Grammar database

Adverbs 就 and 才 with time words and numbers

The adverbs 就 jiù and 才 cái serve many functions in sentences, and this section will introduce two particular usages. 就 jiù and 才 cái should be placed before verbs in sentences. The use of 就 jiù or 才 cái expresses the notion that the timing of an event is earlier or later than expected. Let us look at how these adverbs are used in the following sentences.

小丁今天八点睡觉了。

Xiăodīng jīntiān bā diăn shuìjiàole

Xiao Ding went to bed at eight o’clock.

The above sentence relates the fact that the action of going to sleep happened at eight o’clock, but by using the adverb 就 jiù, the sentence becomes:

小丁今天八点就睡觉了。

Xiăodīng jīntiān bā diăn jiù shuìjiàole

Xiao Ding went to bed (as early as) eight o’clock.

As you can see, the adverb 就 jiù is placed before the verb 睡 shuì to sleep in the above sentence. 就 jiù is used to comment on the preceding time expression 八点 bā diăn eight o’clock, and indicates that it was earlier than the speaker expected. In other words, the speaker is expecting Xiao Ding to go to sleep after eight o’clock.

小丁今天八点才睡觉。

Xiăodīng jīntiān bā diăn cái shuìjiào

Xiao Ding only went to bed at eight o’clock. (Lit Xiao Ding went to bed as late as eight o’clock.)

The adverb 才cái implies “only then”. In other words, the speaker is expecting Xiao Ding to go to sleep before eight o’clock. Notice that in addition to the adverb 就 jiù being replaced by 才 cái, the end of sentence particle 了 le has also disappeared in the above sentence.

就 jiù or 才cái can also be used to express a view on a number that is smaller or bigger than expected. Let us see the effect that the adverbs 就 jiù and 才 cái have on the following sentences.

他用两个小时作了一顿中国菜。

tā yòng liăng ge xiăoshí zhuò le yídùn zhōngguó cài.

He took two hours to cook a Chinese meal. (Lit He used two hours….)

The adverbs 就 jiù and 才 cái are not used in the above sentence. The sentence only states the fact that it has taken him two hours to cook a Chinese meal. However, if 就 jiù is added to the above sentence, it becomes:

他用两个小时就作了一顿中国菜。

tā yòng liăng ge xiăoshí jiù zhuò le yídùn zhōngguó cài.

It only took him two hours to cook a Chinese meal. (Lit It took him as little as two hours to cook a Chinese meal.)

就 jiù is used to comment on the preceding period of time 两个小时 liăng ge xiăoshí two hours. The speaker thinks that two hours is a short length of time. However, if 才cái is used instead, as demonstrated below, the sentence has a different implication, although the meaning is similar.

他用两个小时才作了一顿中国菜。

tā yòng liăng ge xiăoshí cái zhuò le yídùn zhōngguó cài.

He only finished cooking a Chinese meal after two hours. (Lit It took him as long as two hours to cook a Chinese meal.)

By using the adverb才cái in the above sentence, the speaker shows that he thinks that the preceding two hour period of time is of short length. The sentence implies that it took him as long as two hours to cook the meal.

When using the adverbs 就 jiù and 才 cái, one must remember the following points.

就 jiù and 才 cái must be placed before verbs
就 jiù or 才 cái can be used to comment on preceding time words and number words which are earlier and smaller or later and larger than expected.
The end of sentence particle 了le is not used when 才 cái is used.

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Complement of degree 得

The complement degree construction is commonly used in the following situations.

To describe habitual actions. In other words, it is used to describe how someone normally does something.
To describe the result of a particular action.
To describe the extent of a stative verb.

得de is always preceded by a verb. It is important to remember that when you use a verb which is in the verb-object form, you must make sure that the verb (but not the object) is placed before 得 de. Because of this, a verb is often repeated in the first part of a complement of degree construction. For instance,

s	v-o / topic	v	得	adv
我	游泳	游	得	很快。
wŏ	yóu yŏng	yóu	de	hěn kuài

I swim very quickly.

As you may know, 游泳yóuyŏng is a verb in the V-O form, in other words, 泳 yŏng is a noun, so it should not be placed before 得de. In spoken Chinese, people often omit the object of a V-O phrase when using the complement of degree construction. If the V-O (topic) is clear to listeners, the topic can be omitted. For example:

s	v-o / topic	v	得	adv
我		游	得	很快。
wŏ		yóu	de	hěn kuài

I swim very quickly.

不 bú, the negation for the complement of degree is placed before adverbs. For example,

s	v-o / topic	v	得	不 adv
我	游泳	游	得	不快。
wŏ	yóu yŏng	yóu	de	bú kuài

I don't swimming quickly.

Sometimes the verb in the topic is omitted to avoid repetition, and the object of the sentence can be placed before the verb. For instance,

s	v-o / topic	v	得	adv
她	中国菜	作	得	真不错。
tā	zhōngguó cài	zuò	de	zhēn búcuò

She cooks Chinese meal really well.

The above examples describe habitual actions. When the complement of degree is used to describe the outcome of a particular completed action, a time word is needed, as a verb that is placed before 得 de cannot take the aspect particle 了le. For example,

tw	s	v-o / topic	v	得	adv
昨天晚上	她	中国菜	作	得	真不错。
zuótiān wănshang	tā	zhōngguó cài	zuò	de	zhēn búcuò

She cooked a Chinese meal really well last night.

However, the aspect 了le does not affect verbs that are used to describe the outcome of actions. In other words, verbs that are placed after 得de can still take aspect 了le. For example,

s	sv	得	degree
小王	难过	得	哭了两天。
Xiǎo Wáng	nánguò	de	kūle liǎngtiān

Xiao Wang was so sad that she cried for two days.

As you may have noticed, aspect了 le is used for the verb to cry in the clause that describes the stative verb 难过 nánguò to be sad. The above example illustrates the fact that the 得 de construction can also be used to describe the extent of the stative verb. For instance,

s	sv	得	degree
中文	难	得	我们都不想学了。
Zhōng wén	nán	de	wŏmén dōu bù xiăng xué le

Chinese is so difficult that we don’t want to learn it any more!

In the above sentence, the phrase 我们都不想学了 wŏmén dōu bù xiăng xué le we don’t want to learn it any more describes the extent of the difficulty.

s	sv	得	degree
我们	忙	得	每天都不睡觉。
wŏmen	máng	de	měitiān dōu bù shuìjiào

We are so busy that we don’t even sleep a single day.

The phrase we don’t even sleep a single day describes the extent of the matter.

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The use of the adverbial 地

The adverbial particle 地 de is used to describe the way or manner in which an action is carried out. The descriptions can be adverbs or phrases with an adverbial function. Adverbs used to describe actions should be placed before 地 de as demonstrated below.

s	adv 地	v	o
他	认真地	在纸上写了	三个汉字。
tā	rènzhēn de	zài zhĭ shàng xiě le	sānge hànzi

He very carefully wrote three Chinese characters on a piece of paper.

s	adv 地	v	o
他	一笔一笔地	在纸上写了	三个汉字。
tā	bĭ yì bĭ de	zài zhĭ shàng xiě le	sānge hànzi

Stroke by stroke, he wrote three Chinese characters on a piece of paper.

As you may have noticed, the aspect 了 le is used in the above sentences. The adverb phrase一笔一笔地 yìbĭyìbĭ de stroke by stroke is placed before the co-verb phrase 在纸上 zài zhĭ shàng to be on paper.

The negation for the adverbial 地 sentences is 不 bù, which is placed before the adverbial phrases. For example,

s	不 adv 地	v	o
他	不认真地	在纸上写	汉字。
tā	bù rènzhēn de	zài zhĭ shàng xiě	hànzi

He is carelessly writing Chinese characters on a piece of paper.

The negation 没 méi is used for denying that an action has taken place in the suggested manner. For example, if someone says "he wrote Chinese characters very carefully", you can deny it by saying

s	没 adv 地	v	o
他	没认真地	在纸上写	汉字。
tā	méi rènzhēn de	zài zhĭ shàng xiě	hànzi

He didn't write the Chinese characters carefully on the paper.

The above Chinese sentence implies that he did write the Chinese characters, but he didn't do it in a careful manner.

A monosyllabic adverb is reduplicated when using the adverbial 地 de and the duplicated adverb is often pronounced in the first tone. For instance,

s	adv 地	v	o
他	慢慢地	在纸上写了	三个汉字。
tā	ta mànmān de	zài zhĭ shàng xiě le	sānge hànzi

He slowly wrote three Chinese characters on a piece of paper.

The object 汉字 hànzi Chinese character in the above examples is attached to a number word and a measure word. When an object has nothing else attached to it, the adverbial 地 de can be omitted. For instance,

他总是认真工作。

tā zŏngshì rēnzhēn gōngzuò

He always works conscientiously.

小王总是努力学习中文。

Xiăo Wáng zŏngshì nŭ lì xuéxí Zhōngwén

Xiao Wang always studies Chinese diligently.

The above sentences describe habitual actions. You might ask if the complement of degree construction can be used to describe the above situation. Of course you can, but it would be something like this.

小王学习中文学习得很好。

Xiăo Wáng xuéxí Zhōngwén xuéxí de hěn hăo

Xiao Wang studies Chinese well.

You have to remember that the adverbial construction describes the manner in which an action is carried out, and the complement of degree construction focuses on the outcome of an action. As you can see from the above examples, 努力 nŭ lì diligent is used to describe the manner and 好 hăo well/excellently is a description on the outcome of Xiao Wang’s studying.

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Resultative Verb Complements

A resultative verb complement is formed by an action verb and a resultative word. A resultative word can be a verb or a stative verb describing the outcome of an action. The examples of resultative words are 完 wán to finish as in 写完 xiěwán to finish writing and 清楚 qīngchu to be clear as in 写清楚 xiěqīngchu to write it clearly. The formula of the resultative verb complements reflects the sequence of action. For instance 写完xiěwán finish writing in Chinese becomes writing finish, as finish is the outcome of the action of writing.

Some Chinese verbs are in the form of resultative verb complements such as

看见 kànjiàn to see

听见 tīngjiàn to hear

找到 zhǎodào to find

When translating a sentence into Chinese it is important to ask yourself if the verb of the sentence is an action verb of or it is a verb with an outcome.

The following list consists of the most commonly used resultative complements.

Verbs	Resultative complements	Examples
看look; 听listen	见 to sense	你听见她唱歌了吗？ nĭ tīng jiàn tā chàng gē le ma Did you hear her singing?
看look; 听 listen	懂 to understand	我没看懂课文。 wŏ méi kàn dŏng kèwén I didn’t understand the text (by reading through it).
放 put	在 to be in/on/at	书放在桌子上了。 shū fang zài zhuōzi shàng le The book has been put on the table.
送 give (sth. as a present); 拿take; 还return; 借 lend	给 to give (to a person)	词典还给小王了。 cídiăn huángěi Xiăo Wáng le The dictionary has been returned to Xiao Wang. 我的书借给丁云了。 wŏ de shū jiè gěi Dīng Yún le My book has been lent to Ding Yun.
送 give (as a present); 学study; 寄 send/post	到 to reach (to a place)	我们学到了第三课。 wŏmen xué dào le dì sān kè We have reached Lesson Three. 你的信小王送到你宿舍去了。 nĭde xìn Xiăo Wáng song dào nĭ sùshù qù le Your letter has been delivered to your dormitory by Xiao Wang.
买 buy; 吃eat; 喝drink; 借 borrow	到 to obtain	我没买到地图。 wŏ méi măi dào dì tú I didn’t get hold of the map. 我没吃到小王作的点心。 wŏ méi chī dào Xiăo Wáng zuò de diănxīn I didn’t get to eat the Dianxin made by Xiao Wang.
学 study	会 to master	我们都学会中文了。 wŏmen dōu xué huì Zhōngwén le We have all mastered Chinese.
送 give (as a present); 拿 take	走 to be away	礼物送走了。 lĭ wù song zŏu le The presents have been delivered.
拿 to take; 记 to remember	住 to be fixed	记住学过的生词。 jì zhù xué guò de shēngcí Remember the words that (you) have learned. (It implies that you should fix the words into your memory. One could also say 我记了，可是没记住。 wŏ jì le kěshì méi jì zhù I tried, but I failed to remember)
作 do; 写 write; 学 study	好 to be satisfactory	我作好饭了。 wŏ zuò hăo fàn le I have finished cooking the meal.
作 do; 写 write; 说 say	错 to be wrong	你说错了。 nĭ shuō cuò le You’ve said it wrong. 我没作错。 wŏ méi zuò cuò I didn’t do it wrong.
作 do; 写 write; 说 say	对 to be right
写 write; 说 say	清楚 to be clear	你没说清楚。 nĭ méi shuō qīngchu You didn’t say it clearly. 我写清楚了。 wŏ xiě qīngchu le I’ve written it clearly.

When two objects (both direct and indirect) are involved in a sentence, the direct object is often placed at the beginning of the sentence. For example

书我借给小王了。

shū wǒ jiè gěi Xiǎo Wáng le

I’ve lent the book to Xiao Wang.

你的衬衫我拿到你的卧室去了。

nǐ de chènshān wǒ ná dào nǐ de wòshì qù le

I’ve taken your shirt to your bedroom.

Both the direct objects of the sentences above,书 shū book and 你的衬衫 nǐ de chènshān your shirt are placed at the beginning of the sentence. The resultative word 给 gěi to is followed by a person: 小王 Xiǎo Wáng and the resultative word 到 dào to is followed by a place: 你的卧室nǐ de wòshì your bedroom.

