjh gegrave peacutengyou a few friends
A considerable number of nouns or sets of nouns are linked with par-ticular measure words
yc bgn she aone bookyc zhc bh aone penyc bf yaacuteshua aone toothbrushyc kb shugrave aone tree
Some Chinese measure words that indicate portion or partition for example are similar to English measures
lifng piagraven miagravenbao two slices of breadyc kuagravei dagravengao a piece of cakeyc bbi kafbi a cup of coffeeyc bbi piacutejij a glass of beer
Measure words are also used with abstract and material nouns
yc gegrave jiagravenyigrave a suggestion (abstract)yc gegrave jiegravekiu an excuse (abstract)yc gegrave lhxifng an ambitionideal (abstract)yc zhang zhh a piece of paper (material)yc kuagravei bugrave a piece of cloth (material)
Note 1 Notice that with yc you distinguish between lsquoaanrsquo andlsquoonersquo in speech by the degree of emphasis given to it The phrase
yc gegrave bbizi for example may mean lsquoone mugrsquo if yc isstressed and lsquoa mugrsquo if yc is not stressed In the latter meaning
yc can be omitted altogether if it comes directly after a mono-syllabic verb
( ) wi xifng qugrave shangdiagraven mfi (yc) gegrave bbizi( yc is unstressed and optional)Irsquom going to the shop to buy a mug
wi zhh yagraveo mfi yc gegrave bbizi ( yc is stressed)I only want to buy one mug
1Nounssingular and plural
2
Note 2 In Chinese bbizi may mean lsquocuprsquo or even lsquoglassrsquo as wellas lsquomugrsquo
Note 3 xifng and yagraveo are both modal verbs ie verbs whichprecede main verbs to indicate the mood or attitude of the subject(see Unit 17) While xifng emphasizes lsquoplanrsquo or lsquoinclinationrsquo
yagraveo indicates lsquowishrsquo or lsquowillrsquo They may generally be used interchangeably
D It is possible to pluralize human nouns by adding the suffix menbut only when the people concerned are seen or addressed as a groupA collectivized noun like this undergoes two changes
(i) A noun with men suffix becomes definite in reference Beingof definite reference this form may be used to address a particu-lar audience
xianshengmen Ladies and gentlemennsshigravemen
peacutengyoumen Friends
(ii) A collectivized noun with men suffix is incompatible with alsquonumeral + measure wordrsquo phrase
One cannot say
san gegrave gdngcheacutengshcmen (lit three engineers) jij gegrave dagraverenmen (lit nine adults)
However it is not possible to collectivize non-human nouns withthe suffix men
giumen (lit dogs) bbizimen (lit cupsglassesmugs)
E Nouns or noun phrases (eg lsquonumeral + measure word + nounrsquo)may be linked together by the conjunction heacute lsquoandrsquo
bh heacute zhh
pens and paper
naacuten haacuteizi heacute ns haacuteiziboys and girls
1Nounssingular and plural
3
san gegrave dagravengao heacute sigrave gegrave miagravenbaothree cakes and four bread rolls
zhdngguoacute jcngjigrave heacute weacutenhuagrave Chinarsquos economy and culture
ta yiu lifng bgn she heacute yc zhc bh
He has two books and one pen
wi yagraveo chc lifng piagraven miagravenbao | yc gegrave jcdagraven heacute yc kuagravei dagravengaoI want to eat two slices of bread an egg and a piece of cake
Note Observe that a Chinese full-stop is a hollow dot not a solidone as in English and the lsquo rsquo dun-comma seen in this last exampleis peculiar to Chinese punctuation and is used for listing items in a series
ta xifng mfi sigrave gegrave piacutenggui | san gegrave cheacutengzi | lifng gegrave miagravenbao heacuteyc daacute jcdagravenShe would like to buy four apples three oranges two loaves ofbread and a dozen eggs
Exercise 11
Translate the following phrases into Chinese
1 a child 16 one mug2 one child 17 two pens3 two children 18 ten cups4 three oranges 19 two cups of tea5 a dozen eggs 20 three books6 four bread rolls 21 four adults7 five slices of bread 22 six pieces of paper8 a city 23 a cake9 two suggestions 24 a piece of cake
10 six countries 25 an excuse11 eight shops 26 five boys 12 nine students 27 six girls13 seven engineers 28 two pieces of cloth14 a friend 29 a few trees15 a person 30 two Chinese
1Nounssingular and plural
4
Exercise 12
Decide on the emphasis given to yc in the sentences below by puttingbrackets round the where it may be omitted
1wi xifng jiao (yc) gegrave zhdngguoacute peacutengyou I would like to have a Chinese friend ( jiao lsquoto make friends withrsquo)
2wi xifng mfi yc daacute jcdagravenI want to buy a dozen eggs
3ta zhh shigrave yc gegrave xueacuteshengHe is only a student
4wi xifng chc yc gegrave cheacutengziI want to eat an orange
5wimen yiu yc gegrave jiagravenyigraveWe have a suggestion
6wi zhh xifng qugrave yc gegrave guoacutejiaI only want to go to one country
7wi yagraveo qugrave mfi yc bf yaacuteshua
I want to go and buy a toothbrush
8ta zhh yiu yc gegrave haacuteiziShe only has one child
Exercise 13
Decide which of the following sentences are incorrect and make thenecessary corrections
1 wi pegravengjiagraven lifng gegrave peacutengyoumen( pegravengjiagraven lsquoto bump intorsquo)I bumped into two friends
2 ta xifng zhfo yc jiegravekiu ( zhfo lsquoto findrsquo)He wanted to find an excuse
1Nounssingular and plural
5
3 haacuteizimen yagraveo chc piacutengguimenThe children wanted to eat apples
4 tamen xifng qugrave san guoacutejiaThey would like to visit three countries
5 wi xifng hb bbi chaacute ( hb lsquoto drinkrsquo)I would like to have a cup of tea
6 ta yiu zhdngguoacute peacutengyoumenShe has Chinese friends
7 nh yagraveo chc jh miagravenbaoHow many slices of bread would you like to eat
8 shuiacutesheacutei yagraveo mfi jcdagravenWho wants to buy eggs
Exercise 14
Translate the sentences below into English
1 wi yagraveo mfi jh gegrave miagravenbao2 ta xifng chc lifng kuagravei dagravengad
3 wi pegravengjiagraven san gegrave zhdngguoacute reacuten4 wi yagraveo hb bbi kafbi5 wi xifng qugrave wj gegrave guoacutejia6 ta shigrave yc gegrave gdngcheacutengshc
7 wi yiu lifng gegrave haacuteizi8 wi zhh xifng qugrave yc gegrave cheacutengshigrave9 shuiacutesheacutei xifng mfi she
10 wi yiu gegrave jiagravenyigrave
Exercise 15
Translate the following phrases and sentences into Chinese Donrsquot forget to use the dun-comma where necessary
1 apples and oranges2 adults and children3 three slices of bread a cup of coffee and a piece of cake4 four books and six pens5 I would like to visit three countries6 I would like to have a cup of tea7 She only wants to go to two shops
1Nounssingular and plural
6
8 She wants to buy a bread roll two cakes five apples and a dozen eggs9 The child has only one ambition
10 I bumped into four Chinese friends11 I want a few pieces of paper12 I want to know something about Chinarsquos economy and culture
( lifojig lsquoto know or understandrsquo)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 11
Complete the following sentences using the examples indicated
1 wi yagraveo mfi I would like to buy
a some eggs b a few bread-rolls c a book and a pend some oranges
2 wi xifng hb I would like to drink
a a cup of tea b a cup of coffee c a glass of beerd a glass of coke ( kglegrave)
3 wi xifng chc I would like to eat
a an apple b an orange c a piece of caked a sandwich ( sanmiacutengzhigrave)
4 wi yagraveo qugrave I would like to go to
a China b Britain ( ycngguoacute) c Beijing ( blijcng)d London ( luacutenden)
5 wi xifng jiao I would like to make friends with
a a few Chinese friends b some English friends
Pattern and vocabulary drill 12
Change all the statements you have completed in Drill 11 into ques-tions using sheacutei lsquowhorsquo as the subject instead of wi lsquoIrsquo
wi yagraveo mfi jh gegrave piacutenggui
I would like to buy a few apples
sheacutei yagraveo mfi jh gegrave piacutenggui
Who would like to buy a few apples
1Nounssingular and plural
7
8
UNIT TWODefinite and indefinite reference and demonstratives
A Reference is an important aspect of common nouns As there areno definite or indefinite articles lsquothea(n)rsquo in Chinese definite orindefinite reference is indicated by the positioning of the noun in thesentence Generally speaking a noun placed before the verb will beof definite reference while a noun placed after the verb will be ofindefinite reference
Definite reference
bh zagravei nfr Where is the penWhere are the pens( bh lsquopenrsquo is positioned before the verb zagravei lsquobe inatrsquo)
Indefinite reference
nfr yiu bh Where is there a penWhere are there somepens( bh lsquopenrsquo is positioned after the verb yiu lsquoexistrsquo)
In fact any noun used on its own is subject to this general principleThe English translations of the following examples provide the refer-ential clues
bigravengreacuten zagravei nfr Where is the patientnfr yiu ycshbng Where is there a doctorwi xhhuan chc I like (eating) bananasxiangjiao nh zhfo maacuteoyc ma Are you looking for your
sweaterjumper
Note ma is a sentence particle which is used at the end of a statement to convert it into a general question asking for eitherconfirmation or denial (see Unit 18)
Even a noun apparently made indefinite by its lsquonumeral (other thanyc lsquoonersquo) + measurersquo phrase may still be regarded as of definite
reference when placed before the verb particularly when ddu or yg is present to refer back to the noun in question
san gegrave haacuteizi ddu shagravengxueacuteAll the three children go to school (lit three children all go to school)
lifng jiagraven maacuteoyc yg zagravei guigravezi liBoth of the jumpers are also in the wardrobe
Note guigravezi is a general term in Chinese which may meanlsquowardrobersquo lsquocabinetrsquo lsquocupboardrsquo etc depending on the context
B However this general rule may be nullified if the speaker is making a general comment rather than narrating an event or incidentThe comment in a topic-comment sentence as we shall see usually consists of an adjective the verb shigrave lsquoto bersquo a modal verb or a verbthat indicates a habitual action
xiangjiao hgn Bananas are (adjective)hfochc deliciouscheacutengzi bugrave shigrave Oranges are (verb shigrave shecagravei not vegetables lsquoto bersquo)mao huigrave zhua Cats can catch (modal verb)lfoshj micemf chc cfo Horses eat grass (verb that
indicates ahabitual action)
In the above examples xiangjiao lsquobananasrsquo cheacutengzilsquoorangesrsquo mao lsquocatsrsquo and mf lsquohorsesrsquo as topics to be commentedon are of indefinite reference in spite of the fact they are placed beforethe verb
Note The distinction between subject-predicate and topic-comment sentences is discussed in detail in Intermediate Chinese Unit 7
C On the other hand a noun before the verb may be made to takeon indefinite reference if it is preceded by yiu lsquohaveexistrsquo
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
9
yiu reacuten zhfo nh
There is someone looking for you
yiu maacuteoyc zagravei guigravezi liThere is a sweaterthere are (some) sweaters in the wardrobe
In these sentences with yiu a numeral (including yc lsquoa(n) onersquo)or an expression such as ( ) (yc)xib lsquosomersquo or jh + measure lsquoafewrsquo may be used with the noun
( ) yiu (yc) gegrave ycshbng qhng bigravengjiagraveA doctor was on sick leave(lit There was a doctor [who] asked for sick leave)
( ) yiu (yc) gegrave ns ycshbng zagravei bigravengfaacuteng liA lady doctor is in the ward(lit There is a female doctor [who] is in the ward)
yiu lifng gegrave jcdagraven zagravei wfn liThere are two eggs in the bowl
( ) yiu (yc)xib huar zagravei huapiacuteng liThere are some flowers in the vase
yiu jh bgn she zagravei shejiagrave shangThere are a fewseveral books on the (book)shelf
As can be seen from the examples above these yiu sentences can express the presence of a person or thing in a place with or with-out a clear indication of the location Where the location is indicateda more common way of phrasing such sentences is to begin with the location phrase (eg huapiacuteng li lsquoin the vasersquo shejiagrave shang lsquoon the bookshelfrsquo) since it is likely to be of definite refer-ence and a pre-verbal position is therefore more natural (see Units 11and 13)
( ) huapiacuteng li yiu (yc)xib huarThere are some flowers in the vase (lit In the vase there are some flowers)
shejiagrave shang yiu jh bgn she
There are a few books on the (book)shelf (lit On the bookshelf there are a few books)
wfn li yiu lifng gegrave jcdagravenThere are two eggs in the bowl (lit In the bowl there are two eggs)
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
10
wezi li yiu yc zhang zhudzi heacute sigrave bf yhziThere are a table and four chairs in the room(lit In the room there are a table and four chairs)
( ) zhudzi shang yiu (yc) gegrave huapiacutengThere is a vase on the table (lit On the table there is a vase)
guigravezi li yiu maoacuteyc
There is a sweaterare sweaters in the wardrobe(lit In the wardrobe there is a sweaterare sweaters)
bigravengfaacuteng li yiu sigrave gegrave bigravengreacutenThere are four patients in the ward
nagraver yiu bh | zhegraver yiu zhh
There is a penare pens over there and (there is) some paper here(lit There there is a penare pens here there is some paper)
D Demonstratives are by definition context-based They naturally indicate definite reference In Chinese lsquothisrsquo is zhegrave and lsquothatrsquo is nagrave
zhegrave shigrave kafbi | nagrave shigrave chaacute This is coffee and that is tea
In Chinese when demonstratives are followed by a noun as with num-bers a measure is required between the demonstrative and the nounWhen used in this way zhegrave may also be pronounced lsquozhegraveirsquo and nagrave lsquonegraveirsquo The probable explanation for this is that lsquozhegraveirsquo and lsquonegraveirsquo arefusions of lsquozhegrave + ycrsquo and lsquonagrave + ycrsquo
zhegravei gegrave reacuten this personnegravei zhang zhudzi that tablezhegravei zhc giu this dognegravei zhc mao that cat
wi peacutengyou xhhuan zhegravei zhang zhagraveopiagravenMy friend likes this photograph
wi bugrave xhhuan negravei fuacute huagraverI donrsquot like that painting
In the plural these demonstratives are followed by xib or a jh +measure word phrase to mean lsquothesersquo or lsquothosersquo
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
11
ta yagraveo zhegravei xib maoacuteyc
She wants these sweaters
ta yagraveo zhegrave jh jiagraven maacuteoyc
She wants these (few) sweaters
wi mfi negravei xib wfnIrsquoll buy those bowls
wi mfi nagrave jh zhc wfnIrsquoll buy those (few) bowls
When zhegrave and nagrave are used in conjunction with a numeral theword order is demonstrative + number + measure
nh xhhuan zhegrave lifng zhang zhagraveopiagraven maDo you like these two photo(graph)s
nh zhfo nagrave san bf yagraveoshi maAre you looking for those three keys
When the context is clear the noun of course may be omitted
wi yagraveo zhegravei gegraveI want this one
ta xhhuan negravei lifng jiagravenHe likes those two (eg sweater shirt etc)
wi xhhuan zhegravei zhang | bugrave xhhuan negravei zhangI like this one but I donrsquot like that one (eg photographs paint-ings etc)
E Finally as we have seen context is always an important factor inChinese If an object or a matter has already been mentioned in a par-ticular context then this will give it a consequential definite referenceFor example in the sentence
nh qugrave mfi she ma
the unmarked noun she lsquobookrsquo would normally be of indefinitereference because it comes after a verb (where it would mean lsquoAreyou going to buy a booksome booksrsquo) However it would take ondefinite reference if the communicators were already aware from theirprevious exchange that she here refers to a book or books they havebeen talking about This would make it mean lsquoAre you going to buythe book(s)rsquo
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
12
The indefinite reference of an unmarked noun after the verb can ofcourse always be countered by the presence of a demonstrative
nh qugrave mfi negravei bgn she maAre you going to buy that book
Exercise 21
Complete the translations below by filling in the blanks
1 this pen bh
2 these pens bh
3 that orange cheacutengzi4 those oranges cheacutengzi5 those (few) children haacuteizi6 these (few) tables zhudzi7 that cupglassmug bbizi8 this book she
9 those schoolbags shebao10 those (few) bookshelves shejiagrave11 this vase huapiacuteng12 these (few) vases huapiacuteng13 that kitchen chuacutefaacuteng 14 these flowers huar15 those trees shugrave16 that piece of cake dagravengad
17 that school xueacutexiagraveo 18 this toothbrush yaacuteshua
19 that slice of bread miagravenbao20 these keys yagraveoshi21 those umbrellas yjsfn 22 that shop shangdiagraven23 those (few) chairs yhzi24 these (few) paintings huagraver25 these two doctors ______ ______ ______ ycshbng26 those few patients ______ ______ ______ bigravengreacuten
Exercise 22
Indicate which of the two English translations below is the correct ver-sion of the Chinese in each case
1 ta xhhuan giuShe likes the dogsShe likes dogs
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
13
2 wi mfi zhegravei dhng magraveozi ( dhng measure word for hatscaps)Irsquoll buy this hatIrsquoll buy that hat
3 nh dagravei yjsfn ma( dagravei lsquoto bring along to take withrsquo)Are you bringing an umbrella with youAre you bringing theumbrella with you
4 yagraveoshi zagravei nfrWhere are the keysWhere can I find some keys
5 nh dagravei maacuteoyc maAre you bringing along a jumpersweaterAre you bringing alongthe jumper
6 ta yiu haacuteizi maHas she got any childrenHas she got the children
7 zhudzi shang yiu zhc wfnThere is a bowl on the tableThe bowl is on the table
8 yiu jiagraven maacuteoyc zagravei guigravezi liThe jumper is in the wardrobeThere is a jumper in the wardrobe
9 kuagraveizi zagravei zhudzi shangThe chopsticks are on the tableThere are chopsticks on the table
10 wi huigrave zhua kuagraveizi ( huigrave lsquoknow how torsquo)I know how to use chopsticks (lit I know how to grasp chopsticks)I know how to use the chopsticks
Exercise 23
Translate the following sentences into English paying attention towhether the nouns involved are of definite or indefinite reference Insome cases the noun could be either definite or indefinite dependingon the possible contexts
1 nfr yiu she
2 she zagravei nfr3 chuacutefaacuteng li yiu yc gegrave dagravengao4 mao zagravei wezi li5 nh zhfo yagraveoshi ma6 nh mfi yjsfn ma7 nh chc xiangjiao ma8 wimen xifng mfi huar9 haacuteizimen zagravei xueacutexiagraveo li
10 wi xhhuan chc piacutenggui
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
14
11sigrave jiagraven maacuteoyc heacute san dhng magraveozi ddu zagravei guigravezi li
12 shiacute gegrave xueacutesheng ddu xifng qugrave zhdngguoacute13 nh yiu kuagraveizi ma14
piacutenggui | cheacutengzi | dagravengao heacute miagravenbao ddu zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li
Exercise 24
Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1 Where are there any shops2 Oranges are good to eat3 There are a few mugs on the table4 There are some books on the bookshelf5 Do you have a pen on you (Hint you can formulate this sentence
using the verb dagravei lsquoto bring along withrsquo or you can use the loca-tion phrase shbnshang lit lsquoon bodyrsquo)
6 The bowls are in the cupboard7 Where is the key8 There are some flowers in the vase9 Where are the boys
10 Do you have a jumper11 Do you like these photo(graph)s12 Are you looking for the books 13 These two books are very interesting ( yiu yigravesi lsquointerestingrsquo)14 I like those three pictures15 Where are those five students
Pattern and vocabulary drill 21
Following the patterns below in each case formulate the question orstatement separately as appropriate for (a) and (b)
1 nfr yiu Where is there a (when you need to locate (a) a pen and (b) a chair)
2 zagravei nfr Where is the (when you want to know where (a) the toilet ( cegravesui) is and(b) where the station ( chbzhagraven) is)
3 yiu zagravei bigravengfaacuteng li There isare in the ward(when you are explaining that there are (a) a male doctor and a ladydoctor (b) nine patients in the ward)
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
15
4 zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li The isare in the kitchen(when you are pointing out that (a) the bowls and chopsticks and(b) the knives and forks are in the kitchen)
5 guigravezi li yiu There isare in the cupboard(when you are saying that there are (a) tea and coffee and (b) somemugs in the cupboard)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 22
Change the following statements into general questions using ma
Model wi xhhuan chc xiangjiao I like eating bananas
Answer nh xhhuan chc xiangjiao maDo you like eating bananas
1 wi xhhuan chc dagravengao2 wi xhhuan hb piacutejij3 wi xhhuan chc shecagravei4 wi xhhuan jiao peacutengyou5 wi xifng hb bbi kafbi6 wi xifng mfi zhc bh
7 wi yagraveo mfi jh bgn she
8 wi xifng mfi xib huar9 wi de mao huigrave zhua lfoshj
10 ( huagrave lsquodraw paintrsquo) wi huigrave huagrave huagraver
Note If xifng and yagraveo indicate wills and wishes on individualoccasions xhhuan indicates habitual preferences
2Definiteandindefinitereference anddemon-stratives
16
UNIT THREEPersonal pronouns
17
A Chinese personal pronouns
Singular Plural1st person wi Ime wimen weus
zaacutenmen weus (including the listener)
2nd person nh you nhmen youniacuten you
(polite form)3rd person ta hehim tamen theythem (masculine)
ta sheher tamen theythem (feminine)ta it tamen theythem (neuter)
As can be seen the personal pronouns have no case distinctions
wi shigrave zhdngguoacute reacuten I am Chineseta laacutei kagraven wi She came to see menh hfo HelloHow are younhmen zhugrave zagravei nfr Where do you (plural)
livewimen bugrave regravenshi We donrsquot know themtamentamen bugrave xhhuan ta They donrsquot like herzhugrave nh shbngrigrave kuagraveilegrave Happy birthday
(lit Wish you birthday happy)
Note As and are both pronounced ta gender differentiationin speech (rather than in writing) is only possible through context
B zaacutenmen lsquowe usrsquo is employed only when the speaker wantsconsciously to include the listener(s)
zaacutenmen ziu ba Letrsquos gozagraveijiagraven | wimen Goodbye Wersquore off nowziu le
Note 1 In ordinary conversation the distinction between zaacutenmen lsquowe (inclusive)rsquo and wimen lsquowe (exclusive)rsquo is not strictlyfollowed particularly in the south of the country where zaacutenmen may often be replaced by wimen though not the otherway round when the speaker wants to exclude the listener(s) eg
wimen zigravejh laacutei lsquoWersquoll help ourselvesmanage by ourselvesrsquo
Note 2 ba is a sentence particle for a tentative request (see Unit20) and le is a sentence particle used to signal the beginning ofa new situation of some kind as is made clear in the statement above(see Intermediate Chinese Unit 8)
C ta tamen is mostly used to refer to animals
nh zhfo dagraveo le negravei zhc mao meacuteiyiuHave you found that cat
zhfo dagraveo le | ta zagravei huayuaacuten liI have found it Itrsquos in the garden
shuhchiacute li yiu hgn dud jcnyuacute | tamen ddu hgn hfokagravenThere are a lot of goldfish in the pool They are all very beautiful
In spoken Chinese ta tamen is rarely used to refer to inani-mate objects since the reference is usually clear without it
zigravexiacutengchb nh xie hai le meacuteiyiuHave you repaired your bicycle
xie hfo leYes I have (repaired it) (lit repair good)
nh kagraven le negravei gegrave diagravenyhng meacuteiyiuDid you see that film
kagraven le | kgshigrave bugrave xhhuanYes but I didnrsquot like it
3Personalpronouns
18
One does not usually say
xie hfo ta le kagraven le ta | kgshigrave bugrave xhhuan ta
It occurs only occasionally in expressions where without it ambiguitymight arise
bieacute dograveng ta Donrsquot touch itvs
bieacute dograveng Donrsquot you move
bieacute gufn ta ba Donrsquot bother about itvs
nh bieacute gufn None of your business
D niacuten is the polite form of nh It is a fusion of nh and menand therefore has no plural form (One cannot say niacutenmen) Toexpress a plural for niacuten one uses an appositional phrase
niacuten san wegravei shigrave zhdngguoacute reacuten maAre the three of you Chinese
niacuten jh wegravei shigrave nf guoacute reacutenWhere are you (people) from
Note wegravei is a more polite measure word for lsquopeoplersquo than thenormal gegrave
E Possession whether as an adjective or a pronoun is indicated bythe addition of the particle de to the personal pronoun
wi de myminewimen de ouroursnh de youryoursnhmen de youryoursta de histamen de theirtheirs (masculine)ta de herherstamen de theirtheirs (feminine)ta de itstamen de theirtheirs (neuter)
3Personalpronouns
19
nh de jiagraveoshigrave zagravei nfrWhere is your classroom
zhegrave shigrave tamen de chb
This is their car
negravei bf yjsfn shigrave wi deThat umbrella is mine
de may be omitted before nouns where the possessor has a closerelationship with the person or object
wi mama xifng gbn nh mama taacutentanMy mother would like to talk to your mother
wi gbge xifng regravenshi nh digravediMy older brother would like to meetget to know your younger brother
nh fugravemj hfo maHow are your parents
nh jia zagravei nfrWhere is your home
Note 1 de may also be used after nouns to indicate possession
wi megraveimei xhhuan qiacute wi jigjie de zigravexiacutengchb
My younger sister likes to ride my elder sisterrsquos bicycle
wi digravedi xhhuan liacutenje de negravei zhc xifo maoMy younger brother likes that kitten of our neighbours
wi jigjie xhhuan kai bagraveba de chb
My elder sister likes driving fatherrsquos car
Note 2 The possessive phrase always comes before the demonstrative
liacutenje de negravei zhc that kitten of our xifo mao neighbourswi de negravei jigravean that jumper of minemaacuteoyc
nh de zhegravei xib she these books of yoursta de zhegrave jh fuacute these few paintings of his huagraver
3Personalpronouns
20
F zigravejh lsquooneself rsquo
(i) It is used immediately after the subject in apposition to it
wimen zigravejh meacutei We donrsquot have a ( ) yiu diagravenshigrave(jc) television (set) ourselves
ta zigravejh ziu le He left by himselfwi zigravejh laacutei Irsquoll do it (by) myself
Irsquoll help myself (eg at a meal)
Note laacutei which basically means lsquoto comersquo is used here in anidiomatic sense to indicate personal involvement
(ii) It may also be used as a reflexive objectbieacute magrave zigravejh Donrsquot blame yourself
(iii) With the addition of the particle de it means lsquoonersquos ownrsquozhegrave shigrave wi zigravejh de shigraver
This is my (own) business
G There are a few less conventional pronouns like dagravejia lsquoevery-bodyrsquo reacutenjia lsquoothersrsquo etc reacuten lsquopersonrsquo when used on its ownas the object of a verb means lsquoanybodyrsquo
dagravejia hfoGood morningafternoonevening everybody (lit everybody good)
nh huigrave | reacutenjia bugrave huigraveYou know how to do it but other people (me included) donrsquot
negravei bgn she bugrave shigrave wi zigravejh de | shigrave reacutenjia deThat book is not my own it is somebody elsersquos
laacutei reacuten na Help (lit come anybody)yograveu reacuten ma Anybody therein (lit have anybody)
Note na is an exclamatory sentence particle (See Unit 20 J)
3Personalpronouns
21
Exercise 31
Complete the Chinese translations of the English sentences below byadding the correct personal pronouns where necessary (Bear in mindthat it may not be necessary to fill in the blanks in all cases)
1 I like him and he likes me too( yg lsquoalsorsquo)
xhhuan | yg xhhuan 2 We want to see them but they donrsquot want to see us
( dagravenshigrave lsquobutrsquo)xifng qugrave jiagraven | dagravenshigrave bugrave xifng jiagraven
3 You donrsquot know her but she knows you
bugrave regravenshi | dagravenshigrave regravenshi 4 Dad Mum would you like some coffee
bagraveba | mama | yagraveo hb kafbi ma5 Where is she I want to talk to her
zagravei nfr | xifng gbn taacutentaacuten6 We have two dogs They live in his room
( tiaacuteo measure word for dogs)yiu lifng tiaacuteo giu | ddu zhugrave zagravei
faacutengjian li7 I donrsquot like those flowers Do you like them
bugrave xhhuan nagravenegravei xib huar | xhhuan ma8 Do you want to see that film Letrsquos go and see it
nh xifng kagraven nagravenegravei gegrave diagravenyhng ma | zaacutenmen qugrave kagraven ba
Exercise 32
Complete the Chinese translations of the following by filling in the blanks
1 I like my workwi xhhuan gdngzuograve
2 Is Li Ming a good friend of yours( )
lh miacuteng shigrave ( ) haacuteo peacutengyou ma
3Personalpronouns
22
3 My family live in the country
jia zhugrave zagravei xiangcen ( xiangcen lsquothe countrysidersquo)4 This book is my older brotherrsquos
zhegravei bgn she shigrave 5 That hat is hers
negravei dhng magraveozi shigrave 6 Those three children are all our neighboursrsquo
nagrave san gegrave haacuteizi ddu shigrave 7 Their parents donrsquot live in London
( )( ) fugravemj bugrave zhugrave zagravei luacutenden ( fugravemj lsquoparentsrsquo)
8 This is her daughter and that is my son( ) ( )
zhegrave shigrave ( ) nsrsquoeacuter | nagrave shigrave ( ) eacuterzi9 The kitten is sleeping on Fatherrsquos chair
xifo mao shuigrave zagravei yhzi shang10 This is our classroom
zhegrave shigrave jiagraveoshigrave ( jiagraveoshigrave lsquoclassroomrsquo)11 He often repairs his car himself
ta chaacutengchaacuteng xie qigravechb
12 That child doesnrsquot have a bicycle of his own
negravei gegrave haacuteizi meacutei yiu zigravexiacutengchb
Exercise 33
Complete the Chinese translations below with nouns or personal pro-nouns in their possessive forms
1 This pen is my elder brotherrsquos that pen is my own
zhegravei zhc bh shigrave | negravei zhc shigrave
2 This umbrella is his Where is mine( )
zhegravei bf (yj)sfn shigrave | zagravei nfr
3Personalpronouns
23
3 This cat is from his house Where is our cat
zhegravei zhc mao shigrave | wi jia de mao zagravei nfr4 This jumper is mine Yours is in the wardrobe
zhegravei jiagraven maacuteoyc shigrave | zagravei guigravezi li5 Have you ever met my parents
nh jiagraven guo fugravemj ma6 Do you know his father
nh regravenshi bagraveba ma7 Your apples taste nice mine are awful
piacutenggui hgn hfochc | bugrave hfochc
8 These three pictures are yours those two are hers
zhegrave san fuacute huagraver shigrave | nagravenegravei lifng fuacute shigrave
9 My elder sister likes driving Fatherrsquos car but doesnrsquot like ridingher own bicycle
( )
wi jigjie xhhuan kai chb | dagravenshigrave bugrave xhhuan qiacute ( ) zigravexiacutengchb
10 The garden at your home is very pretty
huayuaacuten hgn hfokagraven11 I like those goldfish of our neighbours
wi xhhuan jcnyuacute12 My younger brother does not like wearing that jumper of his
( )
wi digravedi bugrave xhhuan chuan ( ) maacuteoyc
Exercise 34
Replace nh and nhmen in the following sentences with theirpolite forms
3Personalpronouns
24
1 nh xifng hb bbi chaacute maWould you like some tea
2 nhmen shigrave nf guoacute reacutenWhich country are you all from
3 nhmen qhng zuograve ( qhng lsquopleasersquo zuograve lsquoto sitrsquo)Please take a seat (addressing a few visitors)
4 nh shigrave ycngguoacute reacuten maAre you from Britain
5nhmen yagraveo chc difnr dagravengao ma ( difnr lsquoa bit (of)rsquo)Would you like some cake
6 wi gograveu le | xiegravexie nh ( gograveu lsquoenoughrsquo)Irsquom fineIrsquove had enough thanks
Exercise 35
Decide whether wimen or zaacutenmen should strictly be usedin the following situations
1 We must be off now Goodbyeziu le | zagraveijiagraven
2 Letrsquos be friendsjiao gegrave peacutengyou ba
3 We would like some beer Thank you
xhang hb difnr piacutejij | xiegravexie niacuten ( piacutejij lsquobeerrsquo)4 I am Li Whatrsquos your name Do let us introduce ourselves
wi xigraveng lh | niacuten guigravexigraveng | regravenshi ycxiagrave ba ( ycxiagrave lsquobrieflyrsquo)5 Letrsquos go together
ycqh ziu ba ( ycqh lsquotogetherrsquo)6 We live in London Where do you live
zhugrave zagravei luacutenden | nhmen zhugrave zagravei nfr
Pattern and vocabulary drill 31
Translate the following sentences into English making intelligentguesses at the meaning with the help of the words given in brackets
3Personalpronouns
25
1 zhugrave nh niacuten shbngrigrave kuagraveilegrave2 zhugrave nh niacuten xcnniaacuten kuagraveilegrave ( xcnniaacuten lsquonew
yearrsquo)3 zhugrave nh niacuten shegravengdagraven kuagraveilegrave ( shegravengdagraven
lsquoChristmasrsquo )4 zhugrave nh niacuten shbnth jiagravenkang ( shbnth lsquobodyrsquo
jiagravenkang lsquohealthyrsquo)5 zhugrave nh niacuten yclugrave piacutengrsquoan ( yclugrave lsquoall the wayrsquo
piacutengrsquoan lsquosafe and soundrsquo)6 zhugrave nh niacuten cheacutenggdng ( cheacutenggdng lsquosucceedrsquo)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 32
Translate the following sentences into Chinese following the model ofthe examples Pay particular attention to how adjectives are coined with
yiu lsquoto haversquo and hfo lsquogoodrsquo Donrsquot forget to include the degreeadverb hgn in each instance
My work is interestingwi de gdngzuograve hgn yiuqugrave
This piece of cake is deliciouszhegravei kuagravei dagravengao hgn hfochc
1 Those books of yours are interesting ( yiuqugrave lsquointerestingrsquo)2 His parents are famous ( yiumiacuteng lsquofamous (lit to have
name)rsquo)3 Those three Chinese (persons) are very rich ( yiuqiaacuten lsquorich
(lit to have money)rsquo)4 Your fatherrsquos book is really useful ( yiuyograveng lsquouseful (lit to
have use)rsquo)5 This method is truly effective ( fangff lsquomethodrsquo yiuxiagraveo
lsquoeffective (lit to have effect)rsquo)6 That cake of yours is really tasty
This cup of coffee is really nice ( hfochc hfohb lsquotastynice (lit good to eatgood to drink)rsquo)
7 That jumper of my younger sister is beautiful ( hfokagravenlsquopleasant to the eyersquo)
8 That song is pleasant to the ear ( gb lsquosongrsquo shiu measureword for songs hfotcng lsquopleasant to the earrsquo)
9 That suggestion of his was ridiculous ( hfoxiagraveo lsquolaughableridiculousrsquo)
10 That kitten of our neighbours is really playful ( hfowaacutenrlsquoamusing (lit good to play with)rsquo)
3Personalpronouns
26
Pattern and vocabulary drill 33
As we have seen when a noun is placed at the beginning of a sentenceit is to some extent emphasized as it registers what is foremost in thespeakerrsquos mind Following the model below construct ten questions usingthe noun and verb given and translate the questions into English Theassumption is that the noun object has already been alluded to and istherefore of definite reference
bh dagraveiHave you brought the pen(s) with you
bh nh dagravei le meacuteiyiu
1 yagraveoshi dagravei2 yjsfn dagravei3 maacuteoyc dagravei4 zhagraveopiagraven dagravei5 she kagraven6 wfn kuagraveizi mfi7 chaacute hb
8 dagravengao chc
9 mao zhfo dagraveo10 diagravenyhng kagraven
3Personalpronouns
27
28
UNIT FOURInterrogative pronouns
A The main interrogative pronouns in Chinese are
sheacutei (shuiacute ndash less colloquial) whowhomsheacutei de whosesheacutenme what
nfngi + measure word whichnfr sheacutenme digravefang wherewhat place
B The most important feature about Chinese interrogative pronounsis that unlike English practice which shifts all interrogative pronounsto the beginning of the question Chinese keeps them in the positionin the sentence where the answers would be expected
ta shigrave sheacutei Who is heta shigrave wI de lFoshC He is my teacher
sheacutei shigrave nhmen de Who is your Chinesezhdngweacuten lfoshc teacherliacute lfoshc shigrave wimen Mr Li is ourde zhdngweacuten lfoshc Chinese teacher
Note 1 sheacutei shigrave nhmen de zhdngweacuten lfoshc
is a straightforward question which may be used interchangeablywith nhmen de zhdngweacuten lfoshc shigrave sheacuteiHowever if expressed in more emphatic tones the latter may convey the feeling that the speaker is curious or eager to find outwho the teacher really is
Note 2 One does not ask sheacutei shigrave ta
sheacutei ziu le Who has leftlH xiAnsheng ziu le Mr Li has leftnh qugrave jiagraven sheacutei Who did you go to
seewi qugrave jiagraven zhAng I went to see jCnglH MrMrs Zhang
the managerzhegrave shigrave sheacutei de Whose is this satchelshebaozhegrave shigrave wI toacutengxueacute This is my de shebao coursematersquos satchelnh xifng hb difnr What would you like sheacutenme to drinkwi xifng hb difnr I would like to have piacutejiJ some beernh zhfo sheacutenme What are you looking
forwi zhfo wI de Irsquom looking for my shIubiFo watchwi de dagraveyc zagravei nFr Where is my coatnh de dagraveyc zagravei zhegraver Your coat is here
C In addition to sheacutei shuiacute nf ngi wegravei (lit lsquowhich personrsquo)may be used to express a more respectful personal enquiry
ngi wegravei shigrave nh bagraveba Which person is yourfather
niacuten yagraveo jiagraven ngi wegravei Who do you want to see
Note sheacutenme reacuten (lit lsquowhat personrsquo) on the other hand hasa tone of rudeness or contempt
ta shigrave sheacutenme reacuten Whorsquos she (anyway)
nh pegravengjiagraven le Who were those sheacutenme reacuten people you met
D sheacutei de lsquowhosersquo may be used as an interrogative adjective toqualify a noun or as an interrogative pronoun
zhegrave shigrave sheacutei de qiaacutenbao (adjective)Whose pursewallet is this
4Inter-rogativepronouns
29
zhegrave shigrave wI de qiaacutenbaoThis is my pursewallet
zhegravei bf yagraveoshi shigrave sheacutei de (pronoun)Whose is this key
zhegravei bf yagraveoshi shigrave wI deThis key is mine
nh xhhuan sheacutei de huagraver (adjective)Whose picture do you like
wi xhhuan negravei gegrave huagravejiA de huagraverI like pictures by that artist
E sheacutenme lsquowhatrsquo likewise may be used as an adjective or a pronoun
zhegravei xib shigrave sheacutenme shecagravei (adjective)What kind of vegetables are these
zhegravei xib shigrave baacuteicagraveiThese are Chinese cabbages
zhegravei xib shigrave sheacutenme (pronoun)What are these
zhegravei xib shigrave liacuteThese are pears
( ) nh xifng chc (yc)difnr sheacutenme (pronoun)What would you like (to eat)
( ) wi xifng chc (yc)difnr dagravengAoIrsquod like (to eat) some cake
( ) nh mfi le (yc)xib sheacutenme ddngxi (adjective)What things did you buy
wi mfi le yC piacuteng kAfBi | yC bAo chaacuteyegrave heacute yC shugrave xiAnhuA
I bought a bottle of coffee a packet of tea and a bunch of flowers
nh miacutengtian xifng zuograve sheacutenme (pronoun)What do you want to do tomorrow
wi miacutengtian xifng qugrave yoacuteuyIngI want to go swimming tomorrow
F nf ngi meaning lsquowhichrsquo (not to be confused with nfrlsquowherersquo) can only be used in conjunction with a measure word orlsquonumeral + measure wordrsquo phrase
4Inter-rogativepronouns
30
nGi zhang Which one (eg newspaper sheet of paper table etc)
zhegravei zhang This one
nh yagraveo nF san gegrave Which three do you wantwi yagraveo nagrave san gegrave I want those three
nGi xib piaacutenyi Which ones are cheaperdifnrzhegravei xib piaacutenyi These ones are cheaperdifnr
nh mfi nF lifng Which two books bgn she are you going to buywi mfi nagrave lifng Irsquom buying those two booksbgn she
nGi bf sfn shigrave Which umbrella is yoursnh dezhegravei bf sfn This umbrella is mineshigrave wi de
G nfr lsquowherersquo and sheacutenme digravefang lsquowhat placersquo natur-ally ask about location
(i) They may occur at the object position particularly after qugrave lsquotogo (to)rsquo and zagravei lsquoto be atinonrsquo
nh qugrave nFrsheacutenme digravefangWhere are you going
wi qugrave peacutengyou jiAIrsquom going to my friendrsquos place
nh de zigravexiacutengchb zagravei nFr sheacutenme digravefangWhere is your bike
wi de zigravexiacutengchb zagravei jiA liMy bicycle is at home
(ii) They are also regularly used at the beginning of the sentence followed by the verb yiu lsquoto existrsquo
nFrsheacutenme digravefang yiu yoacuteutingWhere is therecan I find a pillar-box
mFlugrave duigravemiagraven yiu yoacuteutingTherersquos a pillar-box across the road
4Inter-rogativepronouns
31
nFrsheacutenme digravefang yiu ddngxi chc
Where can I find something to eat(lit Where is there something to eat)
bCngxiAng li yiu ddngxi chc
There are things to eat in the fridge
The second example above illustrates the common pattern lsquoloca-tion + yiu + noun object + verbrsquo in which yiu and the verbin fact share the same object The verb which comes last in thesentence is similar to an English infinitive qualifying the noun objectwhich precedes it
Here are some more examples
nFr yiu hfo diagravenyhng kagravenWhere can we go to see a good film(lit Where is there a good film (to) see)
negravei jiA diagravenyHngyuagraven yiu hfo diagravenyhng kagravenThere is a good film on show in that cinema(lit At that cinema there is a good film (to) see)
nFr yiu bcngjiliacuteng magraveiWhere can (we) buy ice-cream(lit Where is there ice-cream to be soldfor sale)
mFlugrave duigravemiagraven yiu | nagraver yiu yc liagraveng bcngjiliacuteng chb
