[fluentu-toc skip=4]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
5 Ways Use \u662f in Chinese<\/h2>\nTo connect two nouns<\/h3>\n
\u662f is used like the English verb “to be” when you want to connect two nouns (or pronouns, or a mix) in a sentence to explain what something or someone is:<\/p>\n
\u6211\u662f<\/strong>\u7f8e\u56fd\u4eba\u3002 \u6211\u662f<\/strong>\u4e00\u4e2a\u8001\u5e08\u3002 \u8fd9\u662f<\/strong>\u624b\u673a\u3002 \u82f9\u679c\u662f<\/strong>\u4e00\u79cd\u6c34\u679c\u3002 The phrase \u662f\u4e0d\u662f (sh\u00ec b\u00fa sh\u00ec)<\/em> is one way of asking a question in Chinese<\/a>. If you want to make a question out of a sentence that has \u662f as its verb, you can do it by substituting \u662f with \u662f\u4e0d\u662f, literally meaning\u00a0\u201cbe not be.\u201d<\/p>\n \u8fd9\u662f\u4e0d\u662f<\/strong>\u624b\u673a\uff1f<\/strong> \u90a3\u662f\u4e0d\u662f<\/strong>\u6c99\u53d1\uff1f<\/strong> \u82f9\u679c\u662f\u4e0d\u662f<\/strong>\u4e00\u79cd\u6c34\u679c\uff1f<\/strong> The phrase \u662f\u4e0d\u662f\u00a0can also be added to the end of a sentence to confirm something you think is true.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can confirm any type of information this way; it isn’t limited to sentences that already contain \u662f as their main verb:<\/p>\n \u4f60\u662f\u53f0\u6e7e\u4eba\uff0c\u662f\u4e0d\u662f\uff1f<\/strong> \u4f60\u5728\u5403\u996d\uff0c\u662f\u4e0d\u662f\uff1f<\/strong> The correct way to answer any of these questions is either \u662f\u00a0if the answer is \u201cyes,\u201d or \u4e0d\u662f(b\u00fa sh\u00ec)<\/em>\u00a0if the answer is \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re tired of trying to string together Chinese sentences and want to keep the other person talking, throw in a \u662f\u5417\uff1f<\/strong>(sh\u00ec ma?)<\/em>. It\u2019s the Chinese equivalent of something like \u201cOh, really?\u201d or \u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n As long as you don\u2019t make yourself sound exceedingly skeptical, the other person will take it as a sign that you\u2019re interested in what they\u2019re saying and keep on going.<\/p>\n Another good way to show you’re following a conversation is to occasionally agree with the person you’re listening to. To do that, try using these\u00a0phrases:<\/p>\n By now it should be clear that the verb \u662f is really common in Chinese. But it still isn\u2019t nearly as common as the verb “to be” is in English. There are at least four common ways in which\u00a0English speakers use “be” that\u00a0\u662f just can’t be used\u00a0in Chinese.<\/p>\n In English, we say “The child is tall” or “The toy is soft.” Chinese people do\u00a0not\u00a0say “\u5b69\u5b50\u662f\u9ad8” (h\u00e1i zi sh\u00ec g\u0101o)<\/em> or \u201c\u73a9\u5177\u662f\u8f6f\u201d (w\u00e1n j\u00f9 sh\u00ec ru\u01cen)<\/em> to communicate these ideas. Instead, use \u5f88 meaning “very.”<\/p>\n Chinese sentences of this sort don’t require a verb. Instead, they typically include an intensifying adverb such as \u5f88 between the subject and the adjective.<\/p>\n \u5b69\u5b50\u5f88\u9ad8\u3002 \u73a9\u5177\u5f88\u8f6f\u3002 There are cases in which\u00a0\u662f is followed by an adjective, but it doesn’t equate to what it would be in English. This can happen with the \u662f\u2026\u2026\u7684 (sh\u00ec…de)<\/em> construction\u00a0<\/strong>to emphasize whatever word ends up in between\u00a0sh\u00ec\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0de:<\/em><\/p>\n \u6811\u53f6\u662f<\/strong>\u7eff\u8272\u7684<\/strong>\u3002 A second place you’ll hear \u662f followed by an adjective is when \u662f\u00a0is actually part of the word, like \u8001\u662f<\/strong>(l\u01ceosh\u00ec)<\/em> or \u603b\u662f<\/strong>(z\u01d2ngsh\u00ec)<\/em>, both of which mean “always.”<\/p>\n \u5979\u603b\u662f<\/strong>\u5f88\u9ad8\u5174\u3002 In English, we say, “My friend is in the library” or “The cat is on the table.” In Chinese, we use \u5728.<\/p>\n \u5728 is a preposition meaning “at”\u2014but in sentences like these, it takes the same place that the verb “to be” does in the English ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n The formula for this is\u00a0Subject + \u5728 (z\u00e0i)<\/em> + Location [+ Preposition]<\/strong><\/p>\n \u6211\u7684\u670b\u53cb\u5728\u56fe\u4e66\u9986\u3002 \u6211\u7684\u670b\u53cb\u5728\u56fe\u4e66\u9986\u91cc\u3002 \u732b\u5728\u684c\u5b50\u4e0a\u3002 In English, we use “to be” when talking about the existence or presence of an object: \u201cThere’s a cat on the table,\u201d \u201cthere are ants in the kitchen,\u201d etc. In Chinese? Not so much.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead, use \u6709\u00a0meaning “to have.” This\u00a0goes at the beginning of the sentence and no subject is necessary. After that, you just follow the same word order we just learned for location sentences.<\/p>\n [fluentu-tts engine=\"neural\" voice=\"Zhiyu\"]\u6709\u732b\u5728\u684c\u5b50\u4e0a\u3002 \u6709\u8682\u8681\u5728\u53a8\u623f\u91cc\u3002 Finally, English speakers use the verb “be” as part of the present or past continuous verb tenses: \u201cI am eating an apple,\u201d \u201cHe is running.\u201d<\/p>\n In this situation, Chinese speakers use \u5728\u00a0to emphasize the continuous nature of the event they’re talking about.<\/p>\n This takes the same position in the sentence that “be” does in English. So in Chinese, you’ve got Subject + \u5728 + Verb [+ Object].<\/strong><\/p>\n \u6211\u5728\u5403\u82f9\u679c\u3002 \u4ed6\u5728\u8dd1\u6b65\u3002 <\/p>\n The more you see this versatile verb in use, the better you’ll understand when to use it (and when not to). Immersive programs like FluentU’s video-based learning<\/a> app are a great option for studying words in context, so load up your favorite and get learning. FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n
\n(w\u01d2 sh\u00ec<\/strong> m\u011bi gu\u00f3 r\u00e9n.)