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The use of 从 and 离

从 cóng from is used as a co-verb in sentences such as

小王从他家来了这儿。

Xiǎo Wáng cóng tā jiā lái le zhèr

Xiao Wang came here from his home.

离 lí from cannot be used in the same way, but is used to measure the distance between two objects. For instance,

A	离	B	SV
我家	离	学院	很远。
wǒ jiā	lí	xuéyuàn	hěn yuǎn

My home is a long way from the college.

A	离	B	V + distance
我家	离	学院	有三英里。
wǒ jiā	lí	xuéyuàn	yǒu sān yīngliǐ

It is three miles from my home to the college.

A	离	B	V + duration
我家	离	学院	走路一个小时。
wǒ jiā	lí	xuéyuàn	zǒu lù yī ge xiǎoshí

It takes an hour to walk to the college from my home.

The 离lí construction can also be used to measure duration. For example,

A	离	B	V + duration
现在	离	下课	还有一刻钟。
xiànzài	lí	xiàkè	Háiyǒu yíkè zhōng

It is 15 minutes from now to the end of the class.

The co-verbs 从 cóng from and 到 dào to can also be used to measure distance and duration in the following sentence patterns.

从	A	到	B	SV
从	我家	到	学院	很远。
cóng	wǒ jiā	dào	xuéyuàn	hěn yuǎn

My home is a long way from the college.

从	A	到	B	V+ distance
从	我家	到	学院	有三英里。
cóng	wǒ jiā	dào	xuéyuàn	yǒu sān yīngliǐ

It is three miles from my home to the college.

从	A	到	B	V + duration
从	我家	到	学院	走路一个小时。
cóng	wǒ jiā	dào	xuéyuàn	zǒu lù yī ge xiǎoshí

It takes an hour to walk to the college from my home.

从	A	到	B	V + duration
从	现在	到	下课	还有一刻钟。
cóng	Xiànzài	dào	xiàkè	háiyǒu yíkè zhōng

It is 15 minis between now and the end of the class.

Negation and question words are placed next to the main verbs or stative verbs expressing distance or duration as demonstrated below.

A	离	B	SV
我家	离	学院	远吗?
wǒ jiā	lí	xuéyuàn	yuǎn ma

Is it far from my home to the college?

A	离	B	SV
我家	离	学院	不远。
wǒ jiā	lí	xuéyuàn	bù yuǎn

It is not far from my home to the college.

A	离	B	SV
我家	离	学院	多远?
wǒ jiā	lí	xuéyuàn	duō yuǎn

How far is it from my home to the college?

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Directional Verb Complements

A direction verb complement can be formed by an action verb such as 走 zǒu to walk and a word that expresses direction of action such as 进 jìn in or 出 chū out. For instance:

走进教室。

zǒu jìn jiàoshì

To walk into the classroom.

The following list consists of the single directional words.

Verbs

Directional complements

Examples

挂 guà to hàng

戴 dài to wear

上shang up, on

挂上地图

guà shang dì tú

To hang up the map.

戴上帽子

dài shang màozi

To put on the hat.

放 fàng to put

下xià down

放下书

fàng xia shū

To put down the book.

走 zǒu to walk

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

进 jìn in

车开进了学院

chē kāi jìn le xuéyuàn

The car has been driven into the college.

走 zǒu to walk

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

出 chū out

走出教室

zǒu chū jiàoshì

To walk out of the classroom.

走 zǒu to walk

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

寄 jì to post

回 huí back

拿回家

ná huí jiā

To take (bring) it back home.

寄回中国

jì huí Zhōngguó

To post it back to China.

走 zǒu to walk

开 kāi to drive

过 guò across, past, over

走过了书店

zǒu guò le shūdiàn

Walked pass the bookshop.

A directional verb complement can also be formed without an action verb by a directional word with 来 lái to come or去 qù to go. Both 来 lái and 去 qù indicate the position of the speaker. 来 lái to come indicates that the direction is moving towards the speaker and 去 qù to go indicates that the direction is moving away from the speaker. For instance, if your teachers are having a meeting in the classroom and you are outside, you might advise your fellow students:

别进去

bié jìn qù

Don’t go in.

Another type of directional verb complement is called the combined directional verb complement. This is formed by an action verb, a directional word and 来 lái to come or 去 qù to go as in:

走进来

zǒujìnlái

Walking in.

来 lái to come in the above phrase indicates that the direction of 进 jìn entering is moving towards the speaker, in other words the speaker is in the room. Adirect object is often inserted into a combined directional complement. Let’s introduce a subject and an object to the above phrase.

小王走进了教室来。

Xiǎo Wáng zǒu jìn le jiàoshì lái

Xiao Wang walked into the classroom. (The speaker is in the classroom.)

来 lái to come implies that the action is moving towards the speaker. In other words, the speaker is in the classroom. You may also have noticed that the aspect particle 了 le is placed after the directional word 进 jìn in. The following list consists of combined directional complements.

Verbs

Directional complements

Examples

跑 pǎo to run

走 zǒu to walk

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

上来/去shàng lái /qù on

小王跑上了山去。

Xiǎo Wáng pǎo shàng le shān qù

Xiao Wang ran up the mountain. (The speaker is at the bottom of the mountain.)

小丁拿上了一杯茶来。

Xiǎo Dīng ná shàng le yì bēi chá lái

Xiao Ding brought up a cup of tea. (The speaker is upstairs.)

走 zǒu to walk

跑 pǎo to run

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

下来/去xiàlái /qù down

他走下了楼来。

tā zǒu xià le lóu lái

He walked down from upstairs. (The speaker is downstairs.)

走 zǒu to walk

跑 pǎo to run

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

进来/去jìn lái /qù in

别走进公园去。

bié zǒu jìn gongyuán qù

Don’t go into the park. (The speaker is outside park.)

走 zǒu to walk

跑 pǎo to run

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

出来/去chū lái /qù out

她走出了房间来。

tā zǒu chū le fangjiān lái

She walked out of the room. (The speaker is outside the room.)

走 zǒu to walk

跑 pǎo to run

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

回来/去huí lái /qù back

我跑回了家去。

wǒ pǎo huí le jiā qù

I ran home. (The speaker is away from home.)

走 zǒu to walk

跑 pǎo to run

拿 ná to take

开 kāi to drive

过来/去guò lái /qù across, past, over

她拿过了一本书来。(她拿过来了一本书。)

tā ná guòle yì běn shū lái(tā ná guòlái le yì běn shū )

She brought over a book.

站 zhàn to stand

起来qǐ lái up (去qù is not used with 起qǐ)

你们都站起来。

nǐmen dōu zhàn qǐlái

You all stand up.

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Potential Verb Complements

A potential verb complement is used to describe the capability of carrying out an action, such as being capable of speaking Chinese or being capable of finishing one’s homework. A potential complement is formed from the following three elements.

