Chinese Grammar Q&A

This book offers a concise yet powerful analysis of critical Chinese grammatical concepts, adopting an authentic approach that considers the language on its own terms.

Presented in a dialogic form, it discusses characteristics such as parts of speech, subjects and objects, as well as head-word and hierarchical analysis, and the Chinese grammatical system. By reviewing the contentious debates within Chinese linguistics since the 1950s--ranging from parts of speech classifications, subject-object relationships, to grammatical analysis methods--the author reveals how imposing Indo-European grammatical concepts onto Chinese language studies has obscured the language’s inherent structural features. Through the use of rich examples, the book provides readers with an authentic view of the language to help them understand the unique structure of Chinese grammar.

This essential read is ideal for linguists, scholars of linguistics, students of linguistics, and language learners interested in the Chinese language and grammar.

Zhu Dexi (1920-1992) was a highly influential linguist in 20th-century China. His outstanding contributions spanned the fields of grammatical studies, ancient script research, and language pedagogy, earning him widespread recognition both within China and internationally.