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Chinese grammar: When 在 (zài) comes after a verb

In Chinese grammar, the preposition 在 (zài) can sometimes appear after the verb. This can be confusing for people learning Chinese, because in most constructions prepositions like 在 should come before the verb.

在中文语法里,介词"在"(zài)字有时候可以用于动词后面。中文学习者可能会对此感到疑惑,因为"在"字通常放在动词前面。

First, let's have a look at the more common, 'normal' placement of 在 in a Chinese sentence:

首先,让我们先来看一个句子,在这个句子里,"在"字放在了比较常见的"正常"位置。

我在家里学习。

Wǒ zài jiālǐ xuéxí.

I study at home.

Notice how the preposition 在家里 comes before the verb in this Chinese sentence. This is different to English, in which the preposition 'at home' comes after the verb. However, in some situations, 在 can come after the verb in Chinese as well.

注意这个句子里介词短语"在家里"是怎么放在动词前面的。英语中,"at home"是放在动词后面的。然而,在中文里,有些情况下,"在"也可以用于动词后面。

Unfortunately, there isn't a nice, general rule that decides whether or not 在 should go before or after the verb. Normally it should come before, but with verbs that indicate position, movement or placement, 在 should come after. There are also specific verbs that nearly always appear in this structure.

然而,对于"在"字放在动词之前还是之后没有一个理想的通用规则。正常情况下,它应放在动词之前,而如果这个动词是用于指示位置、移动或放置,则应放在动词之后。此外,有些特别的动词几乎总是出现在此类结构中。

As always, we recommend listening and reading as much real Chinese as you can to get a natural feel for these situations. In the meantime, let's have a look at some example sentences to try and demonstrate this point.

还是老样子,我们建议你多听多读一些地道的中文材料,找到这些使用场景的语感。同时,让我们一起看看这些例句。

在 often comes after the verb 住 (zhù)

"在"字经常用于动词"住"(zhù)字后面

The most common situation where 在 comes after the verb is probably in 住在 – 'to live in [a place]'. The basic structure for this is:

"在"字用于动词后面的最常见情况可能就是"住在"(to live in a [place])。基本句型如下:

[person] 住在 [place]

【人】住在【地方】

That is the set, standard way to talk about people living in specific locations. Some examples:

这是一个表达人们住在某个具体地方的固定、标准表达方式。例句:

我住在香港。

Wǒ zhù zài Xiānggǎng.

I live in Hong Kong.

他住在哪儿?

Tā zhù zài nǎr?

Where does he live?

我以前住在泰国,但现住在俄罗斯。

Wǒ yǐqián zhù zài Tàiguó, dàn xiàn zhù zài èluósī.

I used to live in Thailand, but now I live in Russia.

我出生于东京,但现住在柏林。

Wǒ chūshēng yú Dōngjīng, dàn xiàn zhù zài Bólín.

I was born in Tokyo, but now I live in Berlin.

As you can see, 在 comes after the verb in each of these sentences. This is a very common structure, and you can't put 在 before the verb in this situation.

正如你所看到的,以上每个句子中,"在"字都是放在动词之后。这是一个非常常见的句型,在这种情况下,"在"字不能放在动词之前。

在 often comes after the verb 坐 (zuò)

"在"字经常用于动词"坐"(zuò)字之后

Another very common situation in which 在 comes after the verb is with the verb 坐 – 'to sit'. You might notice the similarity between 坐在 and 住在 – both are about position or placement. Let's have a look at some examples for 坐在:

"在"字放在"坐"(to sit)字之后,是其用于动词之后的另一个常见情况。你可能会发现"坐在"与"住在"之间的相似性——两者都表示位置或放置。让我们看一下这些关于"坐在"的例子:

请你坐在这里。

Qǐng nǐ zuò zài zhèlǐ.

Please sit here.

我可以坐在这里吗?

Wǒ kěyǐ zuò zài zhèlǐ ma?

Can I sit here?

他坐在那里发愣。

Tā zuò zài nàlǐ fālèng.

He sat there daydreaming.

It might be helpful to think of 住在 and 坐在 as set vocabulary items, and try to practice using them in various sentences. This way you will get used to putting 在 and the location after these verbs.

可以把"住在"和"坐在"当成固定词组,并尽量在不同的句子中练习。这样,你就会习惯将"在"及其后面的地点放在动词之后。

在 often comes after the verb 放 (fàng)

"在"字经常用于动词"放"(fàng)字后面

Our last example verb here is 放 – 'to put' or 'to place'. Hopefully you can see the pattern with these verbs – they're all about placement or location.

最后一个例子,是动词"放"(to put or to place)。希望你能看懂这些动词的句型,它们都与放置或地点相关。

放在桌子上。

Fàng zài zhuōzi shàng.

Put it on the table.

不要把脏衣服放在床上!

Bùyào bǎ zàng yīfú fàng zài chuángshàng!

Don't put dirty clothes on the bed!

工具应该放在手边。

Gōngjù yīnggāi fàng zài shǒubiān.

You should keep your tools close at hand.

我把我买的东西放在包里。

Wǒ bǎ wǒ mǎi de dōngxi fàng zài bāolǐ.

I put the things I bought in the bag.

Whilst we've only looked at 住在, 坐在 and 放在 in this article, there are many more situations in which 在 may come after the verb. These are just the most common situations which beginners are likely to encounter. If you're interested, have a look at a few more example sentences with some other verbs:

在这篇文章里,我们只研究了"住在"、"坐在"、"放在",但是"在"字置于动词后面的用法还有许多情况。以上所举的例子只是最常见、初学者最可能碰到的情况。如果你感兴趣,可以看一看以下关于其它动词的例子。

请把名字写在这里。

Qǐng bǎ míngzì xiě zài zhèlǐ.

Please write your name here.

我把雨伞忘在家里了。

Wǒ bǎ yǔsǎn wàng zài jiālǐ le.

I left my umbrella at home.

你生在哪儿?

Nǐ shēng zài nǎr?

Where were you born?

The article is translated and editted by Chinlingo. Please indicate the source for any use, reproduction or transfer. 

本文由Chinlingo编译后发布,如需转载,请标明来源。


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2016-06-22

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