{"id":6780,"date":"2022-09-16T15:24:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T15:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=6780"},"modified":"2025-03-21T04:06:30","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T04:06:30","slug":"commonly-used-chinese-grammar-particles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/commonly-used-chinese-grammar-particles.html","title":{"rendered":"Commonly Used Chinese Grammar Particles – Aspect, Structural, and Modal Particles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
One of the most common misconceptions about the Chinese language is that it doesn\u2019t have any grammar. While it\u2019s true that Chinese doesn\u2019t have grammatical gender, verb conjugation, or verb tenses like many Western languages do, it still has its own unique and highly structured grammar system. In Chinese, the form of the words never changes, but instead the whole sentence structure changes and special particles are added to change the meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grammatical particles in Chinese don\u2019t have a meaning on their own but are attached to words, phrases, or sentences to serve specific functions. Nouns, verbs, and adjectives have concrete meanings, making them easier to understand and memorize. However, particles can be challenging for Chinese learners since their full meaning can only be understood when they are used in context. Some particles express tone, while others help with sentence formation or indicate tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite their challenging nature, particles are essential and practical to learn since they help you express far more specific and complex ideas. Their fixed patterns make them quite easy to use once you understand their basic function, and this article can serve as your starting point. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today we\u2019re going over three major families of grammar particles: aspect particles, structural particles, and modal particles. At the very end, you\u2019ll find a practice exercise to help you more concretely understand when and how to use them.<\/p>\n\n\n
Chinese expresses tense in a very different way than English. Instead of changing the form of verbs, particles are used to indicate tense. Aspect particles are added after verbs or adjectives to show the state of an action or change. The three most common particles used for this are \u7740, \u4e86, and \u8fc7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To show the continuation of an action or state in Chinese, \u7740 is added after the verb. The usual structure we use is Subject + Verb + \u7740\uff08+ Object\uff09<\/strong>. Generally speaking, this is similar to verbs that end in -ing in English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u95e8\u5f00\u7740\u3002(M\u00e9n k\u0101izhe.) The door is open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5730\u4e0a\u5750\u7740\u4e00\u53ea\u72d7\u3002(D\u00ecsh\u00e0ng zu\u00f2zhe y\u012b zh\u012b g\u01d2u.) A dog\nis sitting on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u7a7f\u7740\u4e00\u4ef6\u957f\u8896\u3002(T\u0101 chu\u0101n zhe y\u012b ji\u00e0n ch\u00e1ng xi\u00f9.) He\nis wearing long sleeves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When \u7740 is used with words like \u5728 or \u6b63\u5728, it indicates the present progressive tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u6b63\u5728\u505a\u7740\u996d\uff0c\u4ed6\u5c31\u6765\u4e86\u3002(W\u01d2 zh\u00e8ngz\u00e0i zu\u00f2zhe f\u00e0n, t\u0101 ji\u00f9 l\u00e1ile.) I was cooking when he arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u5728\u516c\u56ed\u91cc\u542c\u7740\u6b4c\u5462\u3002(T\u0101 z\u00e0i g\u014dngyu\u00e1n l\u01d0 t\u012bngzhe g\u0113\nne.) He was listening to music in the park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u4eec\u6b63\u5728\u601d\u8003\u7740\u8fd9\u4ef6\u4e8b\u3002( W\u01d2men zh\u00e8ngz\u00e0i s\u012bk\u01ceo zhe zh\u00e8ji\u00e0n sh\u00ec .) We are thinking about this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong>: How to Use \u7740 to express Chinese verb continuity<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n As a tense particle, \u4e86 indicates the completion of an action and is often put after the verb. This is the most straightforward way to indicate the past tense, but keep in mind that \u4e86 has many other uses. There are also other ways to indicate the past tense in Chinese depending on the context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6628\u5929\u6211\u4e70\u4e86\u4e24\u4ef6\u8863\u670d\u3002(Zu\u00f3ti\u0101n w\u01d2 m\u01ceile li\u01ceng ji\u00e0n y\u012bfu.)