Questions tagged [grammar]
Questions about the grammatical rules governing Chinese structure and composition.
1,925
questions
0
votes
1
answer
54
views
Why is this sentence grammatical without 的? [duplicate]
I'm reading a short narrative about someone who bought a big clock, much to the surprise of his roommate. The roommate asks him: “你家里不是已经有几个钟了吗？”
I'm not exactly sure why this construction is ...
- 158
0
votes
1
answer
87
views
Collection of Chinese sentence-level grammar rules as semi-structured "data"?
I am looking for structured data of Chinese grammar, however much might have been done. Specifically sentence-level grammar. By "structured data", I mean something more structured than ...
- 1,258
3
votes
6
answers
523
views
The meaning of 要 in the pattern "要 + adjective"
I sometimes see the pattern "要 + adjective", for example "去火车站比去机场的距离要近得多". I know that example means "The distance to the train station is much closer than the distance to ...
0
votes
3
answers
74
views
What are the correct ways to add subjects (主语) in 虽然……但是 sentences?
I just had a class with my iTalki teacher, and she pointed out a preference for where to add the subject (主语) when writing a particular 虽然……但是 sentence. So I'd like to systematically go through the ...
- 16.6k
0
votes
1
answer
54
views
Is it okay to fill in the blanks of 那种汽车 ____ 价钱很贵， ____ 的确质量很好 with 虽然……但是 despite the 的确?
This is a fill-in-the-blanks exercise on page 56 of 新实用汉语课本5 (photo):
那种汽车 ____ 价钱很贵， ____ 的确质量很好。
We're asked to fill in the blanks with 关联词语. What's tripping me up here: if the 的确 weren't there, ...
- 16.6k
1
vote
3
answers
194
views
Is there a limit on the number of 的 in a sentence?
In the official translation of Friedrich Engels's 论封建制度的瓦解和民族国家的产生, there is a sentence 罗马法是纯粹私有制占统治的社会的生活条件和冲突的十分经典性的法律表现.
With so many 的 crowded in a short sentence, the reading is placed under high ...
- 2,859
2
votes
2
answers
203
views
Why is the structures for duration different in past and present tenses?
In my Chinese lesson, I learnt “我去美国出差一个星期” (present tense) as the duration comes after the verb, but when I said “我去美国出了差一个星期” (past tense), my teacher said it was wrong and corrected my sentence to “...
- 85
2
votes
3
answers
120
views
你在那裏可以安心**地**生活下去 Why not use 的
你在那裏可以安心地生活下去
I thought the correct word should be 的. How is 生活 a verb/action? I know 安心 is describing the type of 生活, but 生活 is a noun.
1
vote
10
answers
1k
views
Should the blank in 他毕业以后很快 _____ 找到了一个理想的工作 be filled with 才, 可, or 便?
This is on page 11 of the textbook New Practical Chinese Reader Textbook 5 (photo of original, p.11, #8):
他毕业以后很快 _____ 找到了一个理想的工作。
And the given options for the blank are 才, 可, or 便. Now I think ...
- 16.6k
4
votes
5
answers
4k
views
Is 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' used as an idiom in Chinese? If so, how is it grammatically structured?
The film title Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (臥虎藏龍/卧虎藏龙) apparently is an idiom describing a place or situation that is full of unnoticed masters. Is this phrase actually used in speech, and if so, ...
- 143
0
votes
5
answers
122
views
時代的巨輪不停的滾動 question
Original sentence:
時代的巨輪不停的滾動
But I thought it also makes sense 地，得:
時代的巨輪不停 地 滾動
時代的巨輪不停 得 滾動
(1) makes sense because 地 is before the verb/action 滾動. (2) I'm not sure about, but I have seen lots ...
2
votes
1
answer
87
views
do words like 一般，习惯 and 经常 when placed before or after the Time clause change the meaning of the sentence?
The words are used to express that the action occurs in general(一般), often(经常), and is done regularly(习惯)， Is this true?
should they therefore always come directly before the verb or are there ...
- 69
2
votes
1
answer
408
views
以后我少的一点儿 what does this mean?
I'm doing some anki revision when this popped up. I understand the characters in isolation, but can't understand the meaning of the sentence. Google translates this to "from now on I'll have less&...
- 65
3
votes
4
answers
266
views
Is 没V着 a pattern?
I came across this sample sentence (命大的例句):
这家伙命大, 车祸居然没伤着。
I'm understanding this as something along the lines of:
This guy's really lucky, such a nasty car accident and he didn't get hurt.
Anyway, I'...
- 1,590
1
vote
4
answers
255
views
Difference between 地 and 得 in 他很難過[得/地]哭起來了
他很難過得哭起來了
他很難過地哭起來了
Which one is correct? 1 makes sense because 得 is describing the extent of how 難過 he is, but 2 also seems to make sense because 地 is just before the verb 哭. So I'm really confused ...