<ol>
<li><p>Your question is answered <a href="https://www.plecoforums.com/threads/double-forward-slash.6249/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> by user Shun in Pleco Forums:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[T]his is a feature of the free Pleco dictionary. As you have correctly guessed, it indicates that other characters can sometimes be inserted where the two slashes (//) are, <strong>because the verbs have a V-O etymology.</strong> They only appear if the Pleco dictionary is configured as the first dictionary in Manage Dictionaries.</p>
</blockquote>
</li>
<li><p><code>坐</code> in classical Chinese can mean 'to be punished for a crime' (see 4th and 5th entries <a href="https://wyw.hwxnet.com/view/hwxE5hwx9Dhwx90.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>). Also see a related expression, <code>連坐</code> (an ancient method of collective punishment). <code>牢</code> is a possible way of saying 'prison', also fairly classical. Combining them, it means 'to be sentenced to prison' (note English does not consider 'prison' as a grammatical object, but Chinese does).</p>
</li>
<li><p>The verb in such words must be transitive because they are followed by an object. A simpler example is <code>吃飯</code> (<em>lit.</em> 'to eat a meal').</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T05:35:37.183Z
2021-04-16T05:49:16.967Z
2021-04-16T05:49:16.967Z
L Parker
<p>The // is the marker used by Pleco to indicate that the word is in a special class of intransitive verbs called separable verbs.</p>
<p>Other references call these V.O. (Verb Object) constructions. <a href="https://iphone.pleco.com/manual/229/abc.html#pos" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ABC dictionary</a> gives a useful TL;DR summary:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>V.O. (Verb-Object Construction, Dòng-Bīn Jiégòu 动宾结构). Many English
verbs get translated into natural Chinese as a verb plus an object
noun, e.g. chīfàn for 'eat', shuōhuà for 'speak', etc. It is important
for two reasons to know what is merely a verb in Chinese and what is
actually a verb-object construction. First, verb-object constructions
can never take a second object, i.e. chīfàn can never be followed
directly by something else to be eaten. Second, a verb and its object
can be separated from one another, thus allowing (i) aspect particles
to be placed directly after the verb, e.g. chīle fàn 'after finishing
eating'; (ii) modification of the object, e.g. chī Zhōngguófàn 'eat
Chinese food'; and (iii) quantification of the noun, e.g. chīle sān
wǎn fàn 'ate three bowls of rice'.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The notion of separable verbs can be a very useful thing to be aware of as a student. <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Separable_verb" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This introduction</a> and this <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/List_of_separable_verbs" rel="nofollow noreferrer">list of separable verbs</a> from allsetlearning.com may be helpful references on this topic.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T14:40:57.863Z
2021-04-16T16:11:50.873Z
2021-04-16T16:11:50.873Z
goPlayerJuggler
<p>It's a verb-object collocation.</p>
<p><code>坐</code> in Chinese means sit/sitting, and <code>牢</code> in Chinese means prison.</p>
<p>In Chinese, we add <code>adj</code> between the verb and object, like: <code>坐过两年牢</code>.</p>
<p>Extending:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>坐椅子</code> = Sitting on a chair</li>
<li><code>坐镇</code> = personally attend to garrison duty; assume personal command（A great man is awe-inspiring even if he's just sitting there）</li>
<li><code>坐诊</code> = providing medical service（Doctors are sitting (most of the time) when curing sick people）</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-04-16T09:38:36.683Z
2021-04-16T15:42:37.043Z
2021-04-16T15:42:37.043Z
Willin Wang
<p>I am going through the word 坐牢 using the Pleco dictionary. Generally they will not keep // in between two characters. But I can see // for this.</p>
<p>zuò//láo</p>
<p>What does <code>//</code> mean? Can zuò and láo be used with some sentence in between? Or is there any other meaning?</p>
<p>The example given here is some sentence in between.</p>
<p>他坐过三年牢。
Tā zuòguò sān nián láo.
He was in prison for three years.</p>

<meaning><pinyin><dictionary><input-methods>
Why has zuò//láo // in between?
# Why has zuò//láo // in between?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-04-16)

I am going through the word 坐牢 using the Pleco dictionary. Generally they will not keep // in between two characters. But I can see // for this.

zuò//láo

What does `//` mean? Can zuò and láo be used with some sentence in between? Or is there any other meaning?

The example given here is some sentence in between.

他坐过三年牢。
Tā zuòguò sān nián láo.
He was in prison for three years.

**Tags:** meaning, pinyin, dictionary, input-methods


---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-04-16. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

1. Your question is answered [here](https://www.plecoforums.com/threads/double-forward-slash.6249/) by user Shun in Pleco Forums:

   > [T]his is a feature of the free Pleco dictionary. As you have correctly guessed, it indicates that other characters can sometimes be inserted where the two slashes (//) are, **because the verbs have a V-O etymology.** They only appear if the Pleco dictionary is configured as the first dictionary in Manage Dictionaries.
2. `坐` in classical Chinese can mean 'to be punished for a crime' (see 4th and 5th entries [here](https://wyw.hwxnet.com/view/hwxE5hwx9Dhwx90.html)). Also see a related expression, `連坐` (an ancient method of collective punishment). `牢` is a possible way of saying 'prison', also fairly classical. Combining them, it means 'to be sentenced to prison' (note English does not consider 'prison' as a grammatical object, but Chinese does).
3. The verb in such words must be transitive because they are followed by an object. A simpler example is `吃飯` (*lit.* 'to eat a meal').


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-04-16. Score: 3

The // is the marker used by Pleco to indicate that the word is in a special class of intransitive verbs called separable verbs.

Other references call these V.O. (Verb Object) constructions. [ABC dictionary](https://iphone.pleco.com/manual/229/abc.html#pos) gives a useful TL;DR summary:

> V.O. (Verb-Object Construction, Dòng-Bīn Jiégòu 动宾结构). Many English
> verbs get translated into natural Chinese as a verb plus an object
> noun, e.g. chīfàn for 'eat', shuōhuà for 'speak', etc. It is important
> for two reasons to know what is merely a verb in Chinese and what is
> actually a verb-object construction. First, verb-object constructions
> can never take a second object, i.e. chīfàn can never be followed
> directly by something else to be eaten. Second, a verb and its object
> can be separated from one another, thus allowing (i) aspect particles
> to be placed directly after the verb, e.g. chīle fàn 'after finishing
> eating'; (ii) modification of the object, e.g. chī Zhōngguófàn 'eat
> Chinese food'; and (iii) quantification of the noun, e.g. chīle sān
> wǎn fàn 'ate three bowls of rice'.

The notion of separable verbs can be a very useful thing to be aware of as a student. [This introduction](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Separable_verb) and this [list of separable verbs](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/List_of_separable_verbs) from allsetlearning.com may be helpful references on this topic.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-04-16. Score: 2

It's a verb-object collocation.

`坐` in Chinese means sit/sitting, and `牢` in Chinese means prison.

In Chinese, we add `adj` between the verb and object, like: `坐过两年牢`.

Extending:

* `坐椅子` = Sitting on a chair
* `坐镇` = personally attend to garrison duty; assume personal command（A great man is awe-inspiring even if he's just sitting there）
* `坐诊` = providing medical service（Doctors are sitting (most of the time) when curing sick people）


---