Across the road Therersquos an ice-cream van there(lit Across the road there is (some) There there is an ice-cream van)
nFr yiu chb ze
Where are there cars forto hireduigravebuqh | zhegraver meacutei yiu chb ze
Irsquom sorry there arenrsquot any cars for hire here(lit Here there are not cars (to) hire)
(iii) nfr and sheacutenme digravefang are also commonly usedafter a coverb (see Unit 24) such as zagravei lsquoin at onrsquo dagraveo lsquotorsquoetc to create a coverbal phrase These coverbal phrases comebefore the verb
nh haacuteizi zagravei nFr xueacutexiacuteWhere isare your child(ren) studying
wi haacuteizi zagravei dagravexueacute xueacutexiacuteMy child(ren) isare studying at the university
nh bagraveba zagravei sheacutenme digravefang gdngzuograveWhere does your father work
4Inter-rogativepronouns
32
wi bagraveba zagravei yC jiA yiacutenhaacuteng gdngzuograveMy father works at a bank
ta dagraveo nFrsheacutenme digravefang qugraveWhere is he going
ta dagraveo bagravengDngshigrave qugraveHersquos going to his office
Note jia as you may have noticed is the measure word for diagravenyhngyuagraven lsquocinemarsquo yiacutenhaacuteng lsquobankrsquo shangdiagraven
lsquoshoprsquo etc The noun jia also means lsquohome house familyrsquo
Exercise 41
Formulate questions based on the sentences below focusing on the wordsin bold italics Use interrogative pronouns and switch the first-personand second-person pronouns as necessary
wi qugrave shangdiagraven mfi ddngxiIrsquom going to the shops to buy something
(a) wI qugrave shangdiagraven mfi ddngxisheacutei qugrave shangdiagraven mfi ddngxi
(b) wi qugrave shAngdiagraven mfi ddngxinh qugrave nFr mfi ddngxi
(c) wi qugrave shangdiagraven mfi dDngxinh qugrave shangdiagraven mfi sheacutenme
(d) wi qugrave shangdiagraven mFi dDngxinh qugrave shangdiagraven zuograve sheacutenme
1 mama qugrave shigravechfng mfi jcdagravenMother is going to the market to buy eggs(a) mAma qugrave shigravechfng mfi jcdagraven(b) mama qugrave shigravechFng mfi jcdagraven(c) mama qugrave shigravechfng mfi jCdagraven(d) mama qugrave shigravechfng mFi jCdagraven
2 bagraveba zagravei bagravengdngshigrave xig tucjiagravenxigravenFather is writing a referencea letter of recommendation in theoffice
4Inter-rogativepronouns
33
(a) bagraveba zagravei bagravengDngshigrave xig tucjiagravenxigraven(b) bagraveba zagravei bagravengdngshigrave xiG tuCjiagravenxigraven(c) bagraveba zagravei bagravengdngshigrave xig tuCjiagravenxigraven(d) bagraveba zagravei bagravengdngshigrave xig tucjiagravenxigraven
3 jigjie zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li wegravei mao(My) elder sister is feeding the cat in the kitchen(a) jigjie zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li wegravei mao(b) jigjie zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li wegravei mAo(c) jiGjie zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li wegravei mao
4 gbge zagravei wagraveimian xie chb
(My) elder brother is repairing the car outside(a) gbge zagravei wagraveimian xiE chB
(b) gbge zagravei wagraveimian xie chB
(c) gbge zagravei wagraveimian xie chb
(d) gBge zagravei wagraveimian xie chb
5 digravedi qugrave yoacuteuyingchiacute xueacute yoacuteuying(My) younger brother is going to the swimming-pool to learn to swim(a) digravedi qugrave yoacuteuyingchiacute xueacute yoacuteuyIng(b) digravedi qugrave yoacuteuyingchiacute xueacute yoacuteuying(c) digravedi qugrave yoacuteuyIngchiacute xueacute yoacuteuying
6 digravedi xifng qhng jigjie bang ta de maacuteng(My) younger brother would like to ask his elder sister to lend hima hand (ie give him some help)(a) digravedi xifng qhng jiGjie bang ta de maacuteng(b) digravedi xifng qhng jigjie bAng tA de maacuteng(c) digravedi xifng qhng jigjie bangmaacuteng
7 liacutenje de haacuteizi zagravei jib shang qiacutezigravexiacutengchb
(Our) neighbourrsquos child is riding a bicycle in the street(a) liacutenjE de haacuteizi zagravei jib shang qiacute zigravexiacutengchb
(b) liacutenjE de haacuteizi zagravei jib shang qiacute zigravexiacutengchb
(c) liacutenje de haacuteizi zagravei jib shang qiacute zigravexiacutengchB
(d) liacutenje de haacuteizi zagravei jib shang qiacute zigravexiacutengchB
(e) liacutenje de haacuteizi zagravei jiB shang qiacute zigravexiacutengchb
8megraveimei miacutengniaacuten xifng gbn yeacuteye qugrave zhdngguoacute lsxiacuteng(My) younger sister wants to go travelling in China with Grandpanext year(a) megraveimei miacutengniaacuten xifng gbn yeacuteye qugrave zhdngguoacute lsxiacuteng(b) megraveimei miacutengniaacuten xifng gBn yeacuteye qugrave zhDngguoacute lSxiacuteng(c) megraveimei miacutengniaacuten xifng gbn yeacuteye qugrave zhdngguoacute lsxiacuteng
4Inter-rogativepronouns
34
(d) megraveimei miacutengniaacuten xifng gbn yeacuteye qugrave zhDngguoacute lsxiacuteng(e) megraveimei miacutengniaacuten xifng gbn yeacuteye qugrave zhdngguoacute lSxiacuteng
Exercise 42
Translate the following sentences into Chinese using the pattern
lsquo + + noun + verbrsquo
Where can we buy pears (Where are there pears to be soldfor sale)nfr yiu liacute magravei
1 Where can we hire bicycles2 Where can we have coffee3 Where can we buy flowers4 Where is there any beer to drink5 Where can I find something to eat6 Where can I see a film7 Where can you buy a newspaper ( bagraveozhh lsquonewspaperrsquo)8 Where can you borrow books ( jiegrave lsquoborrowrsquo)9 Where can you buy fresh vegetables ( xcnxian lsquofreshrsquo)
10 Where can we hire a good car
Exercise 43
Translate these sentences into Chinese
1 Who would like some tea2 Who would like some cake3 Whose is this mug4 What would you like to eat5 Which picture do you prefer6 Who can speak Chinese ( huigrave lsquocan be skilful withrsquo)7 Which child is yours8 Whose teacher is Mr Zhang9 Which oranges are you going to buy
10 What kind of vegetables do you like11 Who can repair cars12 Who can help me ( neacuteng lsquocan be able torsquo)13 Who do you want to see14 Which two books have you brought with you
4Inter-rogativepronouns
35
15 What place did you go to16 Which countries are you going to17 Where is my pursewallet18 Where do you go for coffee19 Who are you going to China with20 Where did you get acquainted with her
Note huigrave lsquocanrsquo indicates permanent skills whereas neacuteng lsquocanrsquoindicates whether someone is able or in a position to do somethingon a particular occasion eg wi huigrave yoacuteuying | dagravenshigrave jiantian bigraveng le | bugrave neacuteng yoacuteu lsquoI know howto swim but as I am unwell today I canrsquotrsquo
Pattern and vocabulary drill 41
Provide the answers to the following questions using the pattern of theexample
nh xifng hb difnr sheacutenmeWhat would you like to drinkAnswer (a) some tea (b) some coffee
(a) wi xifng hb difnr chaacute (b) wi xifng hb difnr kafbi
1 nh xifng chc difnr sheacutenmeWhat would you like to eatAnswer (a) some cake (b) some ice cream
2 nh xifng mfi difnr sheacutenmeWhat would you like to buyAnswer (a) Chinese cabbage ( baacuteicagravei) (b) fish ( yuacute)
3 nh zhegravei gegrave lhbagraveitian xifng zuograve sheacutenmeWhat would you like to do this coming SundayAnswer (a) go to see a film (b) go swimming
4 nh zhfo sheacutenmeWhat are you looking forAnswer (a) my key (b) my umbrella
5 nh zhfo sheacutei Who are you looking forAnswer (a) Mr Li (b) my father
4Inter-rogativepronouns
36
6 nh dagraveoshagraveng nfr qugrave ( shagraveng lsquogo torsquo)Where are you off toAnswer (a) the bank (b) the university
Pattern and vocabulary drill 42
First translate the following sentences into English and then replacethe particle ma by ba so as to turn a general question into a sur-mise question as if you were saying instead of lsquoDo you like drinkingcoffeersquo lsquoYou like drinking coffee donrsquot yoursquo
1 nh xhhuan yfng mao ma ( yfng lsquoto keep to rearrsquo)2 nh xhhuan yfng giu ma3 nh xhhuan yfng jcnyuacute ma4 nh xhhuan qiacute zigravexiacutengchb ma5 nh xhhuan qiacute mf ma6 nh xhhuan zhugrave zagravei luacutenden ma7 nh xhhuan zhugrave zagravei baliacute ma ( baliacute lsquoParisrsquo)8 nh xhhuan mfi piaacutenyi de ddngxi ma9 nh xhhuan zhegravei xib xianhua ma
10 nh xhhuan nh de liacutenje ma11 nh xhhuan nh de gdngzuograve ma12 nh xhhuan zhegravei jiagraven maacuteoyc ma
4Inter-rogativepronouns
37
38
UNIT FIVENumbers
A Numbers in Chinese follow a system based on tens hundreds etc
yc one shiacute yc elevenegraver two shiacute egraver twelvesan three shiacute san thirteensigrave four shiacute qc seventeenwj five shiacute jij nineteenliugrave six egraver shiacute twentyqc seven san shiacute yc thirty-oneba eight wj shiacute sigrave fifty-fourjij nine ba shiacute liugrave eighty-sixshiacute ten jij shiacute jij ninety-nineliacuteng zero
Note 1 7 yao is sometimes used instead of yc in speech (eg onthe telephone) to avoid the confusion between yc lsquoonersquo and qc
lsquosevenrsquo
Note 2 The numeral 2 before a measure word is lifng and notegraver
lifng gegrave liacute two pears lifng gegrave xcngqc lhbagravei two weeks
B While in English you count up to a thousand and then repeat upto a million Chinese counts up to ten thousand ( wagraven) and then repeatsup to a hundred million ( yigrave) The higher numbers are
yc bfi 100 one hundredyc qian 1000 one thousandyc wagraven 10000 ten thousandyc yigrave 100000000 one hundred million
Figures are expressed from higher to lower units
yc bfi egraver shiacute wj
125 one hundred and twenty-five
yc qian egraver bfi san shiacute wj
1235 one thousand two hundred and thirty-five
yc wagraven egraver qian san bfi sigrave shiacute wj
12345 twelve thousand three hundred and forty-five
shiacute egraver wagraven san qian sigrave bfi wj shiacute liugrave123456 one hundred and twenty-three thousand four hundred andfifty-six
yc bfi egraver shiacute san wagraven sigrave qian wj bfiliugrave shiacute qc
1234567one million two hundred and thirty-four thousand five hundred andsixty-seven
yc qian egraver bfi san shiacute sigrave wagraven wj qian liugrave bfi qc shiacute ba
12345678twelve million three hundred and forty-five thousand six hundredand seventy-eight
yc yigrave egraver qian san bfi sigrave shiacute wj wagraven liugrave qian qc bfi ba shiacute jij123456789one hundred and twenty-three million four hundred and fifty-six thou-sand seven hundred and eighty-nine
It is useful to remember that a million in Chinese is yc bfi wagraven(= 100 times 10000)
Note liacuteng lsquozerorsquo is used as a filler for any missing unit or unitswithin a figure
yc bfi liacuteng wj 105 one hundred and fiveyc qian liacuteng sigrave 1004 one thousand and fouryc qian yc bfi 1102 one thousand one hundred liacuteng egraver and two
C A fraction is expressed by the pattern lsquodenominator fbn zhc numeratorrsquo ( fbn means lsquopart componentrsquo and zhc means lsquoof rsquo)
5Numbers
39
san fbn zhc yc 13 one thirdsigrave fbn zhc yc 14 one quartersigrave fbn zhc san 34 three quartersba fbn zhc qc 78 seven eighths
D bagraven lsquohalfrsquo followed by a noun functions like a numeral andrequires a measure word
bagraven bbi jij half a glass of wine (or any alcoholic drink)
bagraven gegrave xcgua half a watermelonbagraven niaacuten six months (lit half a year)
( ) bagraven (gegrave) xifoshiacute half an hourbagraven gegrave zhdngtoacuteubagraven gegrave yuegrave two weeks (lit half a month)
bagraven is used after a lsquonumber + measure wordrsquo phrase to mean lsquoanda halfrsquo
yc bbi bagraven jij a glass and a half of wine (or any alcoholic drink)
lifng gegrave bagraven xcgua two and a half watermelonssan niaacuten bagraven three and a half yearswj gegrave bagraven xifoshiacute five and a half hoursyc gegrave bagraven yuegrave a month and a half
E Percentages take the form of fractions of 100
bfi fbn zhc sigrave shiacute 40bfi fbn zhc yc bfi liacuteng qc 107
F The decimal point is expressed as difn
san difn liugrave jij 369san shiacute san difn san san 3333liugrave difn yc qc 617
Note When liacuteng lsquonought zerorsquo occurs after the decimal pointit is not a lsquofillerrsquo but functions as a separate unit and is thereforerepeated as necessary See for instance the following
yc qian liacuteng egraver difn liacuteng liacuteng egraver1002002 one thousand and two point zero zero two
5Numbers
40
G Ordinal numbers in Chinese are formed by placing digrave beforethe numeral
digrave yc (the) firstdigrave shiacute (the) tenth
Ordinal numbers like cardinals require a measure with a noun
digrave yc gegrave xueacutesheng the first studentdigrave shiacute cigrave huigraveyigrave the tenth meetingdigrave san bgn she the third book
They also regularly occur with frequency time and unit measures
digrave yc cigrave the first timedigrave egraver zhdu the second weekdigrave wj kegrave Lesson Five
Note 1 The numeral 2 in an ordinal is egraver and not lifng evenbefore a measure word
digrave egraver chfng zuacuteqiuacute bhsagravei the second soccer match
One cannot say
digrave lifng chfng the second match
Note 2 In some cases Chinese does not use ordinal numbers wherethe equivalent phrase in English would
yc niaacutenjiacute the first yearthe first form (in school etc)egraver loacuteu the first floor (lsquoground floorrsquo in English is counted as yc loacuteu or digrave xiagrave and lsquofirst floorrsquo therefore becomes
egraver loacuteu)
H When referring to an item or items adjacent or next to the one inquestion one does not usually make use of digrave One uses shagravenglsquoprevious lastrsquo or xiagrave lsquonextrsquo followed by a numeral a measure andthe noun The noun is often omitted particularly when its meaning canbe readily derived from the context or from the measure word itselfeg
5Numbers
41
( ) shagraveng lifng chfng (bhsagravei) the last two matches( ) xiagrave san kegrave (she) the next three lessons
Where the numeral is yc lsquoonersquo it is regularly omitted leaving justthe measure and noun
( ) shagraveng (yc) gegrave shigravejigrave the previous century( ) xiagrave (yc) gegrave yuegrave next month( ) shagraveng (yc) gegrave xcngqc last week
lhbagravei( ) shagraveng (yc) gegrave jieacutemugrave the previous programme
However when the noun is understood and omitted yc lsquoonersquo mustbe used
xiagrave yc gegrave the next one (eg lsquothe next person in the queuersquo)
shagraveng yc jiacute the previous volume etc in a series
Therefore notice the following
( ) ( ) xiagrave (yc) gegrave zhagraven (xiagrave chb)(Irsquom getting off at) the next stop please
As zhagraven itself may be used as a measure word one may often hearthis expressed as ( ) xiagrave yc zhagraven (xiagrave chbxia)
I Approximate numbers in Chinese can be expressed by placing zuiyograveu or shagravengxiagrave lsquoapproximatelyrsquo after the lsquonumeral +
measure wordrsquo phrase or dagraveyub lsquoaboutrsquo or chagravebudud
lsquoalmostrsquo before it
san gdngjcn zuiyograveu about three kilogramswj mh shagravengxiagrave about five metresdagraveyub lifng difn about two orsquoclockzhdngdagraveyub lifng gegrave about two hours
xifoshiacutezhdngtoacuteuchagravebudud san shiacute ycnglh almost thirty miles
Note Observe the difference between lifng difn zhdnglsquotwo orsquoclockrsquo and lifng gegrave zhdngtoacuteuxifoshiacute lsquotwohoursrsquo (see Unit 8)
5Numbers
42
Approximation with the number 10 and its multiples up to andincluding 100 may also be expressed using laacutei or dud
shiacute laacuteidud niaacuten around ten years sigrave shiacute laacuteidud suigrave about forty years old
( ) (yc) bfi laacuteidud gegrave a little over a hundred
Note jh may also be used to indicate approximation with roundnumbers above 10 and below 100 eg
egraver shiacute jh niaacuten twenty odd yearsqc shiacute jh suigrave over seventy years of age
But not
yc bfi jh reacuten over a hundred people
However with qian lsquothousandrsquo and wagraven lsquoten thousandrsquo only dud is used for a similar purpose
lifng qian dud niaacuten over two thousand yearssan wagraven dud reacuten over thirty thousand people
Note Observe the difference between niaacuten lsquoyearrsquo (period of time)and suigrave lsquoyear (of age)rsquo
Any two consecutive numbers from one to nine may also be used toexpress approximation
yc | lifng niaacuten one or two yearslifng | san tian two or three daysshiacute qc | ba gegrave reacuten seventeen or eighteen
peopleegraver | san shiacute gegrave lfoshc twenty to thirty teachersyc | egraver bfi gegrave a hundred to two xueacutesheng hundred students
( ) lifng | san qian (gegrave) two to three thousand reacuten people
5Numbers
43
Note In relation to lsquotworsquo to say simply lsquoone or tworsquo or lsquotwo or threersquoyc | lifng or lifng | san are generally used For
lsquoeleven or twelversquo and lsquotwelve to thirteenrsquo you must say shiacute yc | egraver or shiacute egraver | san lsquoTen or twentyrsquo lsquotwenty or thirtyrsquomust also be yc | egraver shiacute or egraver | san shiacute For highernumbers in these sequences lifng is usually preferred (eg
lifng | san bfi lsquotwo or three hundredrsquo yc | lifng qianlsquoone or two thousandrsquo) but egraver is also possible
J To ask lsquohow manyrsquo dudshao lsquohow many how muchrsquo (lit manyfew) or jh lsquohow manyrsquo with a measure are used jh implies thatthe number involved is below ten whereas dudshao is unlimited
jh always requires a measure whereas dudshao normally does not
nh yiu jh gegrave haacuteiziHow many children do you have
( )nh nsrsquoeacuter jcnniaacuten jh suigrave (le)How old is your daughter (this year)
nh hb le jh bbi piacutejijHow many glasses of beer did you drink
nh shbn shang dagravei le dudshao qiaacutenHow much money do you have on you
zhdngguoacute yiu dudshao reacutenHow many people are there in China
nh qugrave guo dudshao guoacutejiaHow many countries have you been to
Note 1 jh may be used with shiacute bfi qian etc
zhdngguoacute yiu jh qian niaacuten de ligraveshh
How many thousand years of history does China have
negravei tian wfnhuigrave | nh qhng le jh shiacute gegrave toacutengxueacuteHow many (lit tens of) classmates did you invite to the party thatevening
Note 2 guo is an aspect marker indicating experience (see Unit 15)
5Numbers
44
Exercise 51
Express the following Chinese numbers in figures
1 ba shiacute jij2 shiacute liugrave3 yc wagraven4 liugrave yigrave5 qc bfi wagraven6 yc wagraven san qian wj bfi egraver shiacute liugrave7 shiacute ba wagraven8 liugrave qian jij bfi san shiacute sigrave9 san qian liugrave bfi wj shiacute egraver
10 qc yigrave ba qian wagraven liacuteng sigrave bfi liugrave shiacute jij11 liugrave wagraven sigrave qian wj bfi liacuteng sigrave12 sigrave qian liacuteng sigrave difn liacuteng liacuteng wj
Exercise 52
Translate the figures below into Chinese
1 80205 7 32 6329814 8 973 600000000 9 413164 1080 10 586235 736 11 70056 14 12 601007
Exercise 53
Translate the following phrases into Chinese
1 half a day 8 five and a half pears2 two weeks 9 the fifth week3 three and a half years 10 the fourth child4 six months 11 the twelfth match5 the first floor 12 the third year (at school)6 half an orange 13 the second day7 half a bottle of wine 14 seven and a half hours
5Numbers
45
Exercise 54
Fill in the blanks below with either egraver or lifng to complete thetranslation of the English
1 cigrave twice2 wagraven reacuten twenty thousand
people3 fbn zhc yc half4 shiacute mh twelve metres5 shiacute wj tiaacuteo twenty-five goldfish
jcnyuacute6 tiaacuteo quacutenzi two skirts7 digrave kegrave Lesson Two8 | san daacute two or three dozen
jcdagraven eggs9 shiacute | san bf twelve to thirteen
yaacuteshua toothbrushes10 yc | bf yjsfn one or two umbrellas
Exercise 55
Translate the following phrases into Chinese
1 one or two weeks2 two hundred years3 about sixty years old4 thirty to forty bicycles5 ten days and more6 some two hundred shops7 ten per cent8 twenty or so9 fifteen metres or so
10 a month or so11 over ten thousand students12 two or three children13 about fifty friends and neighbours14 about seventy miles15 over eight kilograms16 ten cities or more
5Numbers
46
Exercise 56
Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1 There are three oranges two pears a loaf of bread and a bottle ofwine in the cupboard
2 There is a bowl a mug and a pair of chopsticks on the table (shuang lsquopairrsquo)
3 There are half a dozen eggs a kilo of Chinese cabbage and someice-cream in the fridge
4 There are two sweaters and twelve skirts in the wardrobe5 Li Ming has invited ( qhng le) thirty to forty friends and fellow
students6 My boyfriend ( naacuten peacutengyou) has brought ( dagravei laacutei le)
a bunch of flowers and a few bottles of beer7 I have written ( xig le) around five references ( fbng is the
measure word for letters etc)8 My girlfriend ( ns peacutengyou) has been to ten countries or
more9 I bumped into ( pegravengjiagraven le) over twenty fellow students
10 My son saw ( kagraven le) about a dozen films this year ( jcnniaacutenlsquothis yearrsquo)
11 How much is that sweater12 How many younger sisters does he have13 How many people are there in Beijing14 How many Chinese people does your father know15 How many kilos of Chinese cabbage do you want to buy
Pattern and vocabulary drill 51
Try to work out the English translation of the following You can usethe vocabulary at the end of the book if it helps
1 xiagrave yc wegravei | qhng jigraven laacutei2 ( ) xiagrave (yc) ban chb jh difn kai3 shagraveng bagraven chfng hgn jcngcai4 wimen xiagrave xcngqc sigrave ziu5 ta shagraveng gegrave xueacuteniaacuten hgn njligrave ( njligrave lsquohard-
working industriousrsquo)6 nh xiagrave gegrave zhagraven xiagrave chb ma7 shagraveng yc qc magravei waacuten le8 ( ) xiagrave (yc) cigrave zagraveijiagraven
5Numbers
47
Pattern and vocabulary drill 52
Translate the following questions into Chinese using the alternativemeacuteiyiu format and the experience aspect marker guo
Have you ever ridden a bikenh qiacute guo zigravexiacutengchb meacuteiyiu
1 Have you met these few engineers before ( jiagraven guo lsquoto havemetseenrsquo)
2 Have you ever been to Britain ( qugrave guo lsquoto have beenrsquo)3 Have you ever kept a dog ( yfng guo lsquoto have had the experi-
ence of rearingrsquo)4 Have you ever ridden a camel ( luogravetuo lsquocamelrsquo)5 Have you used chopsticks before ( yograveng guo lsquoto usersquo)6 Have you ever had any Chinese friends ( jiao guo lsquoto have
made (friends with)rsquo)7 Have you ever tried English beer8 Have you had Chinese tea before9 Have you seen a Chinese film before
10 Have you ever driven a car ( kai guo lsquoto have drivenrsquo)11 Have you ever hired a car ( ze guo lsquoto have hiredrsquo)12 Have you ever been to your friendrsquos place13 Have you met her parents before14 Have you ever helped your friends ( bang guo lsquoto have
helpedrsquo)15 Have you ever learned how to swim ( xueacute guo lsquoto have
learnedrsquo)
5Numbers
48
UNIT SIXMeasure words
49
Measure words are a particular feature of Chinese syntax but they donot present an insuperable problem for the learner With a certainamount of practice they can soon be generally mastered This unit com-partmentalizes some of the most common and important measurewords to provide a structure for understanding their usage and an easyreference
A A measure word is always necessary when a noun is modified bya numeral or a demonstrative
yc bgn ciacutedifn aone dictionaryyc zhc maacuteobh aone writing brushlifng zhc nifo two birdssan tiaacuteo maacuteojcn three towelszhegravei bbi niuacutenfi this glass of milknegravei piacuteng piacutejij that bottle of beerngi gegrave reacuten which person
One would not normally say
yc bh (lit aone pen) lifng she (lit two books) zhegrave nifo (lit this bird) nf chb (lit which car)
Some nouns may be associated with more than one measure word
yc zuogravesuizhuagraveng aone housedograveng faacutengzi
zhegravei zhctiaacuteosdu this boatshipchuaacuten
san liagravengbugrave chb three cars nf fuacutezhang huagraver which picture or painting
B gegrave as we have seen (in Unit 1) is by far the most common ofthe measures and can be used with virtually any noun
yc gegrave kagravenff a view opinionyc gegrave xifngff an ideayc gegrave diagravenyhng a filmmovieyc gegrave wj a dancelifng gegrave kegraveren two visitorsguestssan gegrave guoacutejia three countrieszhegravei gegrave jchuigrave this opportunityngi gegrave qcngniaacuten which young man
C Most of the other measures can be placed in general categoriesdepending on their relationship to the nouns or sets of nouns they accompany
(i) Associated with particular nouns or sets of nouns
clothingyc dhng magraveozi aone hatlifng jiagraven chegravenshan two shirtsyc tiaacuteo quacutenzi a skirt
shops schools and buildingssan | sigrave jia shangdiagraven three or four shopsjh jian xueacutexiagraveo a few schoolsyc zuograve dagrave loacuteu a large building
vehiclesyc jiagrave fbijc aone planeyc liagraveng bashigrave a busyc liagraveng xifoba a minibusyc liagraveng digraveshigrave a taxi
publications writing and performanceyc bgn she a bookyc pian weacutenzhang a compositionyc fbng xigraven a letteryc che xigrave a playyc | lifng shiu gb one or two songsjh jugrave huagrave a few words
plantsyc dui huar aone flowernegravei kb shugrave that treezhegravei kb cfo this tuftclump of grassyc kb meacuteiguigrave hua a rosebush(cf yc dui meacuteiguigrave hua a rose)
6Measurewords
50
weatheryc zhegraven fbng a gust of windyc zhegraven leacutei a peal of thunderyc chaacuteng yj a shower of rainyc chaacuteng dagrave xug a heavy fall of snowyc dui yuacuten a cloud
Note dui is also the measure word for lsquoflowersrsquo
gamesyc chfng qiuacute a footballbasketballtennis matchyc juacute qiacute a game of chess
Note 1 jh means lsquoa fewrsquo when used in a statement but lsquohowmanyrsquo in a question (see Unit 5)
wi mfi le jh jiagraven chegravenshanI bought a few shirts
nh mfi le jh jiagraven chegravenshanHow many shirts have you bought (or did you buy)
Note 2 chaacuteng for weather and chfng for games are homo-graphs but note their different tones
(ii) Portion of whole
san dc shuh three drops of waterwj piagraven miagravenbao five slices of breadzhegravei kuagravei rograveu this piece of meatliugrave kuagravei dagravengao six pieces of cake
Note Observe the difference between yc gegrave dagravengaolsquoa (whole) cakersquo and yc kuagravei dagravengao lsquoa piece of cakersquo(ie a portion of a whole cake)
(iii) Container
lifng bbi chaacute two cups of teasan wfn fagraven three bowls of (cooked) ricesigrave piacuteng jij four bottles of wineyc guagraven niuacutenfi a bottle of milkyc ting shuh a pailbucket of wateryc zhudzi cagravei a table laden with food
6Measurewords
51
Note Most containers occur as nouns themselves and then takeon other measure words
lifng gegrave bbizi two cupsglassesmugssan zhc wfn three bowlssigrave gegrave piacutengzi four bottles
But yc gegrave guagraventou does not mean lsquoa cantinrsquo ingeneral but specifically lsquoa cantin of foodrsquo
Portion and container measure words are often further qualifiedby dagrave lsquobigrsquo or xifo lsquosmallrsquo to indicate their relative size
yc dagrave kuagravei rograveua large piece of meat
yc xifo piagraven miagravenbaoa small slice of bread
yc dagrave wfn fagravena large bowl of (cooked) ricea bowl of (cooked) rice filled to the top
yc xifo wfn fagravena small bowl of (cooked) ricea bowl of (cooked) rice partially filled
lifng xifo guagraven wjcanrograveutwo small cans of luncheon meat etc
(iv) Shape
(a) tiaacuteo long and narrow a stripyc tiaacuteo miagravenbao a loaf of breadyc tiaacuteo lugrave a road (street)yc tiaacuteo sheacutengzi a ropepiece of stringyc tiaacuteo yuacute a fishyc tiaacuteo heacute a riverzhegravei tiaacuteo quacutenzi this skirtnegravei tiaacuteo begraveizi that quilt
(b) gbn stick-likeyc gbn huichaacutei a matchyc gbn cfo a blade of grassyc gbn xiagraven a piece of thread
(c) ( ) zhc like a branch or a twigyc zhc qianbh a pencillifng zhc yan two cigarettes
6Measurewords
52
yc zhc bugraveduigrave an armyyc zhc qiang a riflepistol
(d) zhang a flat surfaceyc zhang zhh a piece of paperngi zhang zhudzi which tableyc zhang bagraveozhh a newspaperyc zhang chuaacuteng a bedyc zhang digravetuacute a map
(e) ligrave granularyc ligrave sha a grain of sandyc ligrave mh a grain of rice
(f) kb small and round (not to be confused with its homophone kb lsquomeasure word for plantsrsquo)
yc kb zhezi a pearlyc kb huaacutengdograveu a soya bean
(v) Relating to noun groups
(a) bf is used with nouns which indicate something held bythe hand
yc bf dao a knifezhegravei bf yhzi this chair
( ) yc bf (yj)sfn an umbrellayc bf yaacuteshua a toothbrush
(b) zuograve is used with nouns which indicate something large andimposing
yc zuograve shan a hill mountainyc zuograve qiaacuteo a bridgenegravei zuograve faacutengzi that housebuilding
(c) zhc is used with the following noun groupsbull animals birds and insects
yc zhc nifo a birdyc zhc mao a catyc zhc lfoshj a mouseyc zhc yaacuteng a sheepyc zhc cangying a fly
Note The following animals take individual measure words
yc toacuteu niuacute a cowyc ph mf a horsezhegravei tiaacuteo giu this dog
6Measurewords
53
bull utensilsyc zhc wfn a bowlyc zhc gud a wok
bull one of a pairyc zhc shiutagraveo a glovenegravei zhc xieacute that shoeyc zhc wagravezi a sockyc zhc yfnjing an eyeyc zhc grduo an ear
(vi) Referring to weight volume length etc
lifng gdngjcn mfliacutengshj two kilos of potatoesyc bagraveng niuacuterograveu a pound of beefba shbng qigraveyoacuteu eight litres of petrolwj ycnglh lugrave five miles (distance)
D Objects in pairs In Chinese lsquoa pair ofrsquo is usually yc shuang oryc duigrave
yc shuang xieacutezi a pair of shoesyc shuang kuagraveizi a pair of chopsticksyc shuang shiu a pair of handsyc shuang shiutagraveo a pair of glovesyc duigrave wagravezi a pair of socksyc duigrave grhuaacuten a pair of earrings
Note 1 yc shuang and yc duigrave are generally interchange-able although yc duigrave is more often used for people or animalsforming partnerships
yc duigrave fefugrave husband and wifeyc duigrave gbzi a pair of pigeonsyc duigrave yuanyang a pair of mandarin ducksan
affectionate couple
Note 2 In English one may use lsquoa pair ofrsquo with objects which arein fact a single entity In Chinese these objects take specific mea-sure words
yc bf jifndao a pair of scissorsyc tiaacuteo kugravezi a pair of trousersngi fugrave yfnjigraveng which pair of glasses
6Measurewords
54
E Objects in clusters or held together in one way or another adoptdifferent measure words
yc chuagraven xiangjiao a bunch of bananasyc chuagraven puacutetao a bunch of grapesyc shugrave hua a bouquet (of flowers)yc bf mh a handful of riceyc cuograve yaacuten a pinch of saltyc bh qiaacuten a sum of money
F Some nouns particularly those referring to time can be measurewords in themselves and do not require a measure word
yc tian aone daylifng niaacuten two years
In some cases the measure word is optional
yc gegrave xcngqc or yc xcngqc aone weeksan gegrave xifoshiacute or san xifoshiacute three hours
Note lhbagravei an alternative for lsquoweekrsquo and zhdngtoacuteu analternative for lsquohourrsquo and yuegrave lsquomonthrsquo always take the measureword ge
lifng gegrave lhbagravei not lifng lhbagravei two weekssan gegrave zhdngtoacuteu not san zhdngtoacuteu three hoursliugrave gegrave yuegrave not liugraveyuegrave six months
However yuegrave is used without gegrave for the calendar months eg
ycyuegrave Januaryegraveryuegrave Februaryliugraveyuegrave Juneshiacuteegraveryuegrave December
G A few Chinese measure words have a variety of translations inEnglish according to context and to the noun they are linked with
yc bbi chaacute a cup of teayc bbi kafbi a mug of coffeeyc bbi shuh a glass of water
yc quacuten laacuteng a pack of wolvesyc quacuten yaacuteng a flock of sheepyc quacuten reacuten a crowd of people
6Measurewords
55
Conversely some measure words in English have a range of transla-tions in Chinese
yc tiaacuteo xcnweacuten a piece of newsyc kuagravei feacuteizagraveo a piece of soapyc zhang zhh a piece of paperyc gegrave xigravenxc a piece of informationyc zhc yuegraveqj a piece of musicyc zhc fgnbh a piece of chalk
H As we have seen from the examples in the unit demonstratives zhegrave and nagrave and interrogative adjective nf are used with measurewords in the same way as numerals
zhegravei bbi jij this glass of wine (or any alcoholic drink)
negravei piacuteng niuacutenfi that bottle of milkngi shuang xieacute which pair of shoes
When zhegrave or nagrave or nf occurs together with a numeral theformer always precedes the latter
zhegrave lifng bbi jij these two glasses of wine etcnagrave san piacuteng niuacutenfi those three bottles of milknf sigrave shuang xieacute which four pairs of shoes
zhegrave nagrave and nf are also used regularly with ( ) (yc)xiblsquosomersquo to identify an indefinite plural number or amount
( ) zhegravei (yc)xib she these books( ) negravei (yc)xib wagravezi those socksstockings( ) ngi (yc)xib qiaacuten which (amount of) money
Note (yc)xib lsquosomersquo is a set expression xib cannot be usedwith other numerals
One cannot say
lifng xib she
I There are a number of collective nouns which consist of a measureword suffixed to a noun These collective nouns are only used in moreformal contexts
6Measurewords
56
chbliagraveng vehicles xigravenjiagraven correspondencechuaacutenzhc shipping huadui flowersshebgn books mfph horseszhhzhang paper reacutenquacuten crowd (of people)
These collective nouns cannot be modified by a lsquonumeral + measurewordrsquo phrase
lifng dui huadui (lit two flowers) san zhc chuaacutenzhc (lit three boats)
J In more descriptive writing plurality may also be formed by usingthe numeral yc lsquoonersquo followed by a reduplicated measure word withor without the attributive marker de
( ) yc duidui (de) huar many a flower( ) yc zhegravenzhegraven (de) fbng gusts of windgust
after gust of wind
In poetic writing or proverbial sayings an alternative version can belsquoreduplicated measure + nounrsquo
duidui huar xiagraveng yaacuteng kaiMany a flower opens towards the sun
tiaacuteotiaacuteo dagrave lugrave tdng luoacutemf
All roads lead to Rome
reacutenreacuten wegravei wi | wi wegravei reacutenreacutenAll for one and one for all
Exercise 61
Match each noun below with the correct measure word and translatethe resulting phrase into English
1 yc ph shangdiagraven2 lifng jiagrave dagravengao3 san gegrave yhzi4 sigrave | wj bf shan5 jh zhang mf
6 liugrave jia guoacutejia7 qc sui zhudzi8 ba zuograve she
6Measurewords
57
9 jij bgn fbijc10 shiacute kuagravei xueacutexiagraveo
Exercise 62
See if you can find a measure word out of the eight below to replacethe measure words in the following phrases
bugrave fugrave duigrave zuograve sui gegrave zhang chuaacuteng
1 yc fegraven bagraveozhh a newspaper2 yc tiaacuteo begraveizi a quilt3 yc jian xueacutexiagraveo a school4 yc duigrave grhuaacuten a pair of earrings5 yc liagraveng qigravechb a car6 yc bugrave diagravenyhng a film7 yc zhuagraveng faacutengzi a house8 yc shuang kuagraveizi a pair of chopsticks
Exercise 63
Translate the phrases below into Chinese
1 a day 11 a piece of soap2 a bowl of (cooked) rice 12 a pair of trousers3 a year 13 a month4 this pair of spectacles 14 two pounds of apples5 a pair of shoes 15 three miles6 a week 16 seven litres of petrol7 an earring 17 which writing brush8 a sock 18 a boat9 a piece of bread 19 two songs
10 that pair of scissors 20 a map
Exercise 64
Translate the following phrases into Chinese (note that some nounsmay share the same measure word)
1 a flock of sheep2 a glass of beer
6Measurewords
583 a crowd of people4 an umbrella
5 a knife6 that bird7 those two bunches of flowers8 a piece of music9 this newspaper
10 which three pencils11 an opportunity12 a drop of water
Exercise 65
Complete the Chinese translations of the English sentences below choosing appropriate measures from the following list (note that somemeasure words may be used more than once)
tiaacuteo bgn liagraveng wfn xib zhangbbi bf dhng zhc jia zhc
jian gegrave
1 There are only four tables and five chairs in this classroom
jiagraveoshigrave li zhh yiu zhudzi heacuteyhzi
2 Our neighbour has two dogs and three cats
wimen liacutenje yiu giu heacute mao3 Wersquove got four cars in the family
( ) wi jia yiu (qigrave)chb
4 My younger brother bought a new hatdigravedi mfi le xcn
magraveozi5 I had four cups of coffee today
wi jcntian hb lekafbi
6 That person made a few suggestions
reacuten tiacute le jiagravenyigrave7 My uncle brought some fruit
sheshu dagravei laacutei leshuhgui
8 Li Ming walked into a restaurant and ordered a bowl of fried noodles
6Measurewords
59
13 a cup of tea14 which flower15 a (piece of) string16 a bed17 a pair of trousers18 a pair of scissors19 this dog20 these three cigarettes
lh miacuteng ziu jigraven fagravengufn | jiagraveo le chfomiagraven9 My uncle wants to go to France by car Hersquos borrowed a map of
France
wi jiugravejiu xifng kai chb qugrave ffguoacute | ta jiegrave le ffguoacutedigravetuacute
10 My younger sister likes birds She keeps those two parrots
megraveimei xhhuan nifo | ta yfng le ycngwj
Note There is a difference in Chinese between sheshu lsquouncle(on fatherrsquos side)rsquo and jiugravejiu lsquouncle (on motherrsquos side)rsquo
Exercise 66
Translate into Chinese
1 I have two children How many do you have2 You had three glasses of beer I had only one3 I like this dog I donrsquot like that one4 My mother has a dozen pairs of shoes My sister has over twenty5 We have one car You have two donrsquot you6 She had one bowl of rice He had three or four7 Whose is this one8 Which one is hers
Note In sentence 4 lsquoa dozen pairsrsquo which brings together two measures is unacceptable in Chinese You therefore have to saylsquotwelve pairsrsquo
Pattern and vocabulary drill 61
Complete the following Chinese sentences with the help of theEnglish translations
1 _____ _____ _____ _____ shejiagrave shang yiu There are more than ten books on the bookshelf
2 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ huapiacuteng li yiu There is a bouquet of flowers in the vase
6Measurewords
60
3 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ zhudzishang yiu heacute There are two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks on the table
4 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ycguigrave li yiu heacute There are two shirts two skirts and two pairs of trousers in thewardrobe
5 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ wi fugravemj jiayiu heacute There are two cats and a dog in my parentsrsquo home
6 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ bcng-xiang li yiu heacute There is a piece of meat and some vegetables in the fridge
7 _____ _____ _____ _____ (zuogravewegravei lsquoseatrsquo) diagravenyhngyuagraven yiu zuogravewegraveiThere are over three hundred seats in the cinema
8 _____ _____ _____ _____ shangdiagrave li yiu There is a large crowd of people in the shop
9 _____ _____ _____ _____ ta yiacutenghaacuteng li yiu He has a small sum of money in the bank
10 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ ______ (magravei lsquoto sellrsquo)shigravechfng shang yiu heacute magraveiThere are apples oranges pears and bananas on sale at the mar-ketplace
11 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ chuacutefaacuteng li yiu heacute There is a big table and six chairs in the kitchen
12 _____ _____ (xiacutengreacuten lsquopedestriansrsquo)jib shang yiu laacuteilaacutei wfngwfng de heacute xiacutengreacutenIn the street there are cars and pedestrians going to and fro
13 _____ _____ _____ _____ bagravengdngshigrave li yiu There are four bookshelves in the office
14 _____ ta shbn shang meacutei yiu She has no money on her
15 _____ _____ _____ _____ chiacute li yiu There are eleven fish in the pond
16 _____ _____ _____ wfn li yiu There is some (cooked) rice in the bowl
17 _____ _____ _____ _____ chuaacuteng shang yiu There are two quilts on the bed
18 _____ _____ _____ _____ wfnguigrave li yiu There are over ten bowls in the cupboard
19 _____ _____ _____ shugrave shang yiu There are a few birds in the tree
6Measurewords
61
20 _____ _____ _____ shan shang yiu There is a pack of wolves on the mountain
21 _____ _____ _____ _____ (cheacutengkegrave lsquopassengerrsquo)chb shang yiu There are over twenty passengers on the traincoachbus
22 _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____chuaacuten shang yiu There are three hundred and fifty-six passengers on board the ship
Pattern and vocabulary drill 62
Pluralize the following phrases using a more descriptive tone
yc fuacute huagravera picturepainting
( ) yc fuacutefuacute (de) huagravermany a picturepainting after painting
1 yc zhang zhudzi2 yc chuagraven xiangjiao3 yc zuograve dagrave shan4 yc quacuten yaacuteng5 yc shuang xieacutezi6 yc shuang wagravezi7 yc dui yuacuten8 yc jiagrave fbijc9 yc fbng xigraven
10 yc zhc xifo nifo
6Measurewords
62
UNIT SEVENIndefinite plurals
63
