basic chinese a grammar and workbook

BASIC CHINESE:
A GRAMMAR AND WORKBOOK
Praise for the first edition:
‘Very well structured and clearly explained’
Dr Qian Kan, Cambridge University
Basic Chinese introduces the essentials of Chinese syntax. Each of
the 25 units deals with a particular grammatical point and provides
associated exercises. Features include:
• clear, accessible format
• many useful language examples
• jargon-free explanations of grammar
• ample drills and exercises
• full key to exercises
All Chinese entries are presented in both pinyin romanization and
Chinese characters, and are accompanied, in most cases, by English
translations to facilitate self-tuition as well as classroom teaching in
both spoken and written Chinese.
Basic Chinese is designed for students new to the language. Together
with its sister volume, Intermediate Chinese, it forms a compendium
of the essentials of Chinese syntax.
Yip Po-Ching was formerly Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the
University of Leeds and Don Rimmington is Emeritus Professor
of East Asian Studies and former head of the East Asian Studies
Department at the University of Leeds. They are the authors
of Chinese: An Essential Grammar (1996; 2nd edition, 2006),
Intermediate Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook (1998; 2nd edition
forthcoming), and Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar (2004).
Titles of related interest published by Routledge:
Intermediate Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook
by Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington

Chinese: An Essential Grammar
by Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar
by Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
Colloquial Chinese: A Complete Language Course
by Kan Qian
Colloquial Chinese CD-ROM
by Kan Qian
Colloquial Chinese (Reprint of the first edition)
by Ping-Cheng T’ung and David E. Pollard
The Chinese Lexicon
by Yip Po-Ching
Basic Cantonese: A Grammar and Workbook
by Virginia Yip and Stephen Matthews
Intermediate Cantonese: A Grammar and Workbook
by Virginia Yip and Stephen Matthews
Cantonese: A Comprehensive Grammar
by Stephen Matthews and Virginia Yip
Colloquial Cantonese: A Complete Language Course
by Keith S. T. Tong and Gregory James
Other titles available in the Grammar Workbooks series are:
Basic Cantonese
Intermediate Cantonese
Basic Dutch
Intermediate Dutch
Basic German
Intermediate German
Basic Irish
Intermediate Irish
Basic Italian

Basic Korean
Intermediate Korean (forthcoming)
Basic Polish
Intermediate Polish
Basic Russian
Intermediate Russian
Basic Spanish
Intermediate Spanish
Basic Welsh
Intermediate Welsh
BASIC CHINESE:
A GRAMMAR AND
WORKBOOK
2nd edition
Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
with Zhang Xiaoming, Rachel Henson and
Yip Li Quzhen
First published 1998
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
Second edition published 2009
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 1998, 2009 Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Yip, Po-ching, 1935–
Basic Chinese : a grammar and workbook / Yip Po-Ching and Don Rimmington.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Chinese language—Grammar. 2. Chinese language—Syntax. 3. Chinese
language—Textbooks for foreign speakers—English.I.Rimmington, Don.
II. Title.
PL1111.Y56 2009
495.1′ 82421—dc22
2008031535
ISBN10: 0–415–47216–4 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–47215–6 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–88340–3 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–47216–6 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–47215–9 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–88340–2 (ebk)
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2009.
“To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s
collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.”
ISBN 0-203-88340-3 Master e-book ISBN
CONTENTS
Introduction vii
1 Nouns: singular and plural 1
2 Definite and indefinite reference and demonstratives 8
3 Personal pronouns 17
4 Interrogative pronouns 28
5 Numbers 38

6 Measure words 49
7 Indefinite plurals 63
8 Times and dates 73
9 More interrogative expressions 84
10 Adjectives: attributive and predicative 93
11 shì and yiu 103
12 Comparisons 113
13 Verbs and location expressions 127
14 Verbs and time expressions 139
15 Verbs and aspect markers 154
16 Modal verbs 165 v
Contents
vi
17 Negators: bù and ( ) méi(yiu) 174
18 Types of question (1) 185
19 Types of question (2) 196
20 Imperatives and exclamations 206
21 Complements of direction and location (or destination) 214
22 Complements of result and manner 225
23 Potential complements 234
24 Coverbal phrases 242
25 Disyllabic prepositions 255
Key to exercises 264
Vocabulary list: Chinese to English 320
Vocabulary list: English to Chinese 340
Glossary of grammatical terms 359
Index 364
vii
INTRODUCTION
This book is designed to assist learners of Mandarin or Modern

