<p>1) 他坐在椅子上  = 2) 他在椅子上坐着 </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>He is sitting on/in a chair. </p>
  
  <p>or</p>
  
  <p>He sits on /in a chair.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You choose which translation to use depending on which part you want to stress.(movement or status)</p>

<p>3) 他在椅子上坐 (questionable)</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>He sits on /in a chair.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If <strong>He sits on /in a chair</strong> in English sounds right to you, then 他在椅子上坐 is grammatically correct as well.</p>

<p>Here I can give you a rare context where it CAN be correct.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>你都这么大了，行为要变得正常一点，在桌子上吃饭，在厕所拉屎，在床上睡，在椅子上坐，该怎么样就怎么样。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>You'd better put your context here so we can discuss. Safely speaking, avoid the third usage unless you are confident that you are correct.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T14:05:23.587Z
Thank you! I think you are right. It doesn't make sense to discuss about it without a given context.
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T14:09:12.520Z
However, the intention that I was asking is to find out whether there is a grammar "rule" to address this issue. There are many similar situations like this one: 他站在大街上 vs 他在大街上站；他趴在那里 vs 他在那里趴。
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-05T01:22:57.197Z
他在大街上站,他在那里趴 just sounds wrong to me if not in a specific context like the one I gave.  Sorry cannot give you a specific grammar reference why it is wrong.
John
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T07:04:50.557Z
2015-12-01T19:45:07.723Z
2015-12-01T19:45:07.723Z
John
<p>Interesting question!  The first two have nearly the same meaning, but I think the second emphasizes the "current" quality of the action more.  That is to say, I would translate</p>

<p>他坐在椅子上。</p>

<p>as "He sits on a chair," while I would translate</p>

<p>他在椅子上坐著。</p>

<p>as "He is currently sitting on the chair."  Given the context you provided in your comment, this seems like the most likely wording.</p>

<p>I'm not sure why I should feel that this formulation changes the chair to a specific one, but perhaps it's that in English, the sentence "He is currently sitting on a chair" has an odd feeling of unnecessary vagueness about it (perhaps because a chair is the default thing to sit on).</p>

<p>The third sentence</p>

<p>他在椅子上坐。</p>

<p>has an odd feel to it, as though it were missing something (possibly a second syllable, as mentioned in the comments).  Also, without the progressive 著 at the end, it seems to say that he habitually sits on a chair, which seems like an odd thing to say of someone.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-30T23:22:41.773Z
2015-11-30T23:22:41.773Z
Brian Tung
<p>There seems to be no particular reason why generally a verb cannot be placed after an adverbial phrase, it's just a matter of "sense".<br>
For example:<br>
他在床上睡。<br>
He sleeps on the bed.<br>
If a Chinese hear this, he may guess that your emphasis lies on "on the bed", to show that this person sleeps on the bed instead of floor or sofa.<br>
他睡在床上。<br>
On the bed, he sleeps. (A bit weird in English?)<br>
This is different. For a Chinese, this sounds like a plain descriptive sentence.<br>
Of course, I gave an example when both sentences are grammatically right, but slightly different on meanings. But for a foreigner, how can he tell the difference based solely on the characters?<br>
For the sentence in your question, 他在椅子上坐 (without a context) just <strong>sounds</strong> weird, period. It may be semantically right, but not grammatically. I believe this may happen in English or any other languages. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-30T14:51:24.103Z
Agree! Foreign students usually don't have enough time to listen to authentic speakings. So if two sentences are grammatically right and have the same words, I cannot tell which is right.
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-30T09:51:12.823Z
2015-11-30T09:51:12.823Z
Winfred Huang
<p>LOL,seeing this question I want to say,have you ever heard about Chinglish?while,what you ask is just the Chinese of English style.
"他坐在椅子上"，"坐"is a verb,focus on the motion of sitting.
"他在椅子上坐着"focus on the condition of sitting.
In grammar aspect,most of Chinese can't explain the 3rd one,but we know we just don't use it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-01T02:34:38.803Z
2015-12-01T02:34:38.803Z
user148874
<p>Here 着 is a character indicate status in Chinese, like "doing" for present tense in English. You can imagine 坐 is a verb <em>sit</em>, it must come with 着"<em>-ing</em>" in present tense. </p>

