EXPRESSING SEQUENCE

38

Expressing sequence

38.1Expressing the relationship ‘before’

38.1.1The structure of the yMqián ‘before’ sentence

ymqián is used to indicate the relationship ‘before one event occurs, another event occurs.’

event1 ymqián, event2 before event1, event2

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

Wn shàng dàxué ymqián, xikng qù Aòdàlìyà luyóu.

Before I attend university, I want to go to Australia to travel.

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

Mpma shàng bpn ymqián, dsu chr zkofàn.

Before mom goes to work, she always eats breakfast.

To indicate that a sequence occurred in the past, follow the verb of the second clause with the verb suffix - le.

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

Wn lái Zhsngguó ymqián, zài Rìbln zhùle yrnián.

Before I came to China, I lived in Japan for a year.

NOTE The more literary form of y\qián is zhwqián.

Í9.6

38.1.2Comparing yMqián with ‘before’

ymqián signals the same relationship of sequence as the English word ‘before.’ However, there are important differences between ymqián and ‘before.’

• ymqián occurs at the end of the first clause:

!"!"

Mpma shàng bpn yMqián

260

Expressing the relationship ‘after’ in a single sentence

38.2

Before occurs at the beginning of the first clause:

before mom goes to work

•In Mandarin, the clause that ends with ymqián must come first in the sentence. In English, the order of the clauses in the ‘before’ sentence is not fixed. Either can come first in the sentence. Compare the following sentences.

Good English	Good Mandarin
Before mom went to work	!"#$%&'
she ate breakfast.	!"#$%&'
	MPma shàng bPn yMqián chr le zkofàn.
Good English	Bad Mandarin
Mom ate breakfast before	G !"#$%&'
she went to work.	!"#$%&'
	Mpma chr le zkofàn shàng bPn yMqián.

38.2Expressing the relationship ‘after’ in a single sentence

In Mandarin, the relationship of ‘after’ is expressed using some combination of the word / ymhòu ‘after,’ the verb suffix le, and adverbs, usually jiù or

cái.

These markers of sequence can occur together in a single sentence to express the relationship of sequence, or they can occur independently.

Native speakers of Mandarin differ in their preference for the use of these markers of sequence.

Í6.9, 33.2, 38.2.2

38.2.1Indicating sequence with / yMhòu ‘after’

/ ymhòu ‘after’ is used to express the following relationship: ‘after an event occurs, another event occurs.’

event1 / ymhòu, event2 after event1, event2

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

Wnmen chr le fàn yMhòu, jiù qù kàn diànymng.

After we eat, we will go to a movie.

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

Wn xià le kè yMhòu, jiù huí jip.

After I get out of class, I go home.

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

Háizi shuì le jiào yMhòu, fùmo jiù kàn diànshì.

After the children go to sleep, the parents watch television.

261

EXPRESSING SEQUENCE

38.2

To signal that a sequence occurred in the past, follow the verb of the second clause with le. If the verb takes a one-syllable object, le may also follow the object.

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

Tp chr le fàn yMhòu jiù kàn le diànshì.

After he ate he watched television.

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

Tp chr le fàn yMhòu jiù shuì jiào le.

After he ate he went to sleep.

/ ymhòu signals the same relationship of sequence as the English word ‘after.’ However, there are important differences between / ymhòu and ‘after.’

• / ymhòu occurs at the end of the first clause:

!"#!"#

wn xià le kè yMhòu

After occurs at the beginning of the clause:

after I get out of class

•In Mandarin, the clause that ends with / ymhòu must come first in the sentence. In English, the order of the clauses in the ‘after’ sentence is not fixed. Either can come first in the sentence. Compare the following sentences.

	Good English	Good Mandarin
	After I get out of class I go home.	!"#$%&
		!"#$%&
		WN xià le kè yMhòu huí jip.
	Good English	Bad Mandarin
	I go home after I get out of class.	G !"#$%&
		!"#$%&
		Wn huí jip xià le kè yMhòu.
NOTE The more literary form of / y\hòu is / zhwhòu.
Í 9.6

38.2.2Adverbs that occur in sequence sentences

38.2.2.1jiù

The adverb jiù has several functions. One function is to signal a relationship of sequence between events that occur in a series. The relationship of sequence indicated by jiù reinforces the meaning of sequence indicated by / ymhòu. Therefore,jiù often occurs with / ymhòu in sequence sentences.

262

Expressing the relationship ‘after’ in a single sentence

38.2

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

Wn xué le Zhsngguó lìshm ymhòu jiù xikng qù Zhsngguó.

After I studied Chinese history I wanted to go to China.

