<p>Universal guide: just list them out in general-to-specific order (reverse order of English):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My big brother's potentially precious book on the table below the TV by the bed.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>床边电视下桌子上的我哥哥的珍贵书籍</p>
<pre><code>床chuáng边biān电diàn视shì下xià桌zhuō子zi上shàng的de我wǒ哥gē哥ge的de珍zhēn贵guì书shū籍jí
</code></pre>
<blockquote>
<p>That book at the store by the place in the mall with the two guards.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>在那个有两个保安的商场的书籍</p>
<pre><code>在zài那nà个gè有yǒu两liǎng个gè保bǎo安ān的de商shāng场chǎng的de书shū
</code></pre>
<blockquote>
<p>That thing at the place where we stood outside all night under the stars.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>那个我们在户外星星下站了一整晚的地方的东西</p>
<pre><code>那nà个gè我wǒ们men在zài户hù外wài星xīng星xīng下xià站zhàn了le一yī整zhěng晚wǎn的de地dì方fāng的de东dōng西xī
</code></pre>
<blockquote>
<p>That thing standing in the middle of the road with everyone honking their horns while they were stopped in traffic.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I can't translate it to a single phrase. Maybe:</p>
<p>立在路中间的, 当交通被停下来时大家都在那按喇叭的东西.</p>
<pre><code>lì在zài路lù中zhōng间jiān的de,当dāng交jiāo通tōng被bèi停tíng下xià来lái时shí大dà家jiā都dōu在zài那nà按àn喇lǎ叭bā的de东dōng西xī.
</code></pre>
<p>Maybe you wanna see how to add more modifier clause, and here I add more to one of your examples:</p>
<p>那个即将退休的 <strong>警察</strong> 在他最倒霉的 <strong>那天</strong> <strong>在警察局</strong> 的审讯室里 <strong>不停地</strong> 当着所有人的面 一边喝咖啡一边 <strong>对</strong>着马上就要崩溃的 <strong>他</strong> 紧张地 <strong>审问了 几个小时</strong></p>
<pre><code>那nà个gè即jí将jiāng退tuì休xiū的de**警jǐng察chá**在zài他tā最zuì倒dǎo霉méi的de**那nà天tiān****在zài警jǐng察chá局jú**的de审shěn讯xùn室shì里lǐ**不bù停tíng地dì**当dāng着zhe所suǒ有yǒu人rén的de面miàn一yī边biān喝hē咖kā啡fēi一yī边biān**对duì**着zhe马mǎ上shàng就jiù要yào崩bēng溃kuì的de**他tā**紧jǐn张zhāng地dì**审shěn问wèn了le几jǐ个gè小xiǎo时shí**
</code></pre>
<p>I shifted 不停地 and 在警察局 to make it more smooth.</p>
<p>Though these Chinese phrases are valid in grammar, that doesn't mean they sound natural.</p>
<p>I used this tool to quickly add pinyin:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.jcinfo.net/zh-hans/tools/pinyin" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.jcinfo.net/zh-hans/tools/pinyin</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-30T21:41:38.450Z
Could you add pinyin and/or an English literal gloss as well?
Lance Pollard
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T00:25:25.577Z
The actual translation should be "我哥哥的珍贵书籍在床边电视下的桌子上. "
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T00:48:40.010Z
@r13 Actually no. The original English is NOT a complete sentence. It is a giant noun phrase around the noun "book". Your Chinese sentence translates to: My big brother's  precious book IS on the table below the TV by the bed. Not the same at all.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T01:17:15.543Z
@monalisa "on" is 在..之上. English requires "is" to be grammatically correct, not the case with Chinese. No matter what, a translation needs to be as close to the original as possible, it starts with "My big brother's..."= "我哥哥的..." .
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T02:31:26.330Z
@r13 I never said your sentence is not grammatical correct. The original English "My big brother's potentially precious book on the table below the TV by the bed" is a PHRASE, not a sentence. Your Chinese rendition is a sentence. It cannot be the same as the original, and therefore NOT a translation. That is my point.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T02:34:05.513Z
@r13 Also, a translation needs to convey the same MEANING as the original. It does not need to start with the same thing, or have the same word order as the original. A word-for-word rendition is unlikely to be a good translation.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T03:19:51.367Z
@monalisa I consider my sentence reflects the original meaning correctly and made it more readable. I stated my opinion.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T04:41:36.343Z
I sure hope the rest of us understand the difference between a sentence and a noun phrase.
monalisa
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-31T08:55:58.267Z
@r3, These phrases are made for grammar demonstration, they should be translated as literally as possible, moreover, the grammar quality should not be changed, otherwise, how do you compare the grammar?
sfy
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-30T18:33:45.150Z
2022-10-31T08:42:35.437Z
2022-10-31T08:42:35.437Z
sfy
<p>I am starting to understand how to say basic noun phrases and such in Chinese, and have seen <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_word_order" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this article</a> on Chinese word order, showing word order with verb being something like:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/v1Ceo.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/v1Ceo.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>But how do you organize the words for extremely complex statements (in English) like these?</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>My big brother's potentially precious book <strong>on</strong> the table <strong>below</strong> the TV <strong>by</strong> the bed.</li>
<li>That book <strong>at</strong> the store <strong>by</strong> the place <strong>in</strong> the mall <strong>with</strong> the two guards.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>You can start adding participles/gerunds (in English), but I don't know if that counts as adding verbs to these structures. But something like this comes to mind:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li>That thing at the place where we <strong>stood</strong> outside all night under the stars.</li>
<li>That thing <strong>standing</strong> in the middle of the road with everyone <strong>honking</strong> their horns while they were <strong>stopped</strong> in traffic.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>Does that count as a non-verbed noun phrase? I am not really sure what this is structured like in English totally, but how would you do these sentences in Chinese (with Pinyin and ideally a literal English gloss)? I am curious to know mainly how the English prepositions are handled in these verbless phrases. Wondering if there is a preferred or particular word order, or if there are multiple ways of doing it.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-10-30T18:08:56.070Z
I keep thinking of ways to translate it that simplify the complexity while conveying the same meaning.  I presume you want the answer to have the same complexity if possible so I am waiting to see if someone can do so (most likely yes).
zagrycha
<phrase><preposition>
Word order and such for saying complex phrases without verbs in Chinese?
# Word order and such for saying complex phrases without verbs in Chinese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-10-30)