<p>As a summary, <strong>坐＝sit，坐着＝sitting</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T04:15:17.097Z
2015-11-04T04:15:17.097Z
thinwa
<p>他在椅子上坐 is not necessarily wrong. For example, in such context: 他在椅子上坐, （而不是在床上坐）, makes sense.</p>

<p>for your question 1, I don't think expression 1 and 2 have a big difference there.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T01:11:01.023Z
Thank you! However, this is a multiple-choice question. The choices have both 他在椅子上坐着 and 他在椅子上坐. The correct answer is the former one. So maybe I should ask: why 他在椅子上坐着 is better than 他在椅子上坐? (there isn't other context provided.)
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-10T01:17:09.810Z
@cnwang09 So why didn't you vote me up?
Winfred Huang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T00:56:51.147Z
2015-11-04T00:56:51.147Z
Siyi Deng
<p>First, you need to notice the difference between  <em>坐</em> and <em>坐着</em>, as mentioned before:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As a summary, 坐＝sit，坐着＝sitting</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Second, let take a look at the whole sentences,notice the Bold character which express its most meaning. <em>在椅子上</em> here function as adverb, yet do note that <em>在椅子上</em> can work as a verb.</p>
<ol>
<li><p><strong>他</strong>  <strong>坐</strong>    在椅子上</p>
</li>
<li><p><strong>他</strong>  在椅子上  <strong>坐着</strong></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>Third, <em>他在椅子上坐</em> is a sentence Chinese native can understand, yet their seldom use it either in writing or speaking.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T12:37:53.723Z
This doesn't answer the question at all.
Enrico Brasil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-11-04T07:06:25.230Z
2022-07-01T01:43:58.687Z
2022-07-01T01:43:58.687Z
Gerxy
<p>Question #1: What are the differences between these three sentences:</p>
<ol>
<li>他坐在椅子上</li>
<li>他在椅子上坐着</li>
<li>他在椅子上坐 (wrong)</li>
</ol>
<p>Question #2: Why is &quot;他在椅子上坐&quot; wrong?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-04T14:18:20.323Z
After reading some answers, I would like to add a context to the question:  小张 sat on the chair, 不知应不应该到教室前面去。
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-30T14:41:15.527Z
cf。CCG Ch.26 Prosody and Syntax 26.2.3 Intransitive verbs at the end of sentences Monosyllabic intransitive verbs follow the pattern we have seen above and also cannot stand alone at the end of a sentence。Thus 他在椅子上坐 would violate the above requirement, but 他在椅子上坐着 is OK and so is 他在椅子上坐下(He seated himself in a chair).
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-30T14:53:53.637Z
@user6065 What does "cf。CCG Ch.26 Prosody and Syntax 26.2.3" mean?
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-11-30T15:00:17.713Z
Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar
2nd Edition
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-12-06T05:13:19.740Z
坐着 is not verb, 坐 is verb, 坐 cannot end a statement, it should be followed by 着.

