Noun
| This article is a stub. Editors can help the Chinese Grammar Wiki by expanding it. |
- Also known as: 名词 (míngcí).
You may have learned these as "person, place, or thing." Nouns often act as subjects, are modified by adjectives, and can be counted with measure words in Chinese.
Contents
Notes
名词
Nouns have four main characteristics:
- The majority of the time, they are modified by a measure word.
- They can act as a subject, an object, or a complement, but never as a result. It can occasionally be an adverbial, but not often.
- They may not be modified by the negative adverb "不".
- They may not be reduplicated (unless it's for a cutesy effect, usually with small kids).
Further Explanation
Measure Words
Every noun in Chinese has a measure word that it can use, as well as the general "个." When quantifying nouns, they must have a measure word. If you are just being general, it isn't required.
EXAMPLES
Roles
In a sentence, Chinese nouns take the same roles that nouns in English do. They are often subjects and objects of verbs, but they can occasionally be complements or adverbials. As stated above, nouns are never results.
EXAMPLES
不
Nouns aren't negated by "不" because "不" is used to negate verbs. You can't say "not dog." It just doesn't make sense. The same goes in Chinese.
EXAMPLES
Reduplication
Unlike verbs and adjectives, nouns aren't reduplicated in Chinese. While with adjectives and verbs reduplication can change the meaning, with nouns it just makes you sound silly.
EXAMPLES
Subcategories
See Also
Grammar Patterns for Nouns
A2 Nouns
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| After a specific time with "yihou" | Time / Verb + 以后 | 10点 以后 ，我 不 在 家。 |
| Before a specific time with "yiqian" | Time / Verb + 以前 | 十 点 以前，我 在 家。 |
| Expressing "before" in general with "yiqian" | 以前，⋯⋯ | 以前，我 不 会 说 中文。 |
| Expressing "just now" with "gangcai" | 刚才 + Verb | 你 刚才 说 什么 了？ |
| Expressing "when" with "de shihou" | ⋯⋯的时候 | 你 不在 的 时候，我 会 想 你。 |
| In the future in general with "yihou" | 以后，⋯⋯ | 以后，你 不要 问 我。 |
| Time words and word order | Subj. + Time⋯⋯ / Time + Subj.⋯⋯ | 我 明天 有 空。/ 明天 我 有 空。 |
B1 Nouns
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "before" and "after" with "zhiqian" and "zhihou" | Event + 之前 / 之后 ，⋯⋯ | 出国 之前 ，他 和 女朋友 分手了 。 |
| Expressing "ever since" with "yilai" | Time / Event + 以来 ，⋯⋯ | 今年 八月 以来 ，这里 一直 没 下 过 雨 。 |
| Expressing "when" with "shi" | Time + 时 | 考试 时 不要 说话 。 |
| Sequencing past events with "houlai" | ⋯⋯ ，后来 ⋯⋯ | 开始 他 不 同意， 但 后来 同意了。 |
B2 Nouns
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "among" with "dangzhong" | 当中 | 他们 当中 有 温州 人 ， 有 宁波 人 。 |
| Expressing "each other" with "bici" | 彼此 + Verb | 太 吵 了，我们 都 听不到 对方 在 说 什么。 |
| Expressing "when" using "dang" | 当……的时候，…… | 当 我 见到 他 的 时候 ，我 完全 忘 了 要 问 他 什么 。 |
| Expressing "within (it/them)" with "qizhong" | 其中 | 有 五 个 人 报名 了 ， 其中 两 个 是 女生 。 |
| Name-calling with "zhege" | Noun + 这个 + Category | 你 这个 坏蛋，就 没 做 过 一 件 好 事。 |
C1 Nouns
| Grammar Point (English) | Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Expressing "your side" with "ben" | 本 + Noun | 是 本 公司 的 商业 模式。 |
| Indicating a characteristic with "xing" | Word + 性 | 发生 地震 的 可能性 较 大。 |
Sources and further reading
- 外国人实用汉语语法(中英文对照) (pp. 16 - 26)
- Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 32 - 38)
- 简明汉语语法学习手册 (Chinese Grammar Without Tears) (pp. 30 - 39)
- 实用汉语语法 (pp. 48 - 49)
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 22 - 28)
