Attributive Phrases in Chinese Made Easy: Say Goodbye to Confusing Sentence Structures
One of the most noticeable differences between English and Chinese grammar is the placement of attributive phrases, which are used to describe nouns. In English, we often place attributive phrases after the noun, but in Chinese, they appear before the noun. This difference can be confusing for learners, so let’s explore how attributive phrases work in Chinese and go over some examples to make it easier to understand.
What is an Attributive Phrase?
An attributive phrase provides additional information about a noun, helping to specify or describe it. For instance, in English, we say “the book on the table” or “the red book.” The phrases “on the table” and “red” are attributive phrases that modify “book.”
In Chinese, the order is flipped: all descriptive or modifying information must come before the noun. This structure applies to adjectives, clauses, and other modifiers.
Structure of Attributive Phrases in Chinese
To understand the structure, let’s start with a simple example in English and then see how it’s transformed in Chinese:
English: the red book
Chinese: 红色的书
(hóngsè de shū)
Notice how in Chinese, the adjective “红色的” (red) appears before “书” (book). Here, “的” links the adjective to the noun.
Using Longer Attributive Phrases
In English, we often place phrases describing a noun after the noun, like “the book on the table.” In Chinese, however, this phrase would look like this:
English: the book on the table
Chinese: 桌子上的书
(zhuōzi shàng de shū)
In Chinese, the prepositional phrase “桌子上” (on the table) appears before “书” (book), connected by “的.”
Examples and Common Mistakes
Let’s look at a few more examples to understand this structure and avoid common mistakes:
Example 1:
English: the person who teaches Chinese
Incorrect Chinese: 人教中文的
Correct Chinese: 教中文的人
(jiāo zhōngwén de rén)
In English, “the person” comes first, followed by “who teaches Chinese.” But in Chinese, the phrase “教中文的” (who teaches Chinese) must go before “人” (person).
Example 2:
English: a city with many parks
Incorrect Chinese: 城市很多公园的
Correct Chinese: 有很多公园的城市
(yǒu hěn duō gōngyuán de chéngshì)
Here, “有很多公园的” (with many parks) describes the noun, so it appears before “城市” (city).
Example 3:
English: the delicious food
Incorrect Chinese: 食物很好吃的
Correct Chinese: 很好吃的食物
(hěn hǎochī de shíwù)
In this example, “很好吃的” (delicious) is placed before “食物” (food) to correctly describe the noun.
Practice Tips
To avoid mistakes, it can be helpful to practice thinking of the descriptive parts of your sentence before the noun. When you’re translating from English, take a moment to mentally rearrange the sentence so that the descriptive parts come first.
Another trick is to identify the noun in the sentence and ask yourself, “What words describe this noun?” All these descriptors should come before the noun in Chinese, separated by “的” when needed.
Key Takeaways
• In Chinese, all attributive phrases describing a noun must go before the noun.
• Use “的” to connect the attributive phrase to the noun.
• Practice by rearranging English phrases and putting the description before the noun in Chinese.
By keeping these tips in mind and practicing regularly, you’ll soon find it easier to place attributive phrases correctly in Chinese, leading to more natural and accurate sentences.
