TALKING ABOUT CHANGE, NEW SITUATIONS, AND CHANGING SITUATIONS

34

Talking about change, new situations, and changing situations

Mandarin has a number of ways to indicate that a situation represents a change from the past or that it is in the process of change. 34.1 and 34.3 present grammatical patterns that are used to talk about change. 34.4 presents words that are used to talk about change.

34.1Indicating that a situation represents a change

To indicate that a situation represents a change, add the particle le to the end of the sentence that describes the situation. We refer to this use of le as ‘sentence final - le.’ Here are the most common types of change associated with sentence final - le. Notice that in English, this sense of change is sometimes expressed with the word ‘become’ (verb) or (verb) ‘now’ or ‘gotten’ (verb).

34.1.1New information for the addressee

!"#!"#

Tpmen dìng htn le!

They have become engaged!

!"#$%!"#$%

Wn ynu likng gè háizi le.

I have two children now.

34.1.2Change of state

When the main verb of sentence is a stative verb, sentence final - le indicates a change of state.

!"#!"#

Dsngxi dsu guì le.

Things have become expensive.

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Indicating that a situation represents a change

34.1

!"#$

Tp ynu nu péngyou le.

He has a girlfriend now. (He didn’t have one before.)

34.1.3Actions that continue into the future: double - le sentences

Sentence final - le can be used with the verb suffix - le to signal that a certain portion of an action is complete but that the action is continuing into the future. Sentences like these are sometimes described as having ‘double - le,’ and the function of the sentence final - le is sometimes described as indicating the ‘present relevance’ of the situation.

!"#$%&"'!"#$%&"'

Tp ymjing shuì le shí gè zhsngtóu le.

He has already slept for ten hours.

Í30.7

34.1.4Situations that do not exist anymore

To indicate that a situation does not exist anymore, add sentence final - le to the end of a negated sentence:

negated sentence + sentence final - le

!"#

Tp bù chr ròu le.

She doesn’t eat meat anymore.

!"#$%"#!"#$%"#

Tàiyáng chtlái le. Bù llng le.

The sun has come out. (It) isn’t cold anymore.

34.1.5Imminent occurrences and imminent change

Sentence final - le can be used to indicate that a situation will happen soon. Often, an adverb or adverbial phrase such as kuài, kuài yào, or jiù yào occurs before the [prepositional phrase +] verb phrase to emphasize the fact that the situation will happen soon.

!"#!"#

Wnmen kuài dào le.

We will be arriving soon.

!"#$!"#$

Wn kuài yào zuòwán le.

I’m just about done.

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34.3

34.2Comparing sentences with and without sentence final - le

Notice how sentence final - le changes the meaning of the sentence. Without sentence final - le, the sentence is a description of a situation. With sentence final - le, the sentence focuses on a change.

No sentence final - le	Sentence final - le
!"#$	!"#$%
!"#$	!"#$%
Wn huì kàn Zhsngwén bào.	Wn huì kàn Zhsngwén bào le.
I can read Chinese newspapers.	I can read Chinese newspapers now.
!"	!"#
!"	!"#
Qìyóu hln guì.	Qìyóu hln guì le.
Gasoline is very expensive.	Gasoline has become very expensive.
!"#$	!"#$%
!"#$	!"#$%
Wn bù xmhuan chr ròu.	Wn bù xmhuan chr ròu le.
I don’t like to eat meat.	I don’t like to eat meat anymore.

34.3Indicating change over time

34.3.1More and more of some situation

yuè lái yuè AV/SV/MV more and more AV/SV/MV

This pattern is used to indicate that something is becoming more and more adjectival verb (AV), stative verb (SV), or modal verb (MV) over time.

Sentence final - le can optionally occur with this pattern to emphasize the sense of change that the pattern conveys.

‘more and more’ adjectival verb

! "( )! "( )

Dsngxi yuè lái yuè guì (le).

Things are getting more and more expensive.

! "( )! "( )

Tipnqì yuè lái yuè llng (le).

The weather is getting colder and colder.

‘more and more’ stative verb

!"#$#%&( )!"#$#%&( )

Tp zhkng dà le, yuè lái yuè dnng shì (le).

He has grown up. More and more he knows how to behave.

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Indicating change over time

34.3

!"#$%&%'()*!"#$%&%'()*

Zhsngguó de shqnghuó, wn yuè lái yuè xíguàn le.

(As for) Life in China, I am getting used to it.

‘more and more’ modal verb

!"#( )!"#( )

Nm yuè lái yuè huì zuò fàn (le).

You are getting better and better at cooking.

! "#$%( )! "#$%( )

Tpmen yuè lái yuè huì shus Zhsngwén (le).

They are getting more and more proficient in speaking Chinese.

yuè lái yuè can be used to express negative situations.

