Chinese grammar / 486 topics
Chinese grammar · page 9
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总会、总得 zǒng huì, zǒng děi
总 with Modals: Eventually, In Any Case, and Necessary Action
Use 总 with 会, 得, 要, or 能 to express an expected eventual outcome, an unavoidable need, or confidence despite circumstances.
看来 kànlái
看来 (Kànlái): Drawing a Conclusion or Naming a Perspective
Use 看来 for an inference from the situation and 在…看来 to identify whose view or judgment is being described.
只好 zhǐhǎo
只好 (Zhǐhǎo): Having No Better Choice in Chinese
Use 只好 to introduce the course of action someone accepts because other workable options have been ruled out.
可 kě
可 (Kě) for Emphasis: Strong Descriptions and Firm Warnings
Recognize emphatic 可 before adjectives and verbs, including 可…了, 可别, and expressions of a long-awaited development.
毕竟 bìjìng
毕竟 (Bìjìng): After All and Reasons That Still Matter
Use 毕竟 to foreground a decisive fact or reason that should be considered despite other concerns or appearances.
再不…就… zài bù…jiù…
再不…就…: If You Do Not Act Now in Chinese
Express urgency with 再不…就…, connecting continued inaction with an approaching consequence or missed opportunity.
差点没 chàdiǎn méi
差点没 (Chàdiǎn Méi): Almost Not and Ambiguous Near Misses
Interpret 差点没 by the intended outcome and context, including successful results that nearly failed and colloquial near-miss expressions.
反正 fǎnzhèng
反正 (Fǎnzhèng): Anyway, Regardless, and a Settled Reason
Use 反正 to keep a conclusion unchanged despite alternatives, or to introduce a practical reason for a decision in Chinese.
尽量 jǐnliàng
尽量 (Jǐnliàng): As Much as Possible and Trying Your Best
Place 尽量 before an action or description to aim for the greatest feasible extent, including efforts to avoid doing something.
恐怕 kǒngpà
恐怕 (Kǒngpà): I Am Afraid and Concerned Predictions
Use 恐怕 to present a concerning possibility, soften unwelcome information, or cautiously assess what is likely to happen.
好不容易 hǎo bù róngyì
好不容易 and 好容易: Achieving Something with Difficulty
Learn how 好不容易 and idiomatic 好容易 emphasize effort and difficulty, often with 才 before a hard-won result in Chinese.
甚至 shènzhì
甚至 (Shènzhì): Adding an Extreme or Surprising Case
Use 甚至 to extend a statement to an unexpected example or stronger claim, often with 都 or 也 for emphasis.
尽管 jǐnguǎn
尽管 (Jǐnguǎn): Feel Free to Ask, Speak, or Help Yourself
Encourage someone to act without hesitation using 尽管 before a verb, and distinguish this use from the concession meaning although.
不得不 bùdébù
不得不 (Bùdébù): Have To and Cannot Avoid Doing
Express externally imposed necessity or reluctant acknowledgment with 不得不 before an action or admission in Chinese.
到底 dàodǐ
到底 (Dàodǐ): What Exactly, After All, and Finally
Distinguish 到底 in insistent questions, explanations based on a defining fact, and statements about an eventual result.
究竟 jiūjìng
究竟 (Jiūjìng): Asking What Exactly or Finding the Real Answer
Use 究竟 to press for precise information in question-word and affirmative-negative questions, and recognize embedded uses.
干脆 gāncuì
干脆 (Gāncuì): Just Do It or Choose the Direct Option
Use 干脆 to propose or report a decisive, uncomplicated course of action when other options feel troublesome.
几乎 jīhū
几乎 (Jīhū): Almost All, Hardly Any, and Nearly
Use 几乎 to qualify a whole group or a predicate, and distinguish almost all from the near absence expressed with 没有.
再也不 zài yě bù
再也不 and 再也没: Never Again and No More Since Then
Use 再也不 for a future refusal or impossibility and 再也没 for an action that has not occurred again since a past point.
曾经 céngjīng
曾经 (Céngjīng): Once, Former Experience, and Past States
Use 曾经 before a predicate to recall an earlier experience or state, with 过 when appropriate and without implying exactly one time.
本来 běnlái
本来 (Běnlái): Original Plans and Things True All Along
Describe an original intention with 本来 and use 本来就 to emphasize a fact or viewpoint that was already true.
再三 zàisān
再三 (Zàisān): Repeatedly and Time After Time
Use 再三 before verbs of warning, requesting, considering, and emphasizing to describe repeated or sustained effort.
简直 jiǎnzhí
简直 (Jiǎnzhí): Simply, Absolutely, and Emphatic Comparisons
Use 简直 to express a striking judgment, amplify a description, or present an exaggerated comparison in Chinese.
一向 yīxiàng
一向 (Yīxiàng): Longstanding Habits and Consistent Attitudes
Use 一向 to describe an established habit or attitude over time, and distinguish it from 一直 for continuous processes.
千万 qiānwàn
千万 (Qiānwàn): Be Sure To and Whatever You Do, Do Not
Strengthen a Chinese request or warning with 千万, commonly followed by 要, 别, 不要, or 不能 before the action.
白 bái
白 (Bái) Before Verbs: In Vain, Wasted Effort, and For Free
Understand 白 before an action as wasted effort or no cost, and distinguish it from the color word white.
顺便 shùnbiàn
顺便 (Shùnbiàn): While You Are at It and Doing an Extra Task
Use 顺便 before a secondary action that fits conveniently into an existing trip, task, or conversation in Chinese.
了又 le yòu
Verb + 了又 + Verb: Doing Something Again and Again
Repeat a short verb around 了又 to emphasize repeated attempts, consideration, or checking, often despite an unchanged result.
难道 nándào
难道 (Nándào): Challenging an Idea with a Rhetorical Question
Use 难道 to question a surprising or doubtful proposition, often with 吗, and infer the speaker’s expected answer.
差很多 chà hěn duō
差很多 (Chà Hěn Duō): Very Different Rather Than Roughly the Same
Use 差很多 as a predicate to describe a substantial gap, and compare it with 差不多 in statements of rough similarity.
啊 a
啊 (A) in Lists: Naming Examples Conversationally
Add 啊 after items in an informal list to give examples of a category without implying the list is complete.
于是 yúshì
于是 (Yúshì): So Then and Consequences in a Narrative
Connect a situation with the action it prompts using 于是, and distinguish a narrative development from general causal reasoning.
而 ér
而 (Ér): Connecting Contrasts and Saying But Rather
Use 而 to contrast related clauses in Chinese, especially in 不是…而是… and 是…而不是… corrections and distinctions.
当中 dāngzhōng
当中 (Dāngzhōng): Among a Group and During a Process
Use 当中 after a group or process to identify membership, comparison within a set, or involvement during an activity.
彼此 bǐcǐ
彼此 (Bǐcǐ): Each Other and Mutual Relationships
Use 彼此 for reciprocal actions and shared relationships, as a participant, object, or modifier with 的.
当…的时候 dāng…de shíhou
当…的时候: Framing When Something Happens in Chinese
Use 当 to introduce a time clause, with 的时候 or 时 when appropriate, for occasions, states, and recurring reactions.
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