An Introduction to Chinese Grammar 汉语语法入门
词组 Phrases
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Phrases are composed of words organized according to definite grammatical relations. Here are some commonly used types of phrases:
- 主谓词组 Subject-predicate phrase
- 动宾词组 Verb-object phrase
- 联合词组 Coordinative phrase
- 偏正词组 Endocentric phrase
- 数量词组 Numeral-measure phrase
- 补充词组 Complementary word phrase
- 方位词组 Locality phrase
- 同位词组 Appositive phrase
- 固定词组 Set phrase
- 介词词组 Prepositional phrase
- “的”字 词组 The 的 phrase
主谓词组 Subject-Predicate Phrases
A subject-predicate phrase combines the constituents in a subject-predicate relation. For example,
- 头发短 [hair is short] （“头发”是主，“短”是谓） （头发 is the subject 短 is the predicate
- 他写 [he writes] （“他”是主，“写”是谓） （他”is the subject，写 is the predicate）
In a subject-predicate sentence the subject is first and the predicate is second. The subject is the object of the statement and is often a noun or pronoun. The predicate makes a statement about the subject and is usually a verb or adjective. No function words are used between the subject and predicate.
动宾词组 Verb-Object Phrases
In a verb-object phrase the constituents are arranged in a verb-object relation. For example,
- 喝水 [to drink water] （“喝”是动词，“水”是宾语） （喝 is the verb and 水 is the object
- 写字 [to write a character] （“写”是动词，“字”是宾语） （写 is the verb and 字 is the object
The verb always comes first. The order in a verb-object phrase is fixed. The first word is a transitive verb, expressing an action or behavior.
联合词组 Coordinative Phrases
A coordinative phrase is formed by two or more words or phrases of the same type to express a coordinative relation. For example,
- 你和我 [You and me] （“你”、“我”都是代词） （“你”、“我” are both pronouns）
- 小心地认真地 [careful and serious] （“小心”、“认真”都是形容词）（“小心”、“认真” are both adjectives）
The terms in a coordinative phrase may be separated by conjunction. The serial comma “、” can also be used to separate words in in a coordinative phrase. When more than two words are joined, a conjunction is placed before the last one. For example,
哥哥、姐姐和我都上大学。(My older brother, older sister, and I all go to university.)
A coordinative phrase has the same uses as the constituent parts that it is made from.
偏正词组 Endocentric Phrases
In an endocentric phrase the constituents are combined such that the first one decorates or limits the second. Endocentric phrases can be divided into two kinds: nominal endocentric phrases and endocentric phrase where the second constituent is either a verb or an adjective. In a nominal endocentric phrase the second part is a noun. For example, 热带森林. In this sentence, 热带 is the first part and 森林, the second part is a noun.
In a verbal or adjectival endocentric phrase the second part is either a verb or an adjective. For example, in the phrase 详细讨论， 讨论 [to discuss in detail], the latter part is a verb. In the phrase 很漂亮 (very beautiful) the word 漂亮 [beautiful] is an adjective.
Sometimes a function word is used to connect the two parts of an endocentric phrase. For example,
- 安静的地方 [a quiet place]
- 严肃地说 [to speak sternly]
- 你的学校 [your school]
数量词组 Numeral-Measure Word Phrases
A numeral-measure word phrase combines a numeral and a measure word into a phrase. One kind of numeral-measure word phrase combines a numeral and a nominal measure word. For example,
- 一本 (one book)
- 两个 (two units)
- 三辆 (three vehicles)
Another kind of numeral-measure word phrase a numeral and a verbal measure word. For example,
- 一趟 (one trip)
- 两次 (two times)
- 三遍 (three times)
In general, the particle 的 is not used between a numeral-measure word phrase and a noun. However, when then measure word and the noun are not the usual match the particle 的 should be used. For example,
- 一公斤的书 [one kilogram of books]
- 一场的时间 [the duration of a game]
Some nouns can be used after the numeral 一 to act temperarily as measure word, expressing a large quantity. For example,
- 一桌子的书 [a table full of books]
- 一屋子的人 [a room full of people]
When the numeral 一 is used in a numeral-measure word phrase in front of the object then it can be ommitted. For example,
- 买一本书 —> 买本书 [buy a book]
- 喝一杯水 —> 喝杯水 [drink a glass of water]
补充词组 Complementary Phrases
A complementary phrase is one formed by a complementary relationship. There are two kinds of complementary phrases: verb-complement phrases and adjective-complement phrases. A verb-complement phrase is composed of a verb and a complement senentence element. For example,
- 洗干净 [clean thoroughly] （“洗”是动词，“干净”是补充成分） （洗 is the verb and 干净 is the complement
- 选出 [to choose from a selection] （“选”是动词，“出”是补充成分） （选 is the verb and 出 is the complement）
The adjective-complement phrase is composed of an adjective and a complement. For example,
- 累极了 [very tired] （“累”是形容词，“极”是补充） （累 is the adjective and 极 is the complement）
- 多一些 [a little more] （“多”是形容词，“一些”是补充成分） （多 is the adjective and 一些 is the complement）
Sometimes the structural particle 得 or 不 must be placed between the modified word and the complement. For example,
- 睡得晚 [to go to sleep late]
- 起得早 [to wake up early]
- 走不动 [cannot walk]
- 修不好 [to repair inadequately]
方位词组 Phrases of Locality
A phrase of locality is one where a noun of locality of modified to indicate place, time, or quantity. For example,
- 屋里 [in a room]
- 路边 [the road side]
- 夜里 [in the night]
- 几天前 [a few days ago]
- 十岁以上 [over ten years old]
The noun of locality is preceded by a modifier. The modifier can be a noun, pronoun, verb, or phrase.
