Using location as a description
47.3
To indicate that an object does not exist at a location, use the following structure:
(在 zài) location 没有/沒有 méi yǒu object
At location there is no object.
(在)房子里没有人。
(在)房子裏沒有人。
(Zài) fángzi lǐ méi yǒu rén.
There are no people in the house.
(lit. ‘In the house there are no people.’)
(在)屋子里没有桌子。
(在)屋子裏沒有桌子。
(Zài) wūzi lǐ méi yǒu zhuōzi.
There aren’t any tables in the room.
(lit. ‘In the room there aren’t any tables.’)
or
没有/沒有 méi yǒu object 在 zài location
没有人在房子里。
沒有人在房子裏。
Méi yǒu rén zài fángzi lǐ.
There are no people in the house.
没有桌子在屋子里。
沒有桌子在屋子裏。
Méi yǒu zhuōzi zài wūzi lǐ.
There aren’t any tables in the room.
C11.6
47.3 Using location as a description
Location phrases may also be used to describe a noun. When used as a description, the location
phrase precedes the noun, as follows:
location phrase 的 de noun
the noun at this location [or] the noun in this direction
To help you to understand this structure, the location phrase in each of the following examples
is presented in square brackets. Notice that the words ‘that,’ ‘who,’ and ‘which’ that occur
in the description in English are not translated into Mandarin. In Mandarin, the noun can be
understood as singular or plural.
[沙发上]的猫
[沙發上]的貓
[shāfā shàng] de māo
the cat [(that is) on the sofa]
[房子里]的人
[房子裏]的人
[fángzi lǐ] de rén
the person [(who is) in the house]
[北边]的湖
[北邊]的湖
[běibiān] de hú
the lake [(that is) in the north]