A A large (but unspecified) number or amount may be expressed inChinese by using the adjectival phrases hgn dud lsquomany a lot ofrsquoand bugrave shfo (lit not few) lsquomany quite a fewrsquo They may modifyall types of nouns
hgn dud qiaacuten a lot of money (material)bugrave shfo she many books (common)hgn dud peacutengyou many friends (common)bugrave shfo jiagravenyigrave quite a few suggestions (abstract)hgn dud yigravejiagraven a lot of opinions (abstract)
Another adjective xjdud lsquomany much a great dealrsquo may be usedinterchangeably with hgndud eg xjdud wegraventiacute lsquomanyproblemsrsquo xjdud reacuten lsquoa lot of peoplersquo etc As xjdud ismore descriptive in tone it can be used in a reduplicated form oftenfollowed by the attributive marker de eg xjxu-duddud de shangdiagraven lsquoa great many shopsrsquo xjxududdud
de reacuten lsquoa great many peoplersquo etc
Note When possessive adjectives are present they precede theseindefinite plurals eg
( ) wi (de) hgn dud peacutengyou many of my friends( ) ta (de) bugraveshfo yigravejiagraven quite a few of his
opinions
B To express an unspecified number or quantity ycxib lsquosome afewrsquo is used again with all types of nouns
ycxib zhh some paper (material)ycxib puacutetao a few grapes (common)ycxib shuh some water (material)
( ) yiu (yc)xib xcwagraveng there is some hope (abstract)
A smaller number or amount can be expressed respectively by lsquo jh+ measure wordrsquo lsquosome a fewrsquo and ( ) ycdifn(r) lsquosome a littlea bitrsquo The former is generally used with common nouns and the latter mostly with material nouns (eg lsquoiron water clothrsquo etc) or abstractnotions (eg ideas feelings etc)
jh gegrave reacuten a few people (common)jh fuacute huagraver a few pictures (common)jh liagraveng zigravexiacutengchb a few bicycles (common)
( ) ycdifn(r) yaacuten a bit of salt (material)ycdifnr dagraveoli some sense (abstract)
( ) ( ) yiu (yc)difn(r) jhnzhang (to be) a bit nervous(lit havehaving a bit of nervousness) (abstract)
( ) meacutei yiu ycdifn(r) xcwagraveng(to be) without any hope (abstract)
Note ( ) yiu (yc)xib ( ) ( ) yiu (yc)difn(r) + nounsverbs or nounverb phrases may often constitute adjectival predicateseg ( ) ta yiu (yc)xib shcwagraveng lsquoHe was somewhat disappointedrsquo ( ) ( ) wi yiu (yc)difn(r) bugrave shefulsquoI felt somewhat uncomfortablersquo etc
C Though a lsquo jh + measure wordrsquo phrase is usually used with com-mon nouns it may also be used with material nouns if the measureword is a container or a standard measurement (eg bottle kilo etc)
jh piacuteng jija few bottles of wine (container)
jh wfn fagravena few bowls of rice (container)
jh shbng qigraveyoacuteuseveral litres of petrol (standard measure)
jh gdngjcn mfliacutengshj
several kilos of potatoes (standard measure)
Note Compare the different uses of jh in statements and questions
7Indefiniteplurals
64
wi mfi le jh ping jijI have bought a few bottles of wine
nh mfi le jh ping jijHow many bottles of wine have you bought
D These noun phrases being indefinite plurals naturally occur afterthe verb in the object position
negravei tian | wi jiagraven dagraveo le bugraveshfo peacutengyouI met quite a few friends that day
negravei tian | wi pegraveng dagraveo le xjdud wegraventiacuteI came across many problems that day
These indefinite plurals can be moved to a pre-verbal position by usingthe verb yiu before them to retain their indefinite reference
negravei tian yiu xjdud peacutengyou laacutei kagraven wi
Many friends came to see me that day
E Only ( ) ycdifn(r) and lsquo jh + measure wordrsquo phrases canbe used in negative sentences (unlike yc xib which cannot)
( ) zhegraver meacutei yiu ycdifn(r) shuh
There isnrsquot any water here
( ) wi meacutei yiu ycdifn(r) qiaacutenI donrsquot have any money
( ) wi meacutei(yiu) pegravengjiagraven jh gegrave peacutengyouI didnrsquot bump into many friends
One does not say for example
wi meacutei yiu yc xib qiaacuten I donrsquot have any money
The negative emphasis is intensified if ( ) ycdifn(r) and its nounis moved to a position before the verb with yg or ddu comingright after it
( ) zhegraver ycdifn(r) shuh yg meacutei yiu(more emphatic)There isnrsquot any water here at all
7Indefiniteplurals
65
( )wi ycdifn(r) qiaacuten yg meacutei yiu (more emphatic)I donrsquot have any money at all
( )zhegravei gegrave reacuten ycdifn(r) dagraveoli ddu bugrave jifngThis person was totally unreasonable(lit This person was not concerned with reason in any way)
Note ( ) ycdifn(r) may of course occur without a noun
( ) ta ycdifn(r) yg bugrave chc
She didnrsquot eat anything at all
This emphatic construction is also regularly used with lsquo yc + measure(+ noun)rsquo phrases
zhegraver yc gegrave reacuten yg meacutei yiuThere isnrsquot anyone here at all
wi shbn shang yc fbn qiaacuten yg meacutei yiuI donrsquot have a centpenny on me
ta yc kiu fagraven yg bugrave xifng chc
She doesnrsquot want to eat a single mouthful
The emphasis can be increased still further by placing liaacuten lsquoevenrsquobefore ( ) ycdifn(r) or lsquo yc + measure word (+ noun)rsquo phrases
zhegraver liaacuten yc gegrave reacuten yg meacutei yiuThere isnrsquot even one person here
wi shbn shang liaacuten yc fbn qiaacuten yg meacutei yiuIrsquove got absolutely no money at all on me
F Interrogative pronouns discussed in Unit 4 (eg sheacutei shuiacute sheacutenme nfr etc) may also be used as indefinite plurals in pre-verb positions in conjunction with ddu yg
sheacutei shuiacute ddu laacutei leEverybody has turned up
( ) sheacuteishuiacute yg meacutei(yiu) laacuteiNobody has turned up
7Indefiniteplurals
66
( ) ta sheacutenme yg meacutei(yiu) mfiHe did not buy anything
ta nfr ddu qugrave guoShersquos been everywhereTherersquos no place shersquos not been to
Note The difference between yg and ddu is that the formertends to be used more often in a negative context
These interrogative pronouns may be used as objects in negative sen-tences in a similar way
( ) wi meacutei(yiu) pegravengjiagraven sheacuteishuiacuteI did not bump into anybody
ta bugrave xifng chc sheacutenmeHe did not want to eat anything
nh qugrave guo nfr maDidnrsquot you go anywhere
G Human nouns which take the suffix men are of definite refer-ence and cannot therefore be modified by measure word phrases (seeUnit 1 D) or adjectives like hgn dud bugrave shfo ycxibor ( ) ycdifn(r) etc which express indefinite pluralsOne cannot say
hgn dud xueacuteshengmen (lit many students) ycxib peacutengyoumen (lit some friends)
Exercise 71
Pick out the Chinese phrasessentences below that are incorrect andmake necessary corrections
1 bugrave shfo xueacutesheng many students2 bugrave shfo gegrave haacuteizi many children3 bugrave shfo peacutengyoumen many friends4 ycxib puacutetao some grapes5 hgn dud gegrave miagravenbao a lot of bread6 hgn dud yigravejian a lot of criticism
(lit opinions)7 ( ) ycdifn(r) shuh a little water
7Indefiniteplurals
67
8 jh gegrave cheacutengzi a few oranges9 hgn dud reacutenmen quite a lot of people
10 ycxib gdngcheacuteng some engineersshcmen
11 ycxib yaacuten some salt12 ycxib qiaacuten yg have no money
meacutei yiu at all13 ( ) ycdifn(r) xcwagraveng yg have no hope at all
meacutei yiu14 meacutei yiu yc wfn fagraven there isnrsquot a single
bowl of (cooked) rice15 liaacuten jia li yc ligrave mh yg There isnrsquot a single
meacutei yiu grain of rice at home16 huayuaacuten li yc dui There isnrsquot a single
huar yg meacutei yiu flower in the garden
Exercise 72
Complete the Chinese sentences below by filling the gaps with one ofthe following expressions
ycxib hgn dud bugrave shfo ( ) ycdifn(r) yc gegrave
1digravedi mfi le waacutenjugraveMy younger brother has bought a lot of toys
2 ( )nfinai meacutei hb niuacutenfiGrandma didnrsquot drink any milk at all
3yeacuteye chc le puacutetaoGrandpa ate quite a lot of grapes
4jigjie cheacutengzi yg meacutei chc
(My) elder sister didnrsquot eat a single orange5
mama jifng le gugraveshiMother told many stories
6bagraveba qugrave guo guoacutejiaMy father has been to a lot of countries
7gbge kfo le miagravenbaoMy elder brother baked some bread
7Indefiniteplurals
68
8 ( )megraveimei meacutei dagravei qiaacutenMy younger sister hasnrsquot got any money with her
9wi zagravei xueacutexiagraveo jiao le peacutengyouI made a lot of friends at school
10bagraveba xig le xigravenFather wrote quite a few letters
Exercise 73
Rephrase the following Chinese sentences to make them moreemphatic
1 wi shbn shang meacutei yiu yc fbn qiaacutenI havenrsquot got any money on me
2 wi jia li meacutei yiu yc bgn ciacutedifnI donrsquot have a single dictionary in my house
3bcngxiang li meacutei yiu ycdifnr shuhgui ( shuhgui lsquofruitrsquo)There arenrsquot any fruit in the fridge
4 ta meacutei shud sheacutenmeShe didnrsquot say anything
5 ta meacutei chc sheacutenme ddngxiHe didnrsquot eat anything
6 mama meacutei mfi sheacutenme rograveuMother didnrsquot buy any meat at all
7 wimen meacutei qugrave nfrWe didnrsquot go anywhere
8 wi zuoacutetian meacutei pegravengjiagraven shuiacutesheacuteiI didnrsquot bump into anybody yesterday
Exercise 74
Fill in the gaps in the following exchanges with ycxib or ( )ycdifn(r) as appropriate
1 nh xifng mfi lifng shuang xcn wagravezi maDo you want to buy two new pairs of socks
bugrave | wi zhh yagraveo mfi yc shuang | wi zhh yiu qiaacuten leNo I only want to buy one pair Irsquove only got a little money
7Indefiniteplurals
69
2 jcntian nh hb guo piacutejij maHave you had any beer today
( )meacutei yiu | jcntian wi piacutejij yg meacutei(yiu) hb
No I havenrsquot had any beer today
3 nh mama hfo maHow is your mother
( )ta bigraveng le | san tian meacutei chc ddngxi leShersquos ill She hasnrsquot touched anything for three days
4 wi egrave le ( egrave lsquoto be hungryrsquo)I am hungry
wi zhegraver haacutei yiu miagravenbao | nh xifng chc maIrsquove got some bread here Would you like it
5 nh dagravei le qiaacuten maHave you any money with you
duigravebuqh | wi shbn shang qiaacuten yg meacutei dagraveiIrsquom sorry I havenrsquot brought any money with me
6 zhegravei jiagraven shigraver yiu xcwagraveng ma( shigraver lsquoaffair matterrsquo)Is there any hope with this
duigravebuqh | xcwagraveng yg meacutei yiuIrsquom sorry Therersquos no hope at all
7 nh yagraveo zagravei chaacute li jia taacuteng ma( jia lsquoto addrsquo taacuteng lsquosugarrsquo)Would you like some sugar in your tea
xiegravexie | taacuteng yg bugrave jiaNo thank you I wonrsquot have any sugar
8 nh hb le hgn dud piacutejij maHave you had a lot of beer
bugrave | wi zhh hb le piacutejijI have only had a little (beer)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 71
First translate the following phrases into English and then turn theminto yes or no questions using the formula nh yiu malsquoHave you got rsquo
7Indefiniteplurals
70
1 hgndud she
2 bugraveshfo haacuteizi3 ycdifnr qigraveyoacuteu4 ycxib mh
5 xjdud cagravei ( cagravei lsquodishesrsquo cf shecagravei lsquovegetablesrsquo)6 jh bf yhzi7 jh kuagravei qiaacuten ( kuagravei lsquoChinese currency unit for one yuanrsquo)8 ycxib zhh
9 ycdifnr yaacuten10 ycdifnr shiacutejian ( shiacutejian lsquotimersquo)
Note Observe the difference in meaning between questions with andwithout ma when using the word jh
nh yiu jh kuagravei qiaacutenHow many yuan have you got
nh yiu jh kuagravei qiaacuten maHave you got a few yuan (on you)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 72
Formulate sentences following the given model
jib shang lsquoin the streetrsquo reacuten lsquopersonrsquojib shang yc gegrave reacuten yg meacutei yiu
There isnrsquot a single person in the street
1 chb shang cheacutengkegraveThere isnrsquot a single passenger on the bus
2 wi (de) qiaacutenbao li qiaacutenThere isnrsquot a single penny in my purse
3 pcngzi li jijThere isnrsquot a single drop of wine in the bottle
4 shejiagrave shang she
There isnrsquot a single book on the bookshelf5 heacute shang chuaacuten
There isnrsquot a single boat on the river6 ta de huagrave dagraveoli
There isnrsquot a single grain of truth in what he says7 ycguigrave li quacutenzi
There isnrsquot a single skirt in the wardrobe
7Indefiniteplurals
71
8 wfnguigrave li wfnThere isnrsquot a single bowl in the cupboard
9 negravei gegrave reacuten peacutengyouThat person doesnrsquot have a single friend
10 zhegravei jiagraven shigrave xcwagravengThere isnrsquot a single ray of hope in this (matter)
7Indefiniteplurals
72
UNIT EIGHTTimes and dates
73
A The hours of the day are expressed by difn or difn zhdngdifn lsquohourrsquo is essentially a measure and zhdng means lsquoclockrsquo
lifng difn two orsquoclockshiacute yc difn zhdng eleven orsquoclock
B fbn lsquominutersquo and kegrave lsquoquarter of an hourrsquo are placed after difn
( ) san difn egraver shiacute (fbn) twenty minutes past threeliugrave difn yc kegrave a quarter past sixba difn san kegrave a quarter to nine
( ) jij difn wj shiacute (fbn) nine fifty
liacuteng lsquozerorsquo is used as a filler when the minutes after the hour areless than ten
wj difn liacuteng wj fbn five past fivesigrave difn liacuteng egraver fbn two minutes past four
C For lsquohalf pastrsquo bagraven lsquohalfrsquo comes immediately after difn
lifng difn bagraven half past twoshiacute difn bagraven half past ten
D Expressions for lsquotorsquo the hour use chagrave (lit) lsquolack be short ofrsquowhich can form a phrase before or after difn
chagrave shiacute fbn or sigrave difn chagrave ten to foursigrave difn shiacute fbnchagrave yc kegrave or qigrave difn chagrave a quarter toqc difn yc kegrave seven
As we can see from the above examples when the time expression contains other time units apart from the hour only difn and not
difn zhdng can be used to mean lsquoorsquoclockrsquo
One does not say
( ) san difn zhdng egraver shiacute (fbn) liugrave difn zhdng yc kegrave lifng difn zhdng bagraven
E To indicate am and pm time expressions for particular periodsof the day are used
zfoshang morning (early)shagravengwj morning (before noon)xiagravewj afternoonwfnshang evening (night)bagravenyegrave midnight
wfnshang shiacute yc difn bagravenhalf past eleven in the evening (1130 pm)
xiagravewj san difnthree orsquoclock in the afternoon (3 pm)
zfoshang qc difn yc kegravea quarter past seven in the morning (715 am)
shagravengwj shiacute difn egraver shiacute fbntwenty past ten in the morning (1020 am)
F With the exception of Sunday days of the week starting fromMonday are formed by placing the numbers one to six after xcngqc
or lhbagravei lsquoweekrsquo and for Sunday tian lsquoheavenrsquo or rigrave lsquosunrsquo comeafter xcngqc lhbagravei
xcngqc lhbagravei yc Monday xcngqc lhbagravei egraver Tuesday xcngqc lhbagravei san Wednesday xcngqc lhbagravei sigrave Thursday xcngqc lhbagravei wj Friday xcngqc lhbagravei liugrave Saturday xcngqc lhbagravei rigrave tian Sunday
G Months are also formed numerically by putting the numbers oneto twelve before yuegrave lsquomonth (or moon)rsquo
8Times anddates
74
ycyuegrave Januarywjyuegrave Maybayuegrave Augustshiacuteegraveryuegrave December
Note 1 January is also zhbngyuegrave
Note 2 The word fegraven lsquoportionrsquo is often added to a particular month(except zhbngyuegrave an alternative for ycyuegrave) to mean thewhole of that month or a certain period of time within that montheg nh yc yuegrave fegraven zagravei nfr lsquoWhere are you inJanuaryrsquo
H Dates of the month are expressed by hagraveo or in writing rigrave
egraveryuegrave san hagraveorigrave 3rd February shiacuteycyuegrave egraver shiacute jij hagraveorigrave 29th November
I Years unlike English are pronounced in numerical sequence
yc jij jij liugrave niaacuten nineteen ninety-six 1996yc jij sigrave wj niaacuten nineteen forty-five 1945yc jij yc yc niaacuten nineteen eleven 1911
J Other common time expressions indicating the recent past presentor near future are
jcntian todaymiacutengtcan tomorrowhograveutian the day after tomorrowdagrave hograveutian in three days timezuoacutetian yesterdayqiaacutentian the day before yesterdaydagrave qiaacutentian three days agozhegravei gegrave yuegrave this monthxiagrave gegrave yuegrave next monthxiagrave xiagrave gegrave yuegrave the month after nextshagraveng gegrave yuegrave last monthshagraveng xcngqc yc last Mondayxiagrave lhbagravei wj next Fridayjcnniaacuten this year
8Times anddates
75
miacutengniaacuten next yearhograveuniaacuten the year after nextqugraveniaacuten last yearqiacuteanniaacuten the year before lastdagrave qiaacutenniaacuten three years agojcnniaacuten chentian this springqugraveniaacuten xiagravetian last summermiacutengniaacuten qietian next autumnqiaacutenniaacuten ddngtian winter the year before last
K Questions about time apart from the general enquiry sheacutenme shiacutehou or jh shiacute lsquowhenrsquo are linked with the particulartime expression and all involve the use of jh lsquohow manyrsquo
( ) jh difn (zhdng) What time (of the day) is it jcntian xcngqc What day is it today
lhbagravei jhjcntian jh hagraveo What is the date todayxiagravenzagravei jh yuegrave What month is it (now)
Note nfngi lsquowhichrsquo can also be used with time words like tian lsquodayrsquo yuegrave lsquomonthrsquo niaacuten lsquoyearrsquo With yuegrave lsquomonthrsquo onecan also use nfngi gegrave which also occurs with xcngqclhbagravei lsquoweekrsquo
nh ngi tian ziuWhich day are you leaving
( ) nhmen ngi (gegrave) yuegrave huiacute laacuteiIn which month are you (pl) coming back
( ) nh nf (gegrave) xcngqclhbagravei huiacute jiaWhich week are you going home
In questions (as above) or statements about time the link verb shigravelsquoto bersquo is not normally used
xiagravenzagravei jij difn bagravenItrsquos half past nine (now)
jcntian bayuegrave egraver shiacute yc hagraveorigraveToday is 21st August
8Times anddates
76
However it is not wrong to say
xiagravenzagravei shigrave liugrave difn bagraven Itrsquos half past six (now)jcntian shigrave xcngqc san Today is Wednesday
Further question-and-answer examples
nh jh difn qhchuaacutengWhat time do you (usually) get up
wi zfoshang qc difn bagraven qhchuaacutengI (usually) get up at half past seven
( ) kegraverenmen jh difn (zhdng) laacuteiWhat time are the guestsvisitors arriving
( ) tamen xiagravewj san difn (zhdng) laacuteiThey are coming at three orsquoclock in the afternoon
nh jh shiacute huiacute ycngguoacuteWhen are you going back to Britain
wi miacutengniaacuten jijyuegrave huiacute qugraveIrsquom going back in September next year
nh jh hagraveo dogravengshbn dagraveo duzhdu qugraveWhich day of the month are you setting out for Europe
wi sigrave hagraveo ziuIrsquom leaving on the fourth
nh xcngqc lhbagravei jh huiacute laacuteiOn which day of the week are you coming back
wi xcngqc lhbagravei wj huiacute laacuteiI am coming back on Friday
In dates and complex time expressions larger units always precede smallerones
yc jij jij liugrave niaacuten sanyuegrave egraver shiacute qc hagraveo xiagravewj lifng difn liacuteng wj fbnFive past two on the afternoon of the twenty-seventh of March nine-teen ninety-six
L Time expressions can also be formed by using verbs or activity nounsfollowed by qiaacuten lsquobeforersquo hograveu lsquoafterrsquo or zhdng lsquoduringrsquo (seealso Unit 14)
chefa qiaacuten before setting outfagravengxueacute hograveu after school
8Times anddates
77
yfnche zhdng during the performancefagraven hograveu after a mealkegrave hograveu after class
M As we can see from all the sentence examples above the time expres-sions are always placed next to the subject (often after it and some-times before it as a sentence opener for emphasis) and before the mainverb They in fact have a similar function to the tense indicators ofEnglish verbs (See Unit 14)
nh lhbagravei tian zuograve sheacutenmeWhat do you do on SundaysWhat are you going to do on Sunday
nh zuoacutetian xiagravewj zuograve sheacutenmeWhat did you do yesterday afternoon
wimen jcntian wfnshang qugrave jijbajianWersquore going to a pub this evening
wi miacutengniaacuten sanyuegrave qugrave bgijcngIrsquom going to Beijing next March
nh miacutengtian laacutei wi jia maAre you coming to my place tomorrow
qiaacutentian nh qugrave le nfrWhere were you the day before yesterday
xiagrave ban hograveu nh qugrave nfrWhere are you going after work
Exercise 81
Translate the following Chinese phrases into English
1 san difn zhdng2 shiacute egraver difn zhdng3 lifng difn egraver shiacute fbn4 qc difn wj shiacute wj fbn5 chagrave shiacute fbn ba difn6 shiacute yc difn yc kegrave7 jij difn bagraven8 shiacute difn liacuteng yc fbn9 shiacute egraver difn liacuteng wj fbn
10 liugrave difn san kegrave
8Times anddates
78
Exercise 82
Provide answers to the Chinese questions below using the informationin brackets
( ) xiagravenzagravei jh difn (zhdng)What time is it (now) (715 am)
xiagravenzagravei shagravengwj qc difn yc kegraveshiacute wj fbnItrsquos 715 am
1 nh jh difn zhdng qugrave xueacutexiagraveoWhat time are you going to school (830 am)
2 nh sheacutenme shiacutehou qugrave yoacuteuyingWhat time are you going swimming (855 am)
3 nh peacutengyou xiagravewj jh difn xiagravebanWhat time does your friend finish work in the afternoon (545 pm)
4 nhmen jh difn chc wfnfagravenWhat time do you have your supper (about 900 pm)
5 nh ngi tian pegravengjiagraven wi sheshuOn which day of the month did you bump into my uncle (the sixth)
6 nh bagraveba jh hagraveo qugrave zhdngguoacuteWhich day of the month is your father going to China (the eleventh)
7 nh megraveimei jh difn zhdng shuigravejiagraveoWhat time does your younger sister go to bed (around 12 midnight)
8 nh xiagrave gegrave yuegrave jh hagraveo ggi ta xig xigravenOn which day of next month are you going to write to him (the 21st)
9 nh xiagrave xcngqc jh laacutei zhegraver kai zuogravetaacutenhuigrave( kai lsquoto attend (a meeting)rsquo) ( zuogravetaacutenhuigrave lsquodiscussion seminarrsquo)On which day next week are you coming for a seminar (Thursday)
10 nh ngi niaacuten bigraveyegrave ( bigraveyegrave lsquoto graduatersquo)When will you graduate (1999)
11 nh jh shiacute dagraveo duzhdu qugraveWhen are you going to Europe (next September)
12 nh toacutengxueacute miacutengniaacuten jh yuegrave huiacute guoacuteWhich month next year are your coursemates going back to theirhome country (December)
Exercise 83
Form questions in Chinese that would elicit the answers specified inbold italics below making appropriate adjustments where necessaryto the personal pronouns involved
8Times anddates
79
wi egraveryuegrave wJ hagraveo qugrave wi peacutengyou jiaI am going to my friendrsquos house on the fifth of February
nh sheacutenme shiacutehoujH hagraveo qugrave nh peacutengyou jiaWhenwhat date are you going to your friendrsquos house
1 ta liugrave diFn bagraven chc wfnfagravenShe has her dinner at half past six
2 wi lhbagravei wj wfnshang qC diFn laacutei nh jiaIrsquoll come to your house at 7 orsquoclock on Friday evening
3 wimen bayuegrave shiacute hagraveo qugrave dugravejiagrave( dugravejiagrave lsquoto go on holidayrsquo)Wersquore going on holiday on the tenth of August
4wi yC jiJ jiJ wJ niaacuten digrave yc cigrave jiagraven dagraveo taI met her for the first time in 1995
5 wi mama wJ diFn bagraven huiacute jiaMother comes home at half past five
6xcn jcnglh xiagrave xCngqC egraver laacutei zhegraver shagravengbanThe new manager will start work here next Tuesday
7 wimen xiagrave gegrave yuegrave qugrave zhfo nh
Wersquoll go and see you next month8 tamen miacutengniaacuten bigraveyegrave
They will graduate next year9
wi jigjie shagraveng xCngqC sAn xiagravewj zagravei xueacute kaichb
My elder sister was learning to drive last Wednesday afternoon10
wi qugraveniaacuten shiacuteyCyuegrave mfi zhegravei fuacute huagraverI bought this painting in November last year
11 zuogravetaacutenhuigrave shagravengwj jiJ diFn bagraven kaishh
The discussion starts at half past nine in the morning12 wi miacutengtian zFoshang zagravei jia li xiexi
I am resting at home tomorrow morning
Exercise 84
Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1 What time are you going to school tomorrow ( xueacutexiagraveolsquoschoolrsquo)
2 I am coming here to attend the seminar next month ( kaizuogravetaacutenhuigrave lsquoto attend a seminarrsquo)
8Times anddates
80
3 When are you going on a trip to Europe ( lsxiacuteng lsquoto travelrsquo)4 What time are you going to work tomorrow ( shagravengban lsquoto
go to workrsquo)5 What time in the afternoon are you going to the swimming-pool
for a swim ( yoacuteuyingchiacute lsquoswimming-poolrsquo)6 Which day are you going there to play football ( tc zuacuteqiuacute
lsquoto play footballrsquo)7 Which month are you going to the seaside for a holiday ( hfi
bian lsquobeach seasidersquo)8 What time are you going to the railway station to buy the ticket
( huichbzhagraven lsquorailway stationrsquo)9 What time in the morning are you going to the market (
mfi ddngxi lsquoto do some shoppingrsquo)10 When are you going to the library to borrow books ( jiegrave she
lsquoto borrow booksrsquo)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 81
Following the given pattern formulate questions about what someonemay be going to do at a particular time using the times and activitiesspecified in each of the twelve cases
Model Time miacutengtian xiagravewj tomorrow afternoonActivity kagraven diagravenyhng see a filmmovie
Answernh miacutengtian xiagravewj qugrave kagraven diagravenyhng maAre you going to the cinema tomorrow afternoon
Include qugrave if the activity requires the person to go out
1 zhegravei gegrave xcngqc tian this coming Sundaykagraven qiuacutesagravei see a football match
2 ( ) xiagrave (gegrave) lhbagravei next weekjiagraven nh (de) dfoshc see your supervisor
3 miacutengtian shagravengwj tomorrow morningkagraven ycshbng see a doctor
4 xiagrave xcngqc egraver next Tuesdayxueacute tagraveijiacutequaacuten learn Trsquoai Chi
5 jcntian xiagravewj this afternoonwegravei mao feed the cat
6 jcntian wfnshang this eveningshagraveng wfng go on the internet
7 miacutengtian fagravengxueacute hograveu tomorrow after schooldiagraveoyuacute go fishingangling
8Times anddates
81
8 miacutengtian xiagraveban hograveu tomorrow after workxueacute kaichb take driving lessons
9 jcn wfn this eveningkagraven diagravenshigrave watch television
10 miacutengniaacuten bigraveyegrave hograveu next year after graduationlsxiacuteng go travelling
11 xiagrave gegrave yuegrave next monthtagraven(wagraveng) nh fugravemj see your parents
12 jcnniaacuten liugrave yuegrave fegraven this Junedugrave jiagrave go on holiday
Note kagraven lsquoto watch see visitrsquo is used in the context of enter-tainment or visit whereas jiagraven lsquoto seersquo is used for an appointment(except in the case of seeing a doctor)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 82
The following sentences are answers you have given to questionsabout timing Work out in each case what Chinese question was putto you The model provides an example
nh zfoshang jh difn zhdng qhchuaacutengwi zfoshang ba difn zhdng qhchuaacuteng
I get up at eight in the morning
1 ( )wi wfnshang shiacute yc difn bagraven (shagravengchuaacuteng) shuigravejiagraveoI go to bed at half past eleven
2 wi zfoshang jij difn zhdng shagravengbanI go to work at nine orsquoclock in the morning
3 wi liugrave hagraveo dogravengshbn dagraveo zhdngguoacute qugraveI am setting out for China on the 6th
4 wi dagraveyub wj diagraven bagraven xiagravebanI finish work around half past five
5 wi xiagrave xcngqc sigrave ziuI am leaving next Thursday
6 wi miacuteng wfn laacutei zhfo nh
Irsquoll come to see you tomorrow evening7 wi hograveutian qhng nh laacutei wi jia
Irsquoll invite you to my place the day after tomorrow
8Times anddates
82
8 wi miacutengtian xiagravewj zagravei jiaI am home tomorrow afternoon
9 wi qiaacutenniaacuten chentian zhugrave zagravei bgijcngI lived in Beijing in the spring of the year before last
10 wi qugraveniaacuten zagravei bgijcng regravenshi taI got to know him last year in Beijing
8Times anddates
83
84
UNIT NINEMore interrogative expressions
In the last unit we discussed interrogative time expressions whichinclude jh difn zhdng lsquowhat time (of the day)rsquo and jh shiacuteor sheacutenme shiacutehou lsquowhenrsquo etc and in Unit 4 we dealt witha number of interrogative pronouns including the interrogative loca-tion expression nfr lsquowherersquo In this unit we shall look at somemore interrogative idioms and expressions
A dud jij and dud chaacuteng shiacutejian lsquohow longrsquo areplaced immediately after the verb as are more precise questions suchas ( ) ( ) dudshao tian (niaacuten)jh tian (niaacuten) lsquohow manydays (years)rsquo ( ) dudshao gegravejh gegrave yuegrave (xcngqc lhbagravei) lsquohow many months (weeks)rsquo etc
( ) nh dai le dud chaacuteng shiacutejianHow long did you stay
ta dgng le dud jijHow long did he wait
nhmen zagravei negravei gegrave guoacutejia zhugrave le dudshao niaacutenHow many years did you live in that country
Note These question phrases like all time duration expressions areplaced after the verb and are essentially complements For furtherdiscussion of duration expressions see Unit 14
When there is an object with the verb if it is a pronoun it precedesthe interrogative expression if it is a noun it follows the interrogativeexpression with or without de
nh dgng le ta dud jijHow long did you wait for him
( ) nh xueacute le dud chaacuteng shiacutejian (de) zhdngweacutenHow long did you learn Chinese for
( ) nh jigjie dang le dudshao niaacuten (de) hugraveshiHow many years was your elder sister a nurse
Another common way to formulate questions of this type where theverb has an object is to repeat the verb after the object and then placethe question expression after this repeated verb (see Unit 14)
nh xueacute zhdngweacuten xueacute le dud jij dud chaacuteng shiacutejianHow long did you learn Chinese for
nh jigjie dAng hugraveshi dAng le dudshao niaacutenHow many years was your elder sister a nurse
A considerable number of common verbs in Chinese are intrinsicallyof a lsquoverb + objectrsquo construction eg yoacuteuying lsquoto swimrsquo tiagraveowj
lsquoto dancersquo chagravenggb lsquoto singrsquo shuigravejiagraveo lsquoto sleeprsquo ziulugravelsquoto walkrsquo etc With these verbs the same rule applies
( )nh heacute nh peacutengyou tiagraveo le jh gegrave zhdngtoacuteu (de) wj
or
nh heacute nh peacutengyou tiagraveowj tiagraveo le jh gegrave zhdngtoacuteuHow many hours did you dance with your friend
One cannot say
nh heacute nh peacutengyou tiagraveowj le jh gegrave zhdngtoacuteu(lit How many hours did you dance with your friend)
B dud lsquohowrsquo may in fact be used with many adjectives in ques-tions of degree for example of size weight etc The pattern of suchenquiries is usually lsquo yiu + dud + adjectiversquo
zhdngguoacute yiu dud dagraveHow big is China
nh de xiacutengli yiu dud zhogravengHow heavy is your luggage
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
85
nh jigjie yiu dud gaoHow tall is your elder sister
zhegravei gegrave yoacuteuyingchiacute yiu dud chaacutengHow long is this swimming-pool
xueacutexiagraveo liacute zhegraver yiu dud yufnHow far is the school from here
Note liacute in the last example is a coverb which occurs with otherverbs or adjectives to mean lsquodistance (away) from (a place)rsquo (see Unit 24)
C dud may also be used in conjunction with an adjective as anadverbial or an attributive
(i) as an adverbial to modify a verb
nh dud kuagravei neacuteng waacutencheacuteng zhegravei jiagraven gdngzuograveHow fast can you finish this work
(ii) as an attributive with de to modify a nounnh chuan dud dagrave de xieacute
What size (lit how big) shoes do you take
D zgn yagraveng zgnme and zgnme yagraveng are used adver-bially before verbs to mean lsquohow in what wayrsquo
wi zgnme yagraveng qugrave luacutendenHow do I get to London
qugrave yoacuteuyingchiacute zgnme ziuHow do you get to the swimming-pool
Note Observe the different meanings of ziu (i) lsquoto walk tocomego on footrsquo in wi ziulugrave qugrave lsquoIrsquoll go on footrsquo (ii) lsquotoleaversquo in ta ziu le lsquoHersquos leftrsquo and (iii) lsquoto get to (a place)(often with zgnme or zgn yagraveng)rsquo in qugravechbzhagraven zgn yagraveng ziu lsquoHow do you get to the stationrsquo
E zgnme yagraveng can be used as a predicate to mean lsquowhat is(something or somebody) likersquolsquohow is (somebody or something)rsquo
nagraver de tianqigrave zgnme yagravengWhatrsquos the weather like there
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
86
nh digravedi zgnme yagravengHow is your younger brother
gdngzuograve zgnme yagravengHowrsquos work
F zgnme yagraveng in addition can occur after a statement andconvert that statement into a question lsquowhathow about rsquo (it is oftenused when making suggestions about future actions or activities)
wfnshang wimen qugrave kagraven diagravenyhng | zgnme yagravengHow about going to the cinema this evening
zaacutenmen miacutengtian qugrave tiagraveowj | zgnme yagravengWhat about going dancing tomorrow
G wegravei sheacutenme lsquowhyrsquo is usually placed before the verb
nh wegravei sheacutenme xueacute zhdngweacutenWhy do you study Chinese
xifo lh zuoacutetian wegravei sheacutenme bugrave laacuteiWhy didnrsquot Xiao Li come yesterday
Note xifo is often used before the family name or given name(which must be a monosyllable) of a person who is younger thanthe speaker It implies a degree of familiarity with the personaddressed In addressing someone older than onself lfo is usedin a similar way
H zgnme is also used colloquially to mean lsquohow is it how comersquo
nh zgnme bugrave qugrave kagraven taWhy arenrsquot you going to see him
ta zgnme huigrave jifng rigraveyj
How come she can speak Japanese
Exercise 91
Convert the Chinese statements below into questions focusing on theelements in bold italics Please also make adjustments to the pronounsas necessary
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
87
wi zagravei zhegraver zhugrave le liugrave niaacutenI lived here for six years
nh zagravei zhegraver zhugrave le duD jiJ duD chaacuteng shiacutejiAnHow long did you live here
1 wi zagravei lugrave shang hua le liFng xiFoshiacuteIt took me two hours to get here
2wi zagravei jiagraveoshigrave li kagraven le yC gegrave duD xiFoshiacute de she
I read for over an hour in the classroom3 zuacuteqiuacute bhsagravei kaishh bagraven gegrave zhDngtoacuteu le
The soccer match started half an hour ago4
wi heacute jigjie zagravei huayuaacuten li zuograve le shiacute laacutei fBn zhDngMy elder sister and I sat in the garden for over ten minutes
5mama zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li maacuteng le jH gegrave zhDngtoacuteuMother was busy cooking in the kitchen for several hours
6 megraveimei bang le wi liFng tian de maacutengMy younger sister helped me for two days
7wi kai le yC niaacuten chb | qiacute le liFng niaacuten zigravexiacutengchb
I drove for a year and travelled by bike for two years8 zuacuteqiuacutechfng yiu bA shiacute mH chaacuteng
The football pitch is 80 metres long9 wi gbge yiu yC mH qC gAo
My elder brother is 1 metre 70 tall10 baliacute liacute luacutenden yiu egraver bFi yCnglH yuFn
Paris is two hundred miles from London
Exercise 92
Translate into English the following sentences with zgnme zgn yagraveng or zgnme yagraveng
1zaacutenmen xiagrave xcngqc yc qugrave ta jia kagraven ta | zgnme yagraveng
2 qugrave qigravechbzhagraven zgn yagravengzgnme ziu3
luacutenden de jiaotdng zgnme yagraveng ( jiaotdng lsquotransport trafficrsquo)4 qugrave diagravenyhngyuagraven zgnmezgn yagraveng ziu5
miacuteng wfn zaacutenmen qugrave jijbajian hb piacutejij | zgnme yagraveng
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
88
6bgijcng de tianqigrave zgnme yagraveng
7negravei jia shangdiagraven de ddngxi zgnme yagraveng
8zaacutenmen xiagrave gegrave yuegrave qugrave dugravejiagrave | zgnme yagraveng
Exercise 93
Translate the following questions into Chinese
1 How much did you eat2 How did you get to London3 Why did he leave4 How long are you going to stay5 How did you make this cake6 Whatrsquos your new house like7 How much money have you got8 What was the film like9 How about a drink
10 Why are you learning Chinese11 How do I get to know Xiao Li12 What do you think of the Chinese teacher13 How do you go to work14 How long have you been waiting for her15 How many hours did she sleep16 How many days did you (pl) drive17 How long did you wait for the bus18 How far did you walk
Exercise 94
Complete the Chinese translations of the English sentences belowwith lsquo dud + adjectiversquo (as appropriate)
1 How far is it to Londonqugrave luacutenden yiu
2 How tall is your younger brothernh digravedi yiu
3 How many people are there in Beijingbgijcng yiu reacuten
4 How far is the post office from hereyoacuteujuacute liacute zhegraver yiu
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
89
5 How heavy is this piece of luggage
zhegravei jiagraven xiacutengli yiu 6 How heavy is the rain outside
wagraveimian de yj yiu 7 How much is that pair of trousers
( )(mfi) negravei tiaacuteo kugravezi yagraveo qiaacuten
8 What size is that pair of shoesnegravei shuang xieacute yiu
9 How many miles did he runta paacuteo le ycnglh lugrave
10 How long has Li Ming been gone
lh miacuteng ziu le le11 Have you been dancing the whole evening
( )nhmen tiagraveo le (de) wj
12 How much time have we still gotwimen haacutei yiu shiacutejian
13 How long have you been here
nhmen zagravei zhegraver dai le 14 How much work have you done
nhmen zuograve le gdngzuograve
Pattern and vocabulary drill 91
Formulate suggestions with the 15 verb phrases given below by tag-ging on the final phrase zgnme yagraveng lsquoHow about rsquo Begineach sentence with wimen lsquowersquo and add the time expression givenin brackets and qugrave lsquoto gorsquo where appropriate
1 ( ) hb (yc) bbi piacutejij lsquoto have a glass of beerrsquo (thisevening)
2 tiagraveowj lsquoto go dancingrsquo (tomorrow)3 dugravejiagrave lsquoto go on holidayrsquo (next year)4 jifng zhdngweacuten lsquoto speak Chinesersquo (now)5 ( ) mfi (yc) xib xiangjiao lsquoto buy some bananasrsquo (in the
afternoon)6 ( ) chaacute li jia (yc)difnr taacuteng lsquoto put some sugar in the
tearsquo7 yoacuteuying lsquoto go swimmingrsquo (today)
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
90
8 ( ) ( ) kagraven (yc) chfng zuacuteqiuacute (bh)sagravei lsquoto go and see afootball matchrsquo (on Saturday)
9 xueacute tagraveijiacutequaacuten lsquoto learn Trsquoai Chirsquo (next month)10 waacutencheacuteng zhegravei jiagraven gdngzuograve lsquoto complete this taskrsquo
(at three orsquoclock)11 zhfo jcnglh lsquoto see the managerrsquo (on Tuesday)12 tagravenwagraveng ta lsquoto visit himrsquo ( yhhograveu lsquoafterwardsrsquo)13 zagravei jia li xiexi lsquoto have a rest at homersquo (this afternoon)14 df qiuacute lsquoto play a game (of basketball tennis badminton ping
pong etc)rsquo (next Friday)15 tc qiuacute lsquoto play a game (of soccer)rsquo (tomorrow afternoon)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 92
First use the phrase dud chaacuteng shiacutejian to ask the questionsbelow
How long did you wait for me therenh zagravei nagraver dgng le wi dud chaacuteng shiacutejian
1 How long did you stay there2 How long did you live there3 How long did you wait there4 How long did you work there5 How long did you study there6 How long did you stay in the pub7 How long have you been resting at home8 How long have you been driving9 How long have you been travelling in Europe
10 How long have you known her
Second use the phrase yagraveo dud chaacuteng shiacutejian lsquohow longdoes it takersquo to complete the following questions
How long does it take to go to London by train
zuograve huichb qugrave luacutenden yagraveo dud chaacuteng shiacutejian
1 How long does it take to drive down to London2 How long does it take to fly to Beijing ( zuograve fbijc lsquoto fly to
go by planersquo)3 How long does it take to get to the railway station by taxi (
digraveshigrave lsquotaxirsquo)
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
91
4 How long does it take to get to the university on foot ( ziulugravelsquoto go on footrsquo)
5 How long does it take to get to the city centre by bus6 How long does it take to cycle to your place7 How long does it take to get to the bank on foot8 How long does it take to get to the coach station by taxi9 How long does it take to cycle to the football pitch
10 How long does it take to get to the post office on foot
9Moreinter-rogativeexpres-sions
92
UNIT TENAdjectives attributive and predicative
93
Attributives are words placed before nouns to qualify or describethem Adjectives are obvious examples of attributives
A When a monosyllabic adjective is used as an attributive it isplaced directly before the noun it qualifies
hoacuteng hua red flowersbaacutei yuacuten white cloudschaacuteng quacutenzi a long skirtzang ycfu dirty clothes
Disyllabic adjectives on the other hand are normally followed by de
ganjigraveng de jibdagraveo a clean streetpiagraveoliang de chb a beautiful cargjlfo de loacuteufaacuteng ancient buildings
