> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.chineseskill.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Chinese Sentence Structure [Complete Guide 2021] - URL: https://blog.chineseskill.com/2021/03/09/chinese-sentence-structure/ - Published: 2021-03-09T09:44:33.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-04T13:24:21.000Z - Author: ni wang - Tags: English, #Migrated-1785811753161, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-04 02:49 Sentence structures are important: without grasping them, you won’t have a solid foundation for your foreign language knowledge. Sentence structures vary from language to language. Fortunately, Chinese sentence structure is similar to English. This article will help you get to grips with them. ## Quick Answer: Chinese Sentence Structure \[Complete Guide 2021\] Basic Chinese statements often follow subject–verb–object order, but time, place, topic, modifiers and question forms follow their own patterns. The safest approach is to learn complete sentence structures and notice where each component belongs instead of translating English word by word. | Topic | Key point from this guide | | -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Simple Sentence Pattern | Chinese, like English, is classified as an SVO (subject-verb-object) language, so its basic sentence patterns won’t be too difficult to master. | | Chinese Sentence structure: Components | Every sentence should contain at least one subject and one predicate (e.g. SV , SAdj , and SN ), and other components can be added to express more complex meanings. | | Chinese Word Order | In Chinese, one sentence can have different types of adverbials that express time, place, or manner of action, as well as multiple attributives or complements. | *Editorial note:* This summary is extracted from the explanations and examples in the original article; read the full guide for context and usage notes. ## Simple Sentence Pattern ![Chinese sentence structure: sentence pattern](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/3a/ce3ad4cc-87ad-4eb1-9430-650fbd60a7a3/content/images/chineseskill-migration/35/359f28ad066a4997-pt2021-03-03-15-03-43.jpg) Chinese, like English, is classified as an SVO (subject-verb-object) language, so its basic sentence patterns won’t be too difficult to master. Within the SVO framework, the simplest sentence patterns are as follows: - **Subject + Verb** **我同意。** wǒ tóngyì I agree. - **Subject + Verb + Object** **我想你。** wǒ xiǎng nǐ I miss you. - **Subject + Noun** **明天雷阵雨。** míngtiān léizhènyǔ A thunderstorm tomorrow. - **Subject + Adjective** **妈妈（很）忙。** māmā (hěn) máng Mom is very busy. **房子（比较）大。** fángzi (bǐjiào) dà The house is relatively big. **⚠ Note that the** **Subject + Adjective** **pattern needs an adverb, such or 很, or 比较.** Take a look at the following chart for more examples. | **S + V + O** | **S + V** | **S + Adj** | **S + N** | | ------------------- | ----------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------- | | **你吃饭。** | **我放弃(了)。** | **她(比较)漂亮。** | **今天星期五。** | | nǐ chīfàn | wǒ fàngqìle | tā (bǐjiào) piàoliang | jīntiān xīngqíwǔ | | You eat. | I gave up. | She is more pretty. | Today is Friday. | | **我爱你。** | **我走(了)。** | **房子(很)大。** | **右边火车站。** | | wǒ ài nǐ | wǒ zǒule | fángzi (hěn) dà | yòubiān huǒchē zhàn | | I love you. | I left. | The house is very big. | The railway station is on the right | | **她说中文。** | **你们看！** | **妈妈(很)开心。** | **明天国庆节。