Chinese Grammatical System Essay

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Modern Chinese grammatical system need to have a particular form that would allow actions or verbs to express various progresses of the state in each situation; therefore, it needs a particle to be added to the sentence to achieve this need. Chinese grammar is not similar to English grammar, in which English can add -ing onto the end of a verb to show the ongoing state of an action. Chinese has many particles such as le, zhe, guo that are being used in the sentences to add aspectual values to the attached verbs in the sentences. Even though aspect particles express different action of beings, “There is agreement that they do not relate the situation described by the sentence to the time of utterance but express various perspectives on the …show more content…
Its main function is to emphasize that an action is continuing or long lasting. “According to traditional analyses . . . whereas zhe can be used with verbs that indicate at least some homogeneous states but normally not ‘dynamic’ events” (Klein et al. 726). 外面下着大雨 can be translated as it is raining outside. 他正在跟朋友说着话 can be translated as he is talking with a friend. 雨还在下着 can be translated as still raining. 他们在那儿跑着 can be translated as they are running there. 那个站着的人是我哥哥 can be translated as the person standing there is my older brother. 你要的书在桌子上放着 can be translated as the book you want is lying on the table. 王朋在沙发上坐着 can be translated as Wang Peng is sitting on the sofa. 他一边洗着澡, 一边唱歌 can be translated he is bathing while signing, the first verb 洗 and the second verb is 唱, are both action verbs and neither of the verb is a state. There is also one additional type of zhe, which in a given sentence consisting of two verbs, one verb is a state verb while the second verb is the action …show more content…
The basic form of this type is a verb followed by zhe and then add a second verb after zhe. “Note that the first verb (followed by 着) describes the state; the second verb is the action verb” (Chinese Grammar Wiki). In this sentence, 她带着孩子去公园了, 带is the first verb and the state, and the second verb is 去, and this sentence can be translated as she took the child while going the park. The action of she took the child to the park might or might not be completed, so there is the possibility that this action is still ongoing. 老师站着讲课, 我们坐着听 can be translated as the teacher stood lecturing, and we sat listening. The state of the first verb is 站, and the second verb of this state is 讲, and the result is that we followed by the state 坐 and the following verb is 听. 坐着看电视比较舒服 can be translated as sitting while watching TV is more comfortable. The first state is 坐, and the second verb is 看, and the result from this situation is 比较舒服. 我走着走着,不一会儿就到家门口了 can be translated as while I was walking, soon I was at the home door. The state is 走, and the second verb is 到, and the modal particle le indicates a new situation which is 到家门口 has emerged. 北京大学比较近,我们走着去吧 can be translated as the Peking University is relatively close, we can walk there. The state is 走, and the second verb is 去, and the modal particle ba adds hesitation and weakens the request. Based on the above

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