\n<\/em>I am<\/strong> an American.<\/p>\n
\n(w\u01d2 sh\u00ec<\/strong> y\u00ed g\u00e8 l\u01ceo sh\u012b.)
\n<\/em>I am<\/strong> a teacher.<\/p>\n
\n(zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec<\/strong> sh\u01d2u j\u012b.)
\n<\/em>This is<\/strong> a cell phone.<\/p>\n
\n(p\u00edng gu\u01d2 sh\u00ec<\/strong> y\u012b zh\u01d2ng shu\u01d0 gu\u01d2.)
\n<\/em>Apples are<\/strong> a kind of fruit.<\/p>\nTo ask a question<\/h3>\n
\n(zh\u00e8 sh\u00ec b\u00fa sh\u00ec<\/strong> sh\u01d2u j\u012b?)
\n<\/em>Is<\/strong> this a cell phone?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n(n\u00e0 sh\u00ec b\u00fa sh\u00ec<\/strong> sh\u0101 f\u0101?)
\n<\/em>Is<\/strong> that a sofa?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n(p\u00edng gu\u01d2 sh\u00ec b\u00fa sh\u00ec<\/strong> y\u012b zh\u01d2ng shu\u01d0 gu\u01d2?)
\n<\/em>Are<\/strong> apples a kind of fruit?<\/strong><\/p>\nTo confirm information<\/h3>\n
\n(n\u01d0 sh\u00ec T\u00e1iw\u0101n r\u00e9n, sh\u00ec b\u00fa sh\u00ec?<\/strong>)
\n<\/em>You\u2019re Taiwanese, aren\u2019t you?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n(n\u01d0 z\u00e0i ch\u012b f\u00e0n, <\/em>sh\u00ec b\u00fa sh\u00ec?<\/strong>)
\n<\/em>You\u2019re eating, aren\u2019t you?<\/strong><\/p>\nTo keep a conversation going\u00a0<\/h3>\n
To agree in conversation<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
When Not to Use\u00a0\u662f\u00a0<\/h2>\n
To connect a noun and an adjective: Use \u5f88(h\u011bn)<\/em> instead<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n(h\u00e1i zi h\u011bn g\u0101o.)
\n<\/em>The child is tall.<\/p>\n
\n(w\u00e1n j\u00f9 h\u011bn ru\u01cen.)
\n<\/em>The toy is soft.<\/p>\nExceptions:<\/h4>\n
\n(sh\u016b y\u00e8 sh\u00ec<\/strong> l\u01dcs\u00e8 de<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>The leaves are<\/strong> green.<\/p>\n
\n(t\u0101 z\u01d2ng sh\u00ec h\u011bn g\u0101o x\u00ecng.)
\n<\/em>She is always<\/strong> happy.<\/p>\nTo connect a noun and a prepositional phrase: Use \u5728(z\u00e0i)<\/em> instead<\/h3>\n
\n(w\u01d2 de p\u00e9ng y\u01d2u z\u00e0i t\u00fa sh\u016b gu\u01cen.)
\n<\/em>My friend is at the library.<\/p>\n
\n(w\u01d2 de p\u00e9ng y\u01d2u z\u00e0i t\u00fa sh\u016b gu\u01cen l\u01d0.)
\n<\/em>My friend is in the library.<\/p>\n
\n(m\u0101o z\u00e0i zhu\u014d zi sh\u00e0ng.)
\n<\/em>The cat is on the table.<\/p>\nTo say “there is\/are”: Use \u6709 (y\u01d2u)<\/em> instead<\/h3>\n
\n(y\u01d2u<\/em> m\u0101o z\u00e0i zhu\u014d zi sh\u00e0ng.)
\n<\/em>There\u2019s a cat on the table.<\/p>\n
\n(y\u01d2u<\/em> m\u01cey\u01d0 z\u00e0i ch\u00fa f\u00e1ng l\u01d0.)
\n<\/em>There are ants in the kitchen.<\/p>\nAs a helping verb: Use\u00a0\u5728 (z\u00e0i)<\/em> instead<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n(w\u01d2 z\u00e0i ch\u012b p\u00edng gu\u01d2.)
\n<\/em>I am eating an apple.<\/p>\n
\n(t\u0101 z\u00e0i p\u01ceo b\u00f9.)
\n<\/em>He is running.<\/p>\n
![\"FluentU](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/NativeAd-Chinese.jpg\")
\r\n