\nI bought two pieces of clothing yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u65e9\u4e0a\u6211\u559d\u4e86\u4e00\u676f\u5496\u5561\u3002(Z\u01ceoshang w\u01d2 h\u0113le y\u012bb\u0113i k\u0101f\u0113i.) I\nhad a cup of coffee in the morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u4e2d\u5348\u53bb\u4e86\u516c\u56ed\uff0c\u6ca1\u53bb\u56fe\u4e66\u9986\u3002(W\u01d2 zh\u014dngw\u01d4 q\u00f9le g\u014dngyu\u00e1n,\nm\u00e9i q\u00f9 t\u00fash\u016b gu\u01cen.) I went to the park at noon and didn’t go to the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong>: Essential Guide to the Chinese Particle \u4e86<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n indicate that the action has happened before. However, there are certain limitations to the verbs that can be used with \u8fc7. Verbs of recognition and verbs that can only happen once cannot be used with \u8fc7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u53bb\u8fc7\u5317\u4eac\u3002(W\u01d2 q\u00f9gu\u00f2 b\u011bij\u012bng.) I have been to\nBeijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u5403\u8fc7\u997a\u5b50\u5417\uff1f(N\u01d0 ch\u012bgu\u00f2 ji\u01ceozi ma?) Have you ever\neaten dumplings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u4eec\u5b66\u8fc7\u8fd9\u672c\u4e66\u3002(W\u01d2men xu\u00e9gu\u00f2 zh\u00e8 b\u011bn sh\u016b.) We have studied this book before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Structural particles in Chinese are placed before or after certain words to create specific fixed sentence structures. In modern Chinese, \u7684, \u5730, and \u5f97 are the most commonly used structural particles. These three words all share the same pronunciation but have distinct uses and associated structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u7684 is one of the first Chinese characters taught to new learners and is also the first grammatical particle that they encounter. As a structural particle, \u7684 is an attributive marker. In more simple terms, it can show possession or mark that an adjective describes the noun that follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026\u2026 + \u7684 +Noun<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n e.g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong>: Master the Attributive Particle \u7684<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Even native Chinese speakers sometimes mix up \u7684 and \u5730, both of which can be structural particles. When used as a structural particle, \u5730 is an adverbial marker, meaning it connects an adverb or adjective and the verb that it describes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adjective \/ Adverb + \u5730 + Verb phrase \/ Adjective<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n e.g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5b66\u751f\u4eec\u52aa\u529b\u5730\u5b66\u4e60\u3002(Xu\u00e9sh\u0113ngmen n\u01d4l\u00ec de xu\u00e9x\u00ed.) The students\nstudy hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8001\u5e08\u8ba4\u771f\u5730\u4e0a\u8bfe\u3002(L\u01ceosh\u012b r\u00e8nzh\u0113n de sh\u00e0ngk\u00e8.) The\nteacher takes the class seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u65e9\u65e9\u5730\u53bb\u5b66\u6821\u4e86\u3002 (W\u01d2 z\u01ceoz\u01ceo de q\u00f9 xu\u00e9xi\u00e0ole.) I\nwent to school early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong>: How To Use The Structural Particle \u201c\u5730\u201d In Chinese Grammar<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n When used as a structural particle, \u5f97 is commonly inserted between a verb and its complement. There are many different kinds of grammatical complements in Chinese, but for now we\u2019ll just focus on the syntactic structure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verb + \u5f97 + Complement<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u603b\u662f\u56de\u6765\u5f97\u5f88\u665a\u3002(T\u0101 z\u01d2ng sh\u00ec hu\u00edl\u00e1i de h\u011bn w\u01cen.)