Where there is a lsquonumeral + measurersquo phrase or a lsquodemonstrative +measurersquo phrase it always precedes the adjectival attributive
yc sui xcn faacutengzi a new houselifng bgn jiugrave she two old bookszhegravei jia dagrave shangdiagraven this big storenegravei ph hbi mf that black horseyc chfng jcngcfi de bhsagravei an exciting matchlifng gegrave yiuqugrave de gugraveshi two interesting stories
Note When a disyllabic adjective qualifies a disyllabic noun demay sometimes be omitted especially when the combinationbecomes a set expression
xcnxian shecagravei fresh vegetablesjcngcfi bifoyfn excellent performance
B Adjectives themselves are commonly modified by degree adverbssuch as hgn lsquoveryrsquo tagravei lsquotoorsquo shiacutefbn lsquoextremelyrsquo fbichaacuteng lsquoextremelyrsquo (lit lsquounusuallyrsquo)
hgn dagrave (very) bigtagravei xifo too smallshiacutefbn ganjigraveng extremely cleanfbichaacuteng gjlfo incredibly ancient
Note Adjectives modified by degree adverbs also require the particle de when used as attributives
hgn dagrave de wezi a (very) big roomfbichaacuteng gjlfo de a really ancient citycheacutengshigrave
An exception to this rule are adjectives that indicate indefinite pluralslike hgn dud xjdud and bugrave shfo lsquomanyrsquo (see Unit 7)
tamen yiu hgn dud qiaacutenThey have a lot of money
mgi niaacuten yiu bugrave shfo reacuten laacutei zhegraver kagraven fbngjhngQuite a number of people come here for the scenery every year
C When the context is clear the noun following an adjective can beomitted but a demonstrative andor numeral is usually present In allthese cases de is indispensable whether the adjective is monosyl-labic or disyllabic
yc jiagraven xcn de a new one (eg sweater shirt etc)
negravei dui hoacuteng de that red one (eg flower blossom etc)
zhegravei xib bfi de these white ones ngi xib dagrave de which big ones
( )zhegravei shuamg kuagraveizi hgn zang | wi yagraveo (yc) shuang ganjigraveng deThese chopsticks are dirty I want a clean pair
zhegravei tiaacuteo kugravezi tagravei dufn | wi mfi negravei tiaacuteo chaacuteng deThese trousers are too short Irsquoll have (buy) that longer pair
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
94
Where the adjective occurs with a demonstrative and measure the adjec-tive may also come first
zhegravei tiaacuteo kugravezi tagravei dufn | wi mfi chaacuteng de negravei tiaacuteoThese trousers are too short Irsquoll have (buy) that longer pair
In addition an adjective with de may be used on its own and implya noun which may be singular or plural depending on the context
wi bugrave yagraveo guigrave de | wi yagraveo piaacutenyi deI donrsquot want anthe expensive one I want athe cheaper oneI donrsquot want (the) expensive ones I want (the) cheaper ones
D A distinctive feature of Chinese is that when an adjective is usedas a predicative it follows the subjecttopic immediately and does not require the link verb shigrave lsquoto bersquo In addition it should alwaysbe modified by a degree adverb
negravei tiaacuteo jcedagraveo hgn ganjigravengThe street is (very) clean
zhegravei shuang xieacutezi tagravei xifoThis pair of shoes is too small
zhegravei gegrave gugraveshi fbichaacuteng yiuqugraveThis story is extremely interesting
negravei chfng bhsagravei shiacutefbn jcngcfiThat match was extremely exciting
One does not normally say (unless speaking emphatically to reiterateor contradict a statement)
jibdagraveo shigrave ganjigraveng(lit The street is clean)[implying eg who says it isnrsquot or I did say that it was clean]
Note The degree adverb hgn though when stressed it meanslsquoveryrsquo otherwise carries little meaning
An unmodified adjective when used as a predicative always impliessome form of contrast and sounds incomplete
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
95
jibdagraveo ganjigraveng The street is clean [but it is perhaps too narrow]
zhegravei shuang xieacutezi xifo This pair of shoes is small [but they are comfortable to wear]
In fact to imply such contrasts the more usual and colloquial form isto incorporate shigrave and repeat the adjective with or without bugraveaccording to the meaning intended
jibdagraveo ganjigraveng shigrave ganjigraveng | kgshigrave It is true that the street is clean but
zhegravei shuang xieacutezi xifo shigrave bugrave xifo |bugraveguograve It is true that this pair of shoes isnrsquot small nevertheless
E An adjectival predicative is negated by bugrave lsquonotrsquo
zhegravei shuang xieacutezi bugrave guigraveThis pair of shoes isnrsquot expensive
negravei piacuteng niuacutenfi bugrave xcnxianThat bottle of milk isnrsquot fresh
jcntian de tianqigrave bugrave hfoTodayrsquos weather is bad
The negator bugrave and a degree adverb may both come before the adjectival predicative When this happens the positioning of bugrave inrelation to the degree adverb affects the meaning of the adjective
zhegravei sui faacutengzi bugrave hgn hfoThis house isnrsquot very goodnice
zhegravei sui faacutengzi hgn bugrave hfoThis house is really bad (lit This house is very not good)
zhegravei piacuteng niuacutenfi bugrave tagravei xcnxianThis bottle of milk isnrsquot verytoo fresh
zhegravei piacuteng niuacutenfi tagravei bugrave xcnxian leThis bottle of milk isnrsquot fresh at all
Note le which comes at the end of the sentence seems indis-pensable with any predicative that incorporates the degree adverb
tagravei lsquosimply too much of a certain quality or quantityrsquo though thisdoes not apply to bugrave tagravei with its understated meaning
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
96
The negator bugrave is regularly linked with gograveu lsquoenoughrsquo to modifyan adjectival predicative
zhegravei tiaacuteo quacutenzi bugrave gograveu chaacutengThis skirt isnrsquot long enough
wi zhegravei bbi kafbi bugrave gograveu tiaacutenThis cup of coffee (of mine) isnrsquot sweet enough
bugrave is also used in conjunction with ycdifnr ygddu foremphasis or to contradict a previous statement
zhegravei tiaacuteo kugravezi ycdifnr ygddu bugrave dufnThis pair of trousers is not short at all
zhegravei bbi chaacute ycdifnr ygddu bugrave regraveThis cup of tea isnrsquot hot at all
F Most monosyllabic adjectives may be reduplicated to intensifytheir meaning particularly in descriptive writing Reduplicated adject-ives take the particle de when qualifying nouns
laacutenlaacuten de tiana really blue sky (lit blue blue sky)
gaogao de loacuteufaacutengreally tall buildings (lit tall tall buildings)
ycxib hoacutenghoacuteng de juacutezisome bright red tangerines (lit some red red tangerines)
A limited number of disyllabic adjectives may also be reduplicated Thepattern for reduplication is AB gt AABB
ganjigraveng clean and tidy gtganganjigravengjigraveng spotlessly cleanzhgngqiacute orderlytidy gtzhgngzhengqiacuteqiacute very orderlytidylfoshiacute honestnaiumlve gtlfolaoshiacuteshiacute very honestvery naiumlve
yc zhang gangan a spotlessly clean tablejigravengjigraveng de zhudziyc gegrave zhgngzhengqiacuteqiacute an extremely tidy roomde faacutengjianyc gegrave lfolaoshiacuteshiacute a very honest personde reacuten
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
97
Reduplicated adjectives being already emphatic in form cannot be fur-ther modified by a degree adverb or a negator
One cannot say
hgn hoacutenghoacuteng (lit very red) bugrave ganganjigravengjigraveng (lit not spotlessly clean)
Exercise 101
Translate the following phrases into Chinese paying attention to theinclusion or omission of de
1 a very big swimming-pool2 new buildings3 white cats4 a large bowl5 a beautiful garden6 a little child7 an interesting film8 an exciting match9 fresh vegetables
10 a lot of money11 an old car12 extremely heavy luggage13 clean clothes14 a tidy room15 very narrow streets
( xiaacutezhfi lsquonarrowrsquo)16 ancient cities17 an extremely good concert18 dirty shoes
Exercise 102
Indicate which of the Chinese translations given for the English sen-tences below is correct
1 The weather is nice todayjcntian tianqigrave hgn hfojcntian tianqigrave shigrave hfo
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
98
2 She is richta hgn yiu qiaacutenta shigrave yiu qiaacuten
3 This sofa [armchair] isnrsquot very comfortablezhegravei gegrave shafa bugrave hgn shefuzhegravei gegrave shafa hgn bugrave shefu
4 The classroom is really cleannegravei gegrave jiagraveoshigrave fbichaacuteng ganganjigravengjigravengnegravei gegrave jiagraveoshigrave shigrave fbichaacuteng ganjigravengnegravei gegrave jiagraveoshigrave fbichaacuteng ganjigraveng
5 My younger brother isnrsquot very tallwi digravedi bugrave tagravei gaowi digravedi tagravei bugrave gaowi digravedi bugrave gaogao
6 This match isnrsquot particularly excitingzhegravei chfng bhsagravei bugrave shiacutefbn jcngcfizhegravei chfng bhsagravei bugrave jcngjingcficaizhegravei chfng bhsagravei shiacutefbn bugrave jcngcfi
7 There were toys of all colours on the floordigrave shang ddu shigrave hoacutenghonglqlq waacutenjugravedigrave shang ddu shigrave hoacutenghonglqlqde waacutenjugravedigrave shang ddu yiu hoacutenghonglqlqde waacutenjugrave
8 Mr Wang is a very interesting personwaacuteng xiansheng shigrave yc gegrave fbichaacuteng yiuqugrave reacutenwaacuteng xiansheng yc gegrave fbichaacuteng yiuqugrave de reacutenwaacuteng xiansheng shigrave gegrave fbichaacutengyiuqugrave de reacuten
Exercise 103
Translate the following into Chinese
1 Beijing is an extremely ancient city2 That old book is not too expensive3 The library is extremely big4 I donrsquot have any new clothes
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
99
5 Those fresh flowers are very beautiful6 That pair of shoes is too large7 The weather here is really nice8 That street is not clean enough9 I donrsquot like milk which isnrsquot fresh
10 That cup of coffee is too sweet
Exercise 104
Add emphasis to the adjectives in bold italics by means of reduplication
1lugrave paacuteng zuograve zhe yc gegrave gAodagrave de xifohuiziA tall young man sat by the roadside
2
xifo waacuteng zhfng zhe wAn meacuteimao | gAo bhzi | xiFo zuhba heacute yc shuangdagrave yfnjing | liuacute zhe yc toacuteu zhGngqiacute de dufn fagraveXiao Wang had curved eyebrows a straight nose a small mouthbig eyes and hair cut in a neat bob
3
zhegrave shigrave yc jian gAnjigraveng de faacutengjian | baacutei chuaacutengdan | laacuten chuangliaacuten| hoacuteng luacutehui | ggi nh yc zhing shEshigrave de gfnjueacuteThis is a neat and tidy room The white sheets blue curtains andwarm fire make it feel very cosy
4ta nagrave pJsugrave de yczhuoacute | dagravefAng de jjzhh | tiaacutenmGi de shbngycn ggi reacutenliuacute xiagrave le shbnkegrave de yigravenxiagravengHer plain clothes dignified bearing and clear sweet voice made adeep impression on people
Exercise 105
Translate into Chinese paying particular attention to the pronominalexpressions
1 Whose are those2 These are mine3 The white skirt is yours The red one is mine
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
100
4 We donrsquot have any new ones5 The big ones are expensive The small ones are not too cheap either6 These stories are too long Those two arenrsquot7 This cup is dirty I need a clean one8 These three students are going to Japan Which two are going to
China9 I like these two books Which two do you like
10 Which ones are yours
Pattern and vocabulary drill 101
In the model below two sentences are constructed using a noun phraseand two adjectives In these sentences the second clause contrasts withthe first (a positively and b negatively) Use the ten sets of words givenbelow to form pairs of similar sentences
zhegravei liagraveng chb this carguigrave expensive hfo kai nice to drive
azhegravei liagraveng chb guigrave shigrave guigrave | bugraveguograve hgn hfo kaiIt is true that this car is expensive but it is a very good drive
bzhegravei liagraveng chb guigrave shigrave bugrave guigrave | kgshigrave bugrave hfo kaiIt is true that this car isnrsquot expensive but it isnrsquot a very good drive
Remember that once the implication is there you need the conjunc-tion kgshigrave lsquobutrsquo or bugraveguograve lsquoneverthelessrsquo to signal the transi-tion and a degree adverb like hgn lsquoveryrsquo or a negator in the secondclause to emphasize the contrast
1 zhegravei ping jij this bottle of wineguigrave expensive hfo hb good to drink
2 negravei gegrave piacutenggui that applexifo small hfo chc delicious
3 negravei bf yhzi that chairfi low hfo zuograve comfortable to sit on
4 zhegravei shiu gb this songnaacuten chagraveng difficult to sing hfo tcng pleasant to listen to
5 negravei gegrave huapiacuteng that vasepiaacutenyi cheap hfo kagraven pretty
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
101
6 negravei zhc bh that penjiugrave old hfo xig good to write with
7 zhegravei bbi niuacutenfi this bottle of milkleacuteng cold xcnxian fresh
8 zhegravei tiaacuteo jib(dagraveo) that streetganjigraveng clean zhgngqiacute orderly
9 negravei gegrave reacuten that personcdngming intelligent lfoshi honest
10 negravei zuograve loacuteufaacuteng that buildinggjlfo ancient piagraveoliang pretty
Pattern and vocabulary drill 102
Use the formula ycdifnr ygddu bugrave lsquonot at allrsquo to con-tradict both statements made in each of the ten groupings in Drill 101above
zhegravei liagraveng chb ycdifnr ygddu bugrave guigraveThis car isnrsquot expensive at all
zhegravei liagraveng chb ycdifnr ygddu bugrave hfo kaiThis car isnrsquot a good drive at all
10Adject-ivesattributiveandpredicat-ive
102
UNIT ELEVENshigrave and you
103
A The verb shigrave lsquoto bersquo in Chinese is not exactly equivalent to theEnglish verb lsquoto bersquo It is similar to its English counterpart in that itmay generally be followed by a noun which defines the subjecttopic
wimen shigrave xueacutesheng We are studentsta shigrave lfoshc He is a teacherjcntian shigrave xcngqc rigrave Today is Sunday
The noun which follows shigrave may of course be modified in manyways It may for instance be preceded by a possessive adjective or pronoun another noun usually with or without de a lsquonumeraldemonstrative + measure wordrsquo phrase or an adjective qualifier
ta shigrave wi zhagravengfuHe is my husband
nagrave shigrave ta de dagraveyc
That is his coat
zhegravei wegravei shigrave zhang xiansheng de peacutengyouThis is Mr Zhangrsquos friend
zhegravei xib shigrave zhdngguoacute huagraveThese are Chinese paintings
nagrave shigrave yc gegrave maacutentouThat is a steamed bun
zhegrave shigrave yc bgn hgn yiu yigravesi de she
This is a very interesting book
If the noun that follows shigrave is qualified by an attributive and repeats the topic or if it is understood from the context it may be omitted
zhegravei zhc bh shigrave wi de (pronoun attributive)This pen is mine
negravei ph mf shigrave zhang xiansheng de(noun attributive)That horse is Mr Zhangrsquos
zhegravei yc gegrave shigrave hfo de (adjective attributive)This is a good one
B However shigrave is not normally followed by an adjective on its ownunless one is speaking emphatically to reiterate a case contradict a pre-vious speaker etc (see Unit 10)
zhegravei bgn she shigrave guigraveThis book is expensive (I admit but another may be more expensiveetc)
ta shigrave fbichaacuteng cdngmingShe is extremely intelligent (The problem is that she isnrsquot really conscientious)
Normal unemphasized sentences have an adjectival predicative with-out shigrave (see previous unit)
zhegravei bgn she hgn guigraveThis book is (very) expensive
ta fbichaacuteng cdngmingShersquos extremely intelligent
Note There is however a group of adjectives which can be calledlsquonon-gradablersquo in that they are not purely descriptive but define anlsquoeitherndashorrsquo quality or situation (eg huoacute lsquoaliversquo ie lsquonot deadrsquo
hbi lsquoblackrsquo ie not of any other colour etc) These adjectiveswhen used predicatively require shigrave to link them to the topic andthey are followed by the particle de
zhegravei tiaacuteo yuacute shigrave huoacute de This fish is alivezhegravei liagraveng chb shigrave hbi de This car is black
C shigrave is negated by bugrave
jcntian bugrave shigrave xcngqc tianToday is not Sunday
11shigrave
and you
104
miacutengniaacuten bugrave shigrave zhe niaacutenNext year is not the year of the pig
zhegrave shigrave lschaacute | bugrave shigrave hoacutengchaacuteThis is green tea not black tea (lit this is green tea not red tea)
negravei zhang zhudzi shigrave fang de | bugrave shigrave yuaacuten deThat table is square not round
zhegravei xib ddu bugrave shigrave wi de | shigrave lh tagraveitai deNone of these are mine theyrsquore Mrs Lirsquos
Note 1 Notice that if the adverb ddu lsquoboth allrsquo is also presentthe positioning of the negator bugrave with reference to ddu mayaffect the meaning of the sentence
zhegravei xib bugrave ddu shigrave Not all of these are wi de minezhegravei xib ddu bugrave shigrave None of these are wi de mine
Note 2 The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac which are oftenused to identify the year of onersquos birth come in the following order( ) (lfo)shj lsquoratrsquo niuacute lsquooxrsquo ( ) (lfo)hj lsquotigerrsquo ( ) tugrave(zi)lsquorabbitrsquo loacuteng lsquodragonrsquo sheacute lsquosnakersquo mf lsquohorsersquo yaacuteng lsquogoatrsquo
( ) hoacuteu(zi) lsquomonkeyrsquo jc lsquoroosterrsquo giu lsquodogrsquo zhe lsquopigrsquo
D shigrave is also used as an intensifier to highlight the initiator recipient time place means purpose etc of the action expressed in the verb It is placed immediately before the word or phrase to behighlighted which may mean that it can sometimes be placed at thevery beginning of the sentence if the subject is to be emphasized
nh shigrave zfoshang xhzfo maDo you take a bath in the morning
shigrave sheacutei zagravei qiao meacutenWho is it knocking at the door
ta miacutengtian shigrave zuograve chuaacuten qugraveShe is going by boat tomorrow
wimen shigrave laacutei zhfo jcnglhWe are coming to see the manager
11shigrave
and you
105
Note 1 As we can see in the last two examples shigrave is placed imme-diately before the verb when the object is emphasized
One cannot say
wimen laacutei zhfo shigrave jcnglh
Note 2 It is not unusual for speakers to include de at the end ofthe statement where laacutei is used to indicate immediate purpose(see the last example above)
wimen shigrave laacutei zhfo jcnglh deWe have come to see the manager
wnmen shigrave laacutei zhegraver lsxiacuteng deWe are tourists here (lit We have come here to travel)
If the action to be emphasized took place in the past shigrave is alwaysused with de
ta shigrave zuoacutetian Did he leave yesterdayziu de mawimen bugrave shigrave We did not come on footziulugrave laacutei de
Under such circumstances to highlight the object shigrave is placed beforethe verb while de is inserted between the verb and the object
wi xifo shiacutehou shigrave xueacute de zhdngweacutenI studied Chinese when I was little
wimen gangcaacutei shigrave jiagraveo de chfomiagravenWhat we ordered just now was fried noodles
It is however not unusual to find native speakers express this similarnotion by using an alternative structure where the topic assumes theform of an attributive marked by de with the qualified noun under-stood and the comment uses shigrave to introduce the element to be highlighted
wi xifo shiacutehou xueacute de shigrave zhdngweacutenIt was Chinese that I studied when I was little
wimen gangcaacutei jiagraveo de shigrave chfomiagravenIt was fried noodles that we ordered just now
11shigrave
and you
106
E yiu indicates either possession lsquoto haversquo
ta yiu yc gegrave diagravennfo Shersquos got a computerta zhh yiu lifng gegrave eacuterzi He only has two sons
or existence lsquothere isarersquo A regular pattern is lsquolocation phrase + yiu + nounrsquo which normally translates into English as lsquoThere isare(somethingsome things) (somewhere)rsquo (see Unit 2)
chduti li yiu xigravenzhh
There is some writing paper in the drawer
caochfng shang yiu hgn dud yugravendogravengyuaacutenThere are a lot of athletes on the sportsfield
shugrave xiagrave yiu yc zhc tugraveziThere is a hare under the tree
huacute shang yiu yc quacuten yaziThere is a flock of ducks on the lake
Note The noun following yiu is always of indefinite reference(see Unit 2)
F yiu is negated by meacutei
wi meacutei yiu diagravennfoI havenrsquot got a computer
wezi li meacutei yiu reacutenThere isnrsquot anybody in the room
chduti li zhh yiu xigravenzhh | meacutei yiu xigravenfbngThere is only writing paper in the drawer and no envelopes
Note When yiu is negated the noun object is not usuallymodified by a lsquonumeral + measure wordrsquo phrase unless the numberis the central issue
guigravezi li zhh yiu yc jiagraven maacuteoyc | meacutei yiu lifng jiagraven maacuteoyc
There is only one sweater in the wardrobe not two
G shigrave may also be used to indicate existence like yiu but itdiffers from yiu in two ways
11shigrave
and you
107
(i) shigrave (but not yiu) may be preceded by quaacuten or ddulsquoall entirelyrsquo to suggest that the location is occupied solely by onekind of being or thing
digrave shang quaacuten shigrave shuh
The ground was covered with water
jib shang ddu shigrave reacutenThe street was full of people
(ii) while yiu focuses mainly on what exists shigrave tends toemphasize the location as well
diagravenyhngyuagraven duigravemiagraven yiu jh jia shangdiagravenThere are a few shops (amongst other things) opposite the cinema
faacutengzi hograveumian shigrave gegrave cagraveiyuaacutenBehind the house is a vegetable garden
Exercise 111
Translate the following sentences into Chinese bearing in mind thatshigrave may or may not have to be present
1 She is my neighbour2 My younger sister is beautiful3 Yesterday was Tuesday4 My car is red5 This fish is alive6 Our room is clean7 That story is very interesting8 These vegetables are fresh9 This skirt isnrsquot too dirty
10 The concert was wonderful11 All these clothes are old12 Whose is that pair of glasses
Exercise 112
Rewrite the Chinese sentences below in the negative to match the English
1 xifo waacuteng yiu yc tiaacuteo giuXiao Wang hasnrsquot got a dog
11shigrave
and you
108
2 huayuaacuten li yiu hgn dud huarThere arenrsquot many flowers in the garden
3 tamen ddu shigrave ycngguoacute reacutenNone of them is English
4 zhegravei zhuagraveng faacutengzi shigrave ta deThis house isnrsquot his
5 negravei bbi kafbi shigrave wi peacutengyou deThat cup of coffee isnrsquot my friendrsquos
6 loacuteuxiagrave yiu reacutenTherersquos no one downstairs
7 ta shigrave jcnglhShe isnrsquot the manager
8 ta yiu lifng jiagraven xiacutengliHe doesnrsquot have two pieces of luggage
9 wi de toacutengxueacute ddu shigrave zhdngguoacute reacutenNot all my classmates are Chinese
10 tuacuteshegufn hograveumian shigrave diagravenyhngyuagravenIt isnrsquot the cinema behind the library
Exercise 113
Indicate which of the two Chinese translations for the English sentencesbelow is correct in each case
1 There is some writing paper in the drawerchduti li shigrave xigravenzhh
chduti li yiu xigravenzhh
2 The picture is beautifulnegravei fuacute huagraver hgn mgi
negravei fuacute huagraver shigrave mgi de3 This snake is alive ( sheacute lsquosnakersquo)
zhegravei tiaacuteo sheacute shigrave huoacutezhegravei tiaacuteo sheacute shigrave huoacute de
4 I havenrsquot got a pair of gloveswi meacutei yiu shiutagraveo
wi meacutei yiu yc shuang shiutagraveo5 He isnrsquot a manager
ta meacutei shigrave jcnglhta bugrave shigrave jcnglh
6 There arenrsquot any rabbits under the treeshugrave xiagrave bugrave yiu tugravezishugrave xiagrave meacutei yiu tugravezi
7 Those trousers arenrsquot minenegravei tiaacuteo kugravezi bugrave shigrave wi denegravei tiaacuteo kugravezi meacutei shigrave wi de
11shigrave
and you
109
8 The bookshelf was filled with booksshejiagrave shang ddu shigrave she
shejiagrave shang ddu yiu she
Exercise 114
Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1 There are two red jumpers in the wardrobe2 There is a large cooker in the kitchen ( luacutezi lsquocookerrsquo)3 There are many books on the bookshelf4 There are many students in the classroom5 The swimming-pool is full of people6 There isnrsquot a single chair in the room7 There is nothing in the drawer8 There are no flowers in the garden9 There isnrsquot a telephone in the office
10 There is a flock of sheep at the foot of the hill11 Opposite the restaurant is the cinema12 There is quite a lot of cooked rice in the pot13 There is only a little milk in the bottle14 There are toys all over the floor ( digravebfn lsquofloorrsquo)15 There is nobody in the house
Exercise 115
Translate the sentences below into Chinese
1 This is a bus ticket not a cinema ticket2 That is a pair of mandarin ducks not ordinary ducks
( pjtdng lsquoordinaryrsquo)3 Those are potatoes not sweet potatoes ( fanshj lsquosweet potatorsquo)4 These are bees not flies ( migravefbng lsquobeersquo)5 This is petrol not vegetable oil ( cagraveiyoacuteu lsquovegetable oilrsquo)6 That is Mr Zhang the manager not Mr Li the engineer7 There is only a bicycle outside not a car8 There are pearls but no earrings in the box ( heacutezi lsquoboxrsquo)9 There is only a map on the wall not a picture
10 I have a packet of cigarettes but not a box of matches ( baolsquopacketrsquo)
11 There is a cooker but no fridge in the kitchen
11shigrave
and you
110
12 I have only got a knife but not a pair of scissors13 None of these is hers14 Not all of those are good15 Those are all badno good
Pattern and vocabulary drill 111
Translate the following into Chinese using shigrave or shigrave de to highlight the italicized parts of the sentences
Are you going to China this summer Are you coming back to theUK next year
nh shigrave jcnniaacuten xiagravetian qugrave zhdngguoacute ma( ) nh shigrave miacutengniaacuten huiacute (laacutei) ycngguoacute ma
1 I am going to China in the autumn of next year2 I am coming back to the UK the year after the next3 I am not going by boat4 I am going by plane5 When are you going to China6 Where are you going next year7 Are you going to China tomorrow8 It is my friend not me9 Did your friend leave yesterday
10 No he left the day before yesterday11 He wentleft by plane12 He will come back to the UK on Saturday13 Who was it made by14 Did she make it15 She didnrsquot make it He did
Pattern and vocabulary drill 112
Translate the sentences below into Chinese Notice that the noun inthe first clause is replaced or represented by an attributive phrase ora demonstrative and measure in the second Remember however thatin Chinese human nouns or nouns that represent institutions are notusually omitted
The fried noodles you ordered are delicious but the ones I orderedarenrsquot
nh jiagraveo de chfomiagraven hgn hfochc | wi jiagraveo de bugrave hfochc
11shigrave
and you
111
1 The bottle of milk you bought is fresh (but) the one I bought isnrsquot2 This table is square (but) that onersquos round3 Her book is interesting (but) mine is boring4 Fatherrsquos car is blue (but) motherrsquos is red5 This shirt is mine (but) whose is that one6 Those trousers are long enough (but) these arenrsquot7 His friends are all very rich ( yiuqiaacuten) (but) mine arenrsquot8 Your room is clean (but) his isnrsquot clean enough9 Mr Zhangrsquos horse is black (but) Mrs Lirsquos is white
10 These apples are expensive (but) those are cheap
11shigrave
and you
112
UNIT TWELVEComparisons
113
A The standard way to express a comparison in Chinese is to use theword bh lsquoto compare withrsquo in conjunction with an adjectival pre-dicate lsquoX is betterlarger etc than Yrsquo in English for examplebecomes lsquoX + bh + Y + goodlarge etcrsquo in Chinese
zhegravei gegrave bh negravei gegrave hfoThis one is better than that one
zhegravei gegrave xueacutexiagraveo bh negravei gegrave xueacutexiaograve dagraveThis school is larger than that school
zhegravei gegrave xiangzi bh negravei gegrave xiangzi zhogravengThis box is heavier than that box
As an adjective on its own in the predicative position implies a con-trast in Chinese (see Unit 10) it therefore follows that bh com-parisons require an adjective used by itself that does not have an adverbial modifier like hgn lsquoveryrsquo shiacutefbn lsquoextremelyrsquo fbichaacuteng lsquoexceptionallyrsquo etc
One cannot say for example
zhegravei gegrave bh negravei gegrave hgn hfoThis one is better than that one
However the adjective may be modified by degree adverbs like gegravengand ( ) haacutei (yagraveo) lsquoeven (more)rsquo or followed by degree complementslike ycdifnr lsquoslightlyrsquo ycxib lsquoa littlersquo and de dud or
dud le lsquomuchrsquo
(i) with degree adverbs
zhegravei gegrave bh negravei gegrave gegraveng hfoThis one is even better than that one
( )zhegravei gegrave xueacutexiagraveo bh negravei gegrave (xueacutexiagraveo) gegraveng dagraveThis school is even larger than that school
( ) ( )zhegravei gegrave xiangzi bh negravei gegrave (xiangzi) haiacute (yagraveo) zhogravengThis box is even heavier than that box
lifng jiagraven dagraveyc ddu hgn chaacuteng | hoacuteng dagraveyc bh laacuten dagraveyc gegraveng chaacutengBoth coats are very long but the red one is even longer thanthe blue one
( ) ( )zhegravei zhing magraveozi hgn guigrave | negravei zhing magraveozi (bh zhegravei zhing magraveozi)haacutei (yagraveo) guigraveA hat like this is very expensive but one like that is even moreexpensive (than this one)
(ii) with degree complements
zhegravei gegrave bh negravei gegrave hfo dud leThis onersquos much better than that one
( )zhegravei zhuagraveng faacutengzi bh negravei zhuagraveng (faacutengzi) dagrave ycdifnrThis house is slightly larger than that house
( )zhegravei jiagraven xiacutengli bh nagrave jiagraven (xiacutengli) zhograveng de dud
This case is much heavier than that one (lit This piece of lug-gage is much heavier than that piece)
shagravenghfi bh bgijcng nufn ycxibShanghai is a bit warmer than Beijing
Sometimes a degree complement registers an actual amount orextent
wi bh bagraveba fi yc cugravenIrsquom an inch shorter than my father
gbge bh digravedi zhograveng lifng gdngjcn(The) elder brother is two kilos heavier than the youngerbrother
B Negative comparison is expressed by either placing the negator bugrave lsquonotrsquo directly before bh or using the pattern lsquoX + ( ) meacutei(yiu)
12Compar-isons
114
+ Y + nagraveme zhegraveme lsquosorsquo + adjectiversquo The difference betweenthe two is that the former emphasizes the fact that A is no better (etc)than B whereas the latter the fact that A is worse (etc) than B
zhegravei gegrave bugrave bh negravei gegrave hfoThis one isnrsquot better than that one
zhegravei gegrave xueacutexiagraveo bugrave bh negravei gegrave xueacutexiagraveo dagraveThis school isnrsquot larger than that school
zhegravei gegrave xiangzi bugrave bh negravei gegrave xiangzi zhogravengThis box isnrsquot heavier than that box
or
( ) wi meacutei(yiu) nh nagravemezhegraveme cdngmingIrsquom not as intelligent as you
( ) zhegravei gegrave meacutei(yiu) negravei gegrave nagravemezhegraveme hfoThis (one) is not as good as that (one)
( ) wi jigjie meacutei(yiu) wi zhegraveme gaoMy elder sister isnrsquot as tall as I am
( ) lfoshj meacutei(yiu) sdngshj nagraveme dagraveMice arenrsquot as big as squirrels
The latter pattern can occur in the positive with yiu usually whena question is being asked
nh jigjie yiu nh zhegraveme gao maIs your elder sister as tall as you are
lfoshj yiu sdngshj nagraveme dagrave maAre mice as big as squirrels
C Similarity is conveyed by ycyagraveng lsquothe samersquo (lit lsquoone typersquo)in conjunction with the word gbn (or heacute toacuteng yj) lsquowithandrsquo ycyagraveng itself functions as an adjectival predicative
nagrave lifng gegrave ycyagraveng Those two are the samewi gbn nh ycyagraveng Irsquom the same as youzhegravei gegrave gbn negravei gegrave This (one) is the same as ycyagraveng that (one)
12Compar-isons
115
ycyagraveng is also followed by an adjective to express more specificsimilarity in the pattern lsquoX + gbn ( heacute toacuteng yj) + Y +
ycyagraveng + adjectiversquo
wi gbn nh ycyagraveng dagraveIrsquom as old as you
zhegravei gegrave gbn negravei gegrave ycyagraveng hfoThis (one) is as good as that (one)
xifo wuacute gbn xifo hoacuteng ycyagraveng zhogravengXiao Wu and Xiao Hong are the same weightXiao Wu weighs asmuch as Xiao Hong
mama heacute bagraveba ycyagraveng gaoMother and Father are the same heightMother is as tall as Father
Note In expressing dissimilarity bugrave comes before ycyagravengeg xifo wuacute gbn xifo hoacuteng bugrave ycyagraveng dagravetherefore means lsquoXiao Wu and Xiao Hong are not the same agersquoIt does not mean lsquoXiao Wu is not as young (or old) as Xiao Hongrsquo(see section B above)
D So far the comparisons discussed have related to an entityrsquosattributes (expressed as adjectival predicates) If the comparisoninvolves an action de is placed immediately after the verb thatexpresses the action whilst the comparative formats discussed abovepositive or negative similarity or otherwise come either before or afterthe lsquoverb + dersquo phrase
wi bh nh zuograve de hfowi zuograve de bh nh hfo
I did it better than you
wi gbn nh zuograve de ycyagraveng hfowi zuograve de gbn nh ycyagraveng hfo
I did it as well as you
wi bugrave bh nh zuograve de hfowi zuograve de bugrave bh nh hfo
I did not do it better than you
wi meacuteiyiu nh zuograve de hfowi zuograve de meacuteiyiu nh hfo
I did it worse than you
12Compar-isons
116
wi bugrave gbn nh zuograve de ycyagraveng hfowi zuograve de bugrave gbn nh ycyagraveng hfo
I did not do it as well as you
Here are some more examples
( )yc hagraveo yugravendogravengyuaacuten pfo de bh egraver hagraveo (yugravendogravengyuaacuten) kuagraveiAthlete No 1 ran faster than athlete No 2
( )yc hagraveo yugravendogravengyuaacuten pfo de gbn egraver hagraveo (yugravendogravengyuaacuten) ycyagraveng kuagraveiAthlete No 1 ran as fast as athlete No 2
ta chc de bh wi dud
He ate more than I didHe eats more than I do
ta chc de gbn wi ycyagraveng dud
He ate as much as I didHe eats as much as I do
If the action verb has an object the verb is repeated with de afterthe verb-object expression in either of the above patterns
ta tiagraveowj tiagraveo de bh wi hfota tiagraveowj bh wi tiagraveo de hfo
She dances better than I doShe is a better dancer than I am
ta paacuteshan paacute de gbn wi ycyagraveng kuagraveita paacuteshan gbn wi pagrave de ycyagraveng kuagravei
He climbs a hill as fast as I do
E The superlative degree is expressed simply by placing the adverbzuigrave before the adjective
zhegrave san zhing huar | baacutei hua zuigrave xiangOf these three flowers the white one smells the nicest(lit is the most fragrant)
ban shang egraver shiacute jh gegrave xueacutesheng | xifo zhang zuigrave qiacutenfegravenOut of the twenty or so pupils in the class Xiao Zhang is the mostdiligent
wj yiu sigrave gegrave haacuteizi | digrave egraver gegrave haacuteizi kfo de zuigrave hfoI have four children The second child did best in the examination
12Compar-isons
117
F Increasing or intensifying comparison in the pattern lsquomore andmore rsquo follows the pattern lsquo yuegrave laacutei yuegrave + adjectiversquo
baacuteitianhbiyegrave yuegrave laacutei yugravee chaacutengThe daysnights are growing longer and longer
tianqigrave yuegrave laacutei yuegrave regrave lgngThe weather is getting hotter and hottercolder and colder
wimen de shbnghuoacute yuegrave laacutei yuegrave hfoOur life is getting better and better
The lsquo yuegrave yuegrave rsquo pattern is in fact used in a number of ways
(i) lsquo yuegrave + adjective + yuegrave + adjectiversquo
yuegrave dud yuegrave hfoThe more the better (merrier)
jiang yuegrave lfo yuegrave lagraveThe older ginger gets the hotter it is (ie old ginger gets hotter)
(ii) lsquo yuegrave + verb + yuegrave + adjectiversquo
ta yuegrave tiagraveo yuegrave gaoShe jumped higher and higher
ta yuegrave pfo yuegrave kuagraveiHe ran faster and faster
(iii) lsquo yuegrave + verb + yuegrave + verbrsquo
ta yuegrave dj yuegrave she | yuegrave she yuegrave dj
The more he gambled the more money he lost and the moremoney he lost the more he gambled
ta yuegrave shud yuegrave qigraveThe more she spoke the angrier she became
(iv) where meaning allows each lsquo yuegrave + verbrsquo construction may haveits own subject
ta yuegrave shud wi yuegrave qigraveThe more she spoke the angrier I became
kafbi yuegrave tiaacuten wi yuegrave xhhuanThe sweeter the coffee the better I like it
12Compar-isons
118
G Finally it is not uncommon to make comparisons using adverbssuch as zfoxian lsquoearlyrsquo or wfnchiacute lsquolatersquo and the usual con-struction is
ta bh wi xianchiacute dagraveoHe arrived earlierlater than I did
ta bh wi zfowfn qhchuaacutengHe gets up earlierlater than I do
If a degree complement is used it usually comes after the verb if theverb is monosyllabic
( ) ta bh wi zfo laacutei bagraven (gegrave) xifoshiacuteHe came half an hour earlier than I did
However if the verb is disyllabic the degree complement is more likelyto come after the adverb
( ) ta bh wi zfo bagraven (gegrave) xifoshiacute qhchuaacutengHe got up half an hour earlier than I did
In fact the longer the verbal expression the more likely it is that thedegree complement will come after the adverb
( )ta bh wi zfo bagraven (gegrave) xifoshiacute dagraveodaacute mugravedigravedigraveHe reached the destination half an hour earlier than I did
Exercise 121
Using the words supplied construct Chinese sentences expressingcomparison or similarity and then translate them into English
wi nh dagrave gbn ycyagraveng
wi gbn nh ycyagraveng dagraveYou and I are the same age
1fbijc huichb bh kuagraveiplane train fast
2ffguoacute mgiguoacute bugrave ycyagraveng dagrave gbnFrance America
12Compar-isons
119
3ddngtian chentian bh nufnhuowinter spring warm
4mao lfohj de dud xifo bh
cat tiger a lot5
arsquogrbbisc shan xhmflayf gao nagraveme meacuteiyiushan
The Alps The Himalayas high6
zhdngguoacute de eacuteguoacute de dud bh
reacutenkiu reacutenkiuChinarsquos Russiarsquos manypopulation population
7chaacutengcheacuteng jcnzigravetf yiumiacuteng heacute ycyagravengThe Great Wall The Pyramids well-known
8xifo lh lfo zhang nagraveme qiacutenfegraven meacuteiyiuXiao Li Lao Zhang industrious
9chfofagraven chfomiagraven hfochc de dud bh
fried rice fried noodles delicious a lot10
wi de xiacutengli nh de xiacutengli lifng gdngjcn zhograveng bh
my luggage your luggage two kilos heavy
Exercise 122
Rewrite the following negative comparison sentences using bh with-out changing the meaning and then translate them into English
digravedi meacuteiyiu wi zhegraveme gaoMy younger brother isnrsquot as tall as I am
wi bh digravedi gaoI am taller than my younger brother
1 shayuacute meacuteiyiu jcngyuacute nagraveme dagraveSharks are not as big as whales
2zhagraveoxiagravengjc meacuteiyiu shegravexiagravengjc nagraveme guigraveCameras arenrsquot as expensive as video cameras
3 taacuteozi meacuteiyiu piacutenggui nagraveme yigravengPeaches are not as hard as apples
12Compar-isons
120
4zhegravei gegrave cheacutengshigrave meacuteiyiu negravei gegrave cheacutengshigrave nagraveme mgiligraveThis city isnrsquot as beautiful as that one
5ycngguoacute de chentian meacuteiyiu xiagravetian zhegraveme regraveThe spring isnrsquot as hot as the summer in Britain
6 ffyj meacuteiyiu deacuteyj zhegraveme naacutenFrench is not as difficult as German
7 nh meacuteiyiu wi nagraveme zhogravengYou are not as heavy as me
8 huaacutengheacute meacuteiyiu chaacutengjiang nagraveme chaacutengThe Yellow River is not as long as the Yangtze River
9ta de jianbfng meacuteiyiu nh de nagraveme kuan ( kuan lsquobroadrsquo)His shoulders are not as broad as yours
10zhegravei shiu gb meacuteiyiu negravei shiu gb nagraveme hfotcngThis song is not as nice as that one
Exercise 123
Complete the Chinese sentences below with either lsquo(adjective) + ycxib ycdifnr de dudrsquo or lsquo(adjective) + numeral + measurewordrsquo to match the English translations (note ycdifnr is represented as two spaces )
1negravei gegrave chuacuteshc bh wi ( pagraveng lsquofatrsquo)That cook is much fatter than I am
2mao de wgiba bh tugravezi de wgibaA catrsquos tail is much longer than a rabbitrsquos tail
3 ( )qiuacutexieacute bh piacutexieacute Sports shoes are slightly cheaper than leather shoes
4megraveimei bh jigjie ( shograveu lsquothinrsquo)The younger sister is slightly thinner than the older sister
5yeacuteye bh nfinai Grandma is two years younger than Grandpa
6zhegravei jiagraven ycfu bh negravei jiagraven ycfu This dress is two pounds more expensive than that one
12Compar-isons
121
7zhegravei gegrave gugraveshi bh negravei gegrave gugraveshi This story is much more interesting than that one
8zhegravei zhuagraveng fangzi bh negravei zhuagraveng This house is slightly prettier than that one
9negravei xib xiangjiao bh zhegravei xibThose bananas are much fresher than these
