#chinese grammar
Hey so I saw people reblogging this post and I thought it would be a cool way to introduce you guys to Rhetorical Questions in Chinese!
Remember, you have to have a question particle attached if you’re asking a question in Mandarin. 在我的沙拉前面？isnotvalid, you have to at least add the 吗, since this is still TECHNICALLY a Yes-or-No question
＊ 在我的沙拉前面吗?
Rhetorical Question with 难道 (nándào)
Okay, so let’s clear something up. It’s very obvious she does NOT really want a response to that question. Her question was to add a dramatic effect to the situation.
难道 + Subject + Verb Phrase + (吗)?
Subject + 难道 + Verb Phrase + (吗)?
Note: 难道 can only be used for rhetorical questions which could be answered with yes or no, and generally end with 吗.
＊难道在我的沙拉前面吗??
The adverb “从来” (cónglái) indicates something has always been like this from the past to the present. It is usually used in negative sentences. For example:
- 我从来没去过美国。
- 她的健康从来都不好。
- 谢谢，我从来不抽烟。
- 老张这个人开会从来不迟到。今天到现在还没来，可能是有什么事情，你打个电话问问他吧。
- 虽然我们认识的时间不长，但我从来没这么快乐过。
- 这家面馆儿从来只卖一种东西: 牛肉面。因为面做得很好吃，而且不贵。很多新客人变成了老客人，老客人又带来更多新客人。
Pronouns in Chinese language for beginners
*for future reference the masterlist link should be under my profile pic on my homepage!
FLASHCARDS
C-SERIES INTEGRATED CONTEXT VOCAB
RADICAL VOCAB
HELLO TALK - Real life Chinese Conversations with Native Speakers
Part O1
OTHER VOCAB
EMOTIONS
APPEARANCE
What type of boys do you like?
What type of girls do you like?
CHINESE PARTICLES
MISCELLANEOUS VOCAB
01_My Mr. Mermaid + Body Parts
03_My Mr. Mermaid + Body Parts PT2
05_My Mr. Mermaid ep 3 + Chinese Pod describing drinks
06_PETS (describing animals/pets)
07_My Mr. Mermaid ep 4 + Home vocab
Sentence Order
Test Yourself:
Hello! This is all the Chinese learning content i’ve created so far! I hope you are all learning well and enjoying your language journeys!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
*for future reference the masterlist link should be under my profile pic on my homepage!
FLASHCARDS
C-SERIES INTEGRATED CONTEXT VOCAB
RADICAL VOCAB
HELLO TALK - Real life Chinese Conversations with Native Speakers
Part O1
OTHER VOCAB
EMOTIONS
APPEARANCE
What type of boys do you like?
What type of girls do you like?
CHINESE PARTICLES
MISCELLANEOUS VOCAB
01_My Mr. Mermaid + Body Parts
03_My Mr. Mermaid + Body Parts PT2
05_My Mr. Mermaid ep 3 + Chinese Pod describing drinks
06_PETS (describing animals/pets)
07_My Mr. Mermaid ep 4 + Home vocab
Sentence Order
Test Yourself:
对我而言，你只是一个小男孩，
Duì wǒ ér yán, nǐ zhǐshì yīgè xiǎo nánhái,
To me, you are still nothing more than a little boy
和其他成千上万的小男孩没有什么不同。
hé qítā chéng qiān shàng wàn de xiǎo nánhái méiyǒu shé me bùtóng.
who is just like a hundred thousand other little boys.
我不需要你。And I have no need of you.
Wǒ bù xūyào nǐ.
你也不需要我。And you, on your part, have no need of me.
Nǐ yě bù xūyào wǒ.
对你而言，我也和其它成千上万的狐狸并没有差别。
Duì nǐ ér yán, wǒ yě hé qítā chéng qiān shàng wàn de húlí bìng méiyǒu chābié.
To you, I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes.
但是，假如你驯服了我，我们就彼此需要了。
Dànshì, jiǎrú nǐ xùnfúle wǒ, wǒmen jiù bǐcǐ xūyàole.
But if you tame me, then we shall need each other.
对我而言，你就是举世无双的；对你而言，我也是独一无二的。
Duì wǒ ér yán, nǐ jiùshì jǔshì wúshuāng de; duì nǐ ér yán, wǒ yěshì dúyīwú'èr de.