** | | tā shuō zhōngwén | nǐmen kàn | māmā (hěn) kāixīn | míngtiān guóqìng jié | | She speaks Chinese. | Look! | Mom is very happy. | Tomorrow is National Day. | ## Chinese Sentence structure: Components ![sentence components](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/3a/ce3ad4cc-87ad-4eb1-9430-650fbd60a7a3/content/images/chineseskill-migration/c6/c61fda081534acf6-random-chinese-sentence-calligraphy-practice-by-.jpg) Every sentence should contain at least one subject and one predicate (e.g. **SV**, **SAdj**, and **SN**), and other components can be added to express more complex meanings. In Chinese, there are six sentence components: - **Subject 主语 (zhǔ yǔ):** can be a person or a thing. - **Predicate 谓语 (wèi yǔ):** most of the time the predicate is a verb, but sometimes it can be an adjective, a noun, a noun phrase, or a numeral-measure word - **Object 宾语 (bīn yǔ):** a noun governed by a verb. - **Attributive 定语 (dìng yǔ):** modifies a noun, a pronoun or a noun phrase, which should be put **before the noun or pronoun**. - **Adverbial 状语 (zhuàng yǔ):** modifies or qualifies an adjective or a verb expressing **a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc.**, **which comes before the adjective or the verb**. - **Complement 补语 (bǔ yǔ):** completes the meaning of the predicate and provides additional information associated with the predicate, **such as** **degree, result, direction, time duration or possibility**. The main point in terms of word order is that **they occur after the verb**. **Examples:** | **Attributive** | **Subject** | **Adverbial** | **Predicate** | **Complement** | **Attributive** | **Object** | | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------- | ------------- | -------------- | ------------------- | ---------- | | | 我 | | 买 | | | 衣服。 | | | wǒ | | mǎi | | | yīfu | | I buy clothes. | | | | | | | | | 我 | 正在 | 买 | | | 衣服。 | | | wǒ | zhèngzài | mǎi | | | yīfu | | I am buying clothes. | | | | | | | | | 我 | 正在 | 买 | | 一件红色(的) | 衣服。 | | | wǒ | zhèngzài | mǎi | | yī jiàn hóngsè (de) | yīfu | | I am buying a red dress. | | | | | | | | | 我 | 已经 | 买 | 好 | 那件 | 衣服(了)。 | | | wǒ | yǐjīng | mǎi | hǎo | nà jiàn | yīfu(le) | | I have already bought that nice dress. | | | | | | | | 这件 | 衣服 | 已经 | 洗 | 干净(了)。 | | | | zhè jiàn | yīfu | yǐjīng | xǐ | gānjìng(le) | | | | This dress has been washed. | | | | | | | | 旁边(的) | 教室 | | 传 | 出来 | 他(的) | 笑声。 | | pángbiān (de) | jiàoshì | | chuán | chūlái | tā (de) | xiào shēng | | Her laughter came from the classroom next to her. | | | | | | | | 有(的) | 学生 | 现在 | 想(得) | 太简单。 | | | | yǒu (de) | xuéshēng | xiànzài | xiǎng (de) | tài jiǎndān | | | | Some students think simply now. | | | | | | | | | 小明 | 激动(地) | 说(了） | | 好多 | 话。 | | | Xiǎomíng | jīdòng (de) | shuō(le) | | hǎoduō | huà | | Xiaoming said a lot of things excitedly. | | | | | | | **⚠ Note that the above six components don’t include function words, such as 了, 着, 过, 的, 地, 得, etc.** **Exercise:** ![excercise](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/3a/ce3ad4cc-87ad-4eb1-9430-650fbd60a7a3/content/images/chineseskill-migration/82/822080f814468794-960x0.jpg) Please mark all components of each of the following sentences. **Highlight to see the answer.** - **勤奋的哥哥在中国学过三年中文。** qínfèn dí gēge zài zhōngguó xuéguò sān nián zhōngwén My diligent brother learned Chinese for three years in China. ⇒ “勤奋”--- Attributive; “哥哥”--- Subject; “在中国” --- Adverbial; “学” --- Predicate; “过” and “三年” --- Complement; “中文” --- Object. - **中国的风景非常吸引我。** Zhōngguó de fēngjǐng fēicháng xīyǐn wǒ The view in China attracts me a lot. ⇒ “中国” --- Attributive; “风景” --- Subject; “非常” --- Adverbial; “吸引” --- Predicate; “我” --- Object. - **他拿出来一张纸。** tā ná chūlái yī zhāng zhǐ He took out a piece of paper. ⇒ “他” --- Subject; “拿” --- Predicate; “出来” --- Complement; “一张” --- Attributive; “纸” --- Object. - **我妹妹今年考上大学了。** wǒ mèimei jīnnián kǎo shàng dàxuéle My sister went to college this year. ⇒ “我” --- Attributive; “妹妹” --- Subject; “今年” --- Adverbial; “考” --- Predicate; “上” --- Complement; “大学” --- Object. ## Chinese Word Order ![Learn Chinese Word Order](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/3a/ce3ad4cc-87ad-4eb1-9430-650fbd60a7a3/content/images/chineseskill-migration/cb/cb9d2ce4bdf51b37-jerry-wang-jfnuc7s3iuw-unsplash.jpg) Image source: Unsplash In Chinese, one sentence can have different types of adverbials that express time, place, or manner of action, as well as multiple attributives or complements. How to deal with the word order of the more complicated structure? ***\#*** ***Time*:** a time word that is always adverbial in Chinese sentence has two positions: at the beginning of the sentence or after the subject. You will never see it appearing at the end of the sentence. | **Subject** | **Adverbial (Time)** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Object** | | ---------------------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------- | ---------- | | 我 | **今天** | 洗 | 衣服。 | | wǒ | **jīntiān** | xǐ | yīfu | | I wash clothes **today**. | | | | | 他 | **每天** | 打 | 篮球。 | | tā | **měitiān** | dǎ | lánqiú | | He plays basketball **every day**. | | | | | **Adverbial (Time)** | **Subject** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Object** | | ---------------------------------------------- | ----------- | -------------------- | ---------- | | **周二** | 妈妈 | 开 | 会。 | | **zhōu'èr** | māma | kāi | huì | | Mom will have a meeting **on Tuesday**. | | | | | **明年** | 小花 | 上 | 幼儿园。 | | **míngnián** | Xiǎohuā | shàng | yòu'éryuán | | Xiaohua will go to kindergarten **next year**. | | | | ***\# Duration*:** duration is considered as the **time measure complement** that should be put after the predicate (verb or verb phrase). > **Subject + Time + Predicate +** **\+ Object** | **Subject** | **Adverbial (Time)** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Complement (Duration)** | **Object** | | -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------- | ---------- | | 我 | **今天** | 看(了) | **三个小时** | 电视。 | | wǒ | **jīntiān** | kàn(le) | **sān gè xiǎoshí** | diànshì | | I watched TV **for three hours** **today**. | | | | | | 他 | **每天** | 打 | **两个小时** | 篮球。 | | tā | **měitiān** | dǎ | **liǎng gè xiǎoshí** | lánqiú | | He plays basketball **for two hours** **a day**. | | | | | | 哥哥 | **去年** | 学(了) | **三个月** | 中文。 | | gēge | **qùnián** | xué(le) | **sān gè yuè** | zhōngwén | | My brother studied Chinese **for three months** **last year**. | | | | | | 小花 | **周天** | 听(了) | **一天** | 歌。 | | Xiǎohuā | **zhōu tiān** | tīng(le) | **yītiān** | gē | | Xiaohua listened to music **for a day** **on Sunday**. | | | | | ***\# Place*:** generally, the place word is preceded by “在”, such as “在中国/zài zhōngguó/in China”, “在桌子上/zài zhuōzi shàng/on the table”. It is also the adverbial in a sentence, which should be placed between the subject and the predicate. If there is a time word in the sentence, the place word should be after the time word. > **Subject + Time +** **\+ Predicate + Object** | **Subject** | **Adverbial** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Object** | | | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------- | ---------- | -------- | | **Time (When)** | **Place (Where)** | | | | | 我 | **今天** | **在上海** | 看了 | 比赛。 | | wǒ | **jīntiān** | **zài shànghǎi** | kàn(le) | bǐsài | | I watched the game **in Shanghai** **today**. | | | | | | 他 | **每天** | **在体育场** | 打 | 篮球。 | | tā | **měitiān** | **zài tǐyùchǎng** | dǎ | lánqiú | | He plays basketball **in the stadium** **every day**. | | | | | | 哥哥 | **去年** | **在中国** | 学了 | 中文。 | | gēge | **qùnián** | **zài zhōngguó** | xué(le) | zhōngwén | | My brother learned Chinese **in China** **last year**. | | | | | | 小花 | **周天** | **在客厅** | 看 | 电视 | | Xiǎohuā | **zhōu tiān** | **zài kètīng** | kàn | diànshì | | Xiaohua was watching TV **in the living room** **on Sunday.