10wi de niuacutezfikugrave bh nh deMy jeans are a little cleaner than yours
Exercise 124
Complete these sentences with either gegraveng haacutei yagraveo or zuigrave
1zhegraveme dud de xieacutezi | hbi de negravei shuang piagraveoliangOf all these shoes that black pair is the most beautiful
2zhegravei xib she ddu hgn yiu yigravesi | negravei bgn yiu yigravesiAll these books are interesting but that book is even more interesting
3negravei san gegrave xcgua ddu hgn tiaacuten | zhegravei gegrave tiaacuten ycdifnrThose three water melons are sweet but this one is even sweeter
4dagraveo shigravezhdngxcn qugrave | zhegravei tiaacuteo lugrave jigravenThis is the quickest way to the city centre
5wi qugrave guo de chgngshigrave zhdng | bugravelageacute mgiligraveOf all the cities I have been to Prague is the most beautiful
6san niaacutenjiacute wj shiacute gegrave xueacutesheng | ta qiacutenfegravenAmongst the fifty students of the Third Year she is the most industrious
7zhegravei xib cagravei ddu hgn hfochc | kgshigrave negravei gegrave cagravei hfochc ( cagraveilsquodish (of food)rsquo)These dishes are tasty but that dish is even more tasty
12Compar-isons
122
8negravei shiu gb hgn hfotcng | kgshigrave zhegravei shiu gb hfotcngThat song is nice but this song is even nicer
9zhegravei zhing hua hgn xiang | negravei zhing hua xiangThis kind of flower is fragrant but that kind is even more fragrant
10egraver hagraveo yugravendogravengyuaacuten pfo de bh yc hagraveo yugravendogravengyuaacuten kuagraveiAthlete No 2 runs even faster than athlete No 1
Exercise 125
Translate the sentences below into Chinese (more than one version ofthe translation may be possible)
1 He came earlier than others ( zfo lsquoearlyrsquo) ( qiacuteta reacutenlsquoothersother peoplersquo)
2 She walks more slowly than he does ( ziulugrave lsquoto walkrsquo)3 Yesterday he went to bed later than I did ( wfn lsquolatersquo)4 My wife is a better driver than I am ( qczi lsquowifersquo)5 One of my coursemates sings better than I do ( chagravenggb lsquosingrsquo)6 My husband is a better tennis player than I am
( zhagravengfu lsquohusbandrsquo df wfngqiuacute lsquoto play tennisrsquo)7 My elder brother is an inch taller than I am ( gao lsquotallrsquo)8 (The) younger sister is a half kilo lighter than the elder sister
( qcng lsquolightrsquo)9 Is a squirrel as big as a mouse
10 This house isnrsquot as pretty as that one ( faacutengzi lsquohousersquo)
Exercise 126
Translate the following sentences into Chinese using the patterns forintensifying comparison
1 I am growing more and more hungry2 The chef was getting fatter and fatter ( chuacuteshc lsquochefrsquo)3 That horse runs more and more slowly in races
( zagravei bhsagravei zhdng lsquoin racesrsquo)4 The soccer match became more and more exciting5 The road gets wider and wider
12Compar-isons
123
6 Grandfatherrsquos illness was growing more and more serious( yaacutenzhograveng lsquoseriousrsquo)
7 The more he drinks the more drunk he becomes8 The quicker the better9 The more he sings the unhappier I become
10 The more peppery the food the more I like it
Pattern and vocabulary drill 121
Reformulate the following Chinese sentences as two different negativecomparisons
zhegravei piacuteng nijnfi bh negravei piacuteng xcnxianThis bottle of milk is fresher than that one
azhegravei piacuteng nijnfi bugrave bh negravei piacuteng xcnxianThis bottle of milk is no fresher than that one
bnegravei piacuteng nijnfi meacuteiyiu zhegravei piacuteng xcnxianThat bottle of milk is less fresh than this one
1 ( ) zhegravei zhang zhudzi bh negravei zhang(zhudzi) ganjigravengThis table is cleaner than that one
2 ( ) zhegravei gegrave faacutengjian bh negravei gegrave (faacutengjian)zhgngqiacuteThis room is tidier than that one
3 zhegravei gegrave reacuten bh negravei gegrave reacuten lfoshiThis person is more honest than that person
4 ( ) zhegravei gegrave gugraveshi bh negravei gegrave (gugraveshi) yiuqugraveThis story is more interesting than that one
5 ( ) zhegravei chfng bhsagravei bh negravei chfng (bhsagravei)jcngcfiThis match is more exciting than that one
6 ( ) zhegravei tiaacuteo quacutenzi bh negravei tiaacuteo (quacutenzi) chaacutengThis skirt is longer than that one
7 ( ) zhegravei shuang xieacutezi bh negravei shuang (xieacutezi) xifoThis pair of shoes is smaller than that pair
8 ( ) zhegravei jiagraven ycfu bh negravei jiagraven (ycfu) zangThis shirtjacketetc is dirtier than that one
9 ( ) zhegravei liagraveng chb bh negravei liagraveng (chb) piagraveoliangThis car is better looking than that one
12Compar-isons
124
10 ( ) zhegravei zuograve loacuteufaacuteng bh negravei zuograve (loacuteufaacuteng)gjlfoThis building is more ancient than that one
11 ( ) zhegravei xib shecagravei bh negravei xib (shecagravei) xcnxianThese vegetables are fresher than those
12 ( ) zhegravei jia shangdiagraven bh negravei jia (shangdiagraven)dagraveThis shop is bigger than that one
13 ( ) zhegravei bbi kafbi bh negravei bbi (kafbi) tiaacutenThis cup of coffee is sweeter than that one
14 zhegravei gegrave haacuteizi bh negravei gegrave (haacuteizi) cdngmingThis child is more intelligent than that child
15 ( ) zhegravei jiagraven xiacutengli bh negravei jiagraven (xiacutengli) zhogravengThis piece of luggage is heavier than that one
16 ( ) zhegraver de tianqigrave bh nagraver de (tianqigrave) hfoThe weather here is better than the weather there
17 ( ) zhegravei kuagravei jiang bh negravei kuagravei (jiang) lagraveThis piece of ginger is hotter than that one
18 zhegravei gegrave yugravendogravengyuaacuten bh negravei gegraveyugravendogravengyuaacuten gaoThis athlete is taller than that athlete
19 ( ) zhegravei zhing huar bh negravei zhing (huar)xiangThis flower smells sweeter than that one
20 qugraveniaacuten ddngtian bh jcnniaacuten ddngtian lgngLast yearrsquos winter was colder than this yearrsquos winter
Note In comparisons positive or negative if the second item is similar to the first it may often be omitted for the sake of brevitybut it is less likely to be omitted if it refers to people rather thanthings or if misunderstanding might occur
Pattern and vocabulary drill 122
Translate the sentences below into Chinese adding a degree comple-ment in each case as indicated
I am two centimetres taller than my younger brother ( lifnggdngfbn lsquotwo centimetresrsquo)
wi bh digravedi gao lifng gdngfbn
12Compar-isons
125
1 I am heavier than my younger brother ( wj gdngjcn lsquofivekilogramsrsquo)
2 My friend is shorter than me ( san cugraven lsquothree inchesrsquo)3 Your luggage is heavier than mine ( sigrave gdngjcn lsquofour kilogramsrsquo)4 Today is warmer than yesterday ( lifng dugrave lsquotwo degreesrsquo)5 Last winter was colder than this one ( lifng | san dugrave lsquotwo
to three degreesrsquo)6 This road is broader than that one ( lifng gdngchh lsquotwo
metresrsquo)7 His trousers are longer than yours ( yc | lifng cugraven lsquoone to
two inchesrsquo)8 Your camera is more expensive than mine ( yc bfi kuagravei
qiaacuten lsquoone hundred yuanrsquo)9 Your watch ( bifo) is faster than mine ( shiacute fbn zhdng
lsquoten minutesrsquo)10 This journey ( lugravecheacuteng) is farther than that one (
egraver shiacute gdnglh zuiyograveu lsquotwenty kilometers or sorsquo)11 I got up earlier than he did ( yc gegrave zhdngtoacuteu lsquoone hourrsquo)12 He graduated later than I did ( yc niaacuten lsquoa yearrsquo)13 They set out earlier than we did ( lifng tian lsquotwo daysrsquo)14 She came later than I did ( ( ) bagraven (gegrave) xifoshiacute lsquohalf an hourrsquo)15 The train arrived earlier than the bus ( wj fbn zhdng lsquofive
minutesrsquo)
12Compar-isons
126
UNIT THIRTEENVerbs and location expressions
127
A A number of the most common words that indicate place may beformed by linking the root words lh wagravei shagraveng xiagrave qiaacuten and hograveu with bian mian or tou
lhbian ( lhmian lhtou) insidewagraveibian ( wagraveimian wagraveitou) outsideshagravengbian ( shagravengmian shagravengtou) abovexiagravebian ( xiagravemian xiagravetou) belowqiaacutenbian ( qiaacutenmian qiaacutentou) in fronthograveubian ( hograveumian hograveutou) behind
Others are linked with bian or mian
zuibian ( zuimiagraven) leftyograveubian ( yograveumiagraven) rightddngbian ( ddngmiagraven) eastnaacutenbian ( naacutenmiagraven) southxcbian ( xcmiagraven) westbgibian ( bgimiagraven) north
Others have only one form
paacutengbian atby the side ofduigravemiagraven oppositezhdngjian in the middlebetween
Note A colloquial variant of xiagravebian xiagravetouxiagravemian is dhxia
B These place words may all be used after nouns to form more com-plex location expressions
zhudzi shagravengbian on the tablexueacutexiagraveo qiaacutenmian in front of the schoolguigravezi lhtou in(side) the cupboardfaacutengzi wagraveimian outside the houseyoacuteuyingchiacute next toby the side of the paacutengbian swimming-poollhtaacuteng duigravemiagraven opposite the auditoriumdagravetcng zhdngjian in the centre of the hallkegravetcng heacute wograveshigrave between the sitting-room zhdngjian and the bedroomwi jia naacutenmiagraven (to the) south of my homeshagravenghfi bgibian (to the) north of Shanghai
There are a few other words which convey less specific locations
sigravezhduzhduweacutei aroundfugravejigraven nearnagraver at the home ofwhere someone is
For example
dagravexueacute fugravejigraven near the universitylh xiansheng nagraver at Mr Lirsquos place or over there
where Mr Li ishuayuaacuten sigravezhdu on all sides ofaround the garden
C For some of these disyllabic place words that are often suffixed tonouns and which can be called postpositions (comparable to Englishprepositions) there are a number of monosyllabic variants which arein fact the root or stem of these disyllabic forms (as we have seen inA above)
li ininsidewagravei outsideshang onaboveoverxiagrave underbelowbeneathqiaacuten in front ofhograveu behindzhdng inamongbetweenpaacuteng bian bybeside
li and shang are the most widely used of these monosyllabic post-positions but they all regularly occur
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
128
yhzi shang on the chairfaacutengzi li in the housecheacuteng wagravei outside the citymeacuten qiaacuten in front of the doorshugrave xiagrave under the treepeacutengyou zhdng amongst friendslugrave bian by the side of the roadbegravei hograveu behind someonersquos back
Note As we can see from the last example these monosyllabic post-positions are often used in contexts where idiom rather than the strictconcept of location prevails
xcn zhdng in onersquos hearthuigrave shang at the meetinglhlugraven shang in theory
Also Chinese postpositions in actual use do not always match theirEnglish prepositional counterparts
yagraveoshi zagravei meacuten shang The key is in the doorshe shang meacutei zhegraveme It doesnrsquot say soshud in the book
D Location expressions are used in the following positions in aChinese sentence
(i) before the verb in conjunction with words such as zagravei lsquoin atrsquodagraveo lsquotorsquo coacuteng lsquofromrsquo etc to indicate location destination
or direction
tamen zagravei qiaacuteng shang xig biaoyj
They are writing slogans on the wall
haacuteizimen zagravei cfodigrave shang waacutenrThe children are playing on the grass
wimen dagraveo cheacuteng li qugrave mfi she
We went to town to buy some books
qhng zagravei lhmian dgng taPlease wait for him inside
ta coacuteng heacutezi li naacute che yc zhc qianbh laacuteiShe took a pencil out of the box
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
129
tamen zagravei xueacutexiagraveo paacutengbian gagravei yc zuograve xcn faacutengziThey are putting up a new building next to the school
Note Verbs that follow the location expressions usually havemore than one syllable (see Section F)
(ii) after a verb which denotes an action that will naturally end up ina location
yeacuteye zuograve zagravei shafa shangGrandpa is sitting on the sofa
( ) ta dai zagravei jia liShe stayed at home
tamen ddu zhugrave zagravei cheacuteng wagraveiAll of them live in the outskirts (lit out of the town)
hgn dud reacuten tfng zagravei cfodigrave shang shagravei tagraveiyangThere are many people lying on the grass sunbathing
qhng zuograve zagravei qiaacutenmianPlease sit in front
bieacute rbng dagraveo chuang wagravei qugraveDonrsquot throw it out of the window
Note Verbs which do not denote actions that will naturally endup in a location cannot of course follow the pattern discussedin (ii) therefore
One cannot say
tamen xueacutexiacute zagravei tuacuteshegufn(lit They are studying at the library)
(iii) at the beginning of a sentence to indicate the location of some-thing or someone (see Unit 11)
dogravengwugraveyuaacuten yograveubian shigrave zhiacutewugraveyuaacutenTo the right of the zoo is the botanical garden
zhagraventaacutei shang yiu hgn dud reacutenThere are a lot of people on the (station) platform
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
130
wagraveibian meacutei yiu yhziThere are no chairs outside
E The postposition li (or lhbian lhtou lhmian) is notused after geographical names For example
tamen zagravei zhdngguoacute lsyoacuteuThey are on a tour in China
bgijcng yiu hgn dud jugravechfngThere are a lot of theatres in Beijing
One cannot say
tamen zagravei zhdngguoacute li lsyoacuteu bgijcng li yiu hgn dud jugravechfng
On the other hand li is optional after a location noun of two syllables
( ) ta zagravei huayuaacuten (li) zhograveng hua
She is planting flowers in the garden
( ) digravedi coacuteng xueacutexiagraveo (li) che laacutei(My) younger brother came out of the school
( )jigjie heacute ta de peacutengyou zagravei fagravengufn (li) chcfagraven(My) elder sister and her friends are having a meal in a restaurant
However it is less likely for the omission to take place if the locationnoun is of one syllable For example
mama zagravei cheacuteng li mfi ddngxiMother is shopping in town
but not
mama zagravei cheacuteng mfi ddngxi
unless of course the noun refers to a location very familiar to the person
( ) wi zagravei jia (li) xueacutexiacute I was studying at hometa zagravei xiagraveo zhiacuteban He is on duty at school
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
131
If the location noun has three syllables li lsquoinrsquo is generally not used
wi zagravei yuegravelfnshigrave I am reading newspaperskagraven bagraveo in the reading room
wi zagravei huichbzhagraven Irsquoll wait for you at the dgng nh railway station
F Where location expressions with zagravei come before the verb (seeexamples under D (i) above) the verb that follows usually consists ofmore than one syllable
ta zagravei jiagraveoshigrave li xueacutexiacute (a disyllabic verb)He is studying in the classroom
D bigravengreacuten zagravei chuaacuteng shang tfng zhe(a monosyllabic verb with an aspect marker)The patient is lying in bed
yiu hgn dud reacuten zagravei zhagraventaacutei shang dgngchb (a verb with an object)There are a lot of people on the platform waiting for the train
One cannot say
ta zagravei jiagraveoshigrave li xueacute (lit He is studying in the classroom)
bigravengreacuten zagravei chuaacuteng (lit The patient is shang tfng lying in bed)
Note 1 The aspect marker that changes a monosyllabic verb into atwo-syllabled verb phrase as we can see from the second exampleabove is usually D zhe which indicates a continuous action or stateand gives the sentence a descriptive nature
Note 2 The exception to this rule is that monosyllabic verbs maybe used in questions (and their associated answers) and in imperatives
nh zagravei nfr dgng Where are you going to wait
wi zagravei huichbzhagraven dgng Irsquoll wait at the railway station
nh zagravei zhegraver zuograve You sit here
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
132
Exercise 131
Complete the sentences below by adding correct postpositions
1 fbng hgn dagrave | lugrave xiacutengreacuten hgnshfo ( xiacutengreacuten lsquopedestrianrsquo)The wind was strong and there were very few people on the street
2 D jc zagravei kfoxiang kfo zheThe chicken was cooking in the oven
3 ( ) D
ta zhagraven zagravei meacuten ( ) kagraven zhe bagraveba liacute qugraveShe stood by the door and watched her father leave
4chuang chuaacuten laacutei qigravechb de lfba shbng ( lfba lsquohorn (ofa car)rsquo)The sound of a car horn came from outsideA car horn soundedoutside the window
5lfoshj dui zagravei chuaacuteng ( dui lsquoto hidersquo)The mouse hid under the bed
6 chbzhagraven zagravei xueacutexiagraveoThe station is near the school
7 wimen de zuograveyegrave bgnzi zagraveilfoshc
Our course-work books are with the teacher8 ycngguoacute ddu shigrave hfi
Britain is surrounded by sea9 rigravebgn zagravei zhdngguoacute
Japan is east of China10
yiacutenhaacuteng shigrave xieacute diagraven | shigrave fuacutezhuang diagravenOn the left of the bank is a shoe shop and on the right a clothesshop
11 cegravesui zagravei diagraventcThe toilet is next to the lift
12ycngjiacuteligrave hfixiaacute zagravei ycngguoacute heacute ffguoacute The English Channel lies between England and France
13 ( )wagravezi heacute shiutagraveo ddu fagraveng zagravei guigravezi ( )( fagraveng lsquoput keeprsquo) Socks and gloves are all kept in thewardrobe
14 bcngxiang zagravei xhycjcThe fridge is on the left of the washing-machine
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
133
15bigravengreacuten zuograve zagravei ycshbng heacute hugraveshi ( ycshbng lsquodoctor eitherphysician or surgeonrsquo)The patient was sitting between the doctor and the nurse
16 digravetuacute guagrave zagravei hbibfnThe map is hanging on the right-hand side of the blackboard
17boacutewugravegufn zagravei yiacutenhaacuteng ( boacutewugravegufn lsquomuseumrsquo)The museum is behind the bank
18yc quacuten reacuten zhagraven zagravei dagraveloacuteuA crowd of people were standing all around the building
Exercise 132
Translate the following phrases into Chinese In some cases there maybe two possible versions
1 at the university2 at the bus-stop3 in the wardrobe4 in the north of the city5 in a box6 in bed7 in the middle of the room8 at the foot of the mountain9 on the bus
10 under a tree
Exercise 133
Decide which of the following sentences is incorrect and make correctionswhere necessary paying special attention to the use of appropriate postpositions
1 bagraveozhh zagravei zhudziThe newspaper is on the table
2 wezi li tamen zagravei kaihuigraveThey are having a meeting in the room
3 tagraveiwugraveshigrave heacute shigrave ycngguoacute li yiumiacutengde heacuteThe Thames is a famous river in Britain
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
134
11 next to Mother12 above the swimming-pool13 in front of the library14 behind the house15 by the river16 on the table17 near the park18 around the child19 at my grandparsquos house20 in the west
4ycshbng zagravei bigravengreacuten de chuaacuteng zhagraven le ychuigraver | meacuteiyiu shud huagraveThe doctor stood by the patientrsquos bed for a while without saying a word
5 megraveimei zagravei tuacuteshegufn kagraven she
My younger sister was reading in the library6 D yeacuteye zagravei chuaacuteng shang tfng zhe
Grandpa was lying in bed7 nh de yagraveoshi zagravei meacuten li
Your key is in the door8 sheshu gdngzuograve zagravei luacutenden
My uncle works in London9 ta zagravei meacuten qiaacuten zhagraven
She was standing in front of the house (lit in front of the door)10 nfinai zuograve zagravei shafa shang
Grandmother is sitting on the sofa11 jcnyuacute yoacuteu zagravei shuhchiacute li
The goldfish are swimming in the pool12 diagravenyhngyuagraven zagravei xieacutediagraven zui
The cinema is to the left of the shoe shop13 bagraveozhh li yiu bugrave shfo gufnggagraveo
There are quite a few advertisements in the newspaper14 tian li meacutei yiu yuacuten
There are no clouds in the sky
Exercise 134
Six people have rooms in a block of flats The diagram shows wherethey live in relation to one another Complete these sentences with thewords in the list (Each word may only be used once)
zuibian loacuteuxiagrave xiagravemianzhdngjian ddngmiagraven loacuteushagraveng
A B C (upstairs)WEST D E F (downstairs) EAST
1 B A CB zhugrave zagravei | zhugrave zagravei A heacute C
2 E D F E zhugrave zagravei D| zhugrave zagravei F
3 F C F zhugrave zagravei| zhugrave zagravei C
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
135
Exercise 135
Tick the correct Chinese translation(s) for each of the English sentencesbelow paying particular attention to the positioning of the locationphrase
1 The beef is cooking in the pot ( niuacuterograveu lsquobeefrsquo)D niuacuterograveu zagravei gud li zhj zhe
D niuacuterograveu zagravei gud zhj zheniuacuterograveu zhj zagravei gud li
2 A friend of mine works in a hospital
wi de yc gegrave peacutengyou zagravei yc jia ycyuagraven gdngzuograve
wi de yc gegrave peacutengyou gdngzuograve zagravei yc jia ycyuagraven
wi de yc gegrave peacutengyou zagravei yc jia ycyuagraven li gdngzuograve
3 We live in Pariswimen zhugrave zagravei baliacutewimen zhugrave zagravei baliacute liwimen zagravei baliacute zhugrave
4 She is waiting for you at the museumta zagravei boacutewugravegufn dgng nh
ta dgng nh zagravei boacutewugravegufnta zagravei boacutewugravegufn li dgng nh
5 A flock of sheep is feeding at the foot of the hillyiu yc quacuten yaacuteng zagravei shanjifo xiagrave chc cfoyiu yc quacuten yaacuteng chc cfo zagravei shanjifo xiagrave
6 My uncle is sunbathing by the seawi sheshu zagravei hfi bian shagravei tagraveiyangwi sheshu shagravei tagraveiyang zagravei hfi bian
Pattern and vocabulary drill 131
Put the given subject location and verb phrase together into a sen-tence using first zagravei and then dagraveo qugrave (following the models given below) and translate the finished sentences into English
a jigjie zagravei cfodigrave shang shagravei tagraveiyangSister is sunbathing on the grass
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
136
b jigjie dagraveo cfodigrave shang qugrave shagravei tagraveiyangSister went sunbathing on the grass
1 digravedi younger brother shafa shang on the sofashuigravejiagraveo sleep
2 yeacuteye grandpa gdngyuaacuten li in the parkdf tagraveijiacutequaacuten practise Trsquoai Chi
3 bagraveba father heacute bian by the riverdiagraveo yuacute go fishingangling
4 mama mother cheacuteng li in townmfi cagravei buy food
5 nfinai grandma peacutengyou jia a friendrsquos placedf maacutejiagraveng play mah-jong
6 megraveimei younger sister xueacutexiagraveo li at schoolxueacute chagravenggb learn singingtake singing lessons
7 gbge elder brother tuacuteshegufn librarykagraven she do some reading
8 boacutebo fatherrsquos elder brother (paternal uncle) boacutewugravegufn museum
gdngzuograve work9 sheshu fatherrsquos younger brother (paternal uncle)
cagraveiyuaacuten li in the vegetable gardenzhograveng cagravei plant vegetables
10 gemj fatherrsquos elder sister (paternal aunt)huayuaacuten li in the garden
zhograveng hua plant flowers11 yiacutemj motherrsquos elderyounger sister (maternal aunt)
ycyuagraven in the hospitalkagravenbigraveng see a doctor
12 jiugravejiu motherrsquos elderyounger brother (maternal uncle)caochfng shang on the sports ground
pfobugrave go jogging13 boacutebo heacute boacutemj fatherrsquos elder brother and his wife
(paternal uncle and aunt)baliacute Parisdugravejiagrave spend their holidays
14 gemj heacute gezhagraveng fatherrsquos elder sister and her husband(paternal uncle and aunt)
bgijcng Beijinglsxiacuteng on a tour
15 yiacutemj heacute yiacutezhagraveng motherrsquos elderyounger sister and herhusband (maternal aunt and uncle)
luacutenden Londonkagraven qiuacutesagravei watch a footballtennisetc match
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
137
16 gbge heacute wi my elder brother and Idiagravenyhngyuagraven cinemakagraven diagravenyhng see a filmmovie
17 wi heacute digravedi my younger brother and I jia li at homekagraven diagravenshigrave watch television (Please note that only one
version is possible here)18 gbge heacute ta de ns peacutengyou elder brother and his
girlfriendkafbigufn coffee barhb kafbi drink coffee
19 jigjie heacute ta de naacuten peacutengyou elder sister and herboyfriend
yc jia shangdiagraven li in a shopmfi ycfu buy clothes
20 (D) jiugravemj dagravei (zhe) wi motherrsquos elderyounger brotherrsquoswife (maternal aunt) taking me with her
wagraveimagraveidiagraven a Chineseetc take-awaymfi wagraveimagravei buy take-away food
21 (D) jiugravejiu dagravei (zhe) wi digravedi motherrsquos elderyoungerbrother (maternal uncle) taking my younger brother with him
shatan shang on the beachqiacute mf ride on horsebackride horses go horse riding
22 (D) sheshu dagravei (zhe) wi gbge fatherrsquos youngerbrother (paternal uncle) taking my elder brother with him
jib shang in the streetqiacute zigravexiacutengchb cycle ride bicycles
Pattern and vocabulary drill 132
Translate into Chinese
1 Inside is better than outside2 Irsquoll wait for you inside the cinema3 There is no one upstairs4 Therersquos someone behind you5 Is there a public toilet in here6 In the photograph my father is sitting on the left my mother is
sitting on the right and I am standing between them7 Where do you live in China8 Please park your car on the road in front of the library9 Donrsquot sit on that chair
10 His money is in a box under the bed
13Verbs andlocationexpres-sions
138
UNIT FOURTEENVerbs and time expressions
139
A Expressions which indicate the time at which something happensare generally placed before the verb They have an important relationshipwith the verb which in Chinese does not inflect or change its form toindicate tense (see also Unit 15) They therefore set the time contextfor the action of the verb The following examples illustrate this
wimen miacutengtian qugrave sagravenbugraveWersquoll go for a walk tomorrow
wimen zuoacutetian qugrave sagravenbugraveWe went for a walk yesterday
( ) wimen mgi tian (ddu) qugrave sagravenbugraveWe go for a walk every day
We can see from the above that the verbal phrase qugrave sagravenbugravelsquogo for a walkrsquo remains unchanged in each case though the English trans-lations differ to convey tense
Note A time expression may also be placed before the subject atthe beginning of the sentence where it tends to have a slightly moreemphatic meaning
miacutengtian wimen qugrave sagravenbugraveWe are going for a walk tomorrow
( )xiagravetian wimen mgi tian (ddu) qugrave sagravenbugraveWe go for a walk every day in the summer
An unmarked verb in Chinese without a preceding time expression usu-ally indicates either habit or intention
wi ziulugrave shagravengban I go to work (habit)on foot
wimen qugrave sagravenbugrave We are going for (intention)a walk
B Time expressions may take a number of different forms from thesimple as in the examples in A above to the more complex (see alsoUnit 8) Other examples of simple time expressions are
xiagravenzagravei nownowadaysyh qiaacuten previouslyyh hograveu afterwardsguogravequgrave in the pastjianglaacutei in the futureyuegraveche at the beginning of the monthyuegravedh at the end of the monthzhdumograve at the weekendqiaacuten jh niaacuten overin the past few yearsguograve jh tian in a few daysrsquo timeshagraveng gegrave shigravejigrave in the last centuryyiu yc tian one day
tamen zhdumograve qugrave hfi bian dugravejiagraveThey are going on holiday by the sea at the weekend
wi de dagrave eacuterzi xiagravenzagravei zagravei yoacuteujuacute gdngzuograveMy eldest son is working at the post office now
guograve jh tian wi de fugravemj laacutei zhegraver tagravenwagraveng wimenIn a few days my parents will come here to visit us
yiu yc tian ta laacutei wi jia kagraven wi
One day he came to my place to see me
Note When both time and location expressions are present in a sen-tence the time expression always precedes the location expression
Other more complex phrases indicating before after and during an actionor (period of) time are formed by putting one of the following at theend of the time or verb phrase ( ) (yhzhc) qiaacuten lsquoagobeforersquo ( ) (yhzhc) hograveu lsquolaterafterrsquo ( ) ( ) (de) shiacute(hou) lsquowhen while rsquo and ( ) (zhc) zhdng lsquoduringrsquo
san gegrave xcngqc yh qiaacuten three weeks agothree weeks before
huiacute jia zhc qiaacuten before going homelifng gegrave yuegrave qiaacuten two months agotwo
months before
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
140
wj fbn zhdng zhc five minutes laterin hograveu five minutesrsquo
timeafter five minuteschc wfnfagraven yh hograveu after (eating) supperyc niaacuten hograveu a year laterin a yearrsquos
timeafter a yearcfi cfomeacutei de shiacutehou while picking
strawberrieswimen qugrave zhdngguoacute when we went to de shiacutehou Chinakagraven she shiacute when readingxugravenliagraven zhdng during training
lifng gegrave yuegrave yh hograveu wi qugrave kagraven tamenI went to see them two months later
ta chc wfnfagraven yh hograveu qugrave kagraven diagravenyhngAfter (shersquos had) supper she is going to see a filmAfter supper shewent to see a film
wi xiagraveban de shiacutehou pegravengjiagraven taI met him when I came off work
huiacute jia zhc qiaacuten ta qugrave tuacuteshegufn jiegrave she
She is going to borrow some books from the library before she goeshomeShe went to borrow some books from the library before shewent home
Note 1 A more general time expression always precedes a morespecific one when both are present
negravei tian xugravenliagraven zhdngthat day during the training session
xiagrave xcngqc liugrave shagravengwj shiacute difn liacuteng wj fbnfive past ten1005 am next Saturday morning
Note 2 Specific time expressions formed by a lsquoverb or activity noun+ qiaacutenhograveushiacutezhdngrsquo may sometimes incorporate the word
zagravei lsquoatinonrsquo
negravei gegrave yugravendogravengyuaacuten zuoacutetian zagravei xugravenliagraven zhdng shograveu le shangThat athlete was injured yesterday during a training session
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
141
C Time words like chaacutengchaacuteng lsquofrequentlyoftenrsquo yhjcnglsquoalreadyrsquo and mfshagraveng lsquoimmediatelyat oncersquo etc which indicateless specific time must follow (and not precede) the subject if thereis one
ta chaacutengchaacuteng qugrave yoacuteuying He often goes swimming( ) wi mfshagraveng (jiugrave) laacutei Irsquoll be with you in a minute
(lit I immediately come)
One cannot say
chaacutengchaacuteng ta qugrave yoacuteuying ( ) mfshagraveng wi (jiugrave) laacutei
D Time words or expressions are sometimes used in conjunction with aspect markers which indicate the completion the continuationthe experience etc of an action (see Unit 15)
wi yhjcng kagraven waacuten le negravei bgn xifoshud
Irsquove already finished reading that novel
ta san suigrave de shiacutehou shbng guo ligravejiacute ( ligravejiacutedysentery)He suffered from dysentery when he was three
E Duration expressions which indicate the length of time an actionlasts or the time since an action has taken place are generally placedimmediately after the verb (compare the discussion of the time dura-tion question in Unit 9)
ta zagravei zhegraver zhugrave le bagraven niaacutenHe stayed here for six months (lit He stayed here for half a year)
wi jcntian gdngzuograve le ba xifoshiacuteI worked for eight hours today
nh de peacutengyou yhjcng dgng le egraver shiacute fbn zhdng leYour friend has already been waiting twenty minutes
wimen dagraveo lelaacutei le yc gegrave bagraven yuegrave leItrsquos one month and a half since we arrivedWersquove been here for amonth and a half
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
142
lh xiansheng liacutekai le san gegrave dud xcngqc leItrsquos over three weeks now since Mr Li leftMr Li has been gone forover three weeks
Note 1 In the last two examples the verbs dagraveo lsquoto arriversquo laacutei lsquoto comersquo liacutekai lsquoto leaversquo do not themselves express anyduration of action but the time phrase that follows indicates the timesince the action took place
Note 2 The implication of the presence of le at the end of thesentence as seen in a number of the sentences above is analysedin Intermediate Chinese Units 1 and 8
If the verb has a noun object the duration expression is placedbetween the verb and the noun object with or without de
( ) wi kagraven le lifng gegrave xifoshiacute (de) she
I read for two hours
( ) wimen tiagraveo le yc gegrave wfnshang (de) wj
We danced all evening
( ) ta xueacute guo san niaacuten (de) zhdngweacutenHersquos studied Chinese for three years
However if the object is a personal (pro)noun or a noun indicatinglocation the duration expression is normally placed after the object
waacuteng lfoshc jiao le wimenwimen haacuteizi lifng niaacutenMrMiss Wang our teacher taught usour children for two years
wi fugravemj laacutei bgijcng wj gegrave yuegrave leMy parents have been in Beijing for five months now
An alternative for that is to repeat the verb after the verb object phraseand then follow this verb with the duration expression (compare dura-tion questions in Unit 9)
wimen taacutentian taacuten le yc gegrave zhdngtoacuteuWe chatted for an hour
tamen xueacute zhdngweacuten zuacutezuacute xueacute le san niaacutenThey studied Chinese for fully three years
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
143
In this format the emphasis is more on the actual period of time andinvolves some degree of comment on the part of the speaker
F Brief duration is generally expressed by the idiomatic expressionycxiagrave lsquoa momentrsquo or ychuigraver lsquoa whilersquo
qhng nh xian zuograve ycxiagravePlease first take a seat for a moment
qhng dgng ycxiagravePlease wait a minute
zaacutenmen xiexi ychuigraver baLetrsquos rest for a while
nh neacuteng zagravei zhegraver dgng wi ycxiagrave ma (following a pronoun object)Can you wait here a minute for me
Note ba is a sentence particle indicating a tentative request (seeUnit 20)
If the verb has a noun object the brief duration expression is likewiseplaced between the verb and the noun object but without de
wimen zagravei gdngyuaacuten li sagraven le ychuigraverycxiagrave bugraveWe went for a walk in the park
One does not usually say
wimen zagravei gdngyuaacuten li sagraven le ychuigraver deycxiagrave de bugrave
An alternative way of expressing brief duration is to repeat the verbIf the verb is a monosyllable yc may be placed between the twoverbs or le if a past action is referred to
zaacutenmen yaacutenjie yaacutenjieWersquoll look intoconsider it
qhng nh zagravei wagraveimian dgng yc dgngPlease wait outside for a moment
qhng dagravejia kagraven yc kagraven jcntian de bagraveozhh
Will everyone please have a look at todayrsquos newspaper
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
144
geniang xiagraveo le xiagraveoThe girl gave a smile
ta difn le difn toacuteuHe nodded
zaacutenmen qugrave sagraven sagraven bugraveLetrsquos go for a walk
G A duration expression may be placed before the verb with dduandor a negator to emphasize the fact that for that whole specifiedperiod of time something diddoeswill happen all the time or diddoeswill not happen at all
ta zhgngtian ddu zagravei jia li kangufn haacuteiziAll day she was looking after the children at home
) ta yc gegrave lhbagravei (ddu) meacutei chduyan leHe hasnrsquot smoked for a whole week
H Expressions indicating frequency like those indicating duration areplaced immediately after the verb
wimen taacuten guo lifng cigraveWe have talked to each other twiceWersquove had a couple of talks
tamen laacutei le san tagravengThey came three times
If the verb has a noun object the frequency expression is placedbetween the verb and the noun object
wi fugravexiacute le lifng biagraven kegraveweacutenI revised my lessons twice
ta yhjcng kai guo san cigrave dao leShersquos been operated on three times already
wimen jiagraven guo hgn dud cigrave miagravenWe have met many times
Note Unlike duration expressions de is not used with fre-quency expressions
One cannot say
wi fugravexiacute le lifng biagraven de kegraveweacuten
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
145
If the object is a noun indicating place the frequency expression mayalso follow the object
wi qugrave le yiacutenhaacuteng lifng tagravengI went to the bank twice (lit I made two trips to the bank)
If the object is a personal (pro)noun the frequency expression mustnormally follow the pronoun
duigravezhfng zhfo le nh nh gbge jh cigraveThe team captain looked for youyour elder brother several times
Note cigrave indicates the number of times (in general) tagraveng thenumber of trips made and biagraven the number of times from begin-ning to the end
It is also possible but not particularly common for the frequency expres-sion to follow a repeated verb (as with duration expressions discussedabove)
wi zhfo ta zhfo le san cigraveI looked for him three times
tamen qugrave bgijcng qugrave guo hfo jh tagravengThey have been to Beijing quite a number of times
I Like duration expressions frequency expressions may also beplaced immediately before the verb with ddu andor a negator toindicate that for all the specified time or times something diddoeswillhappen or diddoeswill not happen
tamen mgi cigrave ddu dagravei haacuteizi laacuteiThey brought (their) children each time
duigravezhfng san chfng bhsagravei ddu meacutei jigraven qiuacute leThe team captain hasnrsquot scored in the last three matches
ta shiacute cigrave ddu meacutei zhogravengHe hasnrsquot won (a prize) in ten attempts (lit for ten times)
Exercise 141
Place the timedurationfrequency expression or expressions given inbrackets in the Chinese sentences below to provide a correct transla-tion of the English
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
146
1 I am going to Beijing tomorrowwi qugrave bgijcng ( miacutengtian lsquotomorrowrsquo)
2 I am going to Beijing for two dayswi qugrave bgijcng ( lifng tian lsquofor two daysrsquo)
3 I went to Beijing last yearwi qugrave le bgijcng ( qugraveniaacuten lsquolast yearrsquo)
4 I am going to Beijing in two daysrsquo timewi qugrave bgijcng ( lifng tian hograveu lsquotwo days laterrsquo)
5 I am going to Beijing before I get marriedwi qugrave bgijcng ( jieacutehen qiaacuten lsquobefore getting marriedrsquo)
6 I am going to Beijing twice next yearwi yagraveo qugrave bgijcng
( miacutengniaacuten lsquonext yearrsquo lifng cigrave lsquotwicersquo)7 I have not been to Beijing for six months
wi meacutei qugrave bgijcng le( bagraven niaacuten lsquohalf a year six monthsrsquo)
8 I go to Beijing for a fortnight every summerwi qugrave bgijcng
( bagraven gegrave yuegrave lsquohalf a month a fortnightrsquo mgi niaacutenxiagravetian lsquoevery summerrsquo (lit every year summer))
Exercise 142
Re-write the following sentences to include the time expressions givenin brackets
1 ta qugrave le shagravenghfiHe went to Shanghai (the year before last)
2 mama liacutekai ycngguoacuteMy mother left Britain (last month)
3 gbge qugrave yoacuteuying(My) elder brother went swimming (on Tuesday)
4 yeacuteye mgi tian ddu kagraven xifoshud
Grandpa reads novels every day (for 2 or 3 hours)5 wi zagravei xueacutexiacute hagravenyj
Irsquom learning Chinese (now)6 wimen quaacuten jia qugrave hfibcn
Our whole family are going to the seaside (next weekend)7 wimen qugrave tiagraveowj
We go to a dance (every Thursday evening)8 xifo zhang qugrave yiacutenhaacuteng
Xiao Zhang is going to the bank (next Monday)9 qhng zagravei zhegraver dgng wi
Please wait for me here (for five minutes)
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
147
10 wi qugraveniaacuten qugrave tagravenwagraveng wi fugravemj
I went to see my parents last year (twice)
Exercise 143
Decide which of these sentences are incorrect and make correctionsas required
1 tamen chaacutengchaacuteng qugrave kagraven diagravenyhngThey often go to see a film
2 ta zagravei hfi li yoacuteu le ying ychuigraverHe swam in the sea for a while
3 mfshagraveng wi shagravengbanI am going to work immediately
4 ycnyuegravehuigrave ganggang kaishh
The concert has just started5 wimen jigravede ta yingyufn ( yingyufn lsquofor everrsquo)
We will remember him for ever6 wi bagraveba zingshigrave hgn wfn shuigravejiagraveo
( ) zingshigrave lsquoalwaysrsquo)My father always goes to bed late
7 wi xig le xigraven yhjcng leI have already written the letter
8 duigravezhfng kagravenjiagraven ganggang xifo lhThe team captain saw Xiao Li just now
9zhegravei duigrave fefugrave zhgng niaacuten ddu zagravei wagraveidigrave lsyoacuteuThis couple were away travelling all the year long
10 ta lifng cigrave ddu laacutei leShe turned up both times
11 ta lifng cigrave laacutei le zhegraverShersquos been here twice
12yeacuteye heacute nfinai jcntian bagraven gegrave zhdngtoacuteu sagravenbugraveMy grandparents went for a walk for half an hour today
Exercise 144
Translate these sentences into English paying attention to the way in which Chinese time expressions affect the tenses of the English verb
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
