Ch 27 · Lesson 17Mandarin · Chapter 27 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
之: 之一, 之前 and 之后
is the old , alive in fixed phrases: closes the phrase (), and and are a shade more formal than and .
The short version
。Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou zhīyī.
Why?Hide
English puts 'one of' first; Mandarin puts (zhīyī) after the whole phrase, often after (zuì), most. (zhī) is the old (de), and it lives on only in fixed phrases like this one.
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| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou zhīyī | one of my best friends |
| xiàkè zhīhòu | after class |
| wǒmen zhījiān | between us |
| sān fēn zhī yī | one third |
| zǒngzhī | in short |
Outside these phrases, modern Mandarin links with (de): (wǒ de shū), my book. (wǒ zhī shū) is Classical Chinese, not a posher modern version.
之一 (zhīyī): one of
English puts "one of" first. Mandarin puts (zhīyī) at the end of the whole phrase, often after (zuì), most:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou zhīyī. | He's one of my best friends |
。 | Běijīng shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de chéngshì zhīyī. | Beijing is one of China's biggest cities |
。 | Zhè shì wǒmen zuì zhòngyào de wèntí zhīyī. | One of our most important problems |
之前 (zhīqián) and 之后 (zhīhòu): before and after
After a time or an event, they mean the same as (yǐqián) and (yǐhòu), and sound a shade more formal:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
，。 | Chīfàn zhīqián, wǒmen xiān xǐshǒu. | Before eating, we wash our hands |
，。 | Xiàkè zhīhòu, wǒmen qù dǎqiú. | After class, we go and play ball |
，国。 | Bìyè zhīhòu, tā qù le guówài gōngzuò. | After graduating, he went to work abroad |
One difference. Alone at the start of a sentence, (yǐhòu) can mean "in future": 。 (Yǐhòu wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó.), in future I want to go to China. (zhīhòu) there means "after that", so it points back at something just said: 。，。 (Wǒmen xiān chī le fàn. Zhīhòu, tā jiù huíjiā le.), we ate first; after that, he went home.
Going further: 之间 (zhījiān): between and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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