1. an action verb

2. 得 de (for affirmative) or 不 bu (for negative)

3. a resultative (apart from 在, 给 and 错) or directional complement.

For examples

看得见走不进教室去

kàn de jiàn zǒu bu jìn jiàoshì qù

To be able to see To be unable to walk into the classroom

The following examples demonstrate how potential verb complements are used in colloquial Chinese. If you can’t hear someone, you might say to him or her:

我听不见你说的话。

wǒ tīng bu jiàn nǐ shuō de huà

I can’t hear what you are saying.

If the door of the classroom is locked, you might say to your teacher:

教室门关着，我们走不进去。

jiàoshì mén guān zhe wǒmen zǒu bu jìn qù

The classroom door is closed and we can’t get in.

If you have too much homework for the day, you might say to your teacher:

今天的练习太多了，我们作不完。

Jīntiānde liànxí tài duō le wǒmen zuòbu wán

There are too many exercises and we can’t finish them today.

The following list consists of those commonly used potential verb complements which have not devolved from resultative and directional verb complements.

Verbs

Potential complements

Examples

吃 chī to eat

说 shuō to speak，写 xiě to write

作 zuò to do, to cook

得/不了to be able/unable to

他一个人作不了这件事。

tā yí ge rén zuò bu liǎo zhè jiàn shì

He can’t deal with this matter on his own.

拿 ná to take

走 zǒu to walk

跑 pǎo to run

得/不动 to be able/unable to move

东西不多，我拿得动。

dōngxi bu duō, wǒ ná de dòng

There isn’t so much stuff; I can take it (on my own).

住 zhù to live, to stay

坐 zuò to sit, to seat

站 zhàn to stand

得/不下 to have/don’t have room for

这间房住得下几个人？

zhè jiān fang zhù de xià jǐ ge rén

How many people can this room accommodate?

放 fàng to put

照 zhào to take (a photo)

得/不上can/cannot be fitted on/in

后边的房子照得上吗？

hòu biān de fángzi zhào de shàng ma

Can the house in the background be fitted into the photo?

买 mǎi to buy

吃 chī to eat

喝 hē to drink

得/不起 can/cannot afford

我买不起这儿的房子。

wǒ mǎi bù qǐ zhèr de fángzi

I can’t afford to buy the houses round here.

Assignments

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Comparatives 比 with stative verbs and complements of degree

比 bǐ to compare and 没有méiyou not as…as are used with stative verbs to compare feelings and objects, while the ‘complement of degree’ construction is used when comparing two actions. We will be focusing on the following three sentence patterns in this section.

1. To compare feelings

Object A	比/没有	Object B	Feeling words (V-O)
我	比/没有	你	想家
wǒ	bǐ/méiyou	nǐ	xiǎngjiā

I’m more home-sick than you. / I’m not as home-sick as you are.

Object A	比/没有	Object B	Feeling words (V)
我	比/没有	你	喜欢学习
wǒ	bǐ/méiyou	nǐ	xǐhuān xuéxí

I like studying more than you do. / I don’t like studying as much as you do.

2. To compare two objects

Object A	比/没有	Object B	Stative verb
我的书	比/没有	你(的书)	多
wǒ de shū	bǐ/méiyou	nǐ(de shū)	duō

I have more books than you. / I don’t have as many books as you do.

Object A	比/没有	Object B	Stative verb
我昨天买的书	比/没有	你(昨天买的书 )	多
wǒ zuótiān mǎi de shū	bǐ/méiyou	nǐ (zuótiān mǎi de shū)	duō

Yesterday I bought more books than you. / Yesterday I didn’t buy as many books as you did.

When the description of “object A” is clear, the description of “object B” can be omitted. The above example, comparing quantities of books (that I bought and you bought yesterday) can also be changed into a comparison of two actions by using the complement of degree construction.

3. To compare two actions

Action A	比/没有	Action B	Result of action
我昨天买书	比/没有	你买得	多
wǒ zuótiān mǎi shū	bǐ/méiyou	nǐ mǎi de	duō

Yesterday I bought more books than you did. / Yesterday I didn’t buy as many books as you did.

You might have noticed that the complement of degree construction is divided into two parts in the above example. The topic, which consists of the SVO, appears in “Action A”, and the extent of the action appears in “Action B”. Let’s look at some more examples.

Action A	比/没有	Action B	Result of action
我写汉字	比/没有	你写得	漂亮
wǒ xiě Hànzì	bǐ/méiyou	nǐ xiě de	piàoliàng

I write Chinese characters more elegantly than you do. / I don’t write Chinese characters as elegantly as you do.

The adverb 很 hěn very is not used in comparatives. If the expression “very much” is needed in a sentence, 多了duōle much more can be added after the stative verb or any adverbs. For example:

Object A	比	Object B	Stative verb + 多了
我的书	比	你(的书)	多多了
wǒ de shū	bǐ	nǐ(de shū)	duō duōle

I have many more books than you.

Action A	比	Action B	Adverb + 多了
我写汉字	比	你写得	漂亮多了
wǒ xiě Hànzì	bǐ	nǐ xiě de	piàoliàng duōle

I write Chinese characters much more elegantly than you do.

更gèng even more / less is placed before a verb to compare the feelings of two people. For example:

Object A	比	Object B	Feeling words (V-O)
我	比	你	更想家
wǒ	bǐ	nǐ	gèng xiǎngjiā

I’m even more home-sick than you.

Object A	比	Object B	Feeling words (V)
我	比	你	更喜欢学习
wǒ	bǐ	nǐ	gèng xǐhuān xuéxí

I like studying even more than you do.

不比 bùbǐ not more than… is another negative comparative construction. The difference between不比 bùbǐ sentences and 没有méiyou sentences is that in a不比 bùbǐ sentence the quality of the object that appears before不比 bùbǐ is not better than that of the object that appears after不比 bùbǐ, but could be of the same quality. However, in 没有méiyou sentences the quality of the object that appears before 没有méiyou is always worse than that of the object that appears after 没有méiyou. For example:

Object A	没有	Object B	Stative verb
我的书	没有	你(的书)	多
wǒ de shū	méiyou	nǐ(de shū)	duō

I don’t have as many books as you do. (You have more books.)

Object A	不比	Object B	Stative verb
我的书	不比	你(的书)	多
wǒ de shū	bùbǐ	nǐ(de shū)	duō

I don’t have more books than you. (I may have the same amount as you, but not more.)

Assignments

Frequently asked questions

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Comparatives with 一样

The expression 一样yíyàng as same as … is used to make two objects equal. For example:

Object A	跟	Object B	一样
我的书	跟	你的书	一样
wǒ de shū	gēng	nǐ de shū	yíyàng

My book is the same as yours.