The meaning of jiù is related to the meaning of / ymhòu, but the two words are independent. jiù may occur without / ymhòu, and / ymhòu may occur without jiù.

The following two sentences, one with jiù and the other with / ymhòu, are equivalent in meaning. Compare them to the sentence above in which jiù and/ ymhòu both occur.

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

Wn xué le Zhsngguó lìshm jiù xikng qù Zhsngguó.

After I studied Chinese history I wanted to go to China.

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

Wn xué le Zhsngguó lìshm ymhòu xikng qù Zhsngguó.

After I studied Chinese history I wanted to go to China.

Í15.2.4

38.2.2.2Indicating that one event happens ‘only after’ another event: sequence with the adverb cái

To indicate that some event happens ‘only after’ another event, use the adverb cái before the second verb of a sequence. cái can occur with / ymhòu andle. cái and jiù cannot both occur before the same verb.

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

Tp zài Zhsngguó zhù le likng nián cái huì shus Zhsngguó huà.

She lived in China for two years and only then was able to speak Chinese. (After she lived in China for two years, only then was she able to speak Chinese.)

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

Nm zhkng dà le ymhòu cái dnng zhè zhnng shìqing.

After you grow up, only then will you understand this kind of situation.

Í15.2.6

Pay attention to the difference between the adverbs cái and jiù in the following sentences. Since jiù indicates simleple sequence, it is used much more frequently than cái. For many speakers of Mandarin, a verb phrase with cái cannot include =le.

jiù	cái
!"# $	!"#( )
!"# $	!"#( )
Tp chr le yào jiù hko le.	Tp chr le yào cái hko (le).
After he ate the medicine he	Only after he ate the medicine did
recovered.	he recover.
	(He ate the medicine and only then
	recovered.)

263

EXPRESSING SEQUENCE		38.2
jiù	cái
!"#$% &	!"#$%&
!"#$% &	!"#$%&
Tp kpi le ksngtiáo jiù shtfu le.	Tp kpi le ksngtiáo cái shtfu.
After he turned on the air	Only after he turned on the air
conditioner he was comfortable.	conditioner was he comfortable.
	(He turned on the air conditioner
	and only then was comfortable.)
Í 33.2

38.2.2.3biàn

biàn, like jiù, is used to reinforce a relationship of sequence between two events.

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

Mlitipn yr xià kè tp biàn dào túshtgukn qù gsngzuò.

Every day, as soon as he gets out of class he goes to the library to work.

biàn is largely restricted to formal, literary contexts.

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

Zìcóng bì yè ymhòu, wnmen biàn méi ynu láiwkng.

Since we’ve graduated, we haven’t had any contact.

38.2.3Indicating sequence with the verb suffix le

Like the adverbs jiù, cái, and biàn, the verb suffix le can be used to signal a relationship of sequence between two events. le is optional, but when it occurs, it normally follows the first verb in a series of verb phrases. Notice that jiù or cái often occurs with le and / ymhòu in sequence sentences that indicate the relationship ‘after.’

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

Tp mki le zhàoxiàngjr ymhòu jiù zhào le hln dus zhàopiàn.

After she bought a camera she took a lot of pictures.

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

Wn zuòwán le gsngkè ymhòu cái shuì jiào.

Only after I finish my homework will I go to sleep.

(I will finish my homework and only then go to sleep.)

When the object of the first verb is one syllable in length, some speakers of Mandarin prefer to put after le the object. Both of the following sentences are acceptable.

!"#$%&'	!"#$%&'
Tp mlitipn xià le bpn jiù huí jip.	Tp mlitipn xià bpn le jiù huí jip.
Every day after he gets out of	Every day after he gets out of work he
work he goes home.	goes home.

Í33.2

264

Indicating that one event happens first and another event happens afterwards

38.3

38.2.4Indicating ‘after’ in a single sentence: a summary of the use of/ yMhòu, le, and sequence adverbs

•/ ymhòu, le, and sequence adverbs all signal a sequence of events within a single sentence.

•Sequence sentences can contain any combination of / ymhòu, le, and sequence adverbs.

•None of these markers of sequence is obligatory, and native speakers of Mandarin differ in their preferences in using them.

•Events that are related in terms of sequence need not have any of these sequence markers.

!"#$%!"#$%

Wn mlitipn xià kè huí jip.

Every day, after I get out of class I return home. (Every day I get out of class and return home.)

38.3Indicating that one event happens first and another event happens afterwards

The following pairs of adverbs are used to indicate that one event happens first and another event happens afterwards. The adverbs always occur before [prepositional phrases +] verb phrases. The order of the adverbs and their following verb phrases is fixed. They are often used when giving instructions and describing processes.

