Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

deSCriBiNG PeoPle, PlaCeS, aNd thiNGS 30.5 苏州怎么样？ 蘇州怎麼樣？ Sūzhōu zěnmeyàng? What is Suzhou like? C28.6 30.4.2 asking for more inf ...

describing people in terms of age 30.7 30.5.2 asking what an item is made of To ask what an item is made of, say: (noun) 是用什么做的？ ...

deSCriBiNG PeoPle, PlaCeS, aNd thiNGS 30.7 The verb 是 shì is optional and is usually absent in statements in which the predicate ...

describing the weather 30.8 A formal and very polite way to inquire about the age of an older person is: 您今年高寿？ 您今年高壽？ Nín jīnni ...

deSCriBiNG PeoPle, PlaCeS, aNd thiNGS 30.8 下雨了。 Xià yǔ le. It’s raining. (lit. ‘falling the rain’) 下雪了。 Xià xuě le. It’s snowing ...

talking about illness and other medical conditions 30.9 Notice that when describing temperature, you can use the verb 是 shì. 是 s ...

deSCriBiNG PeoPle, PlaCeS, aNd thiNGS 30.9 30.9.2 describing symptoms In English, symptoms are described as a possession of the ...

31 describing how actions are performed 31.1 describing the general or past performance of an action with a manner adverbial phr ...

deSCriBiNG hoW aCtioNS are PerFormed 31.1 他说中国话说得快。 他說中國話說得快。 Tā shuō Zhōngguó huà shuō de kuài. He speaks Chinese fast. 她开车开得慢。 ...

asking about the performance of an action 31.2 31.2 asking about the performance of an action To ask how an action is performed, ...

deSCriBiNG hoW aCtioNS are PerFormed 31.3 31.3 describing the performance of an entire action with an adverbial modifier To desc ...

describing the performance of an entire action with an adverbial modifier 31.3 悄悄地 qiāoqiāo de quietly 严厉地/嚴厲地 yánlì de sternly ...

32 indicating result, conclusion, potential, and extent 32.1 indicating the result or conclusion of an action with resultative v ...

indicating the result or conclusion of an action with resultative verbs 32.1 Suffix Meaning 饱/飽 bǎo to be full 懂 dǒng to underst ...

iNdiCatiNG reSUlt, CoNClUSioN, PoteNtial, aNd exteNt 32.1 Action verb Meaning Resultative verb Meaning 买/買 买到/買到 mǎi to shop for ...

indicating the result or conclusion of an action with resultative verbs 32.1 Here are example sentences with resultative verbs. ...

iNdiCatiNG reSUlt, CoNClUSioN, PoteNtial, aNd exteNt 32.2 32.1.4 Using 没/沒 méi with resultative verbs to indicate lack of comple ...

Summary of the functions of resultative verbs 32.3 action verb + 不 bu + resultative suffix 王老师的话我都听不懂。 王老師的話我都聽不懂。 Wáng lǎoshī d ...

iNdiCatiNG reSUlt, CoNClUSioN, PoteNtial, aNd exteNt 32.4 32.4 indicating the ability to perform the verb: the potential suffixe ...

resultative suffixes with special meanings or properties 32.5 32.4.3 asking about the ability to perform an action To ask about ...