Standard Chinese, which is the language spoken by close on 70 per cent
of the people of China. It presents the essential features of Chinese
syntax in an easily accessible reference-and-practice format. We hope
that it will be helpful to students of the language at all levels, though
some initial knowledge will be an advantage, and we envisage that it
will be suitable for classroom use, as well as for individual study and
reference.
The book sets forth most of the basic elements of Chinese syntax,
dealing with simple sentences and the main grammatical categories. The
material is laid out over 25 units, and is introduced on a graded basis
with more elementary items in the early units and more complex
patterns in the later sections.
Each unit deals with an individual language category or structure.
In the early stages, of necessity, grammatical items beyond those intro-
duced in a unit are used in the illustrative sentences, but explanatory
notes are added for them with cross-referencing to the later units, in
which they themselves appear.
Each unit also provides follow-up exercises, which are designed for
immediate reinforcement and readers are encouraged to make full
use of them. A key to the exercises is given at the end of the book.
Readers may wish to consult the units separately or work pro-
gressively through the book, but we suggest that, when going through
a particular unit, they attempt all the exercises in it, before consulting
the key.
In this second edition extra drills have been provided for each unit,
which draw on the additional illustrative material mentioned above and
which give an opportunity for the reader to extend and explore his
or her learning experience of the language. They of course in many
cases anticipate material that is to appear later in the book, but the
intention is to encourage from the start practice in the rhythms of the

basic structures of the language. It is an advantage when learning any
language, and particularly Chinese, if you can develop good speech habits
Introduc-
tion
viii
as soon as possible as well as learning grammatical rules. If the
exercises are there to help you with the grammatical rules, the drills
will help you develop good speech habits. Keys to these drills are
provided with the exercise keys at the end of the book.
Practical, functional vocabulary is used in the grammatical explana-
tions and in the exercises and drills, and it is introduced as far as possible
on a cumulative basis. A complete vocabulary list is appended to
facilitate easy reference.
The use of grammatical terms is kept to a minimum and explana-
tions of them are given as they occur. In addition a glossary of these
terms is included as an appendix. An index is also provided to help
locate particular grammatical structures or explanations.
All illustrative examples throughout the book are given in Chinese
script and pinyin romanization, with colloquial English translations and
where necessary with additional literal translations (marked lit.).
Students interested in pursuing their practical study of the Chinese
language to a higher level should consult the companion volume to this
book, Intermediate Chinese: A Grammar and Workbook, where more
syntactic patterns peculiar to the Chinese language are explained and
the important grammatical items covered in Basic Chinese are sum-
marized. Furthermore, exercises and drills in Intermediate Chinese
not only cover specific grammar points but also compare them with
English language usage.
The preparation of this second edition is based on the first edition
of the book, which received financial assistance from the University of

Leeds Academic Development Fund. Two Research Assistants, Ms
Zhang Xiaoming and Ms Rachel Henson carried out much of the
important work of assembling the illustrative material. The present
revision, however, could not have been completed without help and
contribution from Mrs Yip Li Quzhen, who closely monitored the
vocabulary progression, partially revamped the exercises and compiled
the vocabulary list.
Any errors or omissions are, of course, the fault of the authors.
Note: We have used ‘a’ rather than ‘ɑ’, which is the standard form
in pinyin romanization.
UNIT ONE
Nouns: singular and plural
1
A In Chinese, as in other languages, nouns may be differentiated into
a number of categories. The largest category is the common noun, which
covers tangible, discrete entities, e.g. dàren adult, shù tree,
etc. The common noun is the main focus of this unit, but other noun
categories are:
(i) proper noun (for one individual entity):
e.g. zhdngguó China, lh míng Li Ming (name of a person)
(ii) material noun (for non-discrete entities):
e.g. zhh paper, chá tea
(iii) abstract noun (for non-tangible entities):
e.g. wénhuà culture, jcngjì economy
B Chinese common nouns, unlike English ones, make no distinction
in form between singular and plural:
pínggui apple/apples
háizi child/children
yc gè pínggui an/one apple
lifng gè pínggui two apples