The negative form of this construction is

Object A	跟	Object B	不一样
我的书	跟	你的书	不一样
wǒ de shū	gēng	nǐ de shū	bùyíyàng

My book is not the same as yours.

一样 yíyàng can also be used to compare feelings, objects and actions. Let’s use the examples in the above section with the expression 一样yíyàng as same as …

1. To compare feelings

The negating 不 bù is placed before the co-verb 跟 gēng when expressing feelings.

Object A	(不)跟	Object B	一样	Feeling words (V-O)
我	跟	你	一样	想家
wǒ	gēng	nǐ	yíyàng	xiǎngjiā

I’m as home-sick as you are.

Object A	(不)跟	Object B	一样	Feeling words (V)
我	跟	你	一样	喜欢学习
wǒ	gēng	nǐ	yíyàng	xǐhuān xuéxí

I like studying as much as you do.

2. To compare two objects (the negating 不 bù is placed before 一样 yíyàng.)

Object A	跟	Object B	(不)一样	Stative verb
我的书	跟	你(的书)	一样	多
wǒ de shū	gēng	nǐ(de shū)	yíyàng	duō

I have the same number of books as you do.

Object A	跟	Object B	(不)一样	Stative verb
我昨天买的书	跟	你(昨天买的书 )	一样	多
wǒ zuótiān mǎi de shū	gēng	nǐ(zuótiān mǎi de shū)	yíyàng	duō

Yesterday I bought the same number of books as you did.

3. To compare two actions (the negating 不 bù is placed before 一样 yíyàng.)

Action A	跟	Action B	(不)一样	Result of action
我昨天买书	跟	你买得	一样	多
wǒ zuótiān mǎi shū	gēng	nǐ mǎi de	yíyàng	duō

Yesterday I bought the same number of books as you did.

Action A	跟	Action B	(不)一样	Result of action
我写汉字	跟	你写得	一样	漂亮
wǒ xiě Hànzì	gēng	nǐ xiě de	yíyàng	piàoliàng

I write Chinese characters as elegantly as you do.

Assignments

Frequently asked questions

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The 把 sentence construction

The 把 bǎ construction is used to talk about, for example: handling or disposing of a particular object (such as sending a particular letter to somewhere); saying a particular sentence clearly; or putting something somewhere.

The verbs used in 把 bǎ sentences take complicated forms such resultative complements, directional complements and the complement of degree. Because of the complex use of verbs in the 把 bǎ construction, it is important to learn or revise the grammar points that are in the other sections relating to the 把 bǎ construction before embarking on this section.

Although 把 bǎ is not often used as a verb in modern Chinese, it still retains the meaning of to hold or to grasp. In this section I will introduce 把 bǎ as a co-verb in the 把 bǎ construction. Please note in this context that sequence is important in Chinese when it comes to describing actions. The first action in a sequence should come first in an utterance. The way to learn co-verb sentences properly is to understand the description of sequence in Chinese word order.

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To send a letter to China. To put a cup on the table. To finish drinking the wine.

The following two patterns are commonly used to form 把 bǎ sentences.

1. A sentence with a verb and direct and indirect objects

S	(没)把	O direct	V+ other element	O indirect
小李	把	信	寄给了	小王
Xiǎo Lǐ	bǎ	xìn	jì gěi le	Xiǎo Wang

Xiao Li has sent the letter to Xiao Wang.

S	(没)把	O direct	V+ other element	O indirect
小李	把	信	寄到	中国去了
Xiǎo Lǐ	bǎ	xìn	jì dào	Zhōngguó qù le

Xiao Li has sent the letter to China.

These two sentences show how the direct and indirect objects are connected by the verb complements 寄给 jì gěi send to and 寄到 jì dào send to. (The complement 给 gěi to is followed by persons and the complement 到 dào to is followed by places.) The above examples also demonstrate that ‘aspect’ 了le is placed after the verbs: in the first example it is placed after 寄给 jì gěi send to and in the second example it is placed after 去 qù.

2. A sentence with a verb and an object

S	(没)把	O	V+ other element
你	没把	话	说清楚
nǐ	méi bǎ	huà	shuō qīngchǔ

You didn’t say it clearly.

The negation 没 méi did not is placed before the co-verb 把 bǎ in the above sentence. Modal verbs, adverbial 地de and co-verb phrases can also precede 把 bǎ. For example

S	把	O	V+ other element
你	要把	话	说清楚吗？
nǐ	yào bǎ	huà	shuō qīngchu ma

Would you like to say it clearly?

S	把	O	V+ other element
你	在这儿把	话	说清楚。
nǐ	zài zhèr bǎ	huà	shuō qīngchu

Say it clearly here.

S	把	O	V+ other element
你	一句一句地把	话	说清楚。
nǐ	yí jùyí jù de bǎ	huà	shuō qīngchu

Say it clearly, sentence by sentence.

The following list consists of five types of the most common elements that can be attached to verbs in 把 sentences.

1. Complement of degree

S	把	O	V+ complement of degree
你	把	话	说得非常清楚。
nǐ	bǎ	huà	shuō de fēicháng qīngchu

You’ve said it very clearly indeed.

2. Resultative complements apart from 见

S	把	O	V+ resultative complement
你	把	话	说错了。
nǐ	bǎ	huà	shuō chuò le

You’ve said it wrong.

3. Directional complements

S	把	O	V+ directional complement
你	把	衬衫	拿进来。
nǐ	bǎ	chènshān	ná jìnlai

Bring in the shirt.

4. …action measures

S	把	O	V+ action measure
你	把	房间	整理一下。
nǐ	bǎ	fángjiān	zhěnglǐ yíxià

Tidy up the room a little.

5. …着(as a continuous aspect)

S	把	O	V+ 着
你	把	门	开着。
nǐ	bǎ	mén	kāi zhe

Leave the door open.

Potential verb complements are not used in the 把 bǎ construction; instead the modal verb 能 néng is placed before 把 bǎ.

S	把	O	V+ other element
你	能把	饭	吃完吗?
nǐ	néng bǎ	fàn	chī wán ma

Can you finish this meal?

Assignments

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Passive with 被, 让, 叫 and 给

In Chinese, the passive constructions with 被 bèi 让 ràng 叫 jiào and 给 gěi are not as frequently used as are passive constructions in English. For instance, when translating the previous sentence into Chinese, one would not use the bèi construction.

1. The co-verbs 被 bèi 让 ràng 叫 jiào and 给 gěi are used to introduce the agent of a passive sentence, as in 我的车被小王借走了wǒ de chē bèi Xiǎo Wáng jiè zǒu le my car has been borrowed by Xiao Wang. The co-verb 被 bèi introduces the agent, Xiao Wang, who has carried out the action of borrowing. All the co-verbs above have the same function when introducing the agent of a passive sentence, but 被 bèi is the most commonly used. The following tables show the sentence components that are used in the 被 bèi construction.

sbject	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	agent	verb + other elements
我的车	被/让/ 叫 /给	小王	借走了
wǒ de chē	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	Xiǎo Wáng	jiè zǒu le

My car has been borrowed by Xiao Wang.

sbject	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	agent	verb + other elements
我的车	被/让/ 叫 /给	小王	开回家去了
wǒ de chē	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	Xiǎo Wáng	kāi huí jiā qù le

My car has been driven back home by Xiao Wang.

