"References available upon request."

[tooironic]

I've seen this phrase translated as:

如蒙需要，即可提供推荐信。

rú méng xūyào, jíkě tígōng tuījiànxìn

Could someone please give me a breakdown of the words in this sentence and their parts of speech? I don't quite understand how 如, 蒙 and 即可 work in this sentence. Cheers.

[waiguoren]

I have also struggled with 如蒙--a quick Google search gives a very useful result:

如蒙——用于回复的敬语，相当于如果能承蒙您（同意）

(see http://bbs.zdic.net/redirect.php?tid=114687&goto=lastpost)

As for "即可", I believe you might think of it as "就可以".

[tooironic]

Yes, that makes sense. Similar to 均可 as a formal version of 都可以 I guess. I've created entries for both on Wiktionary. (即可 and 均可.) Thanks!

[chenxiyin212]

Some words relate to culture.the "如蒙" is a Kwok-him words(谦词), words of Civilities.you can traslate as "如果你";"既可" is "就可以" or "这样就好可以".

like 昨日蒙教,蒙 is a word of Civilities,it means 昨日谢谢你的教导 or 昨日承蒙你的赐教

[HeWei2]

"蒙" can also be used as a relatively passive marker (as per generic “被"). That is, "如蒙需要" could be translated as "if it is required".

[tooironic]

It's weird because Wenlin doesn't mention anything about 蒙 having a kind of 被-like usage... but it certainly makes sense in this sentence to think of it thus.

[chrix]

I wouldn't call it a "passive marker", which would imply a certain degree of grammaticalisation, but in the meaning of "受到" it can be used both in a positive and a negative way, my dictionary for instance has 蒙冤 and 蒙教, and also has an example sentence: 蒙熱情招待，十分感激.

Surely Wenlin would have that meaning, right?

[HeWei2]

Here's the abstract for an article describing the usage of 蒙, which doesn't carry the same negative connotations as 被:

http://d.wanfangdata.com.cn/Periodical_yykx200506001.aspx

From what I remember of university lectures, around the time that Chinese (following the lead of Japanese) was being twisted and bent to facilitate the translation of Western academic texts, 蒙 was considered a possible marker for passive sentences. Since then, usage has more or less settled down to what is used now.

[chrix]

Now that's an article I would like to read in its entirety

Well, it looks like we were just talking about different aspects of the same thing: the potentiality of 蒙 to develop into a passive marker, and the present state of it being not one.

On that same note, I think there's a number of constructions used as translational equivalents for passives in English, also 受到 and a number...

[tooironic]

Hmmm, Wenlin does mention a compound that means "to receive" - 蒙受 méngshòu. I suppose that's the one.

It's weird, because I've never had much of an issue with Mandarin grammar, but this sentence totally stumped me. I guess it must be a classical Chinese construction, though I may be wrong.

[chrix]

Yes, it means 蒙受 at least since the Han era (and this is also why a good dictionary should have this meaning, so I'm surprised Wenlin doesn't).

[tooironic]

It does list it.

[chrix]

I mean in the list of meanings for 蒙, not in the list of character combinations...

[tooironic]

It does. ①receive méngshòu