yc gè háizi a/one child
lifng gè háizi two children
C Another important feature of the common noun in Chinese is
that when it is used with a numeral, the numeral has to have a
measure word between it and the noun (see also Unit 6). gè
(usually unstressed as ge in actual speech) is by far the most common
measure word and it can occur with a wide range of nouns:
yc gè rén a/one person
lifng gè xuésheng two students
san gè miànbao three bread rolls/three buns
sì gè chéngzi four oranges
wj gè jcdàn five eggs
liù gè chéngshì six cities
qc gè guójia seven countries
ba gè shangdiàn eight shops
jij gè nán háizi nine boys
shí gè ns háizi ten girls
jh gè péngyou a few friends
A considerable number of nouns or sets of nouns are linked with par-
ticular measure words:
yc bgn she a/one book
yc zhc bh a/one pen
yc bf yáshua a/one toothbrush
yc kb shù a/one tree
Some Chinese measure words that indicate portion or partition, for
example, are similar to English measures:
lifng piàn miànbao two slices of bread
yc kuài dàngao a piece of cake
yc bbi kafbi a cup of coffee
yc bbi píjij a glass of beer

Measure words are also used with abstract and material nouns:
yc gè jiànyì a suggestion (abstract)
yc gè jièkiu an excuse (abstract)
yc gè lhxifng an ambition/ideal (abstract)
yc zhang zhh a piece of paper (material)
yc kuài bù a piece of cloth (material)
Note 1: Notice that with yc you distinguish between ‘a/an’ and
‘one’ in speech by the degree of emphasis given to it. The phrase
yc gè bbizi, for example, may mean ‘one mug’ if yc is
stressed and ‘a mug’ if yc is not stressed. In the latter meaning
yc can be omitted altogether if it comes directly after a mono-
syllabic verb.
( ) wi xifng qù shangdiàn mfi (yc) gè bbizi
( yc is unstressed and optional)
I’m going to the shop to buy a mug.
wi zhh yào mfi yc gè bbizi ( yc is stressed)
I only want to buy one mug.
1
Nouns:
singular
and plural
2
Note 2: In Chinese bbizi may mean ‘cup’ or even ‘glass’ as well
as ‘mug’.
Note 3: xifng and yào are both modal verbs, i.e. verbs which
precede main verbs to indicate the mood or attitude of the subject
(see Unit 17). While xifng emphasizes ‘plan’ or ‘inclination’,
yào indicates ‘wish’ or ‘will’. They may generally be used
interchangeably.
D It is possible to pluralize human nouns by adding the suffix men

but only when the people concerned are seen or addressed as a group.
A collectivized noun like this undergoes two changes:
(i) A noun with men suffix becomes definite in reference. Being
of definite reference, this form may be used to address a particu-
lar audience:
xianshengmen, Ladies and gentlemen
nsshìmen . . .
péngyoumen Friends . . .

(ii) A collectivized noun with men suffix is incompatible with a
‘numeral + measure word’ phrase:
One cannot say:
* san gè gdngchéngshcmen (lit. three engineers)
* jij gè dàrenmen (lit. nine adults)
However, it is not possible to collectivize non-human nouns with
the suffix men:
* giumen (lit. dogs)
* bbizimen (lit. cups/glasses/mugs)
E Nouns or noun phrases (e.g. ‘numeral + measure word + noun’)
may be linked together by the conjunction hé ‘and’:
bh hé zhh
pens and paper
nán háizi hé ns háizi
boys and girls
1
Nouns:
singular
and plural
3
san gè dàngao hé sì gè miànbao

three cakes and four bread rolls
zhdngguó jcngjì hé wénhuà
China’s economy and culture
ta yiu lifng bgn she hé yc zhc bh
He has two books and one pen.
wi yào chc lifng piàn miànbao | yc gè jcdàn hé yc kuài dàngao
I want to eat two slices of bread, an egg and a piece of cake.
Note: Observe that a Chinese full-stop is a hollow dot, not a solid
one as in English; and the ‘ ’ dun-comma, seen in this last example,
is peculiar to Chinese punctuation and is used for listing items in
a series:
ta xifng mfi sì gè pínggui | san gè chéngzi | lifng gè miànbao hé
yc dá jcdàn
She would like to buy four apples, three oranges, two loaves of
bread and a dozen eggs.
Exercise 1.1
Translate the following phrases into Chinese:
1 a child 16 one mug
2 one child 17 two pens
3 two children 18 ten cups
4 three oranges 19 two cups of tea
5 a dozen eggs 20 three books
6 four bread rolls 21 four adults
7 five slices of bread 22 six pieces of paper
8 a city 23 a cake
9 two suggestions 24 a piece of cake
10 six countries 25 an excuse
11 eight shops 26 five boys
12 nine students 27 six girls
13 seven engineers 28 two pieces of cloth