You might have noticed that the ‘action verb plus other element’ constructions used in the above sentences are complicated ones. Which elements that can be used with verbs in a 被 bèi construction? Let’s look at the following list.

2. The elements that are commonly preceded by verbs in the bèi construction are:

--resultative complements

--directional complements

--the complement of degree

--action measures

As you may have noticed, the elements that are used in the 被 bèi sentence construction are very similar to the ones used in the 把 bǎ construction. After learning the examples below please try to reformulate them as 把 bǎ constructions.

sbject	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	Agent	verb + resultative complement
电视	被/让/ 叫 /给	小王	修好了
diànshì	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	Xiǎo Wáng	xiū hǎo le

The TV has been mended by Xiao Wang.

sbject	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	agent	verb + directional complement
我的车	被/让/ 叫 /给	小王	开回家去了
wǒ de chē	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	Xiǎo Wáng	kāi huí jiā qù le

My car has been driven back home by Xiao Wang.

sbject	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	agent	verb + complement of degree
房间	被/让/ 叫 /给	小王	打扫得很干净
fángjiān	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	Xiǎo Wáng	dǎsǎo de hěn gānjìng

The room has been cleaned up very nicely by Xiao Wang.

sbject	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	agent	verb + action measure
我的车	被/让/ 叫 /给	小王	用了一会儿
wǒ de chē	bèi/ràng/jiào/gěi	Xiǎo Wáng	yòng le yíhuòr

My car has been used by Xiao Wang for a little while.

3. 被 bèi can also be used to form a passive sentence without introducing an agent, but 给 gěi 让 jiào and 叫 ràng cannot be used in this way. For example,

sbject	bèi	verb + other elements
我的车	被	开回家去了
wǒ de chē	bèi	kāi huí jiā qù le

My car has been driven back home.

sbject	bèi	verb + other elements
电视	被	修好了
diànshì	bèi	xiū hǎo le

The TV has been mended.

sbject	bèi	verb + other elements
房间	被	打扫得很干净
fángjiān	bèi	dǎsǎo de hěn gānjìng

The room has been cleaned up very nicely.

sbject	bèi	verb + other elements
课文	被	翻译成汉语了
kèwén	bèi	fānyì chéng Hànyǔ le

The room has been cleaned up very nicely.

4. The above examples also indicate that aspect le is used when expressing the idea of an action that has happened. 没 méi not can be followed by the co-verb 被 bèi to change the above examples into the negative form in order to deny that the action has taken place. For example,

If someone says that:

sbject	bèi	agent	verb + resultative complement
电视	被	小王	修好了
diànshì	bèi	Xiǎo Wáng	xiū hǎo le

The TV has been mended by Xiao Wang.

You can deny that the action has taken place by saying:

sbject	méi bèi	agent	verb + resultative complement
电视	没被	小王	修好
diànshì	méi bèi	Xiǎo Wáng	xiū hǎo

The TV hasn’t been mended by Xiao Wang.

If someone says that:

sbject	bèi	verb + complement of degree
房间	被	打扫得很干净
fángjiān	bèi	dǎsǎo de hěn gānjìng

The room has been cleaned up very nicely.

You can deny that the outcome of the action by saying:

sbject	bèi	verb + complement of degree (bu)
房间	被	打扫得不很干净
fángjiān	bèi	dǎsǎo de buhěn gānjìng

The room has been cleaned up very nicely.

5. Adverbs that are used to describe actions are placed before the verb in a 被 bèi construction, unlike adverbs that are used in the 把 bǎ construction, which are followed by the co-verb 把 bǎ. Let’s see look at some examples.

sbject	bèi	agent	adverbial phrase + de	verb + other elements
课文	被	小王	清清楚楚地	念了一遍
kèwén	bèi	Xiǎo Wáng	Qīngqīngchǔchǔ de	niàn le yíbiàn

The text has been read out very clearly by Xiao Wang.

If we use this information to form a 把 bǎ sentence it would become:

sbject	adverbial phrase + de	bǎ	object	verb + other elements
小王	清清楚楚地	把	课文	念了一遍
Xiǎo Wáng	qīngqīngchǔchǔ de	bǎ	kèwén	niàn le yíbiàn

Xiao Wang has read the text out loud very clearly.

Assignments

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Notional passive (without 被, 让, 叫 and 给)

6. A notional passive sentence is formed without the co-verbs 被 bèi 让 ràng 叫 jiào and 给 gěi. Let’s use the examples that we have used in the previous section to form some notional passive sentences.

sbject	verb + other elements
我的车	开回家去了
wǒ de chē	kāi huí jiā qù le

My car has been driven back home.

sbject	verb + other elements
电视	修好了
diànshì	xiū hǎo le

The TV has been mended.

sbject	verb + other elements
房间	打扫得很干净
fángjiān	dǎsǎo de hěn gānjìng

The room has been cleaned up very nicely.

As the subjects in the above examples cannot carry out actions themselves, then we assume that the actions must have been undertaken by someone else. In fact this sentence pattern is very useful for describing how an object has been dealt with. For example:

sbject	verb + other elements
书	放在桌子上了
shū	fàng zài zhuōzi shàng le

The book has been put on the table.

sbject	verb + other elements
饭	拿上楼去了
fàn	ná shàng lóu qù le

The meal has been brought upstairs.

The verb components in the notional passive are very similar to those of the 被 bèi construction. They are action verbs with other elements, as shown below.

--resultative complements

--directional complements

--the complement of degree

--action measures

sbject	verb + resultative complement
饭	作好了
fàn	zuò hǎo le

The book has been put on the table.

sbject	verb + directional complement
饭	拿上楼去了
fàn	ná shàng lóu qù le

The meal has been brought upstairs.

sbject	verb + complement of degree
房间	打扫得很干净
fángjiān	dǎsǎo de hěn gānjìng

The room has been cleaned up very nicely.

sbject	verb + action measure
课文	念了两遍
kèwén	niàn le liǎng biàn

The text has been read twice.

没 méi not can be used to deny that the above actions have taken place, but 不 bu is used with the complement of degree.

sbject	méi verb + resultative complement
饭	没作好
fàn	méi zuò hǎo

The meal hasn’t been prepared.

sbject	méi verb + directional complement
饭	没拿上楼去
fàn	méi ná shàng lóu qù

The meal hasn’t been brought upstairs.

sbject	verb + complement of degree (bu)
房间	打扫得不很干净
fángjiān	dǎsǎo de bu hěn gānjìng

The room hasn’t been cleaned up very nicely.

sbject	méi verb + action measure
课文	没念两遍
kèwén	méi niàn liǎng biàn

The text hasn’t been read twice. (It implies that the text may only have been read once, or possibly three times.)

