differences of grammar components between 英/中文

[kaox0018]

I never learned chinese grammar as i am a semi-native speaker so i have some worries.

Looking through chinese language books (for study) they often list words under strange markers like "sv" or "vo" and other strange abbreviations. what do these mean?

does that mean that chinese cannot be thought about as simply consisting of mainly "adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and verbs" like english?

also, i heard that there is a certain components of speech in chinese called "attributes"

which means that the word can be a noun but also be used as an attribute (which sounds like an adjective).

for example:

志氣

...都把那志氣灰了

...很有志氣

so where can i learn more about advanced chinese grammar? does anyone have a good guide or tips to learn about it?

[skylee]

灰? Did you mean 毀?

I think 志氣 in both your examples is a noun, i.e. ambition. The ambition is ruined, someone has an ambition/is ambitious.

[SiMaKe]

@kaox0018

As "parts of speech", I've seen the following commonly used:

sv - stative verb （我很累）

vo - verb-object （发烧）

n - noun

adj - adjective

n. phr - noun phrase （头疼）

m.w. - measure word （本）

There are certainly others (typically 2-3 dozen in any given book).

The particular abbreviations used can vary from book to book but the definitions are usually listed somewhere within for reader reference.

As an native English speaker, I find the parts of speech to be helpful in understanding Chinese grammar. It aids the memory in using the various structures.

References that I find helpful include the "elementary" <> (Schaum's outline) and the "intermediate" <> by Yip Po-Ching/Don Rimmington. An even more "comprehensive" grammar is <> by Li and Thompson. This last one is a more scholarly approach in that it discusses in depth the various ways in which particular structures and word forms are used.

A google search of "chinese grammar" will provide some web-based references.