Ch 24 · Lesson 9Mandarin · Chapter 24 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
化: modernise, simplify, globalise
化 turns a state into a process: 化, modernise; 简化, simplify. One word can be a verb, a noun or a modifier, and in and , 化 is part of the root.
The short version
化 (huà) turns a state into a process: -ise
简化。Qǐng jiǎnhuà zhège jùzi.
Why?Hide
化 (huà) means 'become X' or 'make something X': (xiàndài), modern, gives 化 (xiàndàihuà), modernise; (jiǎndān), simple, gives 简化 (jiǎnhuà), simplify. The same word can be a verb, a noun or, with (de), a modifier. In (wénhuà), culture, 化 (huà) is part of the root.
化 (huà): a state becomes a process
化 (huà) means "become X" or "make something X". It takes one-syllable bases as well as two:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
化 | xiàndàihuà | modernise, modernisation (from modern) |
化 | quánqiúhuà | globalisation (from global) |
简化 | jiǎnhuà | simplify (from simple) |
化 | měihuà | beautify, prettify (from beautiful) |
化 | lǜhuà | plant greenery (from green) |
In 简化 (jiǎnhuà) the base is the 简 (jiǎn) of (jiǎndān), simple: one syllable gives a two-beat word.
One 化 (huà) word, four jobs
Mandarin does not mark whether a 化 (huà) word is a verb or a noun. Its place in the sentence does:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
简化。 | Qǐng jiǎnhuà zhège jùzi. | Please simplify this sentence |
化。 | Hěn duō gōngzuò dōu zìdònghuà le. | A lot of work is automated now |
化。 | Quánqiúhuà dàilái le hěn duō biànhuà. | Globalisation has brought much change |
化。 | Zhè shì yí ge xiàndàihuà de chéngshì. | This is a modern city |
Row by row: a verb with an object, a change of state with (le), a noun as the subject, and a modifier with (de). Some 化 (huà) verbs take an object, as 简化 (jiǎnhuà) and 化 (měihuà) do; others, such as 化 (quánqiúhuà), are mostly nouns. Learn each with an example.
Suffix, or part of the root?
Both characters are also ordinary parts of everyday words. Take the last character off: if what is left means the quality, it was a suffix.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Suffix? |
|---|---|---|---|
| zhòngyàoxìng | importance | yes |
简化 | jiǎnhuà | simplify | yes |
| wénhuà | culture | no |
| biànhuà | change | no |
| huàxué | chemistry | no |
| xìngbié | sex, gender | no |
文 (wén) alone does not mean anything like "culture", so (wénhuà) is one word, not 文 + 化.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
。 | 。 | after (hěn), use the adjective |
简。 | 简化。 | a process is 化 (huà) |
化。 | 。 | a quality is (xìng) |
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