Index
not permitted 不许/不許 bù xǔ 12.5, 50.2.1,
51.1.2
nothing
it was nothing (replying to praise, gratitude,
apologies) 59.2, 59.3, 61.2, 63.1.1
shénme 什么/甚麼 + dōu 都 or yě 也 + neg
46.4.2
noun and noun phrase modification 4.10, 9
(see also modiyfing a noun, numbers,
specifiers)
noun phrase omission 8.3, 9.5, 57.1.2.2
nouns 5, Glossary of Grammatical Terms
nowhere 哪儿/哪兒 nǎr + 都 dōu or 也 yě +
neg, 什么地方/甚麼地方 shénme dìfang
- 都 dōu or 也 yě + neg 46.4.2
numbers 6
reciting dates 49.2.4.5
reciting time 49.1.3.2, 49.1.3.3
reciting years 49.2.1.3
tone change in numbers 2.3.2
writing and reciting phone and fax numbers
6.1.1, 26.5
o’clock 49.1
object, direct and indirect 4.2, Glossary of
Grammatical Terms
obligations 12.4, 50.1
social obligations 58, 62
obligatory objects and action verbs 13.5.2
occupations and professional titles 22.3.2, 23.3
on, at, in 在 zài 14.2.1
on the contrary, in contrast 反而 fǎn’ér 41.2.2
on what basis? 凭什么/憑甚麼 píng shénme
28.6, 44.4
only if, unless 除非 chúfēi 45.4
open-ended actions verbs 13.5, 18, 32.1
opinions, expressing 54.2
or 还是/還是 háishi 16.2.1 或者 huòzhě
16.2.2
ordinal numbers 6.4
otherwise 要不然 yàoburán, 不然 bùrán, 否則
fǒuzé 45.5
ought to (see should)
out, outside 外头/外頭 wàitou (外面 wàimiàn)
47.1
over, on 上头/上頭 shàngtou (上面 shàngmiàn,
上边/上邊 shàngbiān) 47.1
ownership (see possession)
pà 怕 ‘fear’ 55.1
paired connecting words 41.1, 44.1, 45
pángbiān 旁边/旁邊 ‘next to’ 47.1
passive 14.2.7, 21, 51.1.3
past experience with V-过/過 guo 13.2, 17.3,
37.6, 37.7
past time 37
adverbs that indicate past time 37.8
focusing on a past event with 是 shì... 的 de
37.9, 57.2.4
guo 过/過 and past experience 37.6
indicating sequence in the past 37.2
indicating that a state existed in the past 11.3
indicating that an action occurred again in the
past with 又 yòu 37.5
le 了 and past time 37.1
non-occurrence of an action in the past 37.3
percentages 6.6.2, 6.6.6, 9.6
perfective aspect with 了 le 17.1, 37.1, 37.2
permission
expressing permission with 可以 kěyǐ 12.3,
51.2
reporting permission with 让/讓 ràng or
许/許 xǔ 51.2.2
phonetic component in characters 3.2.2
phonetic compound characters 形声/形聲
xíngshēng 3.3.4
phrase order 4
emphasizing the ‘time when’ phrase 4.5, 57.3.2
phrase order in questions 4.11, 28.1, 28.6
topicalization 57.1.2.1
physical ability
with 能 néng 12.2.2, 52.1.3
with 可以 kěyǐ 12.2.3
piān’ài 偏爱/偏愛 ‘favor’ 53.3
pictograph characters 象形 xiàngxíng 3.3.1
píng shénme 凭什么/憑甚麼 ‘on what basis?’
28.6, 44.4
Pinyin romanization 1
placement verbs 29.3.3, 34.4, 39.2
please 请/請 qǐng
polite requests 54.2.2
polite invitations 62.1, 62.2
asking for forgiveness 63.1.4
possession
with 的 de 5.2.4, 9.2, 29.2.2, 30.3
with 有 yǒu 11.6, 29.2.1
possibility
expressing possibility with 会/會 huì 12.1,
52.2.1
expressing possibility with the potential infixes
得 de and 不 bù 18.6, 19.5, 32.2
potential form of resultative verbs with 得 de and
不 bù 18.6, 32.2, of directional verbs 19.5
potential suffix 得 deliǎo ‘able to V’ and 不了
buliǎo ‘unable to V’ 18.6.2, 32.4
praise 59
predicate Glossary of Grammatical Terms
preferences 宁可/寧可 nìngkě ‘prefer,’ 偏爱/偏
愛 piān’ài ‘favor,’ 情愿/情願 qíngyuàn
‘would rather’, 53.3