148
1 ( )jcntian zfoshang wi yoacuteu le lifng gegrave xifoshiacute (de) ying
2wi de ycngguoacute peacutengyou zagravei zhdngguoacute zhugrave le lifng gegrave yuegrave
3tamen yhjcng xueacute le lifng niaacuten zhdngweacuten le
4huigraveyigrave kaishh le sigrave shiacute fbn zhdng le ( huigraveyigrave lsquomeetingrsquo)
5miacutengtian xiagravewj wi heacute toacutengxueacute qugrave tc zuacuteqiuacute( tc zuacuteqiuacute lsquoto play footballrsquo (lit to kick football))
6megraveimei zhgng wfn ddu zagravei nagraver xig xigraven( zhgng wfn lsquothe whole eveningrsquo)
7waacuteng xiansheng heacute ta de qczi miacutengniaacuten qugrave zhdngguoacute dugravejiagrave
8ta qugraveniaacuten liugraveyuegrave bigraveyegrave ( bigraveyegrave lsquoto graduatersquo)
9digravedi mfi le yc shuang hgn piagraveoliang de qiuacutexieacute ( qiuacutexieacute lsquosportsshoesrsquo)
10wi bagraveba chaacutengchaacuteng qiacute zigravexiacutengchb qugrave shagravengban
11wi san cigrave ddu zagravei ta jia dai le bagraven gegrave zhdngtoacuteu
12negravei tian wfnshang ta tiagraveo le san gegrave zhdngtoacuteu de wj
Exercise 145
Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1 Did you try steamed bread when you were in China2 Can you wait outside for a minute3 Letrsquos sit in the park for a while4 Can you look after my child for a while5 We went strawberry-picking for an hour6 She glanced briefly at that photograph ( zhagraveopiagraven
lsquophotographrsquo)7 Please have a look at todayrsquos paper first8 He hasnrsquot touched alcohol for the whole year9 I have known him for three years
10 Irsquove already had a bath ( xhzfo lsquoto have a bathrsquo)
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
149
Pattern and vocabulary drill 141
Formulate sentences after the given model
person Itime guogravequgrave lsquoin the pastrsquovenue zagravei yc jia yiacutenhaacuteng lsquoin a bankrsquoaction work
wi guogravequgrave zagravei yc jia yiacutenhaacuteng shagravengbangdngzuograveI used to work in a bank
1 person my neighbourtime next monthvenue at homeaction qhngkegrave lit lsquoinvite guests to dinnerrsquo
2 person wi de yc gegrave zhdngxueacute toacutengxueacute a secondary schoolmate of minetime next weekvenue zagravei yc jian jiagraveotaacuteng in a churchaction jjxiacuteng henlh get married (lit hold a wedding ceremony)
3 person Itime next weekdestination dagraveo jiagraveotaacuteng qugrave go to the churchaction canjia henlh attend the wedding ceremony
4 person my (maternal) uncletime last yeardestination Chinaaction canjia agraveoliacutenphkegrave yugravendogravenghuigrave takepart in the Olympic Games
5 persons my elder sister and her boyfriendtime last monthdestination Europeaction spend their holidays
6 persons my grandpa and grandmatime next yeardestination Beijingaction visit their Chinese friends
7 person my Chinese teachertime six months agodestination dagraveo ycngguoacute laacutei come to Britainaction see me
8 person my paternal auntrsquos husbandtime tomorrow morning
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
150
destination hospitalaction have an injection
9 persons my two fellow studentstime next Saturdayvenue in Londonaction watch a football match
10 persons my younger brother and Itime last Sundayvenue in a park near the universityaction learn Trsquoai Chi
Pattern and vocabulary drill 142
Formulate sentences after the given model
person Itime yesterday afternoonvenue in the university libraryaction readduration two hours and a half
wi zuoacutetian xiagravewj zagravei dagravexueacute tuacuteshegufn kagraven le lifng gegrave bagravenxifoshiacutezhdngtoacuteu de she
1 person yiu (yc) gegrave ycngguoacute yugravendogravengyuaacutena British athletegeneral time last summerspecific time zagravei xugravenliagraven zhdng during trainingaction dfpograve le zigravejh de jigravelugrave break hisher ownrecordfrequency three times
2 person a bank managertime last Marchvenue in Chinaaction stayduration two weeks
3 person a friend of minetime three years agovenue in Britainaction xueacute diagravennfo learn computingduration two months
4 person my younger brothertime next autumndestination China
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
151
action learn Chineseduration two months and a half
5 person Itime the day before yesterdayvenue in the streetaction ride a bicycleduration half an hour
6 person a Chinese cheftime a year and a half agovenue zagravei diagravenshigrave shang on televisionaction bifoyfn leyfnshigrave le demostrated (his skills)frequency many times
7 persons my parentstime yesterday eveningvenue at the railway stationaction wait for meduration 20 minutes
8 person my uncle (ie fatherrsquos younger brother)time this morningvenue on the beachaction sunbatheduration an hour and a half
9 persons we (the speaker and the listener)time tomorrow after schooldestination parkaction go for a walkduration an hour
10 person my elder brothertime every weekvenue in the post officeaction workduration two days
Pattern and vocabulary drill 143
Translate the following sentences into Chinese making use of the rhetor-ical effect of placing a duration or frequency expression before the verband being aware of the need for the sentence particle le where appro-priate to highlight the changed or changing situation
1 The patient did not eat anything for the last three days2 I havenrsquot seen my doctor even once for the last two years3 I stayed at my parentsrsquo home the whole summer
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
152
4 For the whole month she looked after her children at home5 He has not smoked for a year now6 I havenrsquot touched beer for a whole week now7 He brought a bottle of wine with him every time he came8 I havenrsquot bumped into him for the last few years9 He goes to Beijing once a year
10 They see each other twice a week
14Verbs and timeexpres-sions
153
154
UNIT FIFTEENVerbs and aspect markers
A Although as indicated in Unit 14 Chinese verbs do not express tense they are often linked with an aspect marker which may indicatethe completion experience continuation etc of an action With theexception of zagravei (see below) aspect markers are placed directly afterthe verb
The most common aspect markers are
le completed actionguo past experiencezagravei an action in progress
D zhe a continuous state resulting from an actionan accompanying action
qhlaacutei an actiona state which has just startedxiagravequgrave an action which is to be continuedxiagravelaacutei an actiona state which is gradually changing
into non-action or a quieter state
B le indicates that the action of the verb has been completed Ittherefore often occurs in narrative sentences where the marking of anaction as being completed becomes important However a verb with
le is naturally followed by a noun which is the subjectinitiatorrsquos premeditated goal that is something which the subjectinitiator setsout to do This means that all nouns that occur after le on their ownare bound to be of definite reference unless they are specified asindefinite For example
(i) nouns that occur after le on their own
wi xig le xigravenI wrote the letter
ta mfi le piacutenggui
He bought the apples
(ii) nouns that occur after le with some kind of extension
( ) wi xig le (yc) fbng xigravenI wrote a letter
ta mfi le hgn dud piacutenggui
He bought a lot of apples
As we can see from the sentences in (ii) xigraven is modified by ( )(yc)fbng and piacutenggui by hgn dud If le is followed by anunmodified noun as in (i) for example wi xig le xigraven or ta mfi le piacutenggui the sentence will sound incompleteand it cannot stand on its own
Grammatically there are two ways to make such a sentence sound com-plete one is to end the sentence with the particle le the other is toadd another clause to round it off
1 Add the sentence particle le
wi xig le xigraven le I have finished writing the letter(s)
wi mfi le piacutenggui le I have bought the apples (we need)
2 Add another verb or verb phrase
wi xig le xigraven jiugrave qugrave jigrave xigraven leAs soon as I had written the letter I went to post it
wi mfi le piacutenggui jiugrave huiacute jia leI went home as soon as I had bought the apples
Completed action of course in most cases refers to something completedin the past and an English translation would naturally use the presentperfect tense or the simple past (or even past perfect) tense A com-pleted action however may take place in the future as the followingexamples show
wi xiagrave le ban jiugrave qugrave zhfo nh
When I finish workhave come off work I will come (lit go) and see you
qhng nh kagraven le ycshbng jiugrave qugrave dfzhbnWhen you have seen the doctor please go and have the injection
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
155
Note 1 jiugrave is usually placed before the verb in the second partof the sentence and implies that the action of this verb follows fromthe action of the verb in the first part of the sentence
Note 2 le is also used after adjectives intransitive verbs orverbs indicating or incorporating complements of results to indicatea situation or state which has emerged or is emerging This use of
le particularly when it occurs at the end of a statement links withthe sentence particle le at the end of sentences to indicate a changeof state as the speaker sees it (For a full discussion of sentence le see Intermediate Chinese Unit 1)
yeacuteye de bigraveng hfo le (adjective)Grandpa is well again
wi de bifo tiacuteng le (intransitive verb)My watch has stopped
ta de kugravezi pograve le (verb indicating result)His trousers are torn
digravedi de ycfu quaacuten liacuten shc le (verb incor-porating result complement)(My) younger brother got soaked
C guo implies past experience It occurs often in expository sen-tences where statements are of a factual nature
wi chc guo jifoziI have had (tried) Chinese dumplings before
wi megraveimei qugrave guo chaacutengcheacutengMy younger sister has been to the Great Wall
zhegravei san gegrave yuegrave wi zhh jiagraven guo jcnglhyc cigraveI have seen the manager only once in the last three months
Note We can see that the experience indicated by guo does not necessarily refer to what has been experienced in onersquos lifetime Itmay also refer to a specified period ndash eg lsquothe last three monthsrsquo asin the last example Likewise the common enquiry or greeting
nh chc guo fagraven meacuteiyiu lsquoHave you eatenrsquo refers in thespeakerrsquos mind to the immediate past The distinction between
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
156
completed action le and experience guo can be seen from thefollowing
tamen qugrave le zhdngguoacute leThey have gone to China (and they are in China now)
tamen qugrave guo zhdngguoacuteThey have been to China before (and they are now back hereor somewhere else)
guo like le as we have seen in Unit 2 is often associated withyesno questions using meacuteiyiu
nh chc le jifozi meacuteiyiuHave you tried the Chinese dumplings
nh chc guo jifozi meacuteiyiuHave you ever tried Chinese dumplings before
D ( ) (zhegraveng)zagravei which precedes the verb indicates that anaction is in progress
( ) ( ) bagraveba (zhegraveng)zagravei Father is repairingxie(lh) qigravechb his car
( ) tamen (zhegraveng)zagravei They are having a kaihuigrave meeting
Note 1 If a location phrase with zagravei precedes the verb theaspect marker zagravei is not needed
( ) ta (zhegraveng)zagravei huayuaacuten li gb cfoHe iswas in the garden mowing the grass
One does not say
( ) ta (zhegraveng)zagravei zagravei huayuaacuten li gb cfo(lit He iswas mowing the grass in the garden)
Note 2 Like le ( ) (zhegraveng)zagravei itself carries no indication oftense since the action may be in progress at any time in the pastpresent or future (other particles indicating progress will be discussedin Intermediate Chinese)
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
157
( ) ta xiagravenzagravei (zhegraveng)zagravei xueacutexiacute zhdngweacutenShe is studying Chinese now
( ) ta negravei niaacuten (zhegraveng)zagravei xueacutexiacute zhdngweacutenShe was studying Chinese that year
miacutengtian zfoshang ta ycdigraveng zagraveixueacutexiacute zhdngweacutenShersquoll certainly be studying Chinese tomorrow morning
E D zhe conveys either
(i) a continuous state resulting from an action
D ta chuan zhe yc tiaacuteo hoacuteng quacutenziShe iswas wearing a red skirt
D ta dagravei zhe yc dhng baacutei magraveoziHe iswas wearing a white hat(The action of lsquoputting onrsquo the skirt or the hat results in thelsquowearingrsquo of them)
D qiaacuteng shang guagrave zhe yc fuacute shanshuh huagraveA Chinese landscape painting is hanging on the wall (lit Onthe wall is hanging a Chinese landscape painting)(The action of lsquohanging a picturersquo results in the picture lsquobeing hungrsquo)
or
(ii) an accompanying action (an action which takes place at the sametime as another action)
D tamen zuograve zhe liaacuteotianThey sitsat chattingThey arewere sitting there chatting
D ta xiagraveo zhe difn le difn toacuteuShe nodded smiling
D tamen hbng zhe gbr ziu le jigravenlaacuteiThey came in humming a tune
As we can see from the above illustrations if ( ) (zhegraveng)zagravei occursmore often in narrative sentences recounting an action in progress Dzhe occurs more often in descriptive sentences where it associates anaction with a manner of execution or a resultant state
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
158
F qhlaacutei implies that an action or state has just started
tamen chfo qhlaacutei leThey (have) started to quarrel
ta ke qhlaacutei leShe (has) started crying
tian lgng qhlaacutei leIt beganhas begun to get colder
When an object follows the verb it is placed between qh and laacutei
tamen df qh jiagrave laacutei leThey (have) started fighting
tamen chagraveng qh gb laacutei leThey (have) started to sing
wagraveimian xiagrave qh yj laacutei leIt beganhas begun to rain (outside)
One cannot say
dfjiagrave qhlaacutei df qhlaacutei jiagrave (lit starthave startedfighting) chagravenggb qhlaacutei (lit starthave started singing)
G xiagravequgrave indicates the continuation of an action
nh shud xiagravequgrave Go onCarry on(talking)
tamen huigrave dai xiagravequgrave ma Will they stay on
xiagravequgrave is not used where the verb has an object
One cannot say
nh shud xiagrave huagrave qugrave nh shudhuagrave xiagravequgrave(lit Go onCarry on (talking))
H xiagravelaacutei implies that an action has gradually ceased or subsidedor a situation has become more settled or quiet
chb tiacuteng xiagravelaacutei leThe car came to a stop(originally the car was moving)
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
159
wi xifng zagravei zhegraver zhugrave xiagravelaacuteiI would like to settle down here(originally I was always on the move)
dagravejia ddu jigraveng xiagravelaacutei leEverybody has become quiet(originally there was a lot of noise)
As with qhlaacutei if the verb has an object the object comes betweenxiagrave and laacutei
ta tiacuteng xiagrave chb laacuteiHe brought the car to a stop
ta an xiagrave xcn laacuteiShe feels at ease (now)She is no longer worried
Note In most of the examples for qhlaacutei and xiagravelaacutei leoccurs at the end of the sentence Here le is functioning as a sentence particle not an aspect marker and implies a change of circumstance (see Intermediate Chinese Unit 1) For further uses of
qhlaacutei xiagravequgrave and xiagravelaacutei as directional complementssee Unit 21
Exercise 151
Add D zhe le guo or zagravei to the sentences below to completethe translation of the English in each case In some cases there maybe more than one possibility
1 ta chagravenggb
He is singing2 yeacuteye dagravei yc fugrave yfnjigraveng
Grandpa is wearing a pair of glasses3 wi jiagraven dagrave xioacutengmao
I have seen a giant panda4 ta xiagraveo shudhuagrave
She spoke smiling5 ta bbi bbibao qugrave paacute shan
He went climbing with a rucksack on his back6 wi die yc bf yagraveoshi
I (have) lost a key
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
160
7 wi peacutengyou hb zhdngguoacute piacutejijMy friend has tried Chinese beer
8 lfoshc jifngjig kegraveweacutenThe teacher is explaining the text
9 jigjie mfi yc shuang piacutexieacute(My) elder sister bought a pair of leather shoes
10 tamen qugrave bgijcngThey have been to Beijing
11 shigravejiegrave biagravenhuagraveThe world is changing
12 sheacuteishuiacute bang nh de maacutengWho is helping you
13 ta jifnfeacuteiShe is slimmingtrying to lose weight
14 wi yhjcng chc wfnfagraven leIrsquove already had dinner
15xifo waacuteng gang shbng yc gegrave haacuteiziXiao Wang has just had a baby
Exercise 152
Translate the following sentences into Chinese paying particularattention to the use of appropriate aspect markers
1 He was wiping the window ( ( ) ca chuang(hu) lsquoto wipe thewindowrsquo)
2 They have been here3 I was watering the flowers ( jiao lsquoto waterrsquo)4 My friend is drinking beer5 The teacher was standing teaching the lesson
( zhagraven lsquoto standrsquo jifngkegrave lsquoto teach the lessonrsquo)6 He started dancing7 He is driving8 She bought a pair of shoes ( yc shuang lsquoa pair ofrsquo)9 Grandfather is watching television
( kagraven diagravenshigrave lsquoto watch televisionrsquo)10 Mother is wearing a beautiful hat
Exercise 153
Complete these sentences with either qhlaacutei xiagravequgrave or xiagravelaacutei according to the English translation
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
161
1 tamen chagraveng leThey began to sing
2 huichb tiacuteng leThe train came to a halt
3 nhmen zuograve baCarry on (with what you are doing)
4 tianqigrave regrave leThe weather got warmer
5 dagravejia jigraveng leEveryone quietened down
6 qhng nh shud
Please go on7 xifohaacutei ke le
The child began to cry8 lifng tiaacuteo yugravenheacute liaacuten le
The two canals were connected together9 zhegravei jiagraven shigrave wi xifng le
I recalled this matter10 jigravehuagrave digraveng le
The plan was decided upon
Exercise 154
Decide which of the following Chinese phrases are wrong and makecorrections as necessary
1 jifng xiagravelaacutei Carry on (with your story)2 xueacute qh xiacute laacutei begin to study3 xig qhlaacutei xigraven start to write letters4 xueacute xiagravelaacutei carry on learning5 yj tiacuteng xiagravelaacutei le the rain stopped6 chfo qhlaacutei jiagrave start quarrelling7 yoacuteuying qhlaacutei start swimming8 nufnhuo qhlaacutei get warmer9 cdngming xiagravelaacutei become more intelligent
10 magraven xiagravelaacutei gradually become slower
Pattern and vocabulary drill 151
Form sentences with the 12 nouns and verbsadjectives below usingqhlaacutei to imply that the action or state specified by the verb has just
started Sentence particle le must be added in each case to indicate
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
162
that a new situation has emerged or begun Translate the resultant sen-tences into English
1 megraveimei ke
2 digravedi xiagraveo3 toacutengxueacutemen chagravenggb
4 bagraveba heacute mama tiagraveowj
5 tian lgng6 tian xiagrave yj
7 gbge xueacute zhdngweacuten8 jigjie chuan hoacuteng quacutenzi9 tianqigrave regrave
10 baacuteitian chaacuteng11 lfo lh heacute xifo lh chfo12 negravei gegrave haacuteizi chduyan
Pattern and vocabulary drill 152
The following sentences feature the aspect markers D zhe and zagraveiIndicate in each case whether the sentence presents (a) a narrativerecounting an action or (b) a description If it is (b) say whether itdescribes a manner of execution or a resultant state
1 D jiugravejiu dagravei zhe yc fugrave hbiyfnjigravengtagraveiyaacutengjigraveng ( hbiyfnjigravengtagraveiyaacutengjigravenglsquosunglassesrsquo)
2 D megraveimei ke zhe ziu le jigravenlaacutei3 bagraveba heacute sheshu zhegravengzagravei taacutentian4 D digravedi zagravei shafa shang tfng zhe5 mama zagravei chuacutefaacuteng li zuogravefagraven6 D jiugravemj chuan zhe yc shuang hbi piacutexieacute7 wagraveimian zagravei xiagrave yj
8 D yeacuteye zagravei huayuaacuten li zuograve zhe9 jigjie zagravei faacutengjian li xig xigraven
10 D bagraveba shud zhe xiagraveo le qhlaacutei
Pattern and vocabulary drill 153
Translate the following sentences into English and point out for eachsentence whether qhlaacutei xiagravelaacutei or xiagravequgrave are indicativeof time or of space
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
163
1 haacuteizimen doacuteu zhagraven le qhlaacutei2 nsshigravemen ddu zuograve le xiagravelaacutei3 D tamen zuograve zhe liaacuteo qh tian laacutei4 zhegrave shiacutehou wagraveimian xiagrave qh xug laacutei le5 zhegravei jiagraven shigrave wi jigrave bu qhlaacutei le ( jigrave lsquoto
recallrsquo)6 D megraveimei shud zhe ke le qhlaacutei |
ta shud bu xiagravequgrave le7 wimen zagravei nagraver zhugrave le xiagravelaacutei8 zhegrave shiacutehou lfoshc ziu
le jigravenlaacutei | toacutengxueacutemen ddu jigraveng xiagravelaacutei le9 chb dagraveo le
chbzhagraven jiugrave tiacuteng le xiagravelaacutei | gegravegegrave cheacutengkegrave ddu ziu xiagrave chb laacutei10 D gbge naacute
qh yc bgn she laacutei | ta kagraven zhe xiagraveo le qhlaacutei | zagravei yg kagraven bu xiagravequgrave le( naacute lsquoto hold in handrsquo zagravei yg lsquoever again any morersquo
kagraven bugrave xiagravequgrave lsquocould no longer carry on readingrsquo)
15Verbs andaspectmarkers
164
UNIT SIXTEENModal verbs
165
Modal verbs in Chinese are very much like those in English (eg canmust should etc) They are placed directly before other verbs to indi-cate particular moods or attitudes They are generally negated by bugrave
A yagraveo and xifng are used to express wishes or desires
wi yagraveoxifng hb bbi chaacuteI would like a cup of tea (lit I would like to drink a cup of tea)
wi yagraveoxifng hb kafbi | bugrave yagraveoxifng hb chaacuteIrsquod like coffee not tea (lit I would like to drink coffee not tea)
nh yagraveoxifng xueacute zhdngweacutenycngweacuten maDo you wantAre you going to learn ChineseEnglish
Note In an instruction or command yagraveo used with a second-person pronoun can only express obligation
nh yagraveo zfo difn huiacute laacuteiYou must come back early
nh yagraveo xifoxcnYou must take care
bugrave yagraveo duigrave wi sahufngYou mustnrsquot lie to meDonrsquot lie to me
B yuagravenyi and kgn both indicate lsquowillingnessrsquo
ta kgnyuagravenyi bangzhugrave nh maIs he willing to help you
ta bugrave kgnyuagravenyi regravencuograveShe is unwilling to admit her mistakes
C gfn lsquodarersquo
ta gfn tiacuteche zigravejh de kagravenffHe daresdared to put forward his own ideas
wi bugrave gfn qugrave jiagraven taI darenrsquot go and see her
nh gfnDare you (do it)
nh gfn df taDare you hit him
D ( ) (ycng)gai lsquoought torsquo and dgi lsquohave torsquo
( ) nh (ycng)gai shuigrave leqhchuaacuteng leYou ought to go to bedget up
wi dgi ziu leI must be off now
Negative sentences with ( ) (ycng)gai on the other hand implyreproach or blame for something that has already happened andthose with bugrave deacute indicate (official) prohibition
nh bugrave gai gagraveosu taYou shouldnrsquot have told him
nh bugrave gai magrave taYou shouldnrsquot have scolded her
xiaacutenreacuten bugrave deacute rugrave negraveiNo admittanceAdmittance to staff only (lit casual people shouldnrsquotenter)
Note Note that bugrave deacute is used only for official prohibition Thenegative equivalent for the colloquial dgi lsquomustrsquo is in fact bugrave yograveng lsquono needrsquo or bugrave bigrave lsquono needrsquo
E bigravexe lsquomust have torsquo is strictly speaking an adverb but is usedlike a modal verb
miacutengtian wi bigravexe dagraveodaacute nagraverI must get there by tomorrow
16Modalverbs
166
wimen jcntian bigravexe waacutencheacuteng zhegravei gegrave gdngzuograveWe must finish this work today
Note As bigravexe is an adverb it does not have a negative formand bugrave bigrave bugrave yograveng lsquoneed notrsquo are used instead
nh bugrave bigrave bugrave yograveng qugrave leYou neednrsquot go (lit There is no need for you to go)
F neacuteng lsquocan may be able to be capable ofrsquo and kgyh lsquocanmayrsquo to some extent overlap in function
nh xiagravenzagravei kgyh ziu leYou may leavecan go now
ta shiacute fbn zhdng neacuteng pfo yc ycnglhHe can run a mile in ten minutes
wi neacuteng jigraven laacutei maMay I come in
Note kgyh implies permission from an outside authoritywhereas neacuteng refers to the ability to do something in particularcircumstances
nh bugrave kgyh zagravei zhegraver xcyanchduyanYou canrsquot smoke here
wi zuoacute wfn bugrave neacuteng laacuteiI wasnrsquot able to come last night [because something cropped up I missed the train etc]
G huigrave indicates either probability lsquobe likely to be sure torsquo or inherent or acquired abilityskill lsquocan be able to be good at be skil-ful inrsquo
miacutengtian huigrave xiagrave yj xiagrave xug maWill it rainsnow tomorrow (probability)
nh huigrave shud zhdngweacuten maCan you speak Chinese (ability)
16Modalverbs
167
Note The difference between huigrave and neacuteng which both meanlsquocan be able torsquo can be illustrated by the following
wi huigrave kaichb | dagravenshigrave xiagravenzagravei hb le jij | wi bugrave neacuteng kaiI can drive but as I have been drinking I canrsquot
wi huigrave hb jij | dagravenshigrave xiagravenzagravei yagraveo kaichb wi bugrave neacuteng hb
I can drink but as I am going to drive I canrsquot have one
Exercise 161
Replace yagraveo with xifng in the following where it is appropriateto do so
1 wi yagraveo xiexi ychuigraverI would like to have a rest
2 nh yagraveo zfo difnr qhchuaacutengYou must get up early
3 ta yagraveo qugrave zhdngguoacute lsyoacuteuHe wants to go travelling in China
4 nh yagraveo hb difnr sheacutenmeWhat would you like to drink
5 nh yagraveo hfohaor xueacutexiacuteYou must study hard
6 mama yagraveo mfi yc jiagraven wagraveitagraveoMother would like to buy a coat
Exercise 162
Choose the appropriate modal verb for the Chinese sentences so thatthey match the English translations
1 nh bang wi de maacuteng maCan you help me
a huigrave b neacuteng c yagraveo
2 jcn wfn gua fbng maIs it going to be windy tonight
a huigrave b neacuteng c yagraveo
16Modalverbs
168
3 hgn wfn le | wi huiacute jia leItrsquos getting very late I must go home now
a yagraveo b gai c kgyh
4duigravebuqh | nh bugrave zagravei zhegraver chduyanIrsquom sorry You canrsquot smoke here
a yagraveo b neacuteng c huigrave
5wi zagravei zhegraver tiacuteng chb maMay I park my car here
a kgyh b bigravexe c ycnggai
6ta shud zhdngweacuten | kgshigrave ta xiagravenzagravei bugrave shud
He can speak Chinese but hersquos not willing to speak it at thismoment
a neacuteng yagraveo b huigrave kgn c huigrave neacuteng
7 wi gfnmagraveo le | wi jcntian daidai zagravei jia liI have a cold I should stay at home today
a bigravexe b ycnggai c yuagravenyi
8ta da gdnggograveng qigravechb laacutei | nh bugrave qugrave jib ta leShersquoll come by bus You donrsquot have to go and meet her
a dgi b bigrave c gai
Exercise 163
Add modal verbs with negatives where necessary to the Chinese sen-tences below so that they are a correct translation of the English
1 He is not willing to do this
ta zuograve zhegravei jiagraven shigrave
16Modalverbs
169
2 She doesnrsquot dare to go climbing at nightta zagravei yegrave li paacute shan
3 You may go home nownh xiagravenzagravei huiacute jia le
4 He is not willing to admit his mistakesta regravencuograve
5 I wouldnrsquot want to write a novelwi xig xifoshud
6 She wants to go and see her friend in hospitalta qugrave ycyuagraven kagraven peacutengyou
7 Donrsquot you dare ask hernh wegraven ta ma
8 I have to tell her the truth about the matterwi gagraveosu ta shigraveqing de
zhbnxiagraveng9 You donrsquot have to go to school
nh jcntian qugraveshagravengxueacute
10 I ought to phone her this eveningjcn wfn wi ggi ta df diagravenhuagrave
11 We must call the doctorwimen jiagraveo ycshbng
12 The prize shouldnrsquot have gone to himbeen hiszhegravei gegrave jifng shigrave
ta de13 Can I bring my cat
wi dagravei mao laacutei ma14 Do you know how to use chopsticks
nh yograveng kuagraveizi ma15 Can the patient go jogging
bigravengreacuten qugrave pfobugrave ma16 Please may I have a piece of cake
qhng wegraven | wi chc yc kuagravei dagravengao ma17 Mr Wang was ill and wasnrsquot able to come to class
waacuteng lfoshc bigraveng le | laacutei shagravengkegrave18 Will it snow tomorrow
miacutengtian xiagrave xug ma19 He can swim
ta yoacuteuying20 I can dance but the floor was too slippery so I couldnrsquot dance on it
wi tiagraveowj | dagravenshigrave digravebfn tagravei huaacute | wi zagraveishagravengmian tiagraveowj
16Modalverbs
170
21 You can speak both English and Chinese so you can be our interpreter
nh shud ycngyj heacute hagravenyj | nh zuograve wimen de fanyigrave22 You canrsquot cheat me
nh qcpiagraven wi
23 I shall be able to come tomorrowmiacutengtian wi laacutei
24 This girl is small but she can eat a lot
zhegravei gegrave ns haacuteizi hgn xifo | dagravenshigrave ta chc hgn dud
25 Do you know how to repair carsnh xielh qigravechb ma
26 Is Manager Li likely to turn up tomorrowlh jcnglh miacutengtian laacutei ma
27 Can you wait for me herenh zagravei zhegraver dgng wi ma
28 You shouldnrsquot quarrel (with each other)nhmen chfojiagrave
Exercise 164
Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1 Do you know how to drive2 Is it likely to rain at the weekend3 Do you want to go and visit your parents4 You must go and revise your lessons5 Can we go to the beach this week6 I must remember the time of the concert7 You shouldnrsquot have come to blows (with each other)8 May I take a holiday next March9 Are you willing to help him
10 She darenrsquot fly in a plane
Pattern and vocabulary drill 161
Translate the following sentences into English to show that you under-stand the meanings of all the modal verbs in their particular contexts
1 ta kgn ma2 nh miacutengtian yagraveo jigraven cheacuteng ma3 nh yagraveo quagraven quagraven ta
16Modalverbs
171
4 nh huigrave df tagraveijiacutequaacuten ma5 bugrave yagraveo piagraven reacuten6 shuiacute neacuteng bang wi ycxiagrave maacuteng ma7 zhegraver yiu reacuten huigrave shud ycngweacuten ma8 nh neacuteng bang wi fanyigrave zhegravei jugrave huagrave ma9 wi gai ziu le
10 nh gai xiexi le11 shuiacute yuagravenyi liuacute xiagravelaacutei12 wimen miacutengtian bigravexe huiacute qugrave13 (Mother to a child) nh xiagrave cigrave haacutei gfn sahufng
ma14 miacutengtian zfoshang huigrave yiu wugrave ma15 nh dgi qugrave kagraven ycshbng
Pattern and vocabulary drill 162
In the groups of sentences below translate each one into Chinese making use of the appropriate modal verb In some cases more thanone modal verb may be possible and in others a modal verb may notbe necessary Also note that there are no one-to-one equivalentsbetween English and Chinese modal verbs
1 (a) Are you going home tomorrow(b) Do you have to go home tomorrow(c) Do you want to go home tomorrow(d) Can you go home tomorrow (Do you have the means)(e) Can you go home tomorrow (Will you be allowed)
2 (a) I darenrsquot tell him(b) I mustnrsquot tell him(c) I wonrsquot tell him(d) I donrsquot want to tell him(e) I neednrsquot tell him(f) I shouldnrsquot have told him
3 (a) Do you want to get off at the next stop(b) Do you have to get off at the next stop(c) Are you going to get off at the next stop(d) Can you get off at the next stop(e) Are you willing to get off at the next stop
4 (a) Can you help me(b) You are going to help me arenrsquot you
16Modalverbs
172
(c) Are you willing to help me(d) You must help me(e) Shall I help you(f) I would like very much to help you but I canrsquot
5 (a) Do you speak Chinese(b) Is it possible for you to speak Chinese(c) May I speak Chinese(d) Shall I speak Chinese(e) Must I speak Chinese(f) I should speak Chinese shouldnrsquot I(g) I know English You neednrsquot speak Chinese(h) I would like very much to speak English but
16Modalverbs
173
174
UNIT SEVENTEENNegators bugrave and ( ) meacutei(you)
We have already discussed some uses of bugrave and ( ) meacutei(yiu) inprevious units (see Units 11 and 12) Here we shall review the func-tions of these two negators and draw attention to differences in theways they are employed
A bugrave generally refers to the present or the future It precedes theverb to indicate that something does not happen habitually or inten-tionally or that something will not happen in the future
wi bugrave qugrave kagraven diagravenyhngI donrsquot go and see filmsIrsquom not going to see the film
negravei gegrave yugravendogravengyuaacuten bugrave chuan yugravendogravengxieacuteThat athlete doesnrsquot wear sports shoes
tuacuteshegufn miacutengtian bugrave kaimeacutenThe library isnrsquotwonrsquot be open tomorrow
cheacuten xifojie bugrave chduyan | bugrave hb jij | bugrave df paacuteiMiss Chen doesnrsquot smoke or drink or play mah-jong
However bugrave may also be used to highlight intentional or wilful actioneven though the context is set in the past
negravei gegrave yugravendogravengyuaacuten yhqiaacuten bugrave chuan yugravendogravengxieacuteThat athlete didnrsquot wear sports shoes in the past
xifo shiacutehou wi chaacutengchaacuteng bugrave qugrave shagravengkegraveWhen I was a child I often missed classes
B In contrast with bugrave ( ) meacutei(yiu) which likewise goesbefore the verb refers to the past and indicates that something has not
taken place or did not take place on one particular occasion or if guo is suffixed to the verb as a past experience
( )ta shagraveng gegrave yuegrave meacutei(yiu) pegravengjiagraven lh xianshengShe didnrsquot bump into Mr Li last month
( ) digravedi negravei tian meacutei(yiu) qugrave yoacuteuying(My) younger brother didnrsquot go swimming that day
( ) wi meacutei(yiu) chc guo bgijcng kfoya
Irsquove never hadeaten Peking duck
Note meacuteiyiu may be abbreviated to meacutei
negravei gegrave haacuteizi zuoacutetian meacutei chcfagravenThat child didnrsquot eat (any food) yesterday
C The two negators are different in the way they are used withaspect markers
(i) bugrave and not ( ) meacutei(yiu) is normally used with the contin-uous action marker zagravei
mama bugrave zagravei xccheacutenMother is not vacuuming (at the moment)
negravei shiacutehou mama bugrave zagravei xccheacutenMother was not vacuuming at that moment
It is unusual to say
negravei shiacutehou mama meacutei zagravei xccheacuten
However bugrave does not usually occur with the aspect markers Dzhe xiagravequgrave and xiagravelaacutei except in the form of bugrave yagraveoor bieacute lsquodonrsquotrsquo in prohibitions
bugrave yagraveo chagraveng xiagravequgrave le Donrsquot sing any morebieacute tiacuteng xiagravelaacutei Donrsquot stop
D bieacute zhagraven zhe Donrsquot just stand there(Do something)
bugrave may not be used with le guo or qhlaacutei though itdoes occur with le as sentence particle (see IntermediateChinese Unit 8)
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
175
ta bugrave keacutesou le Hersquos not coughing any moreta bugrave chduyan Shersquos quit smoking (lit Shersquos le no longer smoking)
(ii) ( ) meacutei(yiu) may only be used with the aspect markers guoqhlaacutei xiagravequgrave and xiagravelaacutei
( ) wi meacutei(yiu) I have never jiagraven guo ta met him
( ) tamen meacutei(yiu) They did not df qhlaacutei fight with
each other( ) lfodagraveye meacutei(yiu) The old man
dai xiagravequgrave didnrsquot stay on( ) qiaacuten tagraveitai meacutei(yiu) Mrs Qian
an xiagrave xcn laacutei did not stop worrying
( ) meacutei(yiu) is not used with le and D zhe It must be empha-sized that as a negator of past actions ( ) meacutei(yiu) replaces
le and does not occur with it
Compare
shegraveyhngshc pai le hgn dud zhagraveopiagravenThe photographer took a lot of photographs
( )shegraveyhngshc meacutei(yiu) pai hgn dud zhagraveopiagravenThe photographer didnrsquot take many photographs
One does not say
ta meacutei pegravengjiagraven le lh xiansheng(lit She didnrsquot bump into Mr Li)
Compare also
D ta chuan zhe Hersquos wearing an dagraveyc overcoat
( ) ta meacutei(yiu) He did not wearwas not chuan dagraveyc wearing an overcoat
One does not usually say
( ) D ta meacutei(yiu) chuan zhe dagraveyc
(lit He wasnrsquot wearing his overcoat)
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
176
D Time expressions like zuoacutetian yhjcng gangcaacutei etcusually come before bugrave or ( ) meacutei(yiu)
yubhagraven yhjcng bugrave xueacute zhdngweacuten leJohn doesnrsquot study Chinese any more
wimen gangcaacutei meacuteiyiu kagravenjiagraven taWe didnrsquot see her just now
mfligrave zuoacute wfn meacutei shuigravejiagraveoMary didnrsquot sleep last night
Note The time expression coacutenglaacutei lsquoall alongrsquo is always linkedwith a negator
zhegravei gegrave reacuten I have never met wi coacutenglaacutei meacutei this personjiagraven guo (before)ta coacutenglaacutei bugrave He has never djboacute gambled
E If there are location expressions in the sentence they usually comeafter bugrave or ( ) meacutei(yiu)
wi bagraveba bugrave zagravei dagraveshhgufn gdngzuograveMy father doesnrsquot work at the Embassy
wi jia meacutei zagravei mgiguoacute zhugrave guoOur family has never lived in America
F Monosyllabic adverbs like ddu lsquobothrsquo lsquoallrsquo yg lsquoalsorsquo yograveulsquoonce againrsquo haacutei lsquostill yetrsquo etc usually come before bugrave or ( )meacutei(yiu)
tamen ddu meacutei laacutei None of them camewi yg bugrave xhhuan I donrsquot like crows weya eitherta yograveu bugrave laacutei He did not turn upshagravengkegrave le for his class againwi digravedi haacutei meacutei My younger brother shagravengxueacute hasnrsquot started
school yet
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
177
Note 1 The only exception is ddu which may also come afterthe negator when it has a different meaning Compare the follow-ing sentences
tamen ddu meacutei qugrave None of them wenttamen meacutei ddu qugrave Not all of them wentThey
didnrsquot all go
Note 2 Remember that when used in a past context ( )meacutei(yiu) implies what is lsquofactualrsquo whereas bugrave indicates what islsquodeliberate or intentionalrsquo
G bugrave in keeping with its use in intentional contexts and not ( ) meacutei(yiu) is used with modal verbs or verbs that express attitude
(i) It is generally placed before the modalattitudinal verb
tamen bugrave yuagravenyi bangzhugrave wi
They arewere not willing to help me
negravei gegrave xifotdu bugrave gfn shud shiacutehuagraveThat thief doesnrsquotdidnrsquot dare to tell the truth
wi bugrave xhhuan chc rograveuI donrsquot like meat (lit I donrsquot like eating meat)
(ii) However it may also occur between the modal verb and the mainverb when the meaning requires or allows it
wi xifng bugrave hb jij | hb qigraveshuh
I would rather have a fizzy drink than alcohol(lit I would like not to drink alcohol (but) to drink a fizzy drink)
Compare
nh bugrave kgyh ziu You canrsquot leave (now)nh kgyh bugrave ziu You can stay (lit You can
NOT leave)
Note With the modal verb gai the different positioning of thenegator does not make much difference in meaning but with huigravethe alternative changes the meaning drastically
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
178
nh bugrave gai gagraveosu ta You shouldnrsquot have told himnh gai bugrave gagraveosu ta You shouldnrsquot have told him
(lit You should have not told him)
ta bugrave huigrave shud zhdngweacuten maCanrsquot he speak Chinese
ta huigrave bugrave shud zhdngweacuten ma Is it possible that he wonrsquot speak Chinese
With dgi the second alternative simply does not exist
nh dgi bugrave ziu You should not go
H Adjectival predicatives may only be negated by bugrave
negravei tiaacuteo quacutenzi bugrave That skirt isnrsquot piagraveoliang prettyzhegravei jian wezi bugrave This room isnrsquot ganjigraveng cleanwi de bagravengdngshigrave bugrave My office dagrave isnrsquot bigzhegraver de kdngqigrave bugrave The air here isnrsquot xcnxian freshnagraver de reacuten bugrave dud There arenrsquot many
people there
Note Only adjectival idioms beginning with yiu will have to benegated by meacutei
( ) zhegravei bgn xifoshud meacutei(yiu) yigravesiThis novel isnrsquot interesting
( ) wi jcn wfn meacutei(yiu) kogravengI am busy tonight (lit I tonight am not free)
I ( ) meacutei(yiu) however is generally used to negate adjectives thatare used as state verbs (as opposed to action verbs) with the sentenceparticle le (see Intermediate Chinese Unit 8) Compare the follow-ing pairs of sentences
ta de bigraveng hfo le Hersquos well again( ) ta de bigraveng haacutei He isnrsquot well yet
meacutei(yiu) hfo
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
179
tian qiacuteng le The sky has cleared up( ) tian haacutei meacutei(yiu) It is still raining (lit The sky
qiacuteng hasnrsquot cleared up yet)
Exercise 171
Complete the sentences below with either bugrave or meacutei to providea correct translation of the English