他"坐"在椅子上, 它在椅子上"坐着"，we should detect focus of the statement, first statement tells us that he made an action, while second statement tells us that he is sitting.
Daniel Yang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T00:45:30.793Z
@user6065 But I think "哭" and "笑" are intransitive verbs. They can stand alone at the end of a sentence, right? For example, 我一看见他就想笑。
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T04:44:50.497Z
@cnwang09 CCG: "monosyllabic intransitive verbs cannot stand alone at the end of a sentence", 我一看见他就笑/哭 would violate the rule, 想笑 as combination of two verbs is not a monosyllabic verb
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T13:10:41.087Z
@user6065 But 我一看见他就笑/哭 is a correct sentence！ There is a song called 我一见你就笑。
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T15:41:11.597Z
CCG: "Exceptionally, in emphatic utterances, expressing urgency, strong emotion etc, monosyllabic verbal (or adjectival) endings do occur".
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-21T17:10:03.637Z
@user6065 Okay. But why are there so many exceptions in Chinese grammar? This one looks like an exception of the exception of a grammar rule.
cnwang09
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-20T02:07:48.620Z
人说的多了就正确，说的少了就错误。使用语法找原因，纯粹浪费时间。
bronze man
<grammar>
Why is "他在椅子上坐" wrong?
# Why is "他在椅子上坐" wrong?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-11-03)

Question #1: What are the differences between these three sentences:

1. 他坐在椅子上
2. 他在椅子上坐着
3. 他在椅子上坐 (wrong)

Question #2: Why is "他在椅子上坐" wrong?

**Tags:** grammar

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: After reading some answers, I would like to add a context to the question:  小张 sat on the chair, 不知应不应该到教室前面去。  
> **username_1**: cf。CCG Ch.26 Prosody and Syntax 26.2.3 Intransitive verbs at the end of sentences Monosyllabic intransitive verbs follow the pattern we have seen above and also cannot stand alone at the end of a sentence。Thus 他在椅子上坐 would violate the above requirement, but 他在椅子上坐着 is OK and so is 他在椅子上坐下(He seated himself in a chair).  
> **username_0**: @username_1 What does "cf。CCG Ch.26 Prosody and Syntax 26.2.3" mean?  
> **username_1**: Chinese: A Comprehensive Grammar 2nd Edition  
> **username_2**: 坐着 is not verb, 坐 is verb, 坐 cannot end a statement, it should be followed by 着.  他"坐"在椅子上, 它在椅子上"坐着"，we should detect focus of the statement, first statement tells us that he made an action, while second statement tells us that he is sitting.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 But I think "哭" and "笑" are intransitive verbs. They can stand alone at the end of a sentence, right? For example, 我一看见他就想笑。  
> **username_1**: @username_0 CCG: "monosyllabic intransitive verbs cannot stand alone at the end of a sentence", 我一看见他就笑/哭 would violate the rule, 想笑 as combination of two verbs is not a monosyllabic verb  
> **username_0**: @username_1 But 我一看见他就笑/哭 is a correct sentence！ There is a song called 我一见你就笑。  
> **username_1**: CCG: "Exceptionally, in emphatic utterances, expressing urgency, strong emotion etc, monosyllabic verbal (or adjectival) endings do occur".  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Okay. But why are there so many exceptions in Chinese grammar? This one looks like an exception of the exception of a grammar rule.  
> **username_3**: 人说的多了就正确，说的少了就错误。使用语法找原因，纯粹浪费时间。  

---

## 7 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-11-04. Score: 3

1) 他坐在椅子上 = 2) 他在椅子上坐着

> He is sitting on/in a chair.
>
> or
>
> He sits on /in a chair.

You choose which translation to use depending on which part you want to stress.(movement or status)

3) 他在椅子上坐 (questionable)

> He sits on /in a chair.

If **He sits on /in a chair** in English sounds right to you, then 他在椅子上坐 is grammatically correct as well.

Here I can give you a rare context where it CAN be correct.