同位词组 Appositive Phrases
A appositive phrase combines two words referring to the same person or thing from different perspectives.
- 列宁同志 [comrade Lenin]
- 他自己 [him alone]
- 他们俩 [both of them]
- 他们夫妻 [both of them, husband and wife]
- 奥巴马总统 [President Obama]
固定词组 Set Phrases
A set phrase expresses a specific concept using fixed constituents. These are often proper nouns, technical terms, and idioms. For example,
- 人民大会堂 [Great Hall of the People]
- 北京语言学院 [Beijing Institute of Languages]
- 成千上万 [innumerable]
- 四面八方 [all directions]
- 个人电脑 [personal computer]
- 超文本标记语言 [Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)]
介词结构 Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase is one where a preposition carries an object. A prepositional phrase can express the direction, time, place, goal, object, manner, reason, passive nature, handling, comparison, and exclusion of an action. For example,
- 朝南 [to face towards the south — direction] （“朝”是介词，“南”是宾语） （朝 is the preposition，南 is the object）
- 从三点 [from three o'clock — time]
- 在广场 [in the plaza — place]
- 为方便 [for convenience — goal]
- 向天安门 [to Tiananmen — object]
- 按照规定 [according to the rules — manner]
- 由于新总统 [for the new president — reason]
- 被洪水 [caught by a flood — passive nature]
- 把这件事 [to handle this affair — handling]
- 比人家 [compared to others — comparison]
- 除此 [except for this — exclusion]
The main use of prepositional phrases is to act as an adverbial adjunct in sentences. For example,
- 他在北大学习。 [He studies at Beijing University.]
- 老师给我们讲课。 [The teacher will give a lecture.]
- 他对客人很热情。 [He is very friendly to customers.]
常见介词结构 Common Prepositional Patterns
The form 在…上 can express the place where an action takes place or a condition exists. The form 在…上 can also be used to indicate scope or aspect when an abstract noun or verb is used in between. For example,
- 这在历史上是不少的。 [This is not uncommon throughout history.]
- 他在会上宣布了。 [He announced it in the meeting.]
The form 在…下 can indicate a concrete position or it can indicate a condition or situation. For example,
- 在老师帮助下，我们都有很大的进步。 [With the help of our teachers we have all made great progress.]
- 在家长鼓励下，他们的孩子拿到了这个机会。 [With the encouragement of his parents, their child was able to obtain this opportunity.]
“的”字结构 的 Phrases
A 的 phrase is one where the structural particle 的 is attached to a notional word or phrase. For example,
- 这份报纸是人家的。 [This newspaper belongs to someone else.] （“的”在代词后面） （的 is attached to a pronoun）
- 这张床是弟弟的。 [This bed is my younger brother's.] （“的”在名词后面） （的 is attached to a noun）
- 这件毛衣是红的。 [This sweater is red.] （“的”在形容词后面） （的 is after an adjective）
- 参加的有十个人。 [There are ten people attending.] （“的”在动词后面） （的 is after a verb）
- 参加会议的都来了。 [All the people attending the meeting are here.] （“的”在动宾词组后面） （的 is after a verb-object phrase）
A 的 phrases acts like a noun in a sentence.
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