\nHe always comes back late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5979\u5199\u5b57\u5199\u5f97\u4e0d\u9519\u3002(T\u0101 xi\u011bz\u00ec xi\u011b de b\u00f9cu\u00f2.) She writes\nwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u7684\u8bdd\u6211\u542c\u5f97\u5f88\u6e05\u695a\u3002(N\u01d0 dehu\u00e0 w\u01d2 t\u012bng de h\u011bn\nq\u012bngch\u01d4.) I heard your words very clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u73b0\u5728\u7684\u5b69\u5b50\u61c2\u5f97\u5f88\u591a\u3002(Xi\u00e0nz\u00e0i de h\u00e1izi d\u01d2ngde h\u011bndu\u014d.)\nToday’s children know a lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong>: Describing Actions with \u5f97(de) in Chinese<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Modal particles are used to express tone of voice in Chinese. They are usually placed in the middle or at the end of a sentence. Sometimes, they can even be used by themselves. In many cases, a single modal particle will have several different potential implications, so context is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The modal particle \u5417 indicates an interrogative tone and is used to create yes-no or rhetorical questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u662f\u4f60\u7684\u4e66\u5417\uff1f(Zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec n\u01d0 de sh\u016b ma?) Is this your\nbook?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u53ef\u4ee5\u501f\u4e00\u70b9\u513f\u94b1\u5417\uff1f(W\u01d2 k\u011by\u01d0 ji\u00e8 y\u012bdi\u01cenr qi\u00e1n ma?) Can\nI borrow a little money?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u90a3\u5bb6\u996d\u5e97\u4fbf\u5b9c\u5417\uff1f(N\u00e0 ji\u0101 f\u00e0ndi\u00e0n pi\u00e1nyi ma?) Is that\nhotel cheap?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u4e0d\u662f\u6211\u7684\u5bb6\u5417\uff1f\u4f60\u600e\u4e48\u5728\u8fd9\u513f\uff1f(Zh\u00e8 b\u00f9sh\u00ec w\u01d2 de ji\u0101 ma? N\u01d0\nz\u011bnme z\u00e0i zh\u00e8r?) Isn’t this my home? Why are you here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u96be\u9053\u4e0d\u662f\u4f60\u7684\u670b\u53cb\u5417\uff1f(T\u0101 n\u00e1nd\u00e0o b\u00f9sh\u00ec n\u01d0 de p\u00e9ngy\u01d2u\nma?) Isn’t he your friend?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u8ba4\u771f\u7684\u5417\uff1f\u90a3\u9996\u6b4c\u597d\u542c\u5417\uff1f(N\u01d0 r\u00e8nzh\u0113n de ma? N\u00e0 sh\u01d2u g\u0113\nh\u01ceot\u012bng ma?) Are you serious? Is that song good?<\/p>\n\n\n Unlike \u5417, \u5462 cannot be used for yes-no questions. However, it is still commonly used in alternative, positive-negative, and specific question structures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8c01\u80fd\u5e2e\u6211\u62ff\u4e1c\u897f\u5462\uff1f(Sh\u00e9i n\u00e9ng b\u0101ng w\u01d2 n\u00e1 d\u014dngx\u012b ne?) Who\ncan help me carry something?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u5728\u8fd9\u559d\u9152\uff0c\u4f60\u59bb\u5b50\u5728\u54ea\u513f\u5462\uff1f(N\u01d0 z\u00e0i zh\u00e8 h\u0113ji\u01d4, n\u01d0 q\u012bzi\nz\u00e0i n\u01cer ne?) You are drinking here, where is your wife?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u60f3\u5403\u82f9\u679c\u8fd8\u662f\u8461\u8404\u5462\uff1f(N\u01d0 xi\u01ceng ch\u012b p\u00ednggu\u01d2 h\u00e1ish\u00ec\np\u00fat\u00e1o ne?) Would you like to eat apples or grapes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u7231\u4f60\u3002\u4f60\u7231\u4e0d\u7231\u4ed6\u5462\uff1f(T\u0101 \u00e0i n\u01d0. N\u01d0 \u00e0i b\u00f9 \u00e0i t\u0101 ne?) He\nloves you. Do you love him or not?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, \u5462 can be used in declarative sentences with \u5728, \u6b63\u5728, and \u6b63 to indicate an ongoing action or situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u6b63\u5728\u6d17\u6fa1\u5462\uff0c\u4f60\u7b49\u4e00\u4e0b\u3002(W\u01d2 zh\u00e8ngz\u00e0i x\u01d0z\u01ceo ne, n\u01d0 d\u011bng\ny\u012bxi\u00e0.) I’m taking a shower, wait a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u6b63\u7761\u89c9\u5462\uff0c\u5c0f\u58f0\u70b9\u3002(T\u0101 zh\u00e8ng shu\u00ecji\u00e0o ne, xi\u01ceosh\u0113ng\ndi\u01cen.) He’s sleeping, so be quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u4eec\u5728\u5f00\u4f1a\u5462\u3002(W\u01d2men z\u00e0i k\u0101ihu\u00ec ne.) We are in a\nmeeting.