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Grammar Point:In Chinese, ‘unless’ is expressed as 除非 chúfēi. It is commonly used with phrases such as 否則否则 fǒuzé or 要不然 yàobùrán to convey the meaning of ‘unless A, otherwise B’. Structure Result，除非 + Condition 我wǒ不bú做zuò了le， 除非chúfēi你nǐ幫bāng我wǒ加薪jiāxīn我wǒ不bú做zuò了le， 除非chúfēi你nǐ帮bāng我wǒ加薪jiāxīnI won’t do it unless you give me a raise. 我wǒ不要búyào吃chī這個zhège， 除非chúfēi你nǐ把bǎ紅蘿蔔hóngluóbo拿ná掉diào我wǒ不要búyào吃chī这个zhège， 除非chúfēi你nǐ把bǎ红萝卜hóngluóbo拿ná掉diàoI don’t want to eat this…
Grammar Point:To express even if in Chinese, we need to use 即使 jíshǐ or 哪怕 nǎpà and usually followed by the second clause 也 yě. In this pattern, the first clause is a supposition, which is then struck down as impossible by the statement’s second clause. Structure 即使 + ···，也 + ··· Subject 1 can…
Grammar Point:The “you sentence”, we call it 有字句 yǒuzìjù in Chinese. The word 有 yǒu has many functions. In this article, we are going to talk about “attachment” and “possession.” attachment in Chinese Structure S + 有 yǒu + 著/着 zhe + O It use to indicate existence or possession. 兩liǎng個ge國家guójiā之間zhījiān有yǒu著zhe長期chángqí的de友好yǒuhǎo關係guānxī两liǎng个ge国家guójiā之间zhījiān有yǒu着zhe长期chángqī的de友好yǒuhǎo关系guānxiThe two countries have a…
Grammar Point:The Chinese language features the “you sentence,” which is known as 有字句 yǒuzìjù. The word 有 yǒu has many functions. In this article, we are going to talk about “to have” and “existence.” have has in Chinese Structure S + 有 yǒu + O This simple structure can express ownership. As Chinese does not…
Grammar Point:The structure 一旦 yídàn···就 jiù··· is often used in Chinese to express “once”. In this pattern, 就 jiù serves as a condition marker and can be translated as “then” or “in that case”. This structure indicates that once a certain condition is met, the action or consequence in the second part will occur. It…
Grammar Point:Although 雖虽然, suīrán and but 但是, dànshì can both be translated as ‘although’ and ‘but,’ in English, you wouldn’t use ‘but’ in the same sentence as ‘although.’ In Chinese, however, ‘although’ and ‘but’ are often used together, especially in written text. Structure 雖然/虽然 ······，但是 or 可是 ······ Think of ‘although’ and ‘but’ as a…
Degree complements, known as 程度補語补语 chéngdù bǔyǔ, are used to intensify or modify the degree of an action, the nature of a thing, or the degree of a state that has been reached. State complements, referred to as 狀態補語状态补语 zhuàngtài bǔyǔ, describe the state that an action has reached. The usage and structures of both…
Grammar Point:數量補語数量补语 shùliàng bǔyǔ (Quantitative Complement) is also called the complement of quantity, which indicates the quantity, frequency, or duration of an action or state. In this article, we are going to talk about the frequency or quantity of an action or state. Chinese Duration Complement Chinese Quantitative Complement Duration Complements Here, it’s important to…
A complement is a word or phrase following a verb or an adjective that provides more information to the verb phrase. Complements are super common in Chinese. It can be one character, a phrase, or a sentence. Complements provide additional explanations associated with verbs, such as degree, result, direction, or possibility. 6 Commonest Complements in…
Grammar Point:In this article, we’ll explore how to form comparison sentences without using 比 bǐ, as well as a more formal way to express comparisons in Chinese. Structure A + Adj. + B + Quantitative Complement This structure indicates how much A differs from B in terms of a specific quality, often providing the exact numerical difference. 他tā高gāo我wǒ五wǔ公分gōngfēn他tā高gāo我wǒ五wǔ公分gōngfēnHe is five…