14 a friend 29 a few trees
15 a person 30 two Chinese
1
Nouns:
singular
and plural
4
Exercise 1.2
Decide on the emphasis given to yc in the sentences below by putting
brackets round the where it may be omitted:
1
wi xifng jiao (yc) gè zhdngguó péngyou
I would like to have a Chinese friend. ( jiao ‘to make friends with’)
2
wi xifng mfi yc dá jcdàn
I want to buy a dozen eggs.
3
ta zhh shì yc gè xuésheng
He is only a student.
4
wi xifng chc yc gè chéngzi
I want to eat an orange.
5
wimen yiu yc gè jiànyì
We have a suggestion.
6
wi zhh xifng qù yc gè guójia
I only want to go to one country.
7
wi yào qù mfi yc bf yáshua

I want to go and buy a toothbrush.
8
ta zhh yiu yc gè háizi
She only has one child.
Exercise 1.3
Decide which of the following sentences are incorrect and make the
necessary corrections:
1 wi pèngjiàn lifng gè péngyoumen
( pèngjiàn ‘to bump into’)
I bumped into two friends.
2 ta xifng zhfo yc jièkiu ( zhfo ‘to find’)
He wanted to find an excuse.
1
Nouns:
singular
and plural
5
3 háizimen yào chc píngguimen
The children wanted to eat apples.
4 tamen xifng qù san guójia
They would like to visit three countries.
5 wi xifng hb bbi chá ( hb ‘to drink’)
I would like to have a cup of tea.
6 ta yiu zhdngguó péngyoumen
She has Chinese friends.
7 nh yào chc jh miànbao
How many slices of bread would you like to eat?
8 shuí/ shéi yào mfi jcdàn
Who wants to buy eggs?
Exercise 1.4

Translate the sentences below into English:
1 wi yào mfi jh gè miànbao
2 ta xifng chc lifng kuài dàngad
3 wi pèngjiàn san gè zhdngguó rén
4 wi yào hb bbi kafbi
5 wi xifng qù wj gè guójia
6 ta shì yc gè gdngchéngshc
7 wi yiu lifng gè háizi
8 wi zhh xifng qù yc gè chéngshì
9 shuí/shéi xifng mfi she
10 wi yiu gè jiànyì
Exercise 1.5
Translate the following phrases and sentences into Chinese. Don’t
forget to use the dun-comma where necessary.
1 apples and oranges
2 adults and children
3 three slices of bread, a cup of coffee and a piece of cake
4 four books and six pens
5 I would like to visit three countries.
6 I would like to have a cup of tea.
7 She only wants to go to two shops.
1
Nouns:
singular
and plural
6
8 She wants to buy a bread roll, two cakes, five apples and a dozen eggs.
9 The child has only one ambition.
10 I bumped into four Chinese friends.
11 I want a few pieces of paper.

12 I want to know something about China’s economy and culture.
( lifojig ‘to know or understand’)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 1.1
Complete the following sentences using the examples indicated:
1 wi yào mfi I would like to buy . . .
a. some eggs b. a few bread-rolls c. a book and a pen
d. some oranges
2 wi xifng hb I would like to drink . . .
a. a cup of tea b. a cup of coffee c. a glass of beer
d. a glass of coke ( kglè)
3 wi xifng chc I would like to eat . . .
a. an apple b. an orange c. a piece of cake
d. a sandwich ( sanmíngzhì)
4 wi yào qù . . . I would like to go to . . .
a. China b. Britain ( ycngguó) c. Beijing ( blijcng)
d. London ( lúnden)
5 wi xifng jiao I would like to make friends with . . .
a. a few Chinese friends b. some English friends
Pattern and vocabulary drill 1.2
Change all the statements you have completed in Drill 1.1 into ques-
tions, using shéi ‘who’ as the subject instead of wi ‘I’:
wi yào mfi jh gè pínggui
I would like to buy a few apples.
shéi yào mfi jh gè pínggui
Who would like to buy a few apples?
1
Nouns:
singular
and plural
7

