Chinese Language Tutorial - Part 6

Word Order in a Chinese Sentence

A Chinese sentence typically follows the subject-predicate structure, where the subject, often a noun or pronoun, precedes the predicate, typically a verb or adjective. For example:

• Sub + Predicate:
• tā shì lǎoshī.
• pǔruì shi liúxuéshēng.
• tā hěn piàoliang.

Sentence Making

Use the given words to create sentences:

• zhè bǐ shì ____________ (This pen is ____________.)
• shū xīn hěn ____________ (The book is _____________.)
• zhōngguórén tā shì ____________ (Chinese, he/she is ___________.)

The Attributive and Structural Particle “的”

When indicating possession, the particle “的” is inserted between the attributive and the qualified object. For example:

• wǒ de shū (my book)
• pǔruì de cídiǎn (Pradeep’s dictionary)

However, when the personal pronoun refers to family or friendship relations, the possessive particle “的” is often omitted. For instance:

• wǒ bàba (my dad)
• tāmen bān (our class)

When a noun indicates the characteristic or quality of the object, it usually doesn’t take “的” after it. For example:

• déguó rén (German people)
• hànyǔ shū (Chinese language book)

Sentences with Adjectival Predicate

A sentence with an adjectival predicate doesn’t necessarily require the verb “是” in the predicate. Examples:

• tā hěn cōngming. (He/She is very smart.)
• wǒ de shū hěn xīn. (My book is very new.)

When “很” is not used as an adverb, the adjective often implies comparison. For example:

• wǒmen bān de jiàoshì dà, tāmen bān de jiàoshì xiǎo. (Our classroom is big; theirs is small.)

Health and Comparative Sentences

Dialogue:

• Zhōngguó péngyǒu: Nǐ shēntǐ hǎo ma? (How is your health?)
• Lì lì: Wǒ shēntǐ hěn hǎo. (My health is very good.)

Additional Phrases:

• zuìjìn (recently)
• shēntǐ (health; body)
• bǐjiào (quite; relatively; comparatively)
• chéngjì (score)
• mǎmahūhū (so-so)
• nǔlì (hard)
• fēicháng (very)

Sample Sentences:

• Zuìjìn wǒ de shǒujī hěn màn. (Recently, my phone is slow.)
• Zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng. (Wishing you good health.)
• Chéngzi bǐjiào tián, níngméng bǐjiào suān. (Oranges are sweeter; lemons are more sour.)
• Wǒ xuéxí bǐjiào máng. (I am relatively busy with studies.)
• Māma shuō, yòngxīn xuéxí, chéngjì hǎo. (Mom says, study diligently, get good grades.)
• Dōngtiān bǐjiào lěng, xiàtiān bǐjiào rè. (Winter is relatively cold; summer is relatively hot.)
• Xiǎo hóng de chéngjì hǎo jíle. (Xiao Hong’s grades are exceptionally good.)
• Gēge xiě de hànzì mǎmahūhū. (Brother’s Chinese characters are so-so.)

Dialogue:

• Zhōngguó péngyǒu: Nǐmen bān tóngxué xuéxí nǔlì ma? (Are you classmates studying hard?)
• Lì lì: Tāmen xuéxí fēicháng nǔlì. (They are studying very hard.)

Disclaimer: These teachings are sourced from the Chinese Speaking Class 2023-2024 organized by the Chinese Cultural Centre in Nepal. For official information and inquiries, please visit Chinese Cultural Centre Nepal. The instructor, Laoshi Jitesh Maharjan, can be reached through his Facebook profile: Jitesh Maharjan.