Editing Language/Mandarin-chinese/Vocabulary/Describe-arrangement-of-things-in-Chinese

In this lesson of Mandarin Chinese, we will learn to describe the arrangement of things, especially in a room and in relation to each other.


==  Vocabulary==
{| class="wikitable"
|Word
|Pinyin
|Translation
|-
|里
|lǐ 
|inside
|-
|外
|wài
|outside
|-
|上
|shàng
|in this lesson: high;  above; sure
|-
|下
|xià
|in this lesson: low;  below; under
|-
|中间
|zhōngjiān
|between; enter
|-
|房间
|fángjiān
|bedroom; room (of a  dwelling)
|-
|桌子
|zhuōzi
|table; office
|-
|椅子
|yǐzi
|chair
|-
|书架
|shūjià
|library (furniture);  bookshelf
|-
|柜子
|guìzi
|cabinet
|-
|电脑
|diànnǎo
|computer
|-
|手机
|shǒujī
|cellphone
|-
|黑板
|hēibǎn
|blackboard
|-
|墙
|qiáng
|Wall
|-
|都
|dōu
|all; all
|-
|汉语
|hànyǔ
|Chinese language
|-
|法语
|fǎyǔ
|French language
|}

===  classifiers===
{| class="wikitable"
|Word
|Pinyin
|Translation
|-
|把
|bǎ
|(classifier for chairs  and some objects that fit in the hand)
|-
|部
|bù
|(classifier for small  devices, representations, projections, written works, ...)
|-
|台
|tái
|(classifier for big  machines: computer, television, ...)
|-
|块
|kuài
|(Classifier)
|}

=== Additional words ===
Reminder: A word designating a place / place and to which we add a rental suffix like 边 <bian>, then becomes a locative (equivalent to an adverb of place):

{| class="wikitable"
|Word
|Pinyin
|Translation
|-
|里边
|lǐbian
|inside
|-
|外边
|wàibian
|outside
|-
|上边
|shàngbian
|up; above
|-
|下边
|xiàbian
|below; below
|}


==  Grammar ==
=== Indicate the disposition with the verb "to have" 有 <yǒu> ===
In order to indicate the existence of something in one place in Chinese, we use the following sentence structure:



<code>Location / Direction + 有 + Object</code>

*里边 有 一把椅子。 ‹ Lǐmiàn yǒu yī bǎ yǐzi. ›
Inside, there is a chair.
*右边 有 一个柜子。 ‹ Yòubiān yǒu yī gè guìzi. ›
On the right, there is a wardrobe.
=== Location of one thing over another with 上 <shàng>, 下 <xià>, 里 <lǐ> and 边 <bian> ===
In order to specify the exact location of something in relation to something else in Chinese, we also use the rental sufixes 上 <shàng> ("on ..."), 下 <xià> ("under .. . "), 里 <lǐ> (" in ... ") and 边 <bian> (" side ...; to ... "), placed after the place (and not before as in French). The locatives thus created - and that can be used as object or subject in a sentence - are useful to specify, as in French, that something is for example "on the table", "in the room", "under the bed ", etc.

<code>Location + 上/下/里/边</code>
*房间 里 ‹ fángjiān lǐ ›
inside the room
*桌子 上 ‹ zhuōzi shàng ›
on the desk







WARNING: You can not place a rental suffix after a country name, town or more generally, behind a proper name.
=== Using the adverb "all" 都 <dōu> ===
When 都 <dōu> is used as an adverb, as for all adverbs in Chinese, it is placed between the subject and the verbal sentence.

<code>Subject + 都 + Verb + Object.</code>
*Sh 都 在 书架 上. <Shū dōu zài shūjià shàng. >
The books are all on the bookshelf.

==  Text ==
*这是大卫的房间。 ‹ Zhè shì Dàwèi de fángjiān. ›
*房间里有一张床，一张桌子，三把椅子，一个柜子和一个书架。 ‹ Fángjiān li yǒu yī zhāng chuáng, yī zhāng zhuōzi, sān bǎ yǐzi, yī gè guìzi hé yī gè shūjià. ›
*大卫的柜子在左边，他的书架在右边。 ‹ Dàwèi de guìzi zài zuǒbiān, tā de shūjià zài yòubiān. ›
*桌子在书架的旁边。 ‹ Zhuōzi zài shūjià de pángbiān. ›
*桌子上有一台电脑，一部手机和四支笔。 ‹ Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yī tái diànnǎo, yī bù shǒujī hé sì zhī bǐ. ›
*墙上有一块黑板和一张法国地图。 ‹ Qiáng shàng yǒu yī kuài hēibǎn hé yī zhāng fàguó dìtú. ›
*大卫的书呢？都在书架上。 词典在上边，法语书在下边，汉语书都在中间。 ‹ Dàwèi de shū ne? Dōu zài shūjià shàng. Cídiǎn zài shàngmiàn, fǎyǔ shū zài xiàbian, hànyǔ shū dōu zài zhōngjiān. ›

Translation :

*This is David's room.
*In the bedroom there is a bed, a desk, three chairs, a wardrobe and a bookshelf.
*David's wardrobe is on the left, his bookshelf is on the right.
*The desk is next to the shelf.
*On the desk there is a computer, a cell phone and four pencils.
*On the wall, there is a blackboard and a map of France.
*And the books of David? (They are) All on the book shelf. The dictionaries are at the top, the French books at the bottom, and the Chinese books are all in the middle.

==Sources==
https://chine.in/mandarin/methode/index.php?lecon=12