Sunday, March 8, 2015

着 (zhe) part 1: The Durative Aspectual Particle

Using durative particle 着 (zhe) is one way of indicating a continuous action in Mandarin Chinese and the pattern is Verb + 着For example,

  • A: 喂,你在听吗?B: 嗯,我正在呢。A: Are you listening? B: Yes, I am listening right now.
  • 你的电脑呢。You computer is on. (着 is used to express an ongoing state, 开 (kāi) alone can mean "to open" or "to turn on." Adding 着 allows one to express that something "is open" or "is on.")
  • 屋子里的灯关着。The lights in the room are off. (关 (guān) alone can mean "to close" or "to turn off." Adding 着 allows one to express that something "is closed" or "is off".) 
  • 别总是坐着,你得多运动一下。Do not keep sedentary all the time. You'd better do some exercise. (坐 (zuò) alone means "to sit." Adding 着 allows one to express that someone "is sitting".)


  • 她工作了一天,回家以后觉得还是躺着舒服。She worked for a whole day. She thought it was comfortable to lie in the bed after she got home.(躺 (tǎng) alone means "to lie on one's back." Adding 着 allows one to express that someone "is lying down".

Please translate the following sentences: 
1) Do not keep lying in bed. You'd better study.
2) He is listening Faye Wong's song, and he feels very happy.
3) In the park, the kids are singing and dancing, and they are very happy.
4) The door is open. Could you please close it?
5) She is sitting and reading his favorite book.   
6) Be quiet. She is talking on the phone. 
7) You'd better not ask her to play soccer ball. She is having a class now. 
8) He is having some food. You can talk with him later. 

Reference:
http://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Aspect_particle_%22zhe%22
http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2009/11/19/aspect-not-tense

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