4

In some languages, like English, sometimes, it is possible to combine sentences by using commas, conjunctions and omitting subjects and verbs to avoid repetitions. In some languages, avoiding repetitions is considered a good practice.

Is it also a good practice in Chinese? Or it is better to repeat subjects and verbs, instead?

How should sentences be combined? Should also subjects and verbs been omitted?

Here's an example:

  • She is 25 years old.
  • She is American.
  • She is very pretty.

We can combine these three sentences like this:

  • She is 25 years old, American and very pretty.

Is it possible/good to do something similar with:

  • 她是25岁。
  • 她是美国人。
  • 她很漂亮。

?

Thanks!

Starnuto di topo
  • 1,250
  • 1
  • 12
  • 25
  • 1
    You can combine the sentence like this:她是美国人，今年25岁，很漂亮。 or 她今年25岁，是个很漂亮的美国人。or 她很漂亮，今年25岁，是个美国人。or 她是一个25岁漂亮的美国人。Each of them is Okay in Chinese. – Whhhhhhhhy Oct 26 '16 at 06:17
  • Good examples, thanks! Bug can you provide some explanation about the use 一个 and 的 in last sentence? – Starnuto di topo Oct 26 '16 at 07:09
  • 1
    个 is a measure word in Chinese and you can use 位 too. And usually we would leave "一" out, just say "她是个25岁漂亮的美国人。" "的 "is always used after a adjective in Chinese. – Whhhhhhhhy Oct 26 '16 at 07:57
  • 1
    You are welcome. I hope it is helpful for you.:) – Whhhhhhhhy Oct 26 '16 at 08:03
  • site rule: avoid comments like "+1" or "thanks" – user6065 Oct 26 '16 at 08:38
  • C has "sentences with a nominal predicate" s. http://chinese.stackexchange.com/questions/10008/can-%E5%A4%A9%E7%A9%BA%E4%B8%80%E7%89%87%E8%94%9A%E8%97%8D-also-be-%E4%B8%80%E7%89%87%E8%94%9A%E8%97%8D%E5%A4%A9%E7%A9%BA-and-translation-please/10011#10011 in particular She is 25 years old. She is American. could be: 她２５岁，她美国人, although in the present special case of a very short subject i.e. 她, the given version may be more common. – user6065 Nov 09 '16 at 09:42

1 Answers1

3

Chinese, the language, itself doesn't ALWAYS use conjunctions together to link different kinds of splitted words, phrases……ect together. However, sometimes what we should notice is that we Chinese prefer other ways instead of using conjunctions, the common ways are:

1) Using punctuations to link short words together to describe things:

小王，25岁，上海人，喜欢吃零食。

Notice that we usually shorten the splitted words by the commas liking them together.

If words of the same type (used as nones, adjectives……ect), and if they are of small unit in a sentence itself, maybe “顿号” is a good choice:

我喜欢看书、写作、旅游。(I like reading, writing and travelling.)

In this situation, we don't need to use "and", compared with this, the English prefer using "and" in front of the last parallel splitted word.

2) Most cases "and" functions to link sentences together in English or western languages in syntax, however in Chinese we don't do that, we still use punctuations like commas, this means Chinese language perfers "showing meaning" to "pure syntax" itself：

Eg: You are a student, and I'm also a student. 你是学生，我也是。

Notice in English we must add "and" here to link the parallel sentences together in a normal syntax, but in Chinese we CANNOT add "和", A comma is ENOUGH here.

3) For some fixed characters, we don't use any punctuations but just write them one by one:

我喜欢吃喝玩乐（We don't prefer saying：We love 吃、喝、玩、乐，because "吃喝玩乐" is a fixed pharse. Others such as "爸爸妈妈"、“上上下下”……. In English we have to use commas+"and" to link them to meet the right syntax.）

4）In some special pharses like "both……and……", if we use nagative, this means "half negative":

Both you and me don't like sports （= Either you or me like sports.）

However in Chinese we are of "fully negative" in meaning:

你和我不喜欢体育。(= Neither you or I like sports.)

5）We prefer make nones or shortened phrases "adjectivable" to modify a none directly.

E.g: She is a 25-year-old girl, from ShangHai and like singing.

In Chinese, we usually say:

她是一个25岁，来自上海且喜欢歌唱的女孩子。(translated in English, this should be something like "She is a 25-year-old,singing-like girl from ShangHai" or through the adjective clause like "She is a 25-year-old girl from ShangHai, who likes singing.).

6）In some “成语” (idoms or pharses), we also have conjunctions or meanings:

  1. 宁缺毋滥 (We prefer lacking if nothing meets).
  2. 三思而行（Decision after a deep thought）
xqMogvKW
  • 1,642
  • 8
  • 17