Elaine

A sketch of Chinese Grammar

A devastating earthquake struck Yushu, largely Tibetan area of Qinghai province, on April 14^th - roughly one month before the second anniversary of the earthquake in Wenchuan, leaving more than 2000 people killed and 12135 people injured, as officials said.

Many people around world have given their part to help and donate to the bereaved people and victims shortly after the tragedy. Pray for the victims of Yushu Earthquake and pray for China.

有关地震的词汇

1．  地(dì)震(zhèn)  earthquake

2．  震(zhèn)级(jí)  magnitude

3．  灾(zāi)难(nàn)  tragedy

4．  自(zì)然(rán)灾(zāi)害(hài)  natural disaster

5．  死(sǐ)亡(wáng)人(rén)数(shù)  death toll

6．  幸(xìng)存(cún)者(zhě)  survivor

7．  受(shòu)灾(zāi)者(zhě)  victim

8．  震(zhèn)中(zhōng)  epicenter

9．  撤(chè)离(lí)  evaculation

10．救(jiù)援(yuán)小(xiǎo)组(zǔ)  rescue team

11．国(guó)际(jì)援(yuán)助(zhù)  international contributions

12．残(cán)骸(hái)  wreckage

13．余(yú)震(zhèn)  aftershock

14.  地(dì)震(zhèn)学(xué)家(jiā)  seismographer

Some of my students, especially those who come from English-speaking countries, are crazy about classical Chinese as it is too difficult to read and understand. Actually, it may easier to learn if you can master some key sentence patens like what I have summarized above.

北冥(míng)有鱼，其名曰鲲(kūn)。鲲之大，不知其几千里也；化而为鸟，其名为鹏(péng)。鹏之背，不知其几千里也；怒(nù)而飞，其翼(yì)若垂(chuí)天之云。是鸟也，海运则将徙(xǐ)于南冥。南冥者，天池也。齐谐(xié)者，志怪者也。谐之言曰：“鹏之徙于南冥也，水击三千里，抟(tuán)扶摇而上者九万里，去以六月息者也。”野马也，尘(chén)埃(āi)也，生物之以息(xī)相吹也。天之苍(cāng)苍，其正色邪(yé)？其远而无所至极邪？其视下也，亦若是则已矣。

“In the northern ocean there is a fish, called the Kun, I do not know how many thousand li in size. This Kun changes into a bird, called the Peng. Its back is I do not know how many thousand li in breadth. When it moves, it flies, its wings obscuring the sky like clouds. When on a voyage, this bird prepares to start for the Southern Ocean, the Celestial lake.

In the Records of Marvels we read that when the Peng flies southwards, the water is smitten for a space of three thousand li around, while the bird itself mounts upon a great wind to a height of ninety thousand li, for a flight of six months’ duration.

There mounting aloft, the bird sees the moving white mists of spring, the dust-clouds, and the living things blowing their breath among them. Is its azure the proper color of the sky? Or is it occasioned by its distance and illimitable extent? If one were looking down, the very same appearance would just meet his view.”

1. 判断句

（1）此小大之辩(biàn)也（“也”表示判断语气）

（2）《齐谐(xié)》者，志怪者也（“者……也”表示判断语气）

（3）穷发之北，有冥(míng)海者，天池也（“者……也”表示判断语气）

2. 省略句

（1）翱(áo)翔(xiáng)（于）蓬(péng)蒿(hāo)之间（省略介词“于”）

（2）且举世誉(yù)之而（宋荣子）不加劝(quàn)（省略主语“宋荣子”）

（3）众人匹（于）之（省略介词“于”）

（4）众人匹之，（众人）不亦悲乎（省略主语“众人”）

3. 疑问句

（1）奚(xī)以之九万里而南为（“奚以……为”，表示疑问语气）

（2）奚以知其然也（“奚以”，表示疑问语气）

（3）彼(bǐ)且奚适(shì)也（“奚”，表示疑问语气）

4. 变式句

（1）而莫之夭(yāo)阏(è)者（夭阏之，宾语前置）

（2）彼且奚适也（适奚，宾语前置）

（3）奚以知其然也（以奚，宾语前置）

（4）覆(fù)杯水于坳(ào)堂(táng)之上（于坳堂之上覆杯水，介宾短语后置）

（5）翱翔蓬蒿之间（<于>蓬蒿之间翱翔，介宾短语后置）

” Yǘn  or Yún ” ? What is the difference between them and how should we remark 云南 in Pinyin? One of my students asked me this question yesterday.

Well, To answer the question ,we must review the phonetic rules firstly.

When the main vowel i、u、ü is a syllable on its own, we must

1.Add a ‘y’ in front of the ‘i’, changing it to yī yí yǐ yì

2.Add a‘w’in front of the ‘u’, changing it to wū wú wǔ wù

3.Add a ‘y’ in front of the ‘ü’, and remove the two dots above ‘ü’, changing it to yū yú yǔ yù

好了，现在，请您告诉我，云南的汉语拼音是哪个，好吗？

To ask any questions about learning Chinese or want a free trial lesson, please go to http://www.chineseathome.com/

商务礼仪：如果可能的话，尽量不要把会议安排在中国农历新年（1月或2月）

期间或临近时间，许多华人将这个节日看作为年度休假，和西方人对

待圣诞节是一样的。