OLD CHINESE SYNTAX: BASIC WORD ORDER (original) (raw)
2016, Encyclopedia of Chinese Language and Linguistics
This lemma summarizes the principle characteristics of Old Chinese word order from the late Spring and Autumn period to the end of the Warring States period (approximately 6 th-3 rd centuries BCE). I also touch upon some changes which are in evidence in early Middle Chinese texts of the Han period. 1. Basic word order Old Chinese had the same basic word order found in the modern varieties. Unmarked declarative clauses were SVO, with objects and other internal arguments following the verb. Modal and embedding verbs also precede their complements, as can be seen in the second clause. (1) 夫人幼而學之，壯而欲行之。 (Mèngzǐ 孟子 梁惠王下) Fú rén yòu ér xué zhī zhuàng ér yù [xíng zhī]. DEM person young CONJ study 3.ACC mature CONJ want carry.out 3.ACC 'When a person is young, he studies this. When he matures, he wants to put it into practice.' Head-final order manifests itself in clause-final particles like the yes/no question marker hū 乎. Note that (2a) is a matrix question. Like modern Chinese varieties, embedded yes/no questions did not employ a Q particle but were formed on alternative questions, as in (2b).
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