Learn Chinese for Free - Lesson 329

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Today's Chinese characters:

劳

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88.0%
Today with this lesson your knowledge of Chinese characters will reach 88.0% of all the Chinese language usage!

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劳
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láo
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Description and Examples

Sentence Structure 1
Verbal Predicate Sentence

A sentence with a verb as the main element of its predicate is called a verbal predicate sentence. If the verb takes an object, the object usually follows the verb.

Subject
我
Verb
爱
Object
医生
Subject
老师
Verb
爱
Object
你

Sentence Structure 2
The Declarative “是” Sentence - Part 1

The "是" sentence is a sentence with its predicate composed by the verb 是 together with its object. Its declarative basic form is "A是B".

Example

她是医生。


Sentence Structure 3
“是” For Emphasis

是, stressed, may be used as an adverb to indicate certainty. For example, in a verbal predicate sentence it may be put before the verb.

Example

我是爱她。
meaning: I really love her.


Sentence Structure 4
Surnames

是 is also a Chinese surname, even if not at all common. Surnames must be put before titles. So let's say we find a teacher whose surname is 是. We would call her 是老师 (that is SURNAME + TITLE) and would cacophonically say "他是是老师".


Sentence Structure 5
The Attributive Genitive

When a personal pronoun or a noun is used as an attributive genitive to show a relationship of belonging, possession, etc., it generally takes the structural particle 的.

Let's take the phrase "my teacher" as example. Since "my" is the possessive genitive of "I", we would literally say "I的teacher".

"My teacher" is literally: I 的 teacher

that is:

我的老师

Pronouns And Nouns Used As An Attributive Genitive:

Chinese
我的
English
my
Chinese
你的
English
your (singular)
Chinese
他的
English
his
Chinese
她的
English
her
Chinese
它的
English
its
Chinese
我们的
English
our
Chinese
你们的
English
your (plural)
Chinese
他们的
English
their (of males, or males and females)
Chinese
她们的
English
their (of females)
Chinese
它们的
English
their (of animals or things)
Chinese
老师的
English
teacher's
Chinese
医生的
English
doctor's

Sentence Structure 6
In​flec​tion in Chinese?

The concept of in​flec​tion, that is the change of form that nouns, verbs and adjectives undergo in English to mark such distinctions as those number, tense, or person is foreign to Chinese language, so that the phrase 我的老师 might be translated both as "my teacher" and "my teachers".

So the good news is that all English rules about inflection can just be ignored!


Sentence Structure 7
The Negative “是” Sentence

The negative form of the "是" sentence is formed by putting the negative adverb 不 before 是.

Example

你们两个人不是医生！


Sentence Structure 8
Questions With “吗”

An interrogative sentence is formed by adding the modal particle 吗 at the end of a declarative sentence, either affirmative or negative.

Example

Declarative sentence: 她是医生。

Interrogative sentence: 她是医生吗？

This is the most frequently used way of asking a question, to which the answer is rather unpredictable.


Sentence Structure 9
The Affirmative-Negative Question - Part 1

The affirmative-negative question, or alternative question, is formed by juxtaposing the verb or adjective of the predicate and its negative form.

Examples

你好不好？

你爱不爱她？


Sentence Structure 10
Adjectival Predicate Sentence

The adjectival predicate sentence is a sentence with an adjective as the main element of its predicate. This type of sentence describes the state which a person or thing is in. No 是 is used to join the predicate with the subject. In an affirmative sentence the adjectival predicate is usually preceded by 很, which is a weakened adverb here without much significance of an adverb of degree.

Examples

我很好。

老师很忙。

Without 很, comparison or contrast is often implied.

Example

老师忙，我不忙。

However, in answering an alternative question, 很 may be left out.

Example

A:
医生忙不忙？
B:
医生忙。

不 is used before the predicate for negation.

Example

A:
医生忙不忙？
B:
医生不忙。

Sentence Structure 11
Adverb “也”

The adverb 也 must be placed after the subject and before the predicate.

Example

我也是老师。


Sentence Structure 12
The Elliptical Question With “呢”

Elliptical questions may be formed by adding the modal particle 呢 to a noun, pronoun or nominal construction. The meaning of this kind of question is determined by the context.

Example

我是医生。你呢？

meaning: "What about you? What's your profession?"

If asked without any context, it concerns the whereabouts of somebody or something. For example, if you meet Mary and just ask her "Lucy呢？", it would mean "Where is Lucy?"


Sentence Structure 13
Adverb “都”

The adverb 都 must be placed after the subject and before the predicate verb or adjective. As a rule, it indicates all of the persons or things referred to by the preceding noun (phrase).

Examples

correct: 他们都认识我

wrong: 我都认识他们


Sentence Structure 14
Adverbs “也” And “都” Used Together

When both the adverbs 也 and 都 are used to modify the same predicate, 也 comes before 都.

