{"id":2989,"date":"2019-10-28T18:58:52","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T18:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-grammar\/descriptive-pairs\/"},"modified":"2019-10-28T18:58:52","modified_gmt":"2019-10-28T18:58:52","slug":"descriptive-pairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/mm\/descriptive-pairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Descriptive Pairs"},"content":{"rendered":"
We often use two adjectives or adverbs when describing things, as in "The books is both interesting and informing." In Mandarin Chinese, this kind of sentence is co<\/em>nstructed with \u53c8 (yòu).<\/p>\n

The sentence format is like this:<\/p>\n

    SUBJECT – \u53c8 – STATIVE VERB – \u53c8 –STATIVE VERB <\/p>\n

Stative verbs are verbs which describe a relatively unchanging condition, and have a similar function to adjectives and adverbs.<\/p>\n

Here is an example:<\/p>\n

    \u9ad8\u901f\u9435\u8def\u53c8\u5feb\u53c8\u8212\u670d\u3002
    \u9ad8\u901f\u94c1\u8def\u53c8\u5feb\u53c8\u8212\u670d\u3002
    G\u0101osù ti\u011blù yòu kuài yòu sh\u016bfu.
    The high-speed train is both fast and comfortable. <\/p>\n

Neither Nor<\/p>\n

The opposite of "both … and" is "neither … nor", which is Mandarin Chinese is expressed \u4e5f\u4e0d … \u4e5f \u4e0d (y\u011b bù … y\u011b bù), in this construction:<\/p>\n

    SUBJECT – \u4e5f\u4e0d – STATIVE VERB – \u4e5f\u4e0d – STATIVE VERB <\/p>\n

Here is an example:<\/p>\n

    \u4eca\u5929\u4e5f\u4e0d\u592a\u71b1\u4e5f\u4e0d\u592a\u51b7\u3002
    \u4eca\u5929\u4e5f\u4e0d\u592a\u70ed\u4e5f\u4e0d\u592a\u51b7\u3002
    J\u012bnti\u0101n y\u011b bù tài rè y\u011b bù tài l\u011bng.
    Today is neither too hot nor too cold. <\/p>\n

Adding A Reservation<\/p>\n

Sometimes we need to add a qualifying statement to our two positive points, as in "He is so bright and smart, but he has no job." This is done with \u53ef\u662f (k\u011b shì) in this construction:<\/p>\n

    SUBJECT – \u4e5f – STATIVE VERB – \u4e5f – STATIVE VERB – \u53ef\u662f – STATEMENT <\/p>\n

Here is an example:<\/p>\n

    \u4ed6\u4e5f\u6709\u9322\u4e5f\u8070\u660e\u53ef\u662f\u6c92\u6709\u5973\u670b\u53cb\u3002
    \u4ed6\u4e5f\u6709\u94b1\u4e5f\u806a\u660e\u53ef\u662f\u6ca1\u6709\u5973\u670b\u53cb\u3002
    T\u0101 y\u011b y\u01d2u qián y\u011b c\u014dngmíng, k\u011bshì méiy\u01d2u nù péngyou.
    He is both rich and intelligent, but he doesn’t have a girlfriend. <\/p>\n

Not Only<\/p>\n

Another common ex<\/em>pression is "not o<\/em>nly … but" as in "He is not o<\/em>nly talented, but rich." In Mandarin, this type of sentence is co<\/em>nstructed with \u4e0d\u4f46 (bú dàn) … \u4e5f (y\u011b): <\/p>\n

     SUBJECT – \u4e0d\u4f46 – STATIVE VERB – \u4e5f – STATIVE VERB <\/p>\n

Here is an example:<\/p>\n

    \u4ed6\u4e0d\u4f46\u6709\u9322\u4e5f\u5927\u65b9\u3002
    \u4ed6\u4e0d\u4f46\u6709\u94b1\u4e5f\u5927\u65b9\u3002
    T\u0101 bù dàn y\u01d2u qián y\u011b dàf\u0101ng.
    He is not o<\/em>nly rich, but also generous.
<\/div>\n