1 bagraveba hb jijFather doesnrsquot drink
2 ta qugrave kagraven jcngjugraveHe didnrsquot go to watch the Beijing Opera
3 zuoacutetian xiagrave xug
It didnrsquot snow yesterday4 yhqiaacuten wi xueacute guo hagravenyj
I have never studied Chinese before5 ta coacutenglaacutei chdu guo yan
She has never smoked6
guogravequgrave waacuteng xiansheng chaacutengchaacuteng dagravei magraveoziMr Wang didnrsquot often wear a hat before
7 wi qugrave yoacuteuyingI am not going swimming
8 ta yhjcng qiacute zigravexiacutengchb leHe has stopped riding a bike
9 jigjie negravei tian tiagraveowj
My elder sister didnrsquot dance that day10 megraveimei mfi quacutenzi
My younger sister didnrsquot buy a skirt11 wi duacute zuoacutetian de bagraveozhh
I didnrsquot read yesterdayrsquos newspaper12 gbge xhhuan chagravenggb
My older brother doesnrsquot like singing13 wi coacutenglaacutei chc niuacuterograveu
I have never eaten beef14 wi coacutenglaacutei hb guo lqchaacute
I have never drunk green tea before15 digravedi huigrave kaichb
My younger brother canrsquot drive
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
180
Exercise 172
Add the adverb in brackets to the Chinese sentences below and thenadjust the English translation to take account of this
1 haacuteizimen bugrave xhhuan chc shecagraveiThe children donrsquot like eating vegetables ( ddu)
2 tamen meacuteiyiu qugrave kagraven jcngjugraveThey didnrsquot go to watch the Beijing Opera ( yg)
3 ta chcfagraven qiaacuten bugrave xh shiuHe didnrsquot wash his hands before meals ( chaacutengchaacuteng)
4 wi bugrave chduyanI donrsquot smoke ( coacutenglaacutei)
5 ta meacutei hb chaacuteShe didnrsquot drink any tea ( gangcaacutei)
6 ta meacutei kagraven diagravenshigraveHe didnrsquot watch TV ( jcntian)
7 ta meacutei chc dagravengaoShe didnrsquot eat anytouch the cake ( negravei tian)
8 megraveimei meacutei zuograve guo fbijc(My) younger sister has not flown in a plane before ( coacutenglaacutei)
Exercise 173
Indicate which of the Chinese sentences below is the correct transla-tion of the English in each case
1 I donrsquot think the answer is correctwi regravenweacutei negravei gegrave daacutersquoagraven bugrave duigravewi bugrave regravenweacutei negravei gegrave daacutersquoagraven duigrave
2 I donrsquot think it is worth considering any morewi bugrave regravenweacutei zhegrave zhiacutede dud xifngwi regravenweacutei zhegrave bugrave zhiacutede dud xifng
3 I have never taken a liking to herwi coacutenglaacutei meacuteiyiu xhhuan guo ta
wi coacutenglaacutei bugrave xhhuan guo ta4 He was not wearing an overcoat
ta meacutei chuan dagraveyc
D ta meacutei chuan zhe dagraveyc
ta bugrave chuan dagraveyc
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
181
Exercise 174
Insert an appropriate negator or negators in the right position in eachof the following Chinese sentences to match the meaning of theEnglish sentences
1ta kgyh zagravei negravei zhuagraveng faacutengzi de qiaacuteng shang xig biaoyj
He is not supposed to write any slogans on the wall of that house2 nh huigrave bao jifozi ma
Canrsquot you make Chinese dumplings3 jcnglh yuagravenyi jia cheacuten xiansheng de
gdngzc
The manager was unwilling to give Mr Chen a pay rise4 wi zhegravei gegrave xcngqclhbagravei neacuteng laacutei ma
Can I not come this week5 ta laacutei ycngguoacute qiaacuten jiagraven guo sdngshj
She had never seen squirrels before she came to Britain6 megraveimei gfn qugrave liacutenje nagraver jiegrave yhzi
My younger sister dare not go and borrow chairs from our neighbour7 kugravezi tagravei dufn | digravedi kgnyuagravenyi chuan
The trousers were too short and my younger brother was not will-ing to wear them
8 shuhgui hgn xcnxian | dagravejia ddu xifng chc
The fruit was not fresh at all and nobody wanted to touch it9
zuoacutetian xiagrave dagrave yj | wimen qugrave caochfng tc zuacuteqiuacuteThere was heavy rain yesterday We didnrsquot go and play football onthe sports field
10 nh ycnggai gagraveosu tamen zhegravei jiagraven shigraveYou shouldnrsquot have told them about this
11 zhegravei xib huar xiang | migravefbng laacutei cfi migraveThese flowers arenrsquot fragrant and the bees donrsquot come to collecthoney from them
12 cfomeacutei bh taacuteozi hfochc
Strawberries are not as delicious as peaches
Pattern and vocabulary drill 171
Translate the following pairs of sentences making clear how one sentence differs in meaning from the other in each pair owing to thedifferent positioning of the negator
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
182
ta bugrave gfn qugrave He dare not gota gfn bugrave qugrave Dare he not go
( ) meacutei(yiu) reacuten bugrave gfn qugraveThere is nobody who dare not go
( ) meacutei(yiu) reacuten gfn bugrave qugraveThere is nobody who dare stay behind (lit dares not to go)
1 nh bugrave yuagravenyi qugrave kagraven diagravenyhng manh yuagravenyi bugrave qugrave kagraven diagravenyhng ma
2 shuiacute bugrave xifng chc rograveushuiacute xifng bugrave chc rograveu
3 haacuteizimen bugrave kgn hb qigraveshuh mahaacuteizimen kgn bugrave hb qigraveshuh ma
4 geniangmen bugrave kgn chuan quacutenzi mageniangmen kgn bugrave chuan quacutenzi ma
5 nh bugrave xifng hb kafbi manh xifng bugrave hb kafbi ma
6 yiu reacuten bugrave xifng hgn zfo qhchuaacutengyiu reacuten xifng bugrave hgn zfo qhchuaacuteng
7 ta bugrave gfn huiacute jia mata gfn bugrave huiacute jia ma
8 sheacutei bugrave yuagravenyi xueacute zhdngweacutensheacutei yuagravenyi bugrave xueacute zhdngweacuten
9 meacutei(yiu) reacuten bugrave yuagravenyi xueacute zhdngweacutenmeacutei(yiu) reacuten yuagravenyi bugrave xueacute zhdngweacuten
10 sheacutei bugrave neacuteng hb jijsheacutei neacuteng bugrave hb jij
Pattern and vocabulary drill 172
Make the following sentences more emphatic in two ways by adding(1) the word zagravei lsquoagainrsquo and (2) the phrase zagravei yg lsquonever everagainrsquo and translate the two emphatic versions into English
ta bugrave chduyan le He has quit smokingta bugrave zagravei chduyan le He is not smoking any more
ta zagravei yg bugrave chduyan le He will never smoke again
1 wi bagraveba bugrave zagravei cegravesui li chduyan le2 wi liacutenje bugrave yfng giu le3 ta de ns peacutengyou bugrave hb jij le
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
183
4 ta jiugravejiu bugrave djboacute le5 ta hb kafbi bugrave jia taacuteng le6 haacuteizimen bugrave zagravei jib shang tc zuacuteqiuacute le7 wi megraveimei bugrave sahufng le8 wi de yc gegrave toacutengxueacute bugrave df reacuten heacute
magrave reacuten le9 wi gbge bugrave kaichb le
10 wi mama bugrave chc rograveu le
17Negators
bugrave and ( )
meacutei(you)
184
UNIT EIGHTEENTypes of question (1)
185
A General questions in Chinese can be formed by adding the particlema to the end of a statement Answers to such questions often employ
the verb or adjective in the question with or without a negator as requiredby the meaning
nh shigrave ycngguoacute Are you Englishreacuten mashigrave de Yes (lit be)bugrave shigrave | wi shigrave No (lit not be) I am ffguoacute reacuten French
nh yiu liacutengqiacutean Have you got ma changeyiu Yes (lit have)duigravebuqh | wi Sorry I havenrsquotmeacutei yiu
nh maacuteng ma Are you busyhgn maacuteng Yes (lit busy)bugrave maacuteng No Irsquom not
(lit not busy)
nh qugrave xueacutexiagraveo Are you going to ma the schoolqugrave a Yes (lit go)jcntian bugrave qugrave Irsquom not going today
(lit today not go)
Note a as seen in the last example is a particle often placed atthe end of an affirmative response either to emphasize the answeror to query the true meaning of the question depending on the toneused by the speaker qugrave a in this case means either lsquoYes I am definitely goingrsquo or lsquoYes I am going so whatrsquo
In the answer to ma questions it is also possible to use words orphrases indicating confirmation or denial for example shigrave or shigrave de lsquoyesrsquo (lit it isdoes) duigrave lsquoyesrsquo (lit right correct) or bugrave or
bugrave shigrave lsquonorsquo (lit it isnrsquotdoesnrsquot)
nh de bagravengdngshigrave hgn zang maIs your office very dirty
shigrave de | quegraveshiacute hgn zangYes itrsquos really filthy
bugrave | ycdifnr yg bugrave zangNo itrsquos not at all dirty
miacutengtian kaihuigrave maIs the meeting tomorrow
duigrave | miacutengtian kaihuigraveYes the meetingrsquos tomorrow
bugrave | hograveutian caacutei kaiNo itrsquos not till the day after tomorrow( caacutei is an adverb indicating lsquonot until rsquo)
nh bugrave xhhuan chc Donrsquot you like fishyuacute mashigrave de | wi bugrave No I donrsquot xhhuan chc yuacute (like fish)bugrave | wi hgn xhhuan Yes I do (like fish)chc yuacute
nh shbn shang meacutei Donrsquot you have any yiu qiaacuten ma money with youbugrave | wi shbnshang Yes I doyiu qiaacutenduigrave | wi shbnshang No I donrsquotmeacutei yiu qiaacuten
Note From the last two examples you can observe that in answer-ing a question Chinese will first use lsquoyesrsquo or lsquonorsquo to signal agree-ment or disagreement with the proposition before a precise answeris given whereas English generally uses lsquoyesrsquo or lsquonorsquo depending onwhether the answer itself is in the affirmative or in the negative
B General questions may also be expressed in an lsquoaffirmative-negativersquo form by repeating the verb or adjective with the negator
bugrave or in the case of the verb yiu with the negator meacutei Answersto such lsquoaffirmative-negativersquo questions likewise use the verb or adject-ive in the question with or without a negator
18Types ofquestion(1)
186
nh shigrave bugrave shigrave waacuteng xiansheng Are you Mr Wang shigravebugrave shigrave YesNo (lit benot be)
nh mFi bugrave mFi shuhgui Are you going to buy any fruit mfibugrave mfi YesNo (lit buynot buy)
nh jcn wfn yIu meacutei yIu shigraverHave you got anything to do tonight
yiumeacutei yiu YesNo (lit havenot have)
zuoacutetian lGng bugrave lGng Was it cold yesterday lgng abugrave lgng YesNo (lit coldnot cold)
zhegravei gegrave haacuteizi guAi bugrave guAiIs this child disobedient
zhegravei gegrave haacuteizi zhbn guaizhegravei gegrave haacuteizi ycdifnr yg bugrave guaiThis child is really obedientThis child is not at all obedient
nh de xiacutengli zhograveng bugrave zhograveng Is your luggageheavy( ) (wi de xiacutengli) ycdifnr yg bugrave zhogravengMy luggage isnrsquot heavy at all
Note As we can see in the answers above it is not unusual to empha-size onersquos agreement or disagreement by modifying the adjectivalpredicative used in the questions with hgn lsquoveryrsquo zhbn lsquotrulyrsquo
a ycdifnr yg bugrave lsquonot at allrsquo etc
C It must be pointed out that meacuteiyiu when employed tonegate a completed action or past experience (see Unit 17) follows twopatterns in the formulation of affirmative-negative questions
(i) meacuteiyiu is placed at the end of a positive statement whichuses le or guo
nh chc le fagraven meacuteiyiu Have you eaten yet chc lemeacuteiyiu Yes (I have)No
(I havenrsquot)
xifo waacuteng laacutei le Has Xiao Wang meacuteiyiu arrived yet
laacutei lehaacutei meacuteiyiu Yes (he has)No not yet
nh qugrave guo zhdngguoacute Have you ever been meacuteiyiu to China
18Types ofquestion(1)
187
( ) qugrave guomeacutei(yiu) Yes (I have)Noqugrave guo (I havenrsquot)
(ii) yiu meacuteiyiu is inserted before the verb (retaining guobut omitting le) in the question
nh yiu meacuteiyiu mfi xiangjiaoDid you buy any bananas
mfi lemeacuteiyiuYes (I did)No (I didnrsquot)
zuoacute wfn nhmen yiu meacuteiyiu kagraven diagravenshigraveDid you watch television yesterday
kagraven lemeacuteiyiuYes (I did)No (I didnrsquot)
nh yiu meacuteiyiu taacuten guo zhegravei gegrave wegraventiacuteHave you talked about this question
taacuten guomeacuteiyiuYes (I have)No (I havenrsquot)
meacuteiyiu may also be added to an adjectival predicative withle which indicates a change of state (see Intermediate Chinese
Unit 8) to form the affirmative-negative question
ta de bigraveng hfo le meacuteiyiuHas she recovered from her illness(lit Her illness has got well or not)
( ) hfo lehaacutei meacutei(yiu) hfoYes (she has)No not yet
ta zuigrave le meacuteiyiuIs he drunk
( ) zuigrave lemeacutei(yiu) zuigraveYes (he is)No (he isnrsquot)
shugrave shang de piacutenggui shuacuteshoacuteu lemeacuteiyiuAre the apples on the tree ripe (lit Have the apples on thetree ripened)
( ) shuacuteshoacuteu lehaacutei meacutei(yiu) shuacuteshoacuteuYes (they are)No not yet
Note shuacute and shoacuteu are pronunciation variants of lsquoto ripenrsquo
D If modal verbs are present they (rather than the main verb) alter-nate in their positive and negative forms to formulate the affirmative-negative question
18Types ofquestion(1)
188
nh jcn wfn neacuteng bugrave Can you go dancingneacuteng qugrave tiagraveowj tonightmiacutengtian huigrave bugrave huigrave Will it snowxiagrave xug tomorrow
( ) nh kg(yh) bugrave kgyh Can you help mebangbang wi de maacuteng
( ) ta yuagraven(yi) bugrave Is she yuagravenyi bangzhugrave nh willing to help you
One does not say
nh jcn wfn neacuteng Can you go dancingqugrave bugrave qugrave tiagraveowj tonight
Note With a disyllabic modal verb the affirmative part of theaffirmative-negative sequence may often drop the second syllableas the last two examples show
E Questions can of course be formulated with question words InChinese the question word is located where the answer is to beexpected That is to say Chinese unlike English does not necessarilyhave to move the question word to the beginning of the sentence (seeUnits 4 and 9)
ta shigrave sheacutei Who is heta shigrave zhegraver de ycshbng He is the doctor
here
nh qugrave nfr Where are you going
wi qugrave huichbzhagraven Irsquom going to the railway station
sheacutei laacutei le Who has arrivedzhang xifojie laacutei le Miss Zhang has
arrived
zhegrave shigrave sheacutei de baogui Whose parcel is this
zhegrave shigrave negravei wegravei It is that xiansheng de baogui gentlemanrsquos parcel
18Types ofquestion(1)
189
nh xifng hb difnr What would you sheacutenme like to drinkwi xifng hb difnr kglegrave Irsquod like (to have)
some coke
nh zagravei nfr xueacutexiacute Where are you studying
wi zagravei bgijcng dagravexueacute I am studying at xueacutexiacute Peking University
nh yagraveo ngi yc gegrave Which one do you want
wi yagraveo zhegravei gegrave I want this one
nf liagraveng chb shigrave nh de Which car is yoursnegravei liagraveng hbi chb shigrave That black one wi de is mine
F The particle ne is also used to formulate a variety of questions
(i) It may be placed after a noun noun phrase or pronoun when thespeaker is expecting something (or someone) and queries this
yagraveoshi neWhere are the keys (Shouldnrsquot they be here you have not for-gotten them have you etc)
ta neWhere is he (Shouldnrsquot he be here tooby now)
jieacutegui neAnd what was the resultWhat happened then
(ii) It also occurs after a noun noun phrase or pronoun to ask aboutthe condition of somebody or something with reference to astatement that has just been made Here it is usually translated aslsquoAnd how about And what about rsquo
wi hgn hfo | nh neIrsquom very well And you
wi de zuograveyegrave jiao le | nh de neIrsquove handed in my course-work How about you (lit how aboutyours)(Compare wi jiao le zuograveyegrave le | nh ne)
chegravenshan xh le | kugravezi neThe shirt has been washed but what about the trousers
18Types ofquestion(1)
190
Note Observe the formulation of the last two examples Theyare very similar to English passive voice sentences
(iii) It can raise a question relating to a particular situation (couchedin terms of a general statement) and is often roughly equivalentto English lsquowhat if rsquo
ta bugrave toacutengyigrave ne What if he doesnrsquot agree (to it)
lfoshc meacutei kograveng ne What if the teacher hasnrsquot got time
miacutengtian xiagrave yj ne What if it rains tomorrow
(iv) It may be added to a question-word question or an affirmative-negative question to introduce a tone of surprise or impatience
ta shigrave sheacutei ne Who can she bexifo mao zagravei nfr ne Where can the kitten betamen maacuteng bugrave Are they really maacuteng ne busy
Exercise 181
Change the statements below into two forms of questions using maand the lsquoaffirmative-negativersquo structure providing answers in both theaffirmative and the negative
ta chduyanHe smokes
ta chduyan ma ( ) ta chdu(yan) bugravechduyanDoes he smoke
chduYes
bugrave chduNo
1 tamen shigrave noacutengmiacutenThey are farmers
2 ta xifng df pcngpangqiuacuteHe wants to play table-tennis
18Types ofquestion(1)
191
3 ta qugrave guo dogravengwugraveyuaacutenHe has been to the zoo
4 negravei tiaacuteo jib hgn ganjigravengThat street is very clean
5 ta miacutengtian huigrave laacuteiShe will come tomorrow
6 ta yiu tuacuteshezhegravengHersquos got a library card
7 ta dagravei le yagraveoshiShersquos brought her keys
8 hui hgn wagravengThe fire was burning brightly
9 nh de peacutengyou huigrave hbng negravei gegrave qjziYour friend can hum that tune
10 ta de digravedi xhhuan chuan niuacutezfikugraveHis younger brother likes wearing jeans
Exercise 182
Convert the questions below into the aspect marker le structure andtranslate the questions into English
nh yiu meacuteiyiu yoacuteuyingnh yoacuteu le ying meacuteiyiu
Did you swimDid you go swimming
1 nh yiu meacuteiyiu xh chegravenshan2 nh zuoacutetian yiu meacuteiyiu duacute bagraveo3
shagraveng gegrave yuegrave nh yiu meacuteiyiu kagraven diagravenyhng4 zuoacute wfn nh yiu meacuteiyiu xig xigraven5 nh yiu meacuteiyiu mfi piagraveo6
ta yiu meacuteiyiu pegravengjiagraven zhang xiansheng7
nhmen qiaacutentian yiu meacuteiyiu shagraveng jijbajian8
nhmen nagraver shagraveng xcngqc yiu meacuteiyiu xiagrave xug
9ta jia qugraveniaacuten xiagravetian yiu meacuteiyiu qugrave hfi bian dugravejiagrave
10zhegravei jiagraven shigrave xifo huaacuteng yiu meacuteiyiu gagraveosu nh
18Types ofquestion(1)
192
Exercise 183
Translate the following sentences into Chinese expressing the questionin two ways in each case
1 Have you ever been mountain-climbing2 Have you ever met your neighbour3 Have you ever blamed yourself4 Have you ever been to a soccer match5 Have you ever ridden a horse6 Have you ever been to the seaside7 Have you ever tried Chinese dumplings8 Have you ever seen a whale ( jcngyuacute lsquowhalersquo)9 Have you ever kept a dog
10 Have you ever been to a pub
Exercise 184
Translate the following sentences into Chinese
1 Is it quiet in the library ( anjigraveng lsquoquietrsquo)2 Is it hot in Beijing3 Are your friends happy ( gaoxigraveng lsquohappyrsquo)4 Are the dishes tasty5 Was that television programme interesting6 Was the soccer match exciting7 Is this chair comfortable ( shefu lsquocomfortablersquo)8 Do the flowers smell nice ( xiang lsquosweet-smellingrsquo)9 Was the cake sweet ( tiaacuten lsquosweet (to the taste)rsquo)
10 Is the table clean ( ganjigraveng lsquocleanrsquo)11 Is the room tidy ( zhgngqiacute lsquotidyrsquo)12 Was the manager generous ( kangkfi lsquogenerousrsquo)
Exercise 185
Translate these questions into Chinese using ne
1 What if he gets drunk2 The trousers have been washed but what about the skirt3 What if it rains tomorrow evening4 What if I havenrsquot got time5 The coffee is nice but what do you think of the cake6 Irsquom very busy How about you
18Types ofquestion(1)
193
7 Where can she have gone8 Whose computer is this then9 Where are my keys
10 Where can the kitten be
Pattern and vocabulary drill 181
In a Chinese sentence where the human initiator of the action of theverb is unambiguous and the relationship of the verb with its inani-mate object is clear the order of the verb and object can be reversedto form what is called a notional passive Following the model shownchange the 12 sentences below into notional passives with or withoutthe human initiator
wi mfi le piagraveo leI have bought the ticket
piagraveo wi mfi lepiagraveo mfi le
1 wi xie hfo le chb le I have mended the car2 wi dagravei le yjsfn le I have had my umbrella with me3 nh dagravei le yagraveoshi le ma Have you brought your
key with you4 nh chc guo bgijcng kfoya ma Have you ever
tried Peking duck5 nh jiao le zuograveyegrave meacuteiyiu Have you handed in your
homework6 ta jigrave le xigraven meacuteiyiu Has she put the letter in the post7 nh hb guo lqchaacute meacuteiyiu Have you ever drunk
green tea8 wi xh le ycfu le I have washed the clothes9 nh qugrave guo bgijcng meacuteiyiu Have you ever been
to Beijing10 nh dagraveo guo chaacutengcheacuteng meacuteiyiu Have you been
to the Great Wall11 nh dagravei le qiacuten meacuteiyiu Have you got any money on
you12 ( ) nh kagraven le jcntian de bagraveozhh (le) ma
Have you read todayrsquos paper
Note All Chinese notional passives normally end with the sentenceparticle le
18Types ofquestion(1)
194
Pattern and vocabulary drill 182
You will see below two general questions which each have differentalternative forms Following these patterns restructure each of the 15sentences into an appropriate alternative form
zhegrave jh tian nh qugrave pfobugrave maAre you going jogging in the coming few days
zhegrave jh tian nh qugrave bugrave qugrave pfobugrave
ta dang le jcnglh le maHas he been promoted to the managership
ta dang le jcnglh meacuteiyiu
1 zhegrave jh tian nh qugrave xueacute tagraveijiacutequaacuten maAre you going to take Trsquoai Chi lessons in the coming few days
2 zhegrave jh tian huigrave xiagrave yj maIs it going to rain in the next few days
3 nh neacuteng zagravei zhegraver dgng ycxiagrave maCan you wait a little here
4 nh mfi le chb le maHave you bought your car
5 nh xhhuan chuan niuacutezfikugrave maDo you like wearing jeans
6 nh dagravei le tuacuteshezhegraveng le maHave you brought your library card with you
7 nh toacutengyigrave wi de jiagravenyigrave maAre you agreeable to my suggestion
8 nh de peacutengyou huigrave df pcngpangqiuacute maDoes your friend know how to play ping-pong
9 nh miacutengtian zfoshang yiukograveng maAre you free tomorrow morning
10 nh xifng chc bgijcng kfoya maDo you want to try Peking duck
11 nh yuagravenyi bang ta de maacuteng maAre you willing to help him
12 nh jia li yiu diagravennfo maDo you have a computer at home
13 nh waacutencheacuteng le negravei jiagraven gdngzuograve le maHave you finished that work
14 nh dang guo lfoshc maHave you ever been a teacher
15 nh jiagraven le jcnglh le maHave you seen the manager yet
18Types ofquestion(1)
195
196
UNIT NINETEENTypes of question (2)
A Tag questions which are seeking agreement to or approval of asuggestion or proposal are formed by attaching hfomahfo bugrave hfo xiacuteng maxiacuteng bugrave xiacuteng (lit lsquois this OKrsquo)
( ) kgyh makg(yh) bugrave kgyh (lit lsquois that allrightrsquo) etc to the statement Answers to such questions repeat thetag words hfo xiacuteng or kgyh sometimes with a in theaffirmative and with bugrave in the negative
zaacutenmen qugrave sagravenbugrave | Shall we go for a hfo ma walkhfo a FineOK
wi xifng df gegrave Is it all right if I diagravenhuagrave make| xiacuteng ma a phone callxiacuteng YesAll right
wimen jcntian zfo Can we go homedifnr huiacute jia | kgyh ma earlier todaybugrave kgyh No you canrsquot
B ba may be added to the end of a positive or negative statementto form a question implying surmise or supposition Answers to thesequestions naturally invite the use of ( ) shigrave (de) or duigrave lsquoyesrsquo or
( ) bugrave (shigrave) or bugrave duigrave lsquonorsquo (see Unit 18) as a direct responseto the surmise or supposition itself
zhegravei gegrave hagravenzigrave bugrave duigrave baThis Chinese character is wrong isnrsquot itIsnrsquot this Chinese characterwrong
shigrave | zhegravei gegrave hagravenzigrave bugrave duigraveYes it is wrong
negravei fuacute huagraver shigrave ta huagrave de baThat picture was painted by him wasnrsquot it
bugrave | negravei fuacute huagraver bugrave shigrave ta huagrave deNo it wasnrsquot painted by him
ta huigrave qiacute moacutetudchb baHe can ride a motorbike canrsquot he
shigrave de | ta huigraveYes he can
miacutengtian bugrave huigrave xiagrave yj baIt wonrsquot rain tomorrow will it
kingpagrave huigrave xiagrave yj
Irsquom afraid it will
Note ba at the end of a statement can also express a suggestionor exhortation
zaacutenmen ziu ba Letrsquos go (See Unit 20)
C An alternative question where the speaker presents two possibili-ties eg lsquoAre you English or Frenchrsquo is formed by placing haacuteishilsquoorrsquo between the two possibilities
nh shigrave zhdngguoacute reacuten haacuteishi rigravebgn reacutenAre you Chinese or Japanese
wi shigrave zhdngguoacute reacutenI am Chinese
nh xhhuan kagraven diagravenyhng haacuteishi tcng ycnyuegraveDo you like watching films or listening to music
wi xhhuan kagraven diagravenyhngI like watching films
nh huiacute jia haacuteishi qugrave yiacutenhaacutengAre you going home or going to the bank
wi qugrave yiacutenhaacutengI am going to the bank
Note 1 The two posed alternatives must be of similar structure iezhdngguoacute reacuten or rigravebgn reacuten (nouns) kagraven
diagravenyhng or tcng ycnyuegrave (verb + object) etc
Note 2 The conjunction lsquoorrsquo in English is rendered in Chinese byhaacuteishi in questions and huogravezhg in statements
19Types ofquestion(2)
197
nh xifng hb chaacute haacuteishi hb kaifbi Would you like tea or coffee
chaacute huogravezhg kaifbi ddu kgyh Either will do(lit tea or coffee will do)
D In Unit 11 it was explained that to emphasize the initiator targettime place means purpose etc of a past action the shigrave deconstruction is used
kegraveren shigrave zuoacutetian dagraveo de (time)The guests arrived yesterday
tamen shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave de (means)They went by plane
ta shigrave laacutei zhfo de jcnglh (target)She came to see the manager
For present and future action shigrave is employed without de
kegraveren shigrave miacutengtian dagraveo The guests are arriving tomorrow
tamen shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave They are going by plane
wi shigrave qugrave tagravenwagraveng I am going to visitfugravemj my parents
However with the verb laacutei lsquoto comersquo de often occurs at the endof the sentence even if it still indicates future As the following exam-ple shows the reason is perhaps that though the woman has yet lsquoto seethe managerrsquo the speaker wants to highlight the fact that she has alreadyarrived on the scene
ta shigrave laacutei zhfo jcnglh de She is coming to see the manager
These sentences of emphasis with shigrave or shigrave de can be formulated into various forms of question question-word questions general questions or affirmative-negative questions
(i) past actions
kegraveren shigrave sheacutenme shiacutehou dagraveo deWhen did the guests arrive
19Types ofquestion(2)
198
kegraveren shigrave zuoacutetian dagraveo de makegraveren shigrave bugrave shigrave zuoacutetian dagraveo de
Did the guests arrive yesterday
kegraveren shigrave zuoacutetian dagraveo de | haacuteishi qiaacutentian dagraveo deDid the guests arrive yesterday or the day before yesterday
tamen shigrave zgnme qugrave deHow did they travel
tamen shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave de matamen shigrave bugrave shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave de
Did they go by plane
tamen shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave de | haacuteishi zuograve chuaacuten qugrave deDid they go by plane or by boat
ta shigrave laacutei zhfo de sheacuteishuiacuteWho(m) did she come to see
ta shigrave laacutei zhfo de jcnglh mata shigrave bugrave shigrave laacutei zhfo de jcnglh
Did she come to see the manager
ta shigrave laacutei zhfo de jcnglh | haacuteishi laacutei zhfo de kuagraveijigraveDid she come to see the manager or the accountant
(ii) present or future actions
kegraveren shigrave sheacutenme shiacutehou dagraveoWhen are the guests arriving
kegraveren shigrave miacutengtian dagraveo makegraveren shigrave bugrave shigrave miacutengtian dagraveo
Are the guests arriving tomorrow
kegraveren shigrave miacutengtian dagraveo | haacuteishi hograveutian dagraveoAre the guests arriving tomorrow or the day after tomorrow
tamen shigrave zgnme qugraveHow are they travelling
tamen shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave matamen shigrave bugrave shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave
Are they going by plane
19Types ofquestion(2)
199
tamen shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave | haacuteishi zuograve chuaacuten qugraveAre they going by plane or by boat
ta shigrave laacutei zhfo sheacuteishuiacuteWho(m) is she coming to see
ta shigrave laacutei zhfo jcnglh de mata shigrave bugrave shigrave laacutei zhfo jcnglh de
Is she coming to see the manager (The speaker must have knownthat the visitor has arrived as was explained above regardingsentences like this with laacutei)
ta shigrave lagravei zhfo jcnglh | haacuteishi laacutei zhfo kuagraveijigraveIs she coming to see the manager or the accountant
The answer to all general affirmative-negative questions is either ( ) shigrave (de) lsquoyesrsquo or bugrave shigrave lsquonorsquo
shigrave nh qugrave zhfo de ta mashigrave bugrave shigrave nh qugrave zhfo de ta
Was it you who went to see herDid you go to see hershigrave de | shigrave wi Yes it was me
nh shigrave qugrave kagraven diagravenyhng manh shigrave bugrave shigrave qugrave kagraven diagravenyhng
Are you going to see a film
bugrave | wi bugrave shigrave qugrave kagraven diagravenyhng | wi shigrave qugrave tiagraveowj
No Irsquom not going to see a film Irsquom going dancing
Exercise 191
Translate the following questions into Chinese using the tags hfoma xiacuteng ma or kgyh ma
Could you shut the door pleaseqhng nh guan shagraveng meacuten | hfo ma
1 Could you close the window please2 Could you please speak Chinese3 May I use the phone4 Shall we go to the cinema5 May I borrow a pen ( jiegrave lsquoto borrowrsquo)6 Can I sleep in tomorrow ( shuigrave lfn jiagraveo lsquoto sleep inrsquo)
19Types ofquestion(2)
200
7 May I sit here8 May I make a suggestion ( tiacute lsquoto put forwardrsquo)9 Could you tell us a story please
10 Could we go dancing tonight
Exercise 192
Formulate questions using shigrave bugrave shigrave and where necessary de on the basis of the statements below to elicit the required information
zhdu xiansheng zuograve fbijc qugrave ycngguoacuteMr Zhou went to England by plane
(i) Did Mr Zhou go to EnglandWas it Mr Zhou who went toEngland
shigrave bugrave shigrave zhdu xiansheng qugrave de ycngguoacute
(ii) Did Mr Zhou travel by plane
zhdu xiansheng shigrave bugrave shigrave zuograve fbijc qugrave de
(iii) Did Mr Zhou go to EnglandWas it England Mr Zhou went to
zhdu xiansheng shigrave bugrave shigrave qugrave de ycngguoacute
1 xifo lh qiacute zigravexiacutengchb qugrave yugravendogravengchfngXiao Li went to the sports field on his bike
(i) Is Xiao Li going to the sports fieldIs it Xiao Li who is goingto the sports field
(ii) Is Xiao Li going to the sports fieldIs it the sports field that XiaoLi is going to
(iii) Is Xiao Li going on his bike to the sports field
2 waacuteng xifojie gangcaacutei qugrave yoacuteujuacuteMiss Wang went to the post office just now
(i) Did Miss Wang go to the post officeWas it Miss Wang who wentto the post office
(ii) Did Miss Wang go just nowWas it just now that Miss Wang went(iii) Did Miss Wang go to the post officeWas it the post office Miss
Wang went to
19Types ofquestion(2)
201
Exercise 193
Make questions using haacuteishi which might be answered by the statements below (Note that in some cases the pronoun may have tobe changed)
1 wi shigrave lfoshc | bugrave shigrave xueacuteshengIrsquom a teacher not a student
2ta xhhuan kagraven xifoshud | bugrave xhhuan kagraven diagravenshigraveHe likes reading fiction but he doesnrsquot like watching television
3ta bugrave shigrave zuoacutetian qugrave de zhdngguoacute | shigrave qiaacutentian qugrave deHe didnrsquot go to China yesterday he went the day before
4wi shigrave zuograve huichb qugrave shagravengban | bugrave shigrave zuograve qigravechb
I go to work by train not by bus5 wi shigrave qugrave diagravenyhngyuagraven | bugrave shigrave qugrave
fagravengufnIrsquom going to the cinema not to the restaurant
6 zhegrave shigrave ycyuagraven | bugrave shigrave dagravexueacuteThis is a hospital not a university
7ta negravei tian shigrave chuan de quacutenzi | bugrave shigrave kugraveziWhat she wore that day was a skirt not a pair of trousers
8wi qiaacutentian shigrave pegravengjiagraven de lfo waacuteng | bugrave shigrave xifo zhangI bumped into Lao Wang not Xiao Zhang the day before yesterday
Exercise 194
Change the following Chinese sentences into questions using ba and then (1) provide English translations of the questions and (2) give positive and negative answers to the questions in Chinese andEnglish (Note again that in some cases the pronoun may need to bechanged)
xiagravetian tagraveiyaacuteng wj difn bagraven jiugrave che laacutei leThe sun rises at five thirty in the summer
xiagravetian tagraveiyaacuteng wj difn bagraven jiugrave che laacutei le baThe sun rises at half past five in the summer doesnrsquot it
19Types ofquestion(2)
202
( ) duigrave | shigrave (de)Yes
( ) bugrave duigrave | bugrave shigrave (de)No
1 zhegravei bgn she shigrave wi xig deThis book was written by me
2 luacutenden liacute bgijcng hgn yufnLondon is a long way from Beijing
3 huichb yhjcng kai ziu leThe train has already gone
4 nagravenegravei tiaacuteo quacutenzi tagravei chaacuteng leThat skirt is too long
5 wi mgi tian ddu tigrave gua huacuteziI shave every day
6 wi bagraveba | mama xiagrave gegrave yuegrave qugrave dugravejiagraveMy parents will go away on holiday next month
7 wi bugrave xhhuan hb zhdngguoacute chaacuteI donrsquot like Chinese tea
8 wi qczi bugrave chc niuacuterograveuMy wife does not eat beef
Exercise 195
Translate the following sentences into Chinese giving emphasis to theexpressions in italics and paying particular attention to whether or not
de must be included to indicate past or future events
1 Are you going to China next month2 Did you go to China last year3 Are you going by plane or by boat4 Did you go by car or on a bike5 Where did you learn your Chinese6 Where are you going to learn your Chinese7 Who washed the bowls last night8 Who is going to wash the bowls tonight
Pattern and vocabulary drill 191
Following the pattern below answer the 12 questions positively or negatively
19Types ofquestion(2)
203
nh xhhuan chc yuacute maDo you like eating fish
wi hgn xhhuan chc yuacuteVery much
wi ycdifnr ygddu bugrave xhhuan chc yuacuteNot at all
1 nh xhhuan df pcngpangqiuacute maDo you like playing ping-pongtable-tennis
2 nh xhhuan kagraven diagravenyhng maDo you like watching films
3 dagravengao hfochc maIs the cake delicious
4 negravei bgn xifoshud yiu yigravesc maIs that novel interesting
5 negravei tiaacuteo kugravezi chaacuteng bugrave chaacutengIs that pair of trousers long
6 nh sheshu de haacuteizi kgrsquoagravei ma ( kgrsquoagraveilsquolovelyrsquo)Are your unclersquos children lovely
7 nh jia de xifo mao kgrsquoagravei bugrave kgrsquoagraveiIs your kitten lovely
8zuograve huichb qugrave bh zuograve qigravechb qugrave kuagravei maIs it faster going there by train than by car
9 nh xifng qugrave zhdngguoacute waacutenr maDo you want to go travelling in China
10 nagraver de xiagravetian regrave bugrave regraveIs the summer there hot
Pattern and vocabulary drill 192
Translate the following questions into Chinese using shigrave bugrave shigraveto give emphasis to the enquiry
Are you going out for a walknh shigrave bugrave shigrave che qugrave sagravenbugrave
1 Do you really want to learn Chinese2 Are there a lot of athletes on the sports field3 Is the street full of people4 Are your parents coming to see you in a few days5 Do you often go swimming
19Types ofquestion(2)
204
6 Is your friend waiting for you outside7 Have they been to Beijing many times8 Is she writing letters the whole evening9 Have you had a lot of beer tonight
10 Does this dish not taste as nice as that one
19Types ofquestion(2)
205
206
UNIT TWENTYImperatives and exclamations
A Imperatives as commands or requests directed at the listener ingiven contexts do not usually need a subject (unless the speaker wantsto single out a particular person from a group)
jigraven laacutei Come inche qugrave Get outzhagraven qhlaacutei Stand upzuograve xiagrave Sit downanjigraveng difnr Quieten down (lit a bit quieter)yaacutensugrave difnr Be serious (lit a bit serious)
nh qugrave jiao shuh | nh qugrave gb cfo | nh qugrave jifn shugraveliacuteYou water the plants You mow the grass And you clip the hedge
B To soften the tone of an imperative to the level of a request qhng lsquopleasersquo is placed at the beginning of the imperative
qhng jigraven laacutei Come in pleaseqhng zuograve xiagrave Please take a seatqhng dagravejia anjigraveng Would everybody be difnr quiet please
To soften the tone still further the sentence particle ba can be used
qhng jigraven laacutei ba Wonrsquot you please come inqhng zuograve ba Wonrsquot you please sit down
ba occurs without qhng and carries a casual tone
zuograve ba Sit down thenOkay take a seatWhy donrsquot you take a seat
jigraven laacutei ba Come in thenOkay you can come in now
C Commands and requests usually call for actions on the part of thelistener If they involve a third party verbs like ragraveng lsquoto let to allowto permitrsquo jiagraveo lsquoto orderrsquo etc are usually placed before the third-person pronoun
ragraveng ta ziu ba Let him gojiagraveo ta laacutei jiagraven wi Tell him to come and see meragraveng ta qugrave Leave him alone (lit let him go)
Note Observe the idiomatic use of the verb qugrave lsquoto gorsquo in the thirdexample
ragraveng is of course also used by the speaker in relation to him- orherself
ragraveng wi bang nh de maacuteng Let me give you a hand
ragraveng wi kagraven yc kagraven Let me have a lookragraveng wi xifng ycxiagrave Let me think about it
D In the case of an imperative involving the action of the speakerand the listener the pronoun zaacutenmen lsquoweusrsquo is used together withthe particle ba
zaacutenmen ziu ba Letrsquos gozaacutenmen hb yc bbi ba Letrsquos have a drink
E Commands or requests may also be concerned with the manner inwhich actions are carried out Under such circumstances the relevantadverbials are placed before the imperative verb
kuagravei ziu Hurry upmagravenmagraven laacutei Take it easyTake your timedui chc difnr Have some more (food)
F Negative imperatives (or prohibitions) are expressed by bugrave yagraveolsquodonrsquotrsquo or its short form bieacute
dgng yc dgng | bieacute ziu Wait a minuteHang on Donrsquot go (yet)
bieacute shudhuagrave Keep quiet (lit donrsquot speak)
20Imper-atives andexclama-tions
207
bieacute kegraveqi Make yourself at home (lit donrsquot be polite)
bugrave yagraveo chduyan Donrsquot smokebugrave yagraveo kai waacutenxiagraveo Donrsquot (treat it as a) joke
G Sentence particle le (sometimes in combination with a andpronounced la) is added to introduce a note of urgency
bieacute shudhuagrave le Silence pleaseStop talkingqhchuaacuteng la Itrsquos time to get upUp you get
H More formal prohibitions which appear on public notices areexpressed by bugrave zhjn lsquonot allowedrsquo bugrave xj lsquonot permittedrsquoand bugrave deacute lsquomust notrsquo
bugrave zhjn chduyan No smokingbugrave deacute rugrave negravei No entrybugrave xj zagravei ch luagraven die lajc No litter on the
premises
I Exclamations are formed by placing a degree adverb like ( )dud(me) lsquohowrsquo zhbn lsquoreallytrulyrsquo before the adjective which is oftenfollowed by a
luacutenden de jibdagraveo dudme faacutenmaacuteng aHow busy the streets in London are
qiaacuteo | ta pfo de zhbn kuagravei aLook he can run really fast
nh zhbn dograveuYou are really funnywitty
J There is a tendency for the particle a to be affected by the vowelor consonant ending of the word that precedes it This leads to possi-ble variants including the following
Endings Variant-i ya-u -ao wa-n na
le and a (see G above) fuse to become la
Examples
tian na Heavens
20Imper-atives andexclama-tions
208
zhegravei dagraveo tiacutemugrave zhbn naacuten naThis question is really difficult
zhegravei zhing yagraveo dudme kj waThis medicine is so bitterreally awfulnasty
bugrave shigrave zhegravei huiacute shigrave yaIt is certainly not the case
qigravechb xie hfo laThe car has been repaired at last
yc zhc dudme mgiligrave de xifo nifo waWhat a beautiful little bird
zhegravei toacuteu xioacutengmao dud kgrsquoagravei yaIsnrsquot this panda sweet
zhegravei chfng qiuacutesagravei dudme jcngcfi yaThis football match is so exciting
Note The above are not rigid rules and it is possible for individualspeakers simply to use a or ya in many cases
Exercise 201
Translate the following imperatives into Chinese
1 Come in2 Stand up3 Get out4 Sit down5 Get up
Exercise 202
Translate the following imperatives into Chinese using qhng andorba ragraveng jiagraveo where appropriate