!"#$%&!"#$%&

Wn yuè lái yuè bù xmhuan tp le.

I dislike him more and more.

!"!#$%&'!"!#$%&'

Tpmen jip yuè lái yuè méi ynu qián le.

Their family has less and less money.

34.3.2Indicating change caused by changing events

To indicate that one change causes another change, say:

	VP		AV/SV/MV
yuè	VP	yuè	AV/SV/MV

the more VP the more AV/SV/MV

yuè VP yuè adjectival verb

!"# $%

Wn yuè chr brngqilín yuè pàng.

The more I eat ice cream, the fatter I get.

yuè VP yuè stative verb

!"# $% &!"# $% &

Wn yuè chr dòufu, yuè xmhuan chr.

The more I eat beancurd, the more I like to eat it.

yuè VP yuè modal verb

!" #$!%&'!" #$!%&'

wn yuè xué Zhsngwén yuè huì shus Zhsngguó huà.

The more I study Chinese the more I am able to speak Chinese.

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34.4

Note that this pattern indicates both change and result.

Í10.9, 12.6.4

34.4Nouns and verbs that express change

Noun

/ biànhuà ‘a change’

!"#$%&'()*!"#$%&'()*

Zuìjìn shínián lái, Blijrng biànhuà hln dà.

In the past ten years, Beijing has had a lot of changes. (In the past ten years, Beijing’s changes have been big.)

!"#$%&'!"#$%&'

Zhè fùjìn méi ynu shénme biànhuà.

The area around here hasn’t had much change.

Verbs

/ biàn ‘to change’ [does not take an object]

!"!"

Qíngkuàng biàn le.

The circumstances have changed.

huàn ‘to change (something)’ [takes an object]

!"#$%&'()*+,-!"#$%&'()*+,-

Zhè jù huà bù róngyì dnng, qmng nm huàn yr gè shusfa.

This sentence is difficult to understand. Please put it another way.

chéng ‘to change into (something), to turn into (something), to become (something)’ [takes an object]

!"#$%&' (!"#$%&' (

Tp chéng le yr gè hln ynu míng de rén le.

He has become a very famous person.

Some common expressions with chéng:

chéng míng

become famous

chéng nián grow up, become an adult; to come of age

/ gKibiàn ‘to change’ [does not take an object]

!"#$%!"#$%

Tp de yàngzi gkibiàn le.

His appearance has changed.

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Nouns and verbs that express change

34.4

/ biànchéng ‘to turn into (something), to change into (something)’ [takes an object]

!"#$%&"'(!"#$%&"'(

Nm juéde huàirén néng biànchéng hkorén ma?

Do you think that bad people can turn into good people?

/ chéngwéi ‘to become (something), to turn into (something)’ [takes an object]

!"#$%&'!"#$%&'

Tp chéngwéi yr gè kqxuéjip le.

He became a scientist.

gKi ‘to change (something), to reform (something), to correct (something)’ [takes an object]

!"!#$%&!"!#$%&

Qmng nm bpng wn gki wn de wénzhpng.

Please help me correct my essay.

gki is also used as the first part of the following verbs:

/ gáixiL ‘to rewrite’

!"#$%&'()*+,-./01!"#$%&'()*+,-./01

Zhè bln sht, wn ymjing gáixil spncì le. Nm hái bù mknyì ma?

I’ve rewritten this book three times. Are you still not satisfied?

gKizhèng ‘to correct, to rectify’

!"#$%&!"#$%&

Qmng nm gkizhèng wn de cuòwù.

Please correct my mistakes.

gKizào ‘to remodel, to reform’ [this expression has political overtones]

!"#$%&'()*+*+,!"#$%&'()*+*+,

Nm de srxikng yìshi tài jiù, zhqn yrnggpi gkizào gkizào.

Your ideological awareness is out of date and needs to be reformed.

gKishàn ‘to improve’

!"#$%&'()*+!"#$%&'()*+

Zhèngfo yrnggpi shèfk gkishàn rénmín de shqnghuó.

(The) Government should think of ways to improve people’s livelihood.

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34.4

gKiliáng ‘to improve’

!"# $%&'()!"# $%&'()

Zhsngguó bpngzhù Fqizhsu guójip gkiliáng nóngyè.

China has helped African nations improve their agriculture.

( )/ ( ) gKihuàn (chéng) ‘to change (something)’; ‘to exchange for some equivalent item’

!"#$%&'!"#$%&'

Xiànzài cháodài ymjing gkihuàn le.

The dynasty has changed (to another dynasty).

/ gKijìn ‘to improve’

!"#$%&'()*!"#$%&'()*

Wnmen de shuìshsu zhìdù, réng dli gkijìn.

Our tax system still needs to be improved.

242