8
UNIT TWO
Definite and indefinite reference
and demonstratives
A Reference is an important aspect of common nouns. As there are
no definite or indefinite articles ‘the/a(n)’ in Chinese, definite or
indefinite reference is indicated by the positioning of the noun in the
sentence. Generally speaking, a noun placed before the verb will be
of definite reference, while a noun placed after the verb will be of
indefinite reference.
Definite reference:
bh zài nfr Where is the pen?/Where are the pens?
( bh ‘pen’ is positioned before the verb zài ‘be in/at’.)
Indefinite reference:
nfr yiu bh Where is there a pen?/Where are there some
pens?
( bh ‘pen’ is positioned after the verb yiu ‘exist’.)
In fact, any noun used on its own is subject to this general principle.
The English translations of the following examples provide the refer-
ential clues:
bìngrén zài nfr Where is the patient?
nfr yiu ycshbng Where is there a doctor?
wi xhhuan chc I like (eating) bananas.
xiangjiao
nh zhfo máoyc ma Are you looking for your
sweater/jumper?
Note: ma is a sentence particle which is used at the end of a
statement to convert it into a general question asking for either
confirmation or denial (see Unit 18).
Even a noun apparently made indefinite by its ‘numeral (other than

yc ‘one’) + measure’ phrase, may still be regarded as of definite
reference when placed before the verb, particularly when ddu or
yg is present to refer back to the noun in question:
san gè háizi ddu shàngxué
All the three children go to school.
(lit. three children all go to school)
lifng jiàn máoyc yg zài guìzi li
Both of the jumpers are also in the wardrobe.
Note: guìzi is a general term in Chinese which may mean
‘wardrobe’, ‘cabinet’, ‘cupboard’, etc. depending on the context.
B However, this general rule may be nullified if the speaker is
making a general comment rather than narrating an event or incident.
The comment in a topic-comment sentence, as we shall see, usually
consists of an adjective, the verb shì ‘to be’, a modal verb or a verb
that indicates a habitual action:
xiangjiao hgn Bananas are (adjective)
hfochc delicious.
chéngzi bù shì Oranges are (verb shì
shecài not vegetables. ‘to be’)
mao huì zhua Cats can catch (modal verb)
lfoshj mice.
mf chc cfo Horses eat grass. (verb that
indicates a
habitual action)
In the above examples, xiangjiao ‘bananas’, chéngzi
‘oranges’, mao ‘cats’ and mf ‘horses’, as topics to be commented
on, are of indefinite reference, in spite of the fact they are placed before
the verb.
Note: The distinction between subject-predicate and topic-
comment sentences is discussed in detail in Intermediate Chinese,

Unit 7.
C On the other hand, a noun before the verb may be made to take
on indefinite reference if it is preceded by yiu ‘have/exist’:
2
Definite
and
indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
9
yiu rén zhfo nh
There is someone looking for you.
yiu máoyc zài guìzi li
There is a sweater/there are (some) sweaters in the wardrobe.
In these sentences with yiu a numeral (including yc ‘a(n); one’)
or an expression such as ( ) (yc)xib ‘some’ or jh + measure ‘a
few’ may be used with the noun:
( ) yiu(yc) gè ycshbng qhng bìngjià
A doctor was on sick leave.
(lit. There was a doctor [who] asked for sick leave.)
( ) yiu(yc) gè ns ycshbng zài bìngfáng li
A lady doctor is in the ward.
(lit. There is a female doctor [who] is in the ward.)
yiu lifng gè jcdàn zài wfn li
There are two eggs in the bowl.
( ) yiu (yc)xib huar zài huapíng li
There are some flowers in the vase.
yiu jh bgn she zài shejià shang

There are a few/several books on the (book)shelf.
As can be seen from the examples above, these yiu sentences
can express the presence of a person or thing in a place, with or with-
out a clear indication of the location. Where the location is indicated,
a more common way of phrasing such sentences is to begin with
the location phrase (e.g. huapíng li ‘in the vase’,
shejià shang ‘on the bookshelf’), since it is likely to be of definite refer-
ence and a pre-verbal position is therefore more natural (see Units 11
and 13):
( ) huapíng li yiu (yc)xib huar
There are some flowers in the vase.
(lit. In the vase there are some flowers.)
shejià shang yiu jh bgn she
There are a few books on the (book)shelf.
(lit. On the bookshelf there are a few books.)
wfn li yiu lifng gè jcdàn
There are two eggs in the bowl. (lit. In the bowl there are two eggs.)
2
Definite
and
indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
10
wezi li yiu yc zhang zhudzi hé sì bf yhzi
There are a table and four chairs in the room.
(lit. In the room there are a table and four chairs.)
( ) zhudzi shang yiu (yc) gè huapíng