38.3.1Indicating the relationship ‘first . . . then . . .’

The following pairs of adverbs are commonly used to indicate the relationship ‘first . . . then . . .’

xipn VP1 zài VP2

first VP1 then VP2

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

Nm xipn mki piào, zài shàng gsnggòng qì chq.

You first buy a ticket, then get on the bus.

xipn VP1 / ránhòu VP2

first VP1 then/afterwards VP2

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

Wnmen dli xipn qù huàn qián, ránhòu zài qù mki dsngxi.

We have to first change money and then go shopping.

xipn VP1 / ymhòu VP2

first VP1 then/afterwards VP2

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

Wnmen xipn chr fàn, ymhòu zài tkolùn nà jiàn shìqing.

We will eat first and discuss this matter afterwards.

265

	EXPRESSING SEQUENCE			38.4
38.3.2		Indicating the relationship ‘first . . .	only then . . .’
		To indicate that some event occurs ‘only after’ another event, say:
		xipn VP1 cái VP2
		first VP1 only then VP2
	!"#$%&'()
	!"#$%&'()
		Nm xipn mki piào, cái shàng gsnggòng qìchq.
		You first buy a ticket and only then get on the bus.
Í	15.2.6
38.3.3		Indicating the relationship ‘as soon as . . . then . . .’
		To indicate that some event occurs ‘as soon as’ another event occurs, say:
		yr VP1 jiù VP2
		as soon as VP1 then VP2
	!"#$%&'()*
	!"#$%&'()*
		Wnmen yr dào Blijrng, jiù qù pá chángchéng.
		As soon as we get to Beijing we will go climb the Great Wall.
NOTE When yw occurs immediately before a [prepositional phrase +] verb or verb phrase, it always means as
		soon as. When yw occurs immediately before a classifier, it is always the number ‘one.’

38.4Indicating ‘afterwards’ in a separate sentence

Mandarin has a number of sentence adverbs, adverbs that occur at the beginning of a sentence, to introduce an event that happens afterwards. The most common are

/ ymhòu, / ránhòu, and / hòulái.

/ yMhòu ‘afterwards, later’

/ ymhòu is the most neutral of the sentence adverbs used to indicate ‘afterwards.’

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

Qmng xipn hq dikn chá ba! Ymhòu wnmen chtqu chr wknfàn.

Drink a little tea first. Afterwards we will go out to eat dinner.

/ ránhòu ‘afterwards/after that’

/ ránhòu can only be used to indicate sequence between two events that occur in close temporal sequence to each other.

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

Wnmen kàn le diànymng. Ránhòu wnmen qù le kpfqi diàn hq kpfqi.

We saw a movie. Afterwards, we went to a coffee shop and drank coffee.

266

Comparing yMqián ‘before’ with / yMhòu ‘after’

38.5

/ hòulái ‘afterwards’

/ hòulái can only be used to indicate sequence between two events that have already occurred.

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

Wn zuótipn zkoshang kko le Zhsngwén. Hòulái wn huì sùshè shuì jiào le.

Yesterday morning I had a Chinese test. Afterwards I went back to the dormitory and went to sleep.

38.5Comparing yMqián ‘before’ with / yMhòu ‘after’

In some ways, the uses of ymqián ‘before’ and / ymhòu ‘after’ are parallel. Both must occur in the first clause of a sequence sentence, and both words occur at the end of their clause.

However, the words are different in their occurrence with the verb suffix le. The verb suffix le may occur in the / ymhòu clause but it may not occur in theymqián clause. Compare these sentences.

Say this	Not this
!"#$%&'( )*	G !"#$% &'(!)*
!"#$%&'( )*	!"#$% &'(!)*
Wn qù Zhsngguó ymqián xué le	Wn qù le Zhsngguó ymqián xué le
likng nián de Zhsngwén.	likng nián de Zhsngwén.
Before I went to China I studied
two years of Chinese.
!"#$%&'(	G !"#$%!&'(
!"#$%&'(	!"#$%!&'(
Tp kko shì ymqián fùxí le gsngkè.	Tp kko shì le ymqián fùxí le gsngkè.
Before he took the test he reviewed
the lessons.

For many Mandarin speakers, the sequence use of jiù is also not acceptable inymqián sentences. For these speakers, if jiù occurs in an ymqián sentence, it has the sense of ‘only,’ and not of sequence.

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

Wn qù Zhsngguó ymqián jiù xué le likng nián de Zhsngwén.

Before I went to China I only studied two years of Chinese.

267