Non-exhaustive lists with "dengdeng"

等等 (děng děng) or simply 等 (děng), is just like saying “and so on” or “etc.” in English, but it's just a bit more formal. Both are placed after listing a series of items (generally with a list that exceeds two items).

Structure

The basic structure is easy. Just make a list of things and add 等 (děng) or 等等 (děng děng) to the end of the list. It's the same as in English when we use "etc." at the end of a list, except in Chinese you don't put a final comma before the 等 or 等等.

A1，A2 ⋯⋯ 等 / 等等

Examples

• 西瓜、菠萝、葡萄 等等 ，我 都 喜欢 吃 。 Xīguā, bōluó, pútao, děngděng, wǒ dōu xǐhuan chī.Watermelons, pineapples, grapes, and so on... I like them all.
• 我 爸爸 很 喜欢 运动 ，比如 跑步、游泳、打羽毛球 等等 。Wǒ bàba hěn xǐhuan yùndòng, bǐrú pǎobù, yóuyǒng, dǎ yǔmáoqiú, děngděng.My father likes different sports, for example, running, swimming, playing badminton, etc.
• Bruce Li、Jackie Chan、Jet Li 等 都 是 功夫 明星 。 Bruce Li, Jackie Chan, Jet Li děng dōu shì gōngfu míngxīng.Bruce Li, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, etc. are all kung fu stars.
• 我们 公司 有 市场部、设计部、技术部 等等 。Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu shìchǎng bù, shèjì bù, jìshù bù děngděng.Our company has a marketing department, design department, technology department, etc.
• 联合国 的 工作 语言 有 英语、法语、西班牙语 等 。Liánhéguó de gōngzuò yǔyán yǒu Yīngyǔ, Fǎyǔ, Xībānyáyǔ děng.The working languages of the UN are English, French, Spanish, etc.

等 (děng) can also be added to the end of a list and is followed by a noun that represents the list. In this case, you can only use 等:

A1，A2 ⋯⋯ 等 + [Category] + Predicate

The predicate part of the pattern can be a verb or an adjective.

• 长城、故宫 等 景点 都 是 北京 有名 的 景点 。 Chángchéng, Gùgōng děng jǐngdiǎn dōu shì Běijīng yǒumíng de jǐngdiǎn.The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, etc. are all famous tourist attractions in Beijing.
• 北京、上海、广州 等 城市 的 经济 都 很 发达 。Běijīng, Shànghǎi, Guǎngzhōu děng chéngshì de jīngjì dōu hěn fādá.Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and so on are economically developed cities.
• 牛津、剑桥 等 大学 是 英国 最 有名 的大学 。Niújīn, Jiànqiáo děng dàxué shì Yīngguó zuì yǒumíng de dàxué.Oxford, Cambridge and so on are the most famous British universities.
• 中国、印度、巴西 等 国家 都 是 发展中 国家 。Zhōngguó, Yìndù, Bāxī děng guójiā dōu shì fāzhǎn zhōng guójiā.China, India, Brazil and so on are all developing countries.
• 食品 安全、空气 污染、人工 智能 等 话题 都是 热点 话题 。Shípǐn ānquán, kōngqì wūrǎn, réngōng zhìnéng děng huàtí dōu shì rèdiǎn huàtí.Food safety, air pollution, artificial intelligence, and so on are all hot topics.

See also

• Ending a Non-Exhaustive List with "shenme de"
• "Stuff like that" with "zhileide"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 304) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy