Function words |
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|
zai4 |
"at", "is at" |
在 |
|
|
bu4 |
not |
不 |
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Places |
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|
jia1 |
house |
家 |
school |
學 校 |
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| public park |
公园 |
restaurant |
餐厅 |
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| hospital |
醫 院 |
,market |
市场 |
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"zai4" is one of the few words in Chinese that corresponds to an English preposition. It takes the places of all the English prepositions describing location: "at, above, below, in, on, out, around, etc." "zai4" always requires an object corresponding to a location. (This can be a place like a country or a building, or an object.)
As used above, the phrase can be used as a linking verb. It is also used to show where an action occurs, or to describe an object. Examples of these various uses will be given in future lessons.
The location following "zai4" gives the description ranging from General to Specific. Descriptive phrases do not need any conjunction between them. This can be as simple as Country-City such as "Zhong1 guo2 Bei3 jing1" to as exact and specific as needed (like "on the bottom of a seat a man going to a seminar in Florida is sitting on, 15 feet above the ground").
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