To me, you will be unique in all the world; to you, I shall be unique in all the world.
而言 ér yán - to be regarding; to be in terms of; to be speaking of; to be as far as something is concerned.
而言 (éryán) is always put at the end of a sentence structure which starts with a preposition, such as 对于 (duìyú, “regarding”), 就 (jiù, “in [terms of]”) or 从 (cóng, “from”), or is collocated with 相比 (xiāngbǐ, “comparison”).
其他成千上万 qítā chéng qiān shàng wàn - thousands of others (其他 other / (sth or sb) else / the rest + 成千上万 lit. by the thousands and tens of thousands (idiom); untold numbers / thousands upon thousands)
并没有差别:
One of the many uses of 并 (bìng) is to add emphasis to a sentence that uses 不 or 没. Because you’re emphasizing a negation, 并 is often used when expressing disagreement, or pointing out a flaw in someone’s argument. You can take pretty much any sentence with a negated verb,and give it a little extra kick with 并. Just put it before the 不 or 没. Note that when used with 不, you can negate an adjective as well.
假如你驯服了我，我们就彼此需要了:
“假如⋯⋯，就⋯⋯” (jiǎrú…, jiù…) is yet another way to express “If…, then…” in Chinese, but it is much more formal than 要是 or 如果 are (in both written and spoken Chinese).
举世无双 jǔshì wúshuāng - unrivalled (idiom); world number one / unique
独一无二 dúyīwú'èr - unique and unmatched (idiom); unrivalled / nothing compares with it
狐狸 húlí - fox
驯服 xùnfú - tame
彼此 bǐcǐ - each other
Grammar: “a little” in Chinese. «一下»
Note: The pinyin for 一下 is written “yīxià” but pronounced “yíxià” due to a tone change rule
Structure: To express that a verb is carried out briefly or “a little bit,” you can add 一下 (yīxià) after it. Sometimes 一下 (yīxià) can soften the tone.
Subj. + Verb + 一下 + Obj.
Often, adding 一下 (yīxià) just makes the Chinese feel more natural. This is not something you can get a feel for quickly. You’ll want to observe how native speakers use 一下 (yīxià) over a long period of time to really get used to how it is used.
Examples:
*请 你 等 一下。You get the feeling that it shouldn’t be a long wait.Qǐng nǐ děng yīxià. Please wait a little bit.
*你 看 一下。It should be quick.Nǐ kàn yīxià. Take a look.
*试 一下 吧。How long can trying it take? Shì yīxià ba. Try it.
*我 要 想 一下。You’re supposed to believe that I won’t need to think about it long.Wǒ yào xiǎng yīxià. I want to think a little.
*开 一下 门 吧 。 How long can it take to open the door?Kāi yīxià mén ba. Please open the door.
*请 你 说 一下 为什么。I feel it should be a quick explanation.Qǐng nǐ shuō yīxià wèishénme. Please say why.
How to compare in Chinese. Grammar
Since we use comparisons a lot in both conversation and writing, I’ve decided to to tell you about this grammar.
The basic structure for comparison 比 bǐ is
A + 比 + B + Adjective
For example:
- 我哥哥(A) 比 我(B) 高(Adj)。(My older brother is taller than me.)
- 这个公园(A) 比 那个公园(B) 漂亮(Adj)。(This park is prettier than that park.)
But in the real conversation, we may add more details when we compare.
You can add “degree,” like:
- “Wow! This one is MUCH bigger than that one.”
- “I am just A LITTLE shorter than him.”
- “He is 4 years older than me.”
You can add “degree” in the end of the sentence. So the structure is:
A + 比 + B + Adj. + Degree
For example:
- 我哥哥(A) 比 我(B) 高(Adjective) 得多(Degree)。(My older brother is taller than me.)
- 我哥哥(A) 比 我(B) 高(Adjective) 五公分(Degree)。(My older brother is 5 centimeters taller than me.)
You also can add “even more” when you would like to compare 3 things. So the structure is:
C + 比 + A + 更/还 + Adj.
For example:
- 我哥哥(A) 比 我(B) 高(Adjective), 我爸爸© 比 我哥哥(A) 更(even more) 高(adjective)。