There is a vase on the table. (lit. On the table there is a vase.)
guìzi li yiu maóyc
There is a sweater/are sweaters in the wardrobe.
(lit. In the wardrobe there is a sweater/are sweaters.)
bìngfáng li yiu sì gè bìngrén
There are four patients in the ward.
nàr yiu bh | zhèr yiu zhh
There is a pen/are pens over there and (there is) some paper here.
(lit. There there is a pen/are pens, here there is some paper.)
D Demonstratives are by definition context-based. They naturally
indicate definite reference. In Chinese ‘this’ is zhè and ‘that’ is nà:
zhè shì kafbi | nà shì chá
This is coffee and that is tea.
In Chinese, when demonstratives are followed by a noun, as with num-
bers, a measure is required between the demonstrative and the noun.
When used in this way, zhè may also be pronounced ‘zhèi’ and
nà, ‘nèi’. The probable explanation for this is that ‘zhèi’ and ‘nèi’ are
fusions of ‘zhè + yc’ and ‘nà + yc’:
zhèi gè rén this person
nèi zhang zhudzi that table
zhèi zhc giu this dog
nèi zhc mao that cat
wi péngyou xhhuan zhèi zhang zhàopiàn
My friend likes this photograph.
wi bù xhhuan nèi fú huàr
I don’t like that painting.
In the plural, these demonstratives are followed by xib or a jh +
measure word phrase to mean ‘these’ or ‘those’:
2
Definite

and
indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
11
ta yào zhèi xib maóyc
She wants these sweaters.
ta yào zhè jh jiàn máoyc
She wants these (few) sweaters.
wi mfi nèi xib wfn
I’ll buy those bowls.
wi mfi nà jh zhc wfn
I’ll buy those (few) bowls.
When zhè and nà are used in conjunction with a numeral, the
word order is demonstrative + number + measure:
nh xhhuan zhè lifng zhang zhàopiàn ma
Do you like these two photo(graph)s?
nh zhfo nà san bf yàoshi ma
Are you looking for those three keys?
When the context is clear, the noun, of course, may be omitted:
wi yào zhèi gè
I want this one.
ta xhhuan nèi lifng jiàn
He likes those two. (e.g. sweater, shirt, etc.)
wi xhhuan zhèi zhang | bù xhhuan nèi zhang
I like this one, but I don’t like that one. (e.g. photographs, paint-
ings, etc.)
E Finally, as we have seen context is always an important factor in

Chinese. If an object or a matter has already been mentioned in a par-
ticular context, then this will give it a consequential definite reference.
For example, in the sentence:
nh qù mfi she ma
the unmarked noun she ‘book’ would normally be of indefinite
reference because it comes after a verb (where it would mean: ‘Are
you going to buy a book/some books?’). However, it would take on
definite reference if the communicators were already aware from their
previous exchange that she here refers to a book or books they have
been talking about. This would make it mean: ‘Are you going to buy
the book(s)?’
2
Definite
and
indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
12
The indefinite reference of an unmarked noun after the verb can, of
course, always be countered by the presence of a demonstrative:
nh qù mfi nèi bgn she ma
Are you going to buy that book?
Exercise 2.1
Complete the translations below by filling in the blanks:
1 this pen bh
2 these pens bh
3 that orange chéngzi
4 those oranges chéngzi

5 those (few) children háizi
6 these (few) tables zhudzi
7 that cup/glass/mug bbizi
8 this book she
9 those schoolbags shebao
10 those (few) bookshelves shejià
11 this vase huapíng
12 these (few) vases huapíng
13 that kitchen chúfáng
14 these flowers huar
15 those trees shù
16 that piece of cake dàngad
17 that school xuéxiào
18 this toothbrush yáshua
19 that slice of bread miànbao
20 these keys yàoshi
21 those umbrellas yjsfn
22 that shop shangdiàn
23 those (few) chairs yhzi
24 these (few) paintings huàr
25 these two doctors ______ ______ ______ ycshbng
26 those few patients ______ ______ ______ bìngrén
Exercise 2.2
Indicate which of the two English translations below is the correct ver-
sion of the Chinese in each case:
1 ta xhhuan giu
She likes the dogs./She likes dogs.
2
Definite
and

indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
13
2 wi mfi zhèi dhng màozi
( dhng measure word for hats/caps)
I’ll buy this hat./I’ll buy that hat.
3 nh dài yjsfn ma
( dài ‘to bring along; to take with’)
Are you bringing an umbrella with you?/Are you bringing the
umbrella with you?
4 yàoshi zài nfr
Where are the keys?/Where can I find some keys?
5 nh dài máoyc ma
Are you bringing along a jumper/sweater?/Are you bringing along
the jumper?
6 ta yiu háizi ma
Has she got any children?/Has she got the children?
7 zhudzi shang yiu zhc wfn
There is a bowl on the table./The bowl is on the table.
8 yiu jiàn máoyc zài guìzi li
The jumper is in the wardrobe./There is a jumper in the wardrobe.
9 kuàizi zài zhudzi shang
The chopsticks are on the table./There are chopsticks on the table.
10 wi huì zhua kuàizi
( huì ‘know how to’)
I know how to use chopsticks. (lit. I know how to grasp chopsticks.)/
I know how to use the chopsticks.

Exercise 2.3
Translate the following sentences into English paying attention to
whether the nouns involved are of definite or indefinite reference. In
some cases the noun could be either definite or indefinite depending
on the possible contexts.
1 nfr yiu she
2 she zài nfr
3 chúfáng li yiu yc gè dàngao
4 mao zài wezi li
5 nh zhfo yàoshi ma
6 nh mfi yjsfn ma
7 nh chc xiangjiao ma
8 wimen xifng mfi huar
9 háizimen zài xuéxiào li
10 wi xhhuan chc pínggui
2
Definite
and
indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
14
11
sì jiàn máoyc hé san dhng màozi ddu zài guìzi li
12 shí gè xuésheng ddu xifng qù zhdngguó
13 nh yiu kuàizi ma
14
pínggui | chéngzi | dàngao hé miànbao ddu zài chúfáng li

Exercise 2.4
Translate the following sentences into Chinese:
1 Where are there any shops?
2 Oranges are good to eat.
3 There are a few mugs on the table.
4 There are some books on the bookshelf.
5 Do you have a pen on you? (Hint: you can formulate this sentence
using the verb dài ‘to bring along with’ or you can use the loca-
tion phrase shbnshang lit. ‘on body’.)
6 The bowls are in the cupboard.
7 Where is the key?
8 There are some flowers in the vase.
9 Where are the boys?
10 Do you have a jumper?
11 Do you like these photo(graph)s?
12 Are you looking for the books?
13 These two books are very interesting. ( yiu yìsi ‘interesting’)
14 I like those three pictures.
15 Where are those five students?
Pattern and vocabulary drill 2.1
Following the patterns below, in each case formulate the question or
statement separately as appropriate for (a) and (b):
1

nfr yiu Where is there a . . . ?
(when you need to locate (a) a pen and (b) a chair)
2 . . . zài nfr Where is the . . . ?
(when you want to know where (a) the toilet ( cèsui) is and
(b) where the station ( chbzhàn) is)
3

yiu . . . zài bìngfáng li There is/are . . . in the ward
(when you are explaining that there are (a) a male doctor and a lady
doctor (b) nine patients in the ward)
2
Definite
and
indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
15
4 . . . zài chúfáng li The . . . is/are in the kitchen
(when you are pointing out that (a) the bowls and chopsticks and
(b) the knives and forks are in the kitchen)
5 guìzi li yiu There is/are . . . in the cupboard
(when you are saying that there are (a) tea and coffee and (b) some
mugs in the cupboard)
Pattern and vocabulary drill 2.2
Change the following statements into general questions using ma:
Model: wi xhhuan chc xiangjiao
I like eating bananas.
Answer: nh xhhuan chc xiangjiao ma
Do you like eating bananas?
1 wi xhhuan chc dàngao
2 wi xhhuan hb píjij
3 wi xhhuan chc shecài
4 wi xhhuan jiao péngyou
5 wi xifng hb bbi kafbi

6 wi xifng mfi zhc bh
7 wi yào mfi jh bgn she
8 wi xifng mfi xib huar
9 wi de mao huì zhua lfoshj
10 ( huà ‘draw; paint’) wi huì huà huàr
Note: If xifng and yào indicate wills and wishes on individual
occasions, xhhuan indicates habitual preferences.
2
Definite
and
indefinite
reference
and
demon-
stratives
16