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Conjunctions

I will introduce ten of the most commonly used Chinese conjunctions in this section.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
要是… 就…	yàoshì…jiù…	if…then…
…要不…	…yàobú…	otherwise
只要…就…	zhǐyào… jiù…	as long as...; provided that…
只有…才…	zhǐyǒu… cái…	only…; only when…
因为…所以…	yīnwèi… suǒyǐ…	because …therefore…
不但…而且…	búdàn… érqiě…	not only…but also…
虽然…但是…	suīrán… dànshì…	although……
除了…以外…	chúle… yǐwài,…	apart from…
越…越…	yuè… yuè…	the more/less… the more/less it becomes
一…就…	yī… jiù…	as soon as … then…

Sentence patterns 1 - 4 above are conditional constructions.

1. 要是 yàoshì… 就 jiù… if…then… A condition is placed after 要是 yàoshì and is followed by the 就 jiù clause which indicates the consequence of the condition. The adverb 就 jiù must be placed before verbs or stative verbs. For example, a parent might say to a child:

要是你学好汉语，我就给你很多钱。

yàoshì nǐ xué hǎo Hànyǔ, wǒ jiù gěi nǐ hěn duō qián

If you learn Chinese well, I’ll give you a lot of money.

2. …要不 yàobú…otherwise. The clause that precedes 要不 yàobú indicates a required condition and an undesirable result is placed after 要不 yàobú otherwise. For example, a strict parent might say to a child:

你应该学好汉语，要不我不给你钱。

nǐ yīnggāi xué hǎo Hànyǔ, yàobu wǒ bù gěi nǐ qián

You should learn Chinese well, otherwise I won’t give you any money.

3. 只要 zhǐyào…就 jiù… as long as...; provided that…The 只要 zhǐyào clause is used to introduce a condition that can be easily achieved, or is a minimum requirement, and the 就 jiù clause introduces the outcome of the condition. The adverb 就 jiù must be placed before verbs or stative verbs. For example, a lenient parent might say to his or her child:

只要你学汉语，我就给你很多钱。

zhǐyào nǐ xué Hànyǔ, wǒ jiù gěi nǐ hěn duō qián

As long as you learn Chinese, I’ll give you a lot of money.

4. 只有 zhǐyǒu…才cái…only…The 只有 zhǐyǒu clause is used to introduce a condition that is hard to achieve, and the 才 cái clause introduces the outcome of the condition. The adverb 才 cái must be placed before verbs or stative verbs. For example, if a parent desperately wants his or her child to learn Chinese well he or she might say:

只有你把汉语学好，我才给你钱。

zhǐyǒu nǐ bǎ Hànyǔ xué hǎo, wǒ cái gěi nǐ qián

Only when you have learned Chinese well will I give you money.

5. 因为 yīnwèi…所以 suǒyǐ… because…therefore… A friend might want to know why a parent has given a lot of money to her child. The parent might say:

因为他学好了汉语，所以我给他很多钱。

yīnwèi tā xué hǎo le Hànyǔ, suǒyǐ wǒ gěi tā hěn duō qián

As he has learned Chinese well, I’ve given him a lot of money.

6. 不但 búdàn…而且 érqiě… not only…but also… 不但 búdàn and 而且 érqiě can be placed before the subject or the verb of their clauses: this depends on the emphasis required. If the emphasis is on the subject then they should be placed before the subject; if the emphasis is on the action then they should be placed before the verb. After completing his Chinese degree, the student has got his reward from his parent. He might say:

我不但学会了汉语，而且拿到了很多钱。

wǒ búdàn xué huì le Hànyǔ, érqiě nádào le hěnduō qián

I’ve not only learned Chinese, but have also got a lot of money.

The following example shows 不但 búdàn and 而且 érqiě are used for emphasizing the subjects. As the material reward scheme is very successful, the parent's youngest son wants to learn Chinese as well.

不但大儿子学了汉语，而且小儿子也要学汉语。

búdàn dà érzi xué le Hànyŭ érqiě xiăo érzi yě yào xué Hànyŭ

Not only the oldest son studied Chinese, but also the youngest son would like to learn Chinese as well.

7. 虽然 suīrán…但是 dànshì…Although…, … The 虽然 suīrán although clause should precede 但是 dànshì clause. Unlike the English ‘although’ construction, the second clause should always start with 但是 dànshì or 可是 kěshì but… For example, if the parent breaks her promise and doesn’t give money to the student, the student might say:

我虽然学好了汉语，但是没拿到钱。

wǒ suīrán xué hǎo le Hànyǔ, dànshì méi nádào qián

Although I’ve learned Chinese well, I haven’t got the money (that was promised).

8. 一 yī…就 jiù…as soon as … then…This construction is used to express the idea of a second action immediately following the first action. Both一 yī and 就 jiù should be followed by verbs. The aspect 了le is not used in the 一 yī clause. For example:

他一学完汉语他爸爸就给了他很多钱。

tā yì xué wán Hànyǔ , tā bàba jiù gěi le tā hěn duō qián

As soon as he completed the Chinese course, his father gave him a lot of money.

9. 越 yuè…越 yuè… the more… the more. The conditional clause following the first 越 yuè shows the extent of the feeling, state or action; the second 越 yuè clause shows the result. 越 yuè should always be placed before a verb, stative verb or adverb. However, 越 yuè precedes the result of an action with a complement of degree. For example:

汉语越学越容易。

Hànyǔ yuè xué yuè róngyi

The more one studies Chinese, the easier it becomes.

我学得越多拿到的钱越多。

wǒ xué de yuè duō ná dào de qián yuè duo

The more I learn the more money I get.

我拿到的钱越多越想学。

wǒ ná dào de qián yuè duo yuè xiǎng xué

The more money I get, the more I want to learn.

10. 除了chúle…以外 yǐwài, … Apart from…The 除了chúle…以外 yǐwài clause can be followed by clauses with the following adverbs.: 还 hái in addition, 又 yòu again; in addition, 也 yě also, 都 dōu all. For example:

除了汉语以外，我还学了日语。

chúle Hànyǔ yǐ wài, wǒ hái xué le Rì yǔ

Apart from Chinese, I’ve learned Japanese.

除了学生以外，老师也在这儿喝酒。

chúle xuésheng yǐ wài, lǎoshi yě lài zhèr hē jiǔ

Apart from students, teachers also come here to drink.

除了丁云以外，大家都来上课了。

chúle Dīng Yún yǐ wài, dàjiā dōu lái shàng kè le

Everyone came to the lesson apart from Ding Yun.