Example

她们也都是医生


Sentence Structure 15
The Conjunction “和”

The conjunction 和 is generally used to connect only nouns or pronouns. Don't use it to connect phrases.

Example

他、 她、 你和我


Sentence Structure 16
Attributive Genitive Without 的

When a personal pronoun is used as an attributive and the headword is a word for relatives, parts of the body or units or collectives to which the pronoun belongs, the structural particle 的 may be omitted.

Examples

Both are correct:

我的妈妈

我妈妈


Sentence Structure 17
The Subject-Predicate Construction - Part 1
Used as the Predicate of a Sentence

A subject-predicate construction can be used as the subject, the object or the predicate of a sentence. Here we pay special attention to its use as the predicate of a sentence.

When a sentence has a subject-predicate construction as its predicate, the person or thing denoted by the subject of this subject-predicate construction is often related to the subject of the whole sentence.

Example

她身体很好。

她
:
Subject of the sentence
身体很好
:
Subject-predicate construction (used as the predicate of the sentence)
身体
:
Subject of the subject-predicate construction
很好
:
Predicate of the subject-predicate construction

Sentence Structure 18
Adverbial Adjuncts

An adverbial adjunct is used to modify a verb or an adjective. Adverbs, adjectives, time words and prepositional constructions can all be used as an adverbial adjunct. They usually precede the part which is being modified.

Examples of adverbs used as an adverbial adjunct

他们都来。

他们
:
Subject
都
:
Adverbial adjunct
来
:
Verb

我很好。

我
:
Subject
很
:
Adverbial adjunct
好
:
Adjective

Example of time word used as an adverbial adjunct

他们今天来。

他们
:
Subject
今天
:
Adverbial adjunct
来
:
Verb

Sentence Structure 19
Time Words Used As An Adverbial Adjunct

Time words are nouns or numeral-measure compounds indicating time.

They may be used as subjects, objects, predicates, attributives, complements, or adverbial adjuncts. Here we pay special attention to their use as an adverbial adjunct.

When used as an adverbial adjunct, time words generally come before the main element of the predicate.

Example

他们今天来。

Anyway, when special emphasis is laid on the time words, they may be shifted before the subject to the beginning of the sentence.

Example

今天他们来。

(emphasis on 今天)


Sentence Structure 20
Nominal Predicate Sentence - Part 1

The sentence with a nominal predicate is a sentence in which the main element of the predicate is a noun, a nominal construction or a compound consisting of a numeral and a measure word.

In the affirmative sentence, 是 is not used (是 is used in the sentence with a verbal predicate).

This type of sentence is mainly used to show time, age, one's birthplace, and quantity.

Example

今年2001年。

今年
:
Subject
2001年
:
Nominal Predicate

Sentence Structure 21
The TTT Rule

The TimeTimeTime rule can be applied to the way dates are shown in Chinese:

The word showing a longer period of time comes first.

年月日


Sentence Structure 22
Time Words Used As A Subject

Time words may be used as subjects, objects, predicates, attributives, complements, or adverbial adjuncts. Here we pay special attention to their use as a subject.

Example

今天三月一号。

今天
:
Subject

Sentence Structure 23
Time Words Used As A Predicate

Here we pay special attention to the use of time words as a predicate.

Example

今天三月一号。

三月一号
:
Nominal Predicate

Sentence Structure 24
Nominal Predicate Sentence - Part 2

The negative form of a nominal predicate sentence is made by using 不是 between the subject and the predicate, resulting in a sentence with a verbal predicate at the same time.

Examples

十二月六号不是星期五。

今天不是三十一日。


Sentence Structure 25
The Affirmative-Negative Question - Part 2

When 是不是 is put between the subject and the predicate, an affirmative-negative question, or alternative question, is formed.

Example

A:
明天是不是星期四？
B:
不是，明天星期五。

Sentence Structure 26
Numeral-Measure Compounds Acting As Attributives

In modern Chinese, numerals are generally not used to modify nouns directly. One needs to put specific measure words between them.

Examples

一个人

两位技师

十一个律师


Sentence Structure 27
Measure Words Omission - Part 1

Under certain circumstances, the measure word between a numeral and a noun is often omitted. Here we pay special attention to one specific situation.

When the numeral is a big number and the noun refers to people, then the measure word can be (and usually is) omitted.

Examples

三千朋友

九百万医生

七千亿人


Exercise


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Characters' Details

Chinese Character 964 of 1000

appearance score: # 417
frequency: 0.0520769%
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There's no difference between the simplified and the traditional version of this character.Help

Chinese Character 965 of 1000

appearance score: # 679
frequency: 0.0290014%
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劳
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7
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láo
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-Work; trouble sb. with sth.; reward
-Wearisome
-Achievements; workers; fatigue
-(A surname)

This character has a different traditional version.

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láo
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(same as simplified one's)

Chinese Character 966 of 1000

appearance score: # 913
frequency: 0.0187856%
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There's no difference between the simplified and the traditional version of this character.Help

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