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What are subjectless sentences in Mandarin Chinese?
By: Grace Zhang Tue Nov 26 2024
Mandarin chineseSentence Structure
In Mandarin Chinese, subjectless sentences are sentences where the subject is left out because the speaker assumes the addressee will know who or what the subject refers to.
But what is a subject? There are two major parts in a sentence: the subject (who/what) and the predicate (action/description). For example, in the sentence “I sing,” “I” is the subject and “sing” is the predicate, which comments on the subject “I.” Having no subject in a sentence means that “I” in our example “I sing” is left out. Here’s an example in Mandarin Chinese:
下雨了。
(Xiàyǔ le.)
It’s raining.
This sentence does not have a subject; it only has a predicate, which is 下雨 (xiàyǔ, to rain).
Subjectless sentences in Mandarin are used more often than they are in English. There are two major categories of subjectless sentences in Mandarin:
Personal
看书呢？
(Kànshū ne?)
Are you reading?
Impersonal
下雪了。
(Xià xuě le.)
It is snowing.
In both cases, the English translation needs to have a subject, which is bolded in red in the examples above. In the second sentence, "it" is added to the English translation because something must be there in the subject position. However, there is no such need in Mandarin, and both sentences can have no subject.
Subjectless sentences in Mandarin play an important role, and people use them without issues. This means that when a sentence has no subject, the addresser assumes that the addressee already knows who or what the subject refers to. Otherwise, a miscommunication may occur. A crucial condition for using a subjectless sentence is that the subject should be known or understood among people involved, and it is, therefore, redundant.
Intrigued? Read on and you will get to know how to use subjectless sentences.
Table of Contents
How to use subjectless sentences in Mandarin Chinese?
When a subjectless sentence is used in Mandarin Chinese, the subject should already be known to ensure there is no confusion. This is often the case in commands or requests. For example, when a mother tells her son, 睡觉去 (Shuìjiào qù, Go to bed), although the sentence has no subject, the son knows his mother is talking to him. So, the subject is understood here and the context warrants the use of a subjectless sentence. The general pattern for subjectless sentences is:
The contexts where a subject is already known include:
when we describe natural phenomena or tell the time
when we talk to each other directly
in public signage
in idiomatic expressions
Let’s take a look at each of these contexts!
How to use subjectless sentences with time and natural phenomena in Mandarin Chinese?
Subjectless sentences in Mandarin Chinese are often used to describe what the weather is like or to ask for the time. For example:
起风了。
(Qǐfēng le.)
It’s windy.
昨天晚上打雷了。
(Zuótiān wǎnshang dǎléi le.)
It was thundering last night.
要下雪了。
(Yào xiàxuě (le).)
It will snow.
几点了？
(Jǐdiǎn le?)
What time is it?
五点了。
(Wǔdiǎn le.)
It's five o'clock.
The reason we can use this type of subjectless sentence is that the subject is known (the sky or time), and therefore it is redundant.
Subjectless sentences in this category tend to have the particle 了 (le) at the end of sentence, indicating the emergence of a new situation. For example, in the sentence 起风了 (Qǐfēng le, It’s windy), 了 (le) here suggests something new has occurred, i.e., previously it was not windy, but now it is windy. This 了 (le) can be used to describe events that happened in the past, present, and future.
How to use subjectless sentences when talking to each other directly in Mandarin Chinese?
Another commonly used circumstance for subjectless sentences is when people talk to each other directly. For example:
下课了。
(Xiàkè le.)
Class is over.
(lit.) (We)-finish-class-le.
(Context: teacher talks to students)
吃饭了。
(Chīfàn le.)
Dinner is ready.
(lit.) (We)-eat-food-le.
(Context: mother tells her family that dinner is ready)
上班去？
(Shàngbān qù?)
Going to work?
(lit.) (You)-go to-work?
(neighbors see each other on their way to work)
倒垃圾。
(Dào lājī.)
Take out the trash.
(lit.) (You)-take-out-trash.
(Context: wife asks husband to do chore)
The speakers in the above four subjectless sentences talk directly to their addressees, so there should not be any misunderstanding regarding who is being addressed here. In this context, a subjectless sentence is justified.
How to use subjectless sentences in public signage in Mandarin Chinese?
Like in English, in Mandarin Chinese there are many subjectless sentences on public signage. In this form, the signage sounds concise, direct, and with authority.
请勿吸烟。
(Qǐng wù xīyān.)
No smoking.
禁止停车。
(Jìnzhǐ tíngchē.)
No parking.
请勿践踏草坪。
(Qǐng wù jiàntà cǎopíng.)
Please keep off the grass.
The addressee of a public sign is clearly the public, so there should not be any confusion, meaning that a subjectless sentence is suitable here.
How to use subjectless sentences in idiomatic expressions in Mandarin Chinese?
There are many subjectless sentences in idioms in Mandarin Chinese, which makes idiomatic expressions sound natural and concise.
活到老，学到老。
(Huó dào lǎo, xué dào lǎo.)
One is never too old to learn.
世上无难事，只怕有心人。
(Shìshàng wú nánshì, zhǐ pà yǒuxīnrén.)
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
不经一事，不长一智。
(Bù jīng yī shì, bù zhǎng yī zhì.)
Wisdom comes from experience.
Idiomatic expressions are often witty expressions that address everyone and anyone, and therefore there is no need to specify the addressee. This context warrants the use of a subjectless sentence in Mandarin Chinese.
Important
Subjectless sentences simply don’t need to have a subject. For example, it is more common and natural to say, 下雨了 (Xiàyǔ le, It’s raining), instead of 天下雨了 (Tiān xiàyǔ le, The sky is raining). The subject 天 (tiān, sky) here is redundant (because we all know that rain is from the sky), so it is naturally omitted.
To sum up
Subjectless sentences, by their name, have no subject, but they shouldn’t cause confusion, because these sentences are used in contexts where the subject is already understood. Thus, an important principle to recall when using a subjectless sentence is to make sure that the subject is known to the parties concerned by the sentence.
The main element in a subjectless sentence is usually the verbal phrase. This post discussed four contexts for subjectless sentences: when we describe natural phenomena or tell the time, when we talk to each other directly, in public signage, and in idiomatic expressions. A common characteristic of these four categories is that the subject is known and therefore redundant. In Mandarin Chinese, sentences in these contexts omit the subject and are preferred because this is more natural than adding a subject.
Right, time to tackle some exercises to practice using subjectless sentences in Mandarin. We hope they will help you to consolidate what we have talked about here, good luck!
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