> 你都这么大了，行为要变得正常一点，在桌子上吃饭，在厕所拉屎，在床上睡，在椅子上坐，该怎么样就怎么样。

You'd better put your context here so we can discuss. Safely speaking, avoid the third usage unless you are confident that you are correct.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you! I think you are right. It doesn't make sense to discuss about it without a given context.  
> **username_0**: However, the intention that I was asking is to find out whether there is a grammar "rule" to address this issue. There are many similar situations like this one: 他站在大街上 vs 他在大街上站；他趴在那里 vs 他在那里趴。  
> **username_4**: 他在大街上站,他在那里趴 just sounds wrong to me if not in a specific context like the one I gave.  Sorry cannot give you a specific grammar reference why it is wrong.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-11-30. Score: 1

Interesting question! The first two have nearly the same meaning, but I think the second emphasizes the "current" quality of the action more. That is to say, I would translate

他坐在椅子上。

as "He sits on a chair," while I would translate

他在椅子上坐著。

as "He is currently sitting on the chair." Given the context you provided in your comment, this seems like the most likely wording.

I'm not sure why I should feel that this formulation changes the chair to a specific one, but perhaps it's that in English, the sentence "He is currently sitting on a chair" has an odd feeling of unnecessary vagueness about it (perhaps because a chair is the default thing to sit on).

The third sentence

他在椅子上坐。

has an odd feel to it, as though it were missing something (possibly a second syllable, as mentioned in the comments). Also, without the progressive 著 at the end, it seems to say that he habitually sits on a chair, which seems like an odd thing to say of someone.


---

### Answer by username_6 on 2015-11-30. Score: 1

There seems to be no particular reason why generally a verb cannot be placed after an adverbial phrase, it's just a matter of "sense".  
For example:  
他在床上睡。  
He sleeps on the bed.  
If a Chinese hear this, he may guess that your emphasis lies on "on the bed", to show that this person sleeps on the bed instead of floor or sofa.  
他睡在床上。  
On the bed, he sleeps. (A bit weird in English?)  
This is different. For a Chinese, this sounds like a plain descriptive sentence.  
Of course, I gave an example when both sentences are grammatically right, but slightly different on meanings. But for a foreigner, how can he tell the difference based solely on the characters?  
For the sentence in your question, 他在椅子上坐 (without a context) just **sounds** weird, period. It may be semantically right, but not grammatically. I believe this may happen in English or any other languages.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Agree! Foreign students usually don't have enough time to listen to authentic speakings. So if two sentences are grammatically right and have the same words, I cannot tell which is right.  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2015-12-01. Score: 0

LOL,seeing this question I want to say,have you ever heard about Chinglish?while,what you ask is just the Chinese of English style.
"他坐在椅子上"，"坐"is a verb,focus on the motion of sitting.
"他在椅子上坐着"focus on the condition of sitting.
In grammar aspect,most of Chinese can't explain the 3rd one,but we know we just don't use it.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2015-11-04. Score: 0

Here 着 is a character indicate status in Chinese, like "doing" for present tense in English. You can imagine 坐 is a verb *sit*, it must come with 着"*-ing*" in present tense.

As a summary, **坐＝sit，坐着＝sitting**


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2015-11-04. Score: 0

他在椅子上坐 is not necessarily wrong. For example, in such context: 他在椅子上坐, （而不是在床上坐）, makes sense.

for your question 1, I don't think expression 1 and 2 have a big difference there.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you! However, this is a multiple-choice question. The choices have both 他在椅子上坐着 and 他在椅子上坐. The correct answer is the former one. So maybe I should ask: why 他在椅子上坐着 is better than 他在椅子上坐? (there isn't other context provided.)  
> **username_6**: @username_0 So why didn't you vote me up?  

---

### Answer by username_10 on 2015-11-04. Score: 0

First, you need to notice the difference between *坐* and *坐着*, as mentioned before:

> As a summary, 坐＝sit，坐着＝sitting

Second, let take a look at the whole sentences,notice the Bold character which express its most meaning. *在椅子上* here function as adverb, yet do note that *在椅子上* can work as a verb.

1. **他** **坐** 在椅子上
2. **他** 在椅子上 **坐着**

Third, *他在椅子上坐* is a sentence Chinese native can understand, yet their seldom use it either in writing or speaking.

> **Comments:**
> **username_11**: This doesn't answer the question at all.  

---