** | | | | | **⚠** However, there are some exceptions: place words should come after such verbs as **留/liú/stay, 放/fàng/put, 住/zhù/live, 装/zhuāng/pack, 关/guān/be enclosed, 坐/zuò/sit, 站/zhàn/stand, 躺/tǎng/lie**: 妈妈住在加拿大。/ māma zhù zài jiānádà / Mom lives in Canada. ***\# Manner*:** it indicates the manner of action. **Most of these words or phrases are adverbs**, so the placement is optional, but they usually precede the verb. > **Subject + Time + Place +** **\+ Predicate + Object** | **Subject** | **Adverbial** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Object** | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------- | ----------------- | ------- | -------------- | | **Time (When)** | **Place (Where)** | **Manner (How)** | | | | | 我 | **今天** | **在上海** | **激动(地)** | 看(了) | 一场比赛。 | | wǒ | **jīntiān** | **zài shànghǎi** | **jīdòng (de)** | kàn(le) | yī chǎng bǐsài | | I **excitedly** watched the game **in Shanghai today**. | | | | | | | 他 | **每天** | **在体育场** | **高兴(地)** | 打 | 篮球。 | | tā | **měitiān** | **zài tǐyùchǎng** | **gāoxìng (de)** | dǎ | lánqiú | | He plays basketball **happily** **in the stadium every day**. | | | | | | | 哥哥 | **去年** | **在中国** | **孤独(地)** | 学 | 中文。 | | gēge | **qùnián** | **zài zhōngguó** | **gūdú (de)** | xué | zhōngwén | | My brother learned Chinese **alone** **in China** **last year**. | | | | | | | 小花 | **周天** | **在客厅** | **乖乖(地)** | 看 | 电视 | | Xiǎohuā | **zhōu tiān** | **zài kètīng** | **guāiguāi (de)** | kàn | diànshì | | Xiaohua was **quiet** watching TV **in the living room on Sunday**. | | | | | | ***\# Instrument*:** it indicates the instrument of action, which is preceded by “用/yòng/use” and comes before the verb. > **Subject + Time + Place +** **\+ Predicate + Object** | **Subject** | **Adverbial** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Object** | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------- | --------------- | --- | ---- | | **Time (When)** | **Place (Where)** | **Instrument (How)** | | | | | 我 | **刚刚** | **在厨房** | **用刀子** | 切 | 菜。 | | wǒ | **gānggāng** | **zài chúfáng** | **yòng dāozi** | qiē | cài | | I cut vegetables **with a knife** **in the kitchen just now**. | | | | | | | 他 | **昨天** | **在家** | **用洗衣机** | 洗 | 衣服。 | | tā | **zuótiān** | **zài jiā** | **yòng xǐyījī** | xǐ | yīfu | | He **used the washing machine** to wash clothes **at home yesterday**. | | | | | | ***\# Target:*** it indicates the aim of action, and is usually put before the verb because of its adverbial function. > **Subject + Time + Place + Instrument +** **\+ Predicate + Object** | **Subject** | **Adverbial** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Object** | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------ | --- | ---- | | **Time (When)** | **Place (Where)** | **Instrument (How)** | **Target (To whom)** | | | | | 我 | **刚刚** | **在厨房** | **用刀子** | **帮妈妈** | 切 | 菜。 | | wǒ | **gānggāng** | **zài chúfáng** | **yòng dāozi** | **bāng māma** | qiē | cài | | I **help mom** cut vegetables **with a knife in the kitchen today**. | | | | | | | | 他 | **昨天** | **在家** | **用洗衣机** | **给女朋友** | 洗 | 衣服。 | | tā | **zuótiān** | **zài jiā** | **yòng xǐyīj** **ī** | **gěi nǚ péngyǒu** | xǐ | yīfu | | He used the washing machine to wash clothes **for his girlfriend** **at home yesterday**. | | | | | | | ***\# Multiple attributives*:** sometimes nouns can have multiple attributives. They should be used in the following order: \+ Possessives such as "your," "her," or "Annie’s." \+ Demonstrative pronouns \+ Number \+ Measure word \+ Any adjectives that you want to use to describe the noun \+ The noun or noun phrase | **Attributives** | **Noun** | | | | | | -------------------------- | -------------------------- | ---------- | ---------------- | --------------- | ------- | | **Possessives** | **Demonstrative pronouns** | **Number** | **Measure word** | **Adjectives** | | | **妈妈** | **那** | **三** | **条** | **红色(的)** | 裙子 | | **māma** | **nà** | **sān** | **tiáo** | **hóngsè (de)** | qúnzi | | **Mom’s three** dresses | | | | | | | **他(的)** | **这** | **五** | **台** | **旧** | 电脑 | | **tā (de）** | **zhè** | **wǔ** | **tái** | **jiù** | diànnǎo | | **His five old** computers | | | | | | ### Word order in the question sentence ![Learn Chinese](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/3a/ce3ad4cc-87ad-4eb1-9430-650fbd60a7a3/content/images/chineseskill-migration/cc/cc3aad568c057900-unnamed.png) In Chinese, the word order of a question sentence is much easier if you have already mastered the basic Chinese sentence structure. The main point is to place a question word in the place of the thing you want to ask about and there is nothing that needs to be rearranged. 你 **为了谁** 学 中文? | **Subject** | **Adverbial** | **Predicate** | **Complement** | **Object** | | | | | | | ----------- | ------------- | ------------- | -------------- | ---------------- | ---------------- | -------- | ---------------------------- | ------ | - | | Who | when (time) | where (place) | how (manner) | how (instrument) | to whom (target) | do | for how long (Time duration) | what | | | **谁** | 去年 | 在中国 | 耐心(地) | | | 学（了） | 三个月 | 中文 | ？ | | 你 | **什么时候** | 在中国 | | | | 学（了） | | 中文 | ? | | 你 | 去年 | **在哪里** | | | | 学 | | 中文 | ? | | 你 | | | **怎么** | | | 学 | | 中文 | ? | | 你 | | | | **用什么** | | 学 | | 中文 | ? | | 你 | 去年 | 在中国 | | | | 学(了) | **多久** | 中文 | ? | | 你 | 去年 | 在中国 | | | | **做(了)** | | **什么** | ? | ## Topic-prominent Language ![Learn Chinese](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ce/3a/ce3ad4cc-87ad-4eb1-9430-650fbd60a7a3/content/images/chineseskill-migration/36/36aadc65c84892ef-scott-graham-5fnmwej4taa-unsplash.jpg) Image source: Unsplash Unlike English (and similarly to Japanese and Korean), Chinese is a topic-prominent language, which means that sometimes the subject of a sentence is different from its topic. | **Topic** | **Subject** | **Adverbial** | **Predicate (Verb)** | **Complement** | **Object** | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------- | -------------------- | -------------- | ---------- | ----- | --- | -- | | when | where | degree | result | duration | | | | | | **这个男生，** | **我** | | | 很 | 欣赏 | | | 他。 | | **I** admire **this boy** very much. | | | | | | | | | | **饭，** | **我** | 已经 | | | 吃 | 过(了)。 | | | | **I** have eaten the **meal**. | | | | | | | | | | **这件衣服，** | **妈妈** | 当时 | | 很 | 喜欢。 | | | | | **Mom** liked **this dress** very much back then. | | | | | | | | | | **这幅画，** | **爸爸** | | 在家 | | 画(了) | | 三天。 | | | **Dad** painted **this picture** for three days at home. | | | | | | | | | As shown above, the topic precedes the subject and is separated from it with a comma. This sentence pattern is great for emphasizing certain information. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the basic word order of a Chinese statement? A basic Chinese statement often follows subject–verb–object order, although additional elements follow their own placement rules. ### Where do time and place expressions go in a Chinese sentence? The article explains them as adverbial components and shows how their order interacts with the subject, predicate and other modifiers. ### What does it mean that Chinese is topic-prominent? A sentence can establish a topic that is not identical to its grammatical subject, then make a comment about that topic. *Scope:* These answers summarize this article. Language and cultural usage can vary by context, speaker, region and time.