除了他给我的那杯酒以外，我又喝了一杯。

chúle tā gěi wǒ de nà bēi jiǔ yǐ wài, wǒ yòu hē le yì bēi

I had another glass of wine, as well as the one that he gave me.

Assignments

The shi ... de construction

We have learned that the 是…的 shì… de construction is used to emphasis stative verbs, for example, 这条裙子是新的 zhè tiáo qúnzi shì xīn de this skirt is new. In this session I would like to introduce the other two usages of the 是…的shì … de construction.

1. 是…的shì… de is used for emphasis in the past of time when and the way something is done. For example, when you want to tell someone that it was last May that you went to China by train, the 是…的 shì… de construction should be used as demonstrated below.

我是去年五月坐火车去中国的。

wǒ shì qùnián wǔyuè zuò huǒchē qù Zhōngguó de

As you may have noticed, 是 shì and 的de are used like a “frame” that includes the time, the method, the action and the place. If the object of a sentence has no description or has no any other subordination, like the one above, 的 de can be placed after the verb to emphasize the place. In other words, the sentence above could look like this

我是去年五月坐火车去的中国。

wǒ shì qùnián wǔyuè zuò huǒchē qù de Zhōngguó

2. 是…的shì… de can also be used to emphasise the agent of a sentence. For instance:

这件事是我作的。

zhè jiàn shì shì wǒ zuò de

It was me who did this.

这本书是鲁迅写的。

zhèběn shū shì Lǔxùn xiě de

It was Luxun who wrote that book. / That book was written by Luxun.

When translating a passive English sentence into Chinese, it is important to identify the emphasis of the sentence first. If the emphasis is on the agent, then the 是…的shì… de construction should be applied. On the other hand, if the emphasis is on the outcome of an action, but not on the agent, then the 被 bèi construction or notional passive construction should be applied. For example

桌子上的菜是我吃的。

zhuōzi shàng de cài shì wǒ chī de.

It was me who ate the food on the table.

桌子上的菜 (被我) 吃完了。

zhuōzi shàng de cài (bèi wǒ) chī wán le.

The food that was on the table has been eaten (by me).

Assignments

Frequently asked question

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What is the difference between 被 sentences and 是...的 sentences, as in 这本书是他写的?

The uses of question words with dou and ye

These constructions are used for general categorisation. They can describe how a particular action applies to a general object, as in 我什么东西都吃 wŏ shénme dōngxi dōu chī I eat anything; 我哪儿都去 wŏ năr dōu qù I go anywhere. They can also describe people in general doing a particular type of thing, as in 谁都喜欢吃中国菜 shuí dōu xĭhuān chī Zhōngguó cài everyone likes eating Chinese food.

The question word 什么 shénme what is placed before a noun to imply any or every, and can refer to the subject or object of a sentence. If 什么 shénme any or every is used as the object, it should be placed before the adverb 都 dōu both, all, and can be placed before or after the subject of a sentence. The adverb 都 dōu is placed before the verb, as illustrated below.

S.	什么 O.	都	V.
我	什么东西	都	吃。
wŏ	shénme dōngxi	dōu	chī

I eat anything. Or

什么 O.	S.	都	V.
什么东西	我	都	吃。
shénme dōngxi	wŏ	dōu	chī

The question words 哪儿 nǎr where and 谁 shuí who can be used in the same way as 什么 shénme what.

S.	那儿 (O.)	都	V.
我	哪儿	都	去。
wŏ	nǎr	dōu	qù

I go anywhere. Or:

那儿 (O.)	S.	都	V.
哪儿	我	都	去。
nǎr	wŏ	dōu	qù

I go anywhere.

If the any or every word is the subject of a sentence, the resulting sentence patterns will be as follows.

谁(S)	都	V.	O.
谁	都	喜欢吃	中国菜
shuí	dōu	xĭhuān chī	Zhōngguó cài

Everyone likes eating Chinese food. Or:

什么 S.	都	V.	O.
什么人	都	喜欢吃	中国菜
shénme rén	dōu	xihuan chī	Zhōngguó cài

Everyone likes eating Chinese food.

The adverb 也 yě often precedes the negation 不 bù or 没 méi as demonstrated below.

S.	哪儿(O.)	也	不 /没V.
我	哪儿	也	不去。
wŏ	năr	yĕ	bú qù

I don’t go anywhere (nowadays).

S.	什么 O.	也	不 /没V.
我	什么地方	也	没去。
wŏ	shénme dìfang	yĕ	méi qù

I didn’t go anywhere.

The adverb 也 yě is usually used in negative sentences as above, while the adverb 都 dōu can be used in both affirmative and negative sentences, such as:

S.	哪儿(O.)	也 / 都	不 /没V.
我	哪儿	也 /都	不去。
wŏ	năr	yĕ/dōu	bú qù

I don’t go anywhere (nowadays). Or:

S.	什么 O.	也 / 都	不 /没V.
我	什么地方	也 /都	不去。
wŏ	shénme dìfang	yĕ/dōu	bú qù

I don’t go anywhere (nowadays).

Assignments

The lian ye construction

This is one of the constructions used to emphasize a noun, a noun clause or a v-o pattern. The emphasized element can be the subject or the object of a sentence and is placed after 连 lián even.

The adverb 都 dōu or 也 yě is placed before the main verb of the sentence. The difference between 都 dōu and 也 yě is that 都 dōu can be used in both the affirmative and negative, while 也 yě is normally used before negatives or before verbs which have a negative sense.

The 连 lián clause refers to the object of the sentence in the following examples.

S.	连 O.	都/ 也 V.
他	连觉	也忘了睡
tā	lián jiào	yě wàng le shuì

He has even forgotten to go to sleep. Or

S.	连 V-O.	都/ 也 V.
他	连睡觉	也忘了
tā	lián shuìjiào	yě wàng le

S.	连 O.	都/ 也 V.
我	连他的名字	也忘了
wǒ	lián tā de míngzi	yě wàng le

I’ve even forgotten his name.

The 连 lián clause refers to the subject of the sentence in the following example.

连 S.	都/也 V. O.
连好学生	也不去上课.
lián hăo xuéshēng	yě búqù shàngkè

Even the good students don't go to class.

Although the sentences above are in the affirmative form, the adverb 也 yě is used to imply that forgetting to sleep, forgetting someone’s name, and not going to class, are all undesirable actions. Of course, the adverb 都 dōu can also be used in the above sentences.

When placed after the particle 得 de, the 连 lián construction can be used to describe the outcome of an action, in a complement of degree construction, as follows.

S	SV 得	Outcome of the SV (连… 也…)
我们	忙得	连饭也忘了吃
wǒmen	máng de	lián fàn yě wangle chī

We are so busy that we’ve even forgotten to eat.

The phrase 连饭也忘了吃 lián fàn yě wangle chī even forget to eat, here placed after the particle 得 de, describes the results of the state described before 得 de.

Assignments