<\/p>\n\n\n Using \u5427 at the end of a question can indicate that you\u2019re guessing or making an assumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n e.g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u4eec\u597d\u50cf\u89c1\u8fc7\u9762\u5427\uff1f(W\u01d2men h\u01ceoxi\u00e0ng ji\u00e0ngu\u00f2 mi\u00e0n ba?) Seems like we\u2019ve met before, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u7684\u5de5\u4f5c\u90fd\u5b8c\u6210\u4e86\u5427\uff1f(N\u01d0 de g\u014dngzu\u00f2 d\u014du w\u00e1nch\u00e9ngle ba?)\nIs your work done?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u6b21\u8003\u8bd5\u4e0d\u96be\u5427\uff1f(Zh\u00e8 c\u00ec k\u01ceosh\u00ec b\u00f9 n\u00e1n ba?) This exam isn\u2019t difficult, is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u98de\u673a\u5927\u6982\u4e5d\u70b9\u5230\u4e0a\u6d77\u5427\uff1f(F\u0113ij\u012b d\u00e0g\u00e0i ji\u01d4 di\u01cen d\u00e0o Sh\u00e0ngh\u01cei ba?) The flight arrives in Shanghai at about nine o\u2019clock, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, \u5427 is commonly used in imperative sentences to soften the tone when making a request or suggestion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n e.g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u4eec\u7ed3\u5a5a\u5427\u3002(W\u01d2men ji\u00e9h\u016bn ba.) Let’s get married.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u4eec\u53bb\u73a9\u5427\uff0c\u6211\u4e0d\u53bb\u4e86\u3002(N\u01d0men q\u00f9 w\u00e1n ba, w\u01d2 b\u00f9 q\u00f9le.) Go\nand play, I’m not going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u5feb\u53bb\u9053\u6b49\u5427\u3002(N\u01d0 ku\u00e0i q\u00f9 d\u00e0oqi\u00e0n ba.) Go and\napologize.<\/p>\n\n\n \u554a is a common modal particle used to emphasize the tone of a sentence. In spoken Chinese, it can also be inserted after the subject to indicate a pause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n e.g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u513f\u5b50\u554a\uff0c\u603b\u662f\u4e0d\u5199\u4f5c\u4e1a\u3002(N\u01d0 \u00e9rzi a, z\u01d2ng sh\u00ec b\u00f9 xi\u011b\nzu\u00f2y\u00e8.) Your son, he never does his homework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4f60\u5bb6\u4eba\u4e5f\u6765\u554a\uff1f\u592a\u597d\u4e86\uff01(N\u01d0 ji\u0101r\u00e9n y\u011b l\u00e1i a? T\u00e0i h\u01ceole!)\nIs your family coming too? Great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8c01\u5728\u6572\u95e8\u554a\uff1f(Sh\u00e9i z\u00e0i qi\u0101o m\u00e9n a?) Who is knocking at the door?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u4e2a\u5730\u65b9\u771f\u6f02\u4eae\u554a\uff01(Zh\u00e8g\u00e8 d\u00ecf\u0101ng zh\u0113n pi\u00e0oliang a!) This place is so beautiful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Further reading<\/strong>: Guide to Chinese Question Words and Sentence Structures<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n These particles are some of the foundational building blocks of Chinese grammar. Aspect and structural particles, such as \u4e86, \u8fc7, \u7684, \u5730, and \u5f97, play critical roles in expressing verb tense, forming special sentence structures, and emphasizing tone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Modal particles, including \u5417, \u5462, \u5427, \u554a, and \u5440, help to convey various emotions and attitudes. With continued practice, mastering these particles can significantly improve your Chinese language skills and help you communicate more effectively in a wide range of situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve wrapped up even more basic Chinese sentence structures<\/a> for you to check out. \u52a0\u6cb9\uff01<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
\u7740 (zhe)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\u4e86 (le)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\u8fc7 (gu\u00f2)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
Chinese Structural Particles \u7ed3\u6784\u52a9\u8bcd<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n
\u7684 (de)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\n
\u5730 (de)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\u5f97 (de)<\/h3>\n\n\n
Chinese Modal Particles \u8bed\u6c14\u52a9\u8bcd<\/h2>\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n
\u5417 (ma)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\u5462 (ne)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\u5427 (ba)<\/h3>\n\n\n
\u554a (a)<\/h3>\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n