1 Do have some more (food)2 Letrsquos get off (the bus) here3 Leave him alone4 Hurry up5 Please queue up here ( paacuteiduigrave lsquoto queuersquo)
20Imper-atives andexclama-tions
209
6 Be quick7 Come back early8 Close the door9 Be serious
10 Donrsquot switch off the light
6 Switch on the light please7 Come in please8 Letrsquos have a little rest9 Listen Who is it
10 Please open the door
Exercise 203
Rephrase the imperative sentences below as negatives
1 guan chuang Close the window2 guan dbng Turn off the light3 liagraveng ycfu Hang the clothes out to dry4 shagraveng chb Get on the busGet into the
car5 guograve laacutei Come here6 chuan zhegravei Wear this pair of shoes
shuang xieacute7 kaichb (in a car) Letrsquos go8 ragraveng ta ziu Let him go9 jiagraveo ta huiacute laacutei Tell her to come back
10 qhng dagravejia dagravei Would everyone please bring sfn umbrellas
Exercise 204
Translate into Chinese the two imperative sentences (i) and (ii) in eachof the following cases building on the basic imperative provided
1 jigraven qugrave Go in
(i) Letrsquos go in(ii) Okay you may go in now
2 qugrave gb cfo Go and cut the grass
(i) Would you please go and mow the grass(ii) Go and mow the grass now please (Itrsquos time for you to go and
mow the grass now)
20Imper-atives andexclama-tions
210
3 xiagrave chb Get off the bus
(i) Letrsquos get off the bus(ii) Come on wersquore getting off here
4 hb yc bbi Have a drink
(i) Letrsquos have a drink(ii) Itrsquos okay you may have a drink
Exercise 205
Complete the following sentences with a likely exclamatory particle ineach case such as a ya wa na or la remembering thatwith la an element must be replaced
1 zhegravei kuagravei shiacutetou dud zhogravengThis stone is so heavy
2 negravei zhuagraveng dagraveloacuteu zhbn gaoThat building is really tall
3 wagraveimian dud lgngHow cold it is outside
4 wi egrave sh leI am so hungry
5 ta laacutei de zhbn zfoHersquos here really early
6 nh kagraven digravebfn ddu shc leLook the floor is all wet
7 jcntian de tianqigrave dudme hfoWhat a nice day it is today
8 zhegravei dagraveo tiacute zhbn naacutenThis question is really difficult
9zhegrave shigrave yc tiaacuteo dudme piagraveoliang de quacutenziWhat a pretty skirt this is
10 tuacuteshegufn li zhbn anjigravengHow quiet it is in the library
11 zhegravei gegrave haacuteizi dud kgrsquoagraveiHow lovely this child is
12 dudme kgrsquoagravei de yc zhc xifo mao
What a lovely kitten
20Imper-atives andexclama-tions
211
Pattern and vocabulary drill 201
Translate the 15 negative commands below using bieacute lsquoDonrsquotrsquo withthe verb indicated in each case
Donrsquot bother about me ( gufn)bieacute gufn wi
1 Never mind him ( gufn)2 Donrsquot come in ( jigraven laacutei)3 Donrsquot go out ( che qugrave)4 Donrsquot go yet ( ziu)5 Donrsquot touch it ( pegraveng)6 Donrsquot go on ( shud)7 Donrsquot swear at people ( magrave)8 Donrsquot sleep on the sofa ( shuigrave)9 Donrsquot look for excuses ( zhfo)
10 Donrsquot borrow money from others ( jiegrave)11 Donrsquot wait for me ( dgng)12 Donrsquot smoke here ( chduyan)13 Donrsquot tease him ( dograveu)14 Donrsquot stand up ( zhagraven)15 Donrsquot laugh at me ( xiagraveo)
Reformulate the same 15 imperatives making use of the words in brackets and then translate them into English
Donrsquot bother about me ( bugrave yograveng)( ) (nh) bugrave yograveng gufn wi lsquoNo need (for you) to botherabout mersquo
1 Never mind him ( bugrave bigrave )2 Donrsquot come in ( bugrave yagraveo)3 Donrsquot go out ( bugrave xj lsquonot allowedrsquo)4 Donrsquot go yet ( haacutei bugrave neacuteng)5 Donrsquot touch it ( bugrave zhjn)6 Donrsquot go on ( bugrave yagraveo)7 Donrsquot swear at people ( bugrave xj)8 Donrsquot sleep on the sofa ( bugrave kgyh)9 Donrsquot look for excuses ( bugrave yagraveo)
10 Donrsquot borrow money from others ( bugrave yagraveo)11 Donrsquot wait for me ( bugrave bigrave)12 Donrsquot smoke here ( bugrave zhjn)13 Donrsquot tease him ( bugrave yagraveo)
20Imper-atives andexclama-tions
212
14 Donrsquot stand up ( bugrave yograveng)15 Donrsquot laugh at me ( bugrave neacuteng)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 202
If sentence particle le is added to the 12 sentences below it indi-cates that the speaker is getting increasingly impatient He not only wantsto bring the situation to a close but does not want it to continue oroccur again With le he sounds as if he were saying lsquoEnough isenoughrsquo Translate each of the following sentences first without leand then with le to bring out their subtle differences in meaning
bieacute ke Donrsquot crybieacute ke le Donrsquot cry any more or Stop crying
1 qhng bugrave yagraveo xiagraveo wi
2 qhng bieacute kai waacutenxiagraveo3 bugrave yagraveo dfjiagrave4 bieacute chfojiagrave5 bieacute chfo6 bieacute chfo wi
7 bieacute magrave ta8 bugrave yagraveo dgng ta9 bieacute chduyan
10 bieacute hb jij11 bieacute kegraveqigrave12 zagravei jiagraven
20Imper-atives andexclama-tions
213
214
UNIT TWENTY-ONEComplements of direction and location(or destination)
Complements are those elements in a sentence which follow the verb(or adjective) apart from the object They usually signify such meaningcategories as direction location duration result manner possibilitydegree etc In this unit we are concerned with complements of directionand location
A The verbs laacutei lsquoto comersquo and qugrave lsquoto gorsquo form the two basiccomplements of direction which are used after verbs of movement oraction to indicate a direction lsquotowardsrsquo or lsquoaway fromrsquo the speaker
(a) after verbs of movement
pfo laacutei run over (here)pfo qugrave run over (there)fbi laacutei fly over (towards the speaker)fbi qugrave fly away (from the speaker)
(b) after verbs of action
naacute laacutei bringnaacute qugrave takedagravei laacutei bring with onedagravei qugrave take with one
gufngchfng shang fbi laacutei le bugrave shfo gbziQuite a number of pigeons flew overcame flying to the square
qiaacuten yhjcng huigrave qugrave leThe money was already remitted [to someone]
sheshu jigrave laacutei le hgn dud shegravengdagraven lhwugraveUncle sent [us] (by post) a lot of Christmas presents
zuoacutetian chuaacuten laacutei le jiugravejiu che guoacute dexiaoxiThe news of unclersquos going abroad came yesterday
B laacutei or qugrave may be linked in particular to the following groupof verbs to form a set of common disyllabic verbs of movement Thesedisyllabic verbs also function themselves as directional complementswith either verbs of movement or verbs of action
laacutei lsquocomersquo qugrave lsquogorsquo(towards the speaker) (away from the speaker)
jigraven lsquoenterrsquo jigraven laacutei come in jigraven qugrave go inche lsquoexitrsquo che laacutei come out che qugrave go outshagraveng lsquoascendrsquo shagraveng come up shagraveng go up
laacutei qugravexiagrave lsquodescendrsquo xiagrave laacutei come xiagrave qugrave go
down downhuiacute lsquoreturnrsquo huiacute laiacute come back huiacute qugrave go
backguograve lsquocrossrsquo guograve laacutei come over guograve qugrave go
across overacross
qh lsquorisersquo qh laacutei rise (from qh qugrave is noa lower longerposition to useda higherposition)
Examples
(a) as independent verbs of movement
ta jigraven laacutei le He came in (to the room)qhng shagraveng laacutei Please come upta che qugrave le Hersquos outtamen huiacute qugrave le They have gone backtagraveiyaacuteng che laacutei le The sun came outwi bugrave gfn xiagrave qugrave I dare not go downta qh laacutei le Hersquos got up
(b) as complements of direction following verbs of movement
tamen gfn They hurried back (to huiacutequgrave le where they had come
from)ta bugrave gfn She did not dare to tiagraveo xiagravequgrave jump down
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
215
huagraver diagraveo xiagravelaacutei le The picture fell downchb kai guogravequgrave le The car went pasttagraveiyaacuteng shbng qhlaacutei le The sun rose
(c) as complements of direction following verbs of action
she fagraveng huiacutequgrave le The books have been put back (where they were)
cagravei duan jigravenlaacutei le The dishes were brought in
shegravengdagravenkf jigrave The Christmas cardschequgrave le have been sent (by
post)huagraver guagrave qhlaacutei le The pictures were
hung upzuograveyegrave jiao The coursework has shagravengqugrave le been handed injiegrave chequgrave de qiaacuten The money whichhuaacuten huiacutelaacutei le had been lent was
returned
Note qhlaacutei xiagravequgrave and xiagravelaacutei as we have seen mayalso be used as aspect markers (see Unit 15)
ta chagraveng qhlaacutei le He started singingnh kgyh zagravei zhegraver zhugrave You can stay on xiagravequgrave herechb tiacuteng xiagravelaacutei le The car came to a
stop
C When the verb has an object that indicates a location it is placedbetween the verb and its directional complement laacutei or qugrave orbetween the two elements of a disyllabic complement of direction
(a) between the verb and laacutei or qugrave
ta jigraven bagravengdngshigrave She came into the laacutei le officegbge chemeacuten qugrave le My elder brother
is away (lit Elder brother went out of the door)
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
216
xifo lh shagraveng taacutei Xiao Li went on qugrave le to the stagemama xiagrave loacuteu laacutei le Mum came
downstairs
Note chemeacuten lsquobe awayrsquo is a verb with an inbuilt object
(b) between the two elements of a disyllabic directional complement
(i) following a verb of movement
mama pfo xiagrave Mum came loacuteu laacutei running
downstairsgdnggograveng qigravechb The bus kai guograve qiaacuteo qugrave went across
the bridgesheshu pfo huiacute jia (My) uncle has qugrave le gone homegegu ziu jigraven wezi (My) aunt walkedlaacutei le into the roomsdngshj paacute shagraveng The squirrel shugrave qugrave le climbed up the
treejiugraveshbngyuaacuten tiagraveo The life-guard jigraven shuh li qugrave le jumped into
the water
(ii) following a verb of action
yagraveoshi fagraveng huiacute chduti li qugrave leThe keys have been put back into the drawer
qiaacuten cuacuten jigraven yiacutenhaacuteng qugrave leThe money has been deposited in the bank
One cannot for instance say
ta jigraven laacutei bagravengdngshigrave le (lit She came into the office)
sdngshj paacute shagravengqugrave (lit The squirrel shugrave le climbed up
the tree)
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
217
If the object is not a location it may precede or follow the mono-syllabic directional complement laacutei or qugrave
jiugravejiu dagravei le yc piacuteng jij laacuteijiugravejiu dagravei laacutei le yc piacuteng jij
(My) uncle brought a bottle of wine
sfosao jiegrave le lifng bf yhzi qugravesfosao jiegrave qugrave le lifng bf yhzi
(My) Elder brotherrsquos wife has borrowed two chairs from us
If the directional complement is a disyllabic one a non-location objectmay precede it or follow it as in the case of a monosyllabic directionalcomplement In addition a non-location object may go between the twosyllables of the disyllabic directional complement as is shown in thethird example
bagraveba ze le yc liagraveng xifo miagravenbaochb huiacutelaacuteibagraveba ze huiacutelaacutei le yc liagraveng xifo miagravenbaochb
bagraveba ze huiacute yc liagraveng xifo miagravenbaochb laacutei
Father has hired a mini-van
Note In the last instance the aspect marker le has to bedropped as it does not usually go between huiacute and laacutei
D Location (or destination) complements are usually formed by the verbzagravei lsquoto be inatrsquo or dagraveo lsquoto arrive inatrsquo followed by a location phrase
(a) location
yeacuteye zhugrave zagravei Grandpa lives in cheacuteng li townyiu hgn dud reacuten There are a lot zuograve zagravei cfodigrave of people sitting
shang on the grassycfu guagrave zagravei ycjiagrave The clothes were shang hung on the
coat-hangers
(b) destination
gdnggograveng qigravechb The bus went as kai dagraveo qiaacuteo bian far as the bridge
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
218
wimen gfn dagraveo We hurried to thehuichbzhagraven stationwi jia ban dagraveo We moved (home) gdngyuaacuten fugravejigraven to a place by the
parkqcngwa tiagraveo dagraveo The frog jumpedshuh li qugrave le into the waterhfibagraveo yoacuteu dagraveo The seal swamagraven shang laacutei le on to the shore
Note In the last two examples above we can see that qugraveand laacutei may also be integrated into a destination comple-ment begun with dagraveo when a location object is present
Exercise 211
Translate the following phrases into Chinese using directional complements
1 go back 13 come back home2 come over here 14 drive over the bridge (to the other side)3 go up 15 climb up the tree4 come down 16 come down the hill5 bring here 17 bring to the classroom6 go out 18 go out of the house7 come back 19 run back to the office8 take to 20 take back to the hospital9 get up 21 jump into the swimming-pool
10 go in 22 go into the post office11 go across 23 go across the street12 come out 24 come out of the room
Exercise 212
Complete the Chinese translations with disyllabic directional complements
1 The children have gone outhaacuteizimen pfo le
2 The clothes have fallen off the clothes-line
liagravengycsheacuteng shang de ycfu diagraveo le
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
219
3 He lay down on the grassta zagravei cfodigrave shang tfng
4 The doctor has come inycshbng ziu le
5 She just went pastta ganggang ziu
6 Donrsquot throw it out of the windowbugrave yagraveo rbng chuang wagravei
7 The cups have been put back in the cupboardbbizi fagraveng wfnguigrave li
le8 The teacher has gone back to the school
lfoshc pfo xueacutexiagraveo le
9 The kitten has jumped on to the bedxifo mao tiagraveo chuaacuteng
le10 The dog jumped over the wall
giu tiagraveo qiaacuteng le11 The letter has been dropped into the pillar-box
xigraven yhjcng rbng yoacuteuting le12 The ball did not go into the goal
qiuacute meacuteiyiu tc qiuacutemeacuten
Exercise 213
Rephrase the following Chinese sentences adding the location wordsshown in the brackets (note in some cases a postposition may beneeded) and then translate the rephrased sentences into English
xifo lh huiacute laacutei le ( jia)xifo lh huiacute jia laacutei le
Xiao Li came home
1 lfoshc ziu jigravenqugrave le ( tuacuteshegufnthe library)
2 fbijc fbi guogravequgrave le ( shan the hill)3 wi paacute shagravengqugrave ( shanpd the
hillside)4 haacuteizimen pfo guogravequgrave le ( mflugrave the road)
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
220
5 tamen ziu chequgrave le ( jiagraveotaacuteng the church)
6 ycshbng huiacute qugrave le ( ycyuagraven the hospital)
7 qcngwa tiagraveo xiagravequgrave le ( shuh the water)8 chb kai guogravelaacutei le ( qiaacuteo the bridge)9 xifo jc zuan chelaacutei le ( dagravenkeacute the
shell)10 xifo mao paacute shagravengqugrave le ( shugrave the tree)11 nifor fbi chequgrave le ( loacutengzi the
cage)12 xueacutesheng ziu jigravenlaacutei le ( jiagraveoshigrave the
classroom)13 lfoshj zuan huiacutequgrave le ( dograveng hole)14 dugravechuaacuten kai guogravequgrave le ( heacute river)
Exercise 214
Fill in the blanks with an appropriate location or destination phrase in accordance with the English version provided making use of the wordsgiven in the following list
yiacutenhaacuteng banklajcting garbage binliagravengycsheacuteng clothes-linexiangzi boxtrunkbcngxiang refrigeratorbfoxifnguigrave strongboxsafexiacutenglijiagrave luggage rackhfi bian the seasidetian shang the skycheacuteng wagravei out-of-town areashuacute shang surface of the lakewedhng shang top of the roof
1ycfu ddu zhuang qugrave leAll the clothes have been packed into the box
2 qiaacuten ddu cuacuten leAll the money has been deposited in the bank
3lajc ddu dagraveo qugrave leAll the rubbish has been tipped into the garbage bin
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
221
4nh de xiacutengli ddu fagraveng leAll your luggage was put on the luggage rack
5 ( )
xh hfo de ycfu ddu liagraveng leAll the washing has been hung on the clothes-line [to dry]
6zhj hfo de cagravei ddu gb leAll the cooked dishes were left in the fridge
7 shiushi ddu fagraveng All the jewels are in the safe
8 tamen ban laacutei leThey have moved into the town
9 qigravechb yczhiacute kai The car went straight to the seaside
10 qigraveqiuacute yczhiacute shbng qugrave leThe balloon rose straight into the sky
11 weya fbi qugrave leThe crow flew to the top of the roof
12wi de magraveozi ragraveng fbng ggi chuc qugrave leMy hat was blown into the lake by the wind
Pattern and vocabulary drill 211
Translate into Chinese the English sentences below making sure youuse either monosyllabic or disyllabic directional complements with orwithout a location object An example is given
The children went in haacuteizimen jigraven qugrave leThe children went into the classroom
( ) haacuteizimen (ziu) jigraven jiagraveoshigrave qugrave le
1 The engineers went in2 The adults went out3 The boys went out4 The girls came back5 The Chinese friends came in6 The guests went back7 The Chinese guests came back8 The neighbours came out
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
222
9 The patient came into the ward10 Grandma took younger sister and brother to the zoo11 The athletes climbed up the mountain (mountain shan)12 Father came home after work13 The kitten hid itself behind the sofa (hide dui)14 A dog came running over the bridge15 A crowd of people came walking into the shop16 Elder brother came running upstairs17 The little girl swam across the river (swim yoacuteu river heacute)18 The pigeon flew up into the tree19 The moon came out (moon yuegraveliang)20 The boy jumped into the water21 The squirrel climbed down the tree22 Mother hurried to the railway station23 A group of boys came running on to the street24 There rose many a balloon25 The pen fell into the river26 They moved into the village27 The manager came walking out of his office28 The students stood up29 Everybody sat down30 The life-guard came swimming back to the shore (shore agraven bian)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 212
Following the model form two sentences in Chinese using each of theten sets of words given below For the first introduce the location expres-sion for the second add the action verb so that the original action verbbecomes a direction complement
ta jigraven laacutei le He came inoffice ta jigraven bagravengdngshigrave laacutei le
He came into the officewalk hurriedly ta pfo jigraven bagravengdngshigrave laacutei le
He walked hurriedly into the office
1 ta jigraven qugrave le He went inroom walk hurriedly
2 ta che qugrave le He went outclassroom walk
3 ta huiacute qugrave le He went backhome hurry
4 ta xiagrave laacutei le He came downstairs run
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
223
5 ta guograve qugrave le He went over (to the other side)bridge drive (a car)
6 ta shagraveng qugrave le He went uptree climb
7 ta guograve laacutei le He came over (to this side)river swim
8 ta che laacutei le He came outhouse rushdash ( chdng)
9 ta guograve qugrave le He went over (to the other side)fence ( zhagravelaacuten) jump
10 ta shagraveng laacutei le He went upstageplatform walk hurriedly
21Comple-ments ofdirectionand loca-tion (ordestina-tion)
224
UNIT TWENTY-TWOComplements of result and manner
225
This unit deals with complements of result and what are generally calledcomplements of manner These complements like those of directionand location or destination are invariably positioned after verbs
A Complements of result can be either adjectives or verbs and theyimply that a result of the action of the verb has been achieved
(a) Adjectives
dagravejia ddu zuograve hFo le Everybody has satsettled down
nh cai cuograve le You have guessed wrongly
nhmen tcng qCngchu Did you hear that le ma clearly
(b) Verbs
tamen ddu zhagraven zhugrave They all stood stilllenh kagraven jiagraven ta le ma Did you see herwi xueacute huigrave kaichb le I have learnt to drivenh tcng dIng le ma Did you understand
(what was said)
B The objects of verbs with complements are regularly shifted to apreverbal position where they become the topic of the sentence andnaturally have definite reference
weacutenzhang wi xig waacuten le I have finished writing the essay
zhudzi ca gAnjigraveng le The table has been wiped (clean)
gdngzuograve zuograve waacuten le The work was done
negravei gegrave wegraventiacute nh xifng qCngchu le meacuteiyiuHave you thought out that question thoroughly
ta de huagrave wi ddu tcng miacutengbai leI understood every word he said
Note The seemingly more logical verb-object order is certainly not ungrammatical but is in fact far less usual in everyday speechor writing
wi xig waacuten le weacutenzhang leI have finished writing the essay
C Complements of result by definition imply completed actionandor change of circumstances and therefore naturally occur with
le (For discussion of le as completed action see Unit 15 for adetailed analysis of le as a lsquochange-of-statersquo sentence particle seeIntermediate Chinese Unit 8) For example
ta hb zuigrave le Hersquos drunkycfu shagravei gAn le The clothes are dryxigraven jigrave zIu le The letter has been sent
It follows that the negation of these statements will involve the use of( ) meacutei(yiu) without le since the action has never been com-
pleted or the state achieved
ta meacutei hb zuigrave He isnrsquot drunkycfu meacutei shagravei gAn The clothes are not dryxigraven haacutei meacutei jigrave zIu The letter has not been
sent yet
D The complement of manner in its simple form consists of defollowed by an adjective usually with a degree adverb or negator
ta xueacute de hgn hfo He studies very wellta pfo de fbichaacuteng She runsran kuagravei extremely fastnh shud de hgn duigrave You arewere quite
right (in what you said)ta shuigrave de tagravei wfn He goeswent to bed
too late
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
226
sheacuteishuiacute laacutei de zuigrave Who arrived zfo earliestta xig de bugrave hfo He writeswrote badlyta jifng de bugrave tagravei She doesdid not qcngchu put it too clearly
Note In these cases a degree adverb is almost indispensable andthat as a state or situation is being described with no reference toa previous situation sentence le is not generally used
Phrases with reduplicated words which have phonetic resonance(phonaesthemes) make natural complements of manner
ta jifng de She hemmed and hawed jibjiebaba de (as she spoke)ta hb de He (drank till he) zuigravexenxen de was tipsy
E More complex forms of the complement of result or manner entailthe placing of a verb phrase or a clause after the de These comple-ments in fact normally convey a sense of resultant state with the difference between result and manner being conveyed by the presenceof the sentence particle le for result and by its absence for mannerThe verb phrase usually follows an adjectival predicate but the clausecan come after an adjectival or verb predicate
(a) Verb phrases
ta gaoxigraveng de tiagraveo qhlaacutei (manner)He jumped for joy(lit he was [so] pleased that he jumped up)
ta teacuteng de dfo xiagravequgrave le (result)She collapsed with the painShe was in such great pain she collapsed
mama jiacute de ke qhlaacutei le (result)Mother was so anxious she started to cry
(b) Clauses
tagraveiyaacuteng zhagraveo de wi yfn yg hua le (verb)The sun was so bright it dazzled my eyes(lit the sun shone [so that] my eyes were dazzled)
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
227
ta gao de shiu neacuteng pegraveng dagraveo tianhuabfn le (adjective)He is so tall he can touch the ceiling with his hands
ta zhagraven de tuh ddu suan le (verb)She stood there for so long her legs began to ache
tamen chagraveng de sfngzi ddu yf le (verb)They sang until they were hoarse
ta gfn lugrave gfn de hagraven zhiacute wfng xiagrave liuacute (verb)He hurried ahead till sweat was pouring downtill he was sweat-ing all over
Note As can be seen from the above sentences that have clausecomplements more often imply result rather than manner and
le is therefore regularly present
F If the verb in a sentence with a complement of manner is of a lsquoverb + objectrsquo form (eg yoacuteuying lsquoswimrsquo chagravenggb lsquosingrsquo
liaacuteotianr lsquochatrsquo) the verb is repeated before the complement isadded
ta chagravenggb chagraveng de sfngzi ddu yf leShe sang until she was hoarse
ta yoacuteuying yoacuteu de hgn magravenHe swims very slowlyHe is a slow swimmer
One cannot say
ta chagravenggb de sfngzi ddu yf le
Note You may have noticed that most of the sentences containinglsquoverb + complementrsquo expressions end with le This is because the primary function of the sentence particle le is to indicatelsquochangersquo and the notion of a newly emerged result is naturally con-sistent with the notion of a changed situation Examples withoutle are statements of a present fact and therefore focus on mannerrather than result Notice the change in meaning if le is used inthe following
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
228
Compare
ta yoacuteuying yoacuteu de hgn magravenHe swims very slowlyHe is a slow swimmer
And
ta yoacuteuying yoacuteu de hgn magraven leHe no longer swims as fast as beforeHe is a much slower swimmer now than he used to be
Exercise 221
Complete each of the following Chinese sentences with an appropri-ate complement of result or manner to match the English sentence
1 The dog ran very fastxifo giu pfo
2 The clothes have been washed (clean)ycfu xh le
3 I have understood this articlezhegravei pian weacutenzhang wi kagraven le
4 Who writes Chinese the best
sheacuteishuiacute hagravenzigrave xig5 The rice is cooked
fagraven zhj le6 Xiao Wang can speak English very fluently
xifo waacuteng ycngyj shud
7 All the children have sat downhaacuteizimen ddu zuograve le
8 My daughter has learned how to play the pianowi nsrsquoeacuter xueacute taacuten gangqiacuten le
9 I managed to buy a good bookwi mfi le yc bgn hfo she
10 The grass dried (in the sun)cfo shagravei le
11 Mother went to bed very latemama shuigrave
12 Did you see himnh kagraven ta le ma
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
229
13 The kitten jumped really highxifo mao tiagraveo
14 The teacher has explained this problem extremely clearly
zhegravei gegrave wegraventiacute lfoshc shud
15 You are perfectly correctnh shud
16 The car stoppedchbzi tiacuteng le
Exercise 222
Form sentences by matching an appropriate clause complement of man-ner (or resultant state) from the list on the right with a main clausefrom the list on the left Naturally de will be needed at the begin-ning of the complement Remember that with lsquoverb + objectrsquo con-structions the verb needs to be repeated before it can be followed bya complement When you have constructed the sentences translate theminto English
1 wi sfngzi teacuteng tuh ddu suan le2 ta yoacuteuying sfngzi ddu yf le3 ta pfo lugrave fagraven yg chc bu
xiagrave le4 lfoshc sheacuteishuiacute yg bugrave
shudhuagrave regravenshi le5 wi yfnjing dagravejia ddu xiagraveo
hua qhlaacutei le6 wi gaoxigraveng huagrave yg shud bu
chelaacutei le7 gbge zuigrave qigrave yg chufn bu
guogravelaacutei le8 xueacutesheng sheacutenme yg kagraven
xig zigrave bu qcngchu le9 megraveimei ke shiu yg suan le
10 ta kai waacutenxiagraveo yfnjing ddu hoacuteng le
Exercise 223
Complete the following Chinese sentences by choosing the appropri-ate verb or adjective from the list given (note in some cases some formof modification is needed) to complete the translations of the Englishsentences
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
230
piagraveoliang bfo hfozuigrave dfo ganjigravengdagraveo pograve zfoduigrave miacutengbai wfn
1 nh meacutei cai You didnrsquot guess it right
2 negravei bgn she wi meacutei mfi I did not manage to obtain that book
3 negravei tian dagravejia ddu hb leEverybody got drunk that day
4negravei tian dagravejia ddu chuan That day everyone was dressed up beautifully
5 ta haacutei meacutei chc
He has not eaten his fill yet6 diagravenshigravejc yg xie le
The television set has also been repaired7
ta pegraveng le chuangtaacutei shang de huapiacutengShe knocked over the vase on the window sill
8geacutebigrave de haacuteizi nograveng le wi haacuteizi de waacutenjugraveNext doorrsquos child broke my childrsquos toy
9 chuanghu wi ddu ca leI have wiped all the windows (clean)
10zhegravei gegrave wegraventiacute nh nograveng le meacuteiyiuHave you thrashed out this problem
11mama jcn zfo qh laacuteiMother got up very early this morning
12bagraveba zuoacute wfn shuigraveFather went to bed very late last night
Exercise 224
Translate the following into Chinese
1 They danced beautifully2 The life-guard swam extremely fast3 The student read slowly4 The child ate a lot
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
231
5 Everybody slept soundly6 The actor sang very badly7 We ran till we were too tiredWe ran so much we were really tired8 The athlete jumped really high9 (My) Elder brother didnrsquot drink much
10 My fellow student didnrsquot speak fluently
Pattern and vocabulary drill 221
You will have perhaps noticed that when a complement of result is inthe form of a clause ddu or yg is always present to refer backto the subject or topic of the clause for emphasis It is not ungram-matical to leave them out but the sentence as a result sounds lessidiomatic Formulate idiomatic sentences from the 12 sets of words belowon the basis of the following
subject jigjie lsquoelder sisterrsquoaction verb dfzigrave lsquoto typersquoresult shiu lsquohandrsquo suan lsquosour to achersquo
jigjie dfzigrave df de shiu ddu suan leElder sister typed till her hands ached
1 subject megraveimei lsquoyounger sisterrsquo action verb tiagraveosheacutenglsquoto skip with a rope play with a skipping ropersquo result jifo lsquofootfeetrsquo teacuteng lsquoto ache to hurtrsquo
2 subject digravedi lsquoyounger brotherrsquo action verb pfobugrave lsquotojogrsquo result tuh lsquolegrsquo rufn lsquosoft (muscles) to lack strengthrsquo
3 subject lfoshc lsquoteacherrsquo action verb jifngkegrave lsquoto teachlessonsrsquo result hoacuteuloacuteng lsquothroatrsquo teacuteng lsquoto ache to hurtrsquo
4 subject peacutengyoumen lsquothe friendsrsquo action verb liaacuteotianlsquoto chatrsquo result sfngzi lsquothroat voicersquo yf lsquoto be hoarse tolose onersquos voicersquo
5 subject negravei gegrave haacuteizi lsquothat childrsquo action verb ke lsquoto cryto weeprsquo result yfnjing lsquoeyesrsquo hoacuteng lsquored (eyes) bloodshotrsquo
6 subject wimen lsquowersquo action verb bbi xiacutengli lsquoto carryluggage on onersquos backrsquo result begravei lsquothe backrsquo teacuteng lsquoto acheto hurtrsquo
7 subject mama lsquomotherrsquo action verb xig xigraven lsquoto write let-tersrsquo result shiu lsquohandrsquo rufn lsquoweak lose strengthrsquo
8 subject jigjie lsquoelder sisterrsquo action verb la xifotiacuteqiacutenlsquoto play the violinrsquo result shiuzhh lsquofingersrsquo chexuegrave lsquoto bleedrsquo
9 subject gbge lsquoelder brotherrsquo action verb taacuten gangqiacutenlsquoto play the pianorsquo result shiuzhh lsquofingersrsquo suanteacuteng lsquoto achersquo
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
232
10 subject bagraveba lsquofatherrsquo action verb shudhuagrave lsquoto talkrsquo resultkiu lsquomouthrsquo gan lsquodryrsquo
11 subject ygye lsquograndfatherrsquo action verb kagraven bagraveozhh
lsquoto read the newspaperrsquo result yfnjing lsquoeyesrsquo hua lsquo(eyes) toblurrsquo
12 subject nfinai lsquograndmotherrsquo action verb chc piacutenggui
lsquoto eat applesrsquo result yaacutechh lsquoteethrsquo teacuteng lsquoto ache to hurtrsquo
Pattern and vocabulary drill 222
Using the model construct versions lsquobrsquo lsquocrsquo and lsquodrsquo in Chinese for eachof the twelve lsquoarsquo sentences given below
a ycfu shagravei gan le The clothes are now dryb ycfu meacutei shagravei gan The clothes are not yet dryc ycfu shagravei de bugravegograveu gan The clothes are not
dry enoughd ycfu shagravei de bugrave tagravei gan The clothes are not too
dry
1 a ycfu xh ganjigraveng le The clothes have been washedclean
2 a weacutenzhang xig hfo le The essay is completed (andpresumably well written)
3 a wegraventiacute shud qcngchu le The question has beenthoroughly explained
4 a fagraven zhj shuacuteshoacuteu le The rice is well cooked5 a chb xie hfo le The car has been repaired (and pre-
sumably is now drivable)6 a wegraventiacute yaacutenjie qcngchu le The problem has
been thoroughly studied7 a toacuteufa jifn dufn le The hair has been cut short8 a gbciacute begravei shuacuteshoacuteu le The lines (of a song) have been
well committed to memory9 a zhudzi ma ganjigraveng le The table has been wiped
clean10 a qiacutengkuagraveng lifojig qcngchu le The situation has
been thoroughly investigated11 a ddngxi fagraveng zhgngqiacute le The things are arranged
in good order12 a faacutengjian shdushi ganjigraveng le The room has been
tidied up
22Comple-ments ofresult andmanner
233
234
UNIT TWENTY-THREEPotential complements
A Simple complements of direction and result may in fact beextended with the help of de and bugrave to indicate whether the saiddirection or result is likely or unlikely to take place or be attained Thesecomplements may be called potential complements
(a) potential complements of result
hbibfn shang de zigrave nh kagraven de qcngchu maCan you see the words on the blackboard clearly
ta shud de huagrave nh tcng de ding maCan you understand what he said
D wi zuoacutetian wfnshang shuigrave bu zhaacuteoI could not sleep last night
Note In the last example the pronunciation of D is zhaacuteo whichis here used as a verb meaning lsquoto achieve a desirable resultrsquo
Virtually all complements of result whether verbal or adjectivalcan be used in the potential form
kagraven de jiagraven can seekagraven bu jiagraven cannot seezuograve de waacuten can finish (the job)zuograve bu waacuten cannot finish (the job)bagraven de dagraveo can be managedbagraven bu dagraveo cannot be managedxie de hfo can be repairedxie bu hfo cannot be repairedshud de miacutengbai can be explained clearlyshud bu miacutengbai cannot be explained clearlyxh de ganjigraveng can be washed (clean)xh bu ganjigraveng cannot be washed (clean)
(b) potential complements of direction (in terms of space or time)
nh haacutei chc de xiagrave maCan you eat any more
wi zhbn de chc bu xiagrave leHonestly I canrsquot eat any more
wi zhagraven bu qhlaacuteiI could not stand up
lhmiagraven reacuten tagravei dud | wimen jigraven bu qugraveThere were so many people inside We [simply] could not get in
zhegraver yiu tiaacuteo gdu | nh tiagraveo de guogravelaacutei maTherersquos a ditch here Can you jump over (here)
xiangzi guan bu shagraveng leThe box cannot be closed (eg too full the lock is broken etc)
( ) ta dai bu xiagravelaacuteiHe cannot stay on (eg He has been called away on businessalways wants to be on the move etc)
When directional complements are used in a potential form with de and bugrave they often acquire a metaphorical meaningbeyond their original sense of physical direction
ta shud bu xiagravequgrave leShe could not carry on (speaking)(eg She was choked by emotion forgot what to say etc)
tagravei guigrave le | wi mfi bu qh
[Itrsquos] too expensive I [ just] canrsquot afford [it]
B Some complements of result or direction exist only in the poten-tial form (as can be seen from the last example cited immediately above)Other examples are
positiveziu de dograveng can walk onlaacutei de jiacute be in time forqugrave de cheacuteng can (ultimately) goxiacuteng de tdng will doworktaacuten de shagraveng can be regarded as
23Potentialcomple-ments
235
kagraven de qh think highly ofheacute de laacutei can get along withshud de guogravequgrave be justifiablezuograve de xiagrave can seathave room forjigjueacute de lifo can be resolved
negativeziu bu dograveng cannot walk (any more)laacutei bu jiacute be too late forqugrave bu cheacuteng cannot (ultimately) goxiacuteng bu tdng wonrsquot doworktaacuten bu shagraveng canrsquot be regarded askagraven bu qh look down uponheacute bu laacutei cannot get along withshud bu guogravequgrave cannot be justifiedzuograve bu xiagrave does not have room forjigjueacute bu lifo cannot be resolved
Note In the last two examples xiagrave does not mean the same asin the non-potential form zuograve xiagrave lsquosit downrsquo and that pro-nounced as lifo which is widely used as a complement only existsas a potential complement meaning lsquoto do something successfullyrsquo
Sentence examples
ta zhegravei gegrave huagravei xiacuteguagraven gfi de lifo maCan this bad habit of his be changedcorrected
tamen lifng gegrave reacuten heacute bu laacuteiThey too do not get on with each other
nh bieacute kagraven bu qh taDonrsquot you look down upon him
wi gfn bu shagraveng taI canrsquot catch up with her
In some cases there are only negative potentials
ba bu de be more than willingbe only too anxious toguagravei bu de no wonderjcn bu zhugrave cannot help butmifn bu lifo can do nothing butcannot avoiddagrave bu lifo if the worst comes to the worst (lit it canrsquot
be worse than)
23Potentialcomple-ments
236
These negative potentials are usually followed by verbal or clausalobjects
dagravejia jcn bu zhugrave xiagraveo qhlaacutei leEverybody could not help laughing
ta ba bu de dagravejia ddu xufn taHe longed for everybody to vote for him
dagrave bu lifo ta bugrave toacutengyigraveAt the worst she will disagree [Thatrsquos all]
C Potential complements as can be seen from above may take objects
nh tcng de ding eacuteyj maDo you understand Russian (when you listen to it being spoken)
wi xifng bu qh negravei jiagraven shigraver laacuteiI could notcannot recall that (matter)
wimen gfn de shagraveng negravei ban huichb maCan we catch that train
zhegraver zhugrave de xiagrave wj gegrave reacuten maCan five people be housed here
D The distinction between the potential complements and the modalverbs neacuteng and kgyh is that the modal verbs imply somedegree of subjective influence while the potential complements indi-cate that external circumstances are the deciding factor
Compare
wi bugrave neacuteng qugraveI canrsquot go [because I donrsquot want toI donrsquot think it would be appropriate]
wi qugrave bu lifoI canrsquot go [because I am illthe last train has gone etc]
wi xiagravenzagravei haacutei bugrave kgyh chc ddngxiI donrsquot think I should eat anything now (eg after the workout)
wi xiagravenzagravei haacutei chc bu lifo ddngxiI donrsquot think I am able to eat anything now (eg after the operation)
E Potential complements may assume two different forms in anaffirmative-negative question Either
23Potentialcomple-ments
237
nh miacutengtian laacutei de lifo laacutei bu lifo
or
nh miacutengtian laacutei bu laacutei de lifoCan you come tomorrow or not
To add emphasis the adverb jiejigraveng lsquoafter allrsquo can be used
nh miacutengtian jiejigraveng laacutei bu laacutei de lifoCan you come tomorrow after all
Exercise 231
Complete the following sentences with the appropriate potential complements
1 nh haacutei ziu de maCan you walk on
2zhegravei tiaacuteo gdu zhegraveme kuan | wi tiagraveo bu This ditch is too wide for me to jump over
3zhegravei jiagraven shigraver nh haacutei xifng de maDo you still remember that
4 zuoacute wfn wi shuigrave buI couldnrsquot sleep last night
5 nh haacutei chc de maCan you eat any more
6zhegravei gegrave huagravei xiacuteguagraven nh gfi de maCan you do something about (change) this bad habit of yours
7 zhegraveme guigrave | wi mfi bu Itrsquos so expensive I canrsquot afford it
8 wi zhfo bu wi de yagraveoshi leI canrsquot find my keys
9xiagravenzagravei haacutei laacutei de gfn negravei ban huichb maHave we got enough time to catch the train
10zhegravei gegrave gdngzuograve wimen jcntian zuograve de maWill we be able to finish this job today
23Potentialcomple-ments
238
Exercise 232
Translate the phrases below into Chinese using potential complements
1 can eat onersquos fill2 canrsquot stand up3 canrsquot drink any more4 canrsquot be washed (clean)5 can sit comfortably6 be too high to reach7 canrsquot see clearly8 can memorize (it)9 can get on with (someone)
10 can get by (survive)
Exercise 233
Provide appropriate potential complements in each of the following sentences
1 meacuten leThe door canrsquot be closed
2jcntian tian ycn | ycfu maItrsquos cloudy today Will the washing get dry
3wimen reacuten zhegraveme dud | wezi li maThere are so many of us Can the room seat us all
4wi hgn legravei | zhbn de leIrsquom very tired Honestly I canrsquot go on
5wimen haacutei negravei ban qigravechb maAre we still in time to catch that coach
6wi regravenweacutei zhegravezhegravei zhing zuograveffI donrsquot think this method will work
7tamen lifng gegrave reacutenCan the two of them get along with each other
8nh negravei jiagraven shigraver maCan you recall that incident
23Potentialcomple-ments
239