I am starting to understand how to say basic noun phrases and such in Chinese, and have seen [this article](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_word_order) on Chinese word order, showing word order with verb being something like:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/v1Ceo.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/v1Ceo.png)

But how do you organize the words for extremely complex statements (in English) like these?

> * My big brother's potentially precious book **on** the table **below** the TV **by** the bed.
> * That book **at** the store **by** the place **in** the mall **with** the two guards.

You can start adding participles/gerunds (in English), but I don't know if that counts as adding verbs to these structures. But something like this comes to mind:

> * That thing at the place where we **stood** outside all night under the stars.
> * That thing **standing** in the middle of the road with everyone **honking** their horns while they were **stopped** in traffic.

Does that count as a non-verbed noun phrase? I am not really sure what this is structured like in English totally, but how would you do these sentences in Chinese (with Pinyin and ideally a literal English gloss)? I am curious to know mainly how the English prepositions are handled in these verbless phrases. Wondering if there is a preferred or particular word order, or if there are multiple ways of doing it.

**Tags:** phrase, preposition

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I keep thinking of ways to translate it that simplify the complexity while conveying the same meaning.  I presume you want the answer to have the same complexity if possible so I am waiting to see if someone can do so (most likely yes).  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-10-30. Score: 1

Universal guide: just list them out in general-to-specific order (reverse order of English):

> My big brother's potentially precious book on the table below the TV by the bed.

床边电视下桌子上的我哥哥的珍贵书籍

```
床chuáng边biān电diàn视shì下xià桌zhuō子zi上shàng的de我wǒ哥gē哥ge的de珍zhēn贵guì书shū籍jí

```

> That book at the store by the place in the mall with the two guards.

在那个有两个保安的商场的书籍

```
在zài那nà个gè有yǒu两liǎng个gè保bǎo安ān的de商shāng场chǎng的de书shū

```

> That thing at the place where we stood outside all night under the stars.

那个我们在户外星星下站了一整晚的地方的东西

```
那nà个gè我wǒ们men在zài户hù外wài星xīng星xīng下xià站zhàn了le一yī整zhěng晚wǎn的de地dì方fāng的de东dōng西xī

```

> That thing standing in the middle of the road with everyone honking their horns while they were stopped in traffic.

I can't translate it to a single phrase. Maybe:

立在路中间的, 当交通被停下来时大家都在那按喇叭的东西.

```
lì在zài路lù中zhōng间jiān的de,当dāng交jiāo通tōng被bèi停tíng下xià来lái时shí大dà家jiā都dōu在zài那nà按àn喇lǎ叭bā的de东dōng西xī.

```

Maybe you wanna see how to add more modifier clause, and here I add more to one of your examples:

那个即将退休的 **警察** 在他最倒霉的 **那天** **在警察局** 的审讯室里 **不停地** 当着所有人的面 一边喝咖啡一边 **对**着马上就要崩溃的 **他** 紧张地 **审问了 几个小时**

```
那nà个gè即jí将jiāng退tuì休xiū的de**警jǐng察chá**在zài他tā最zuì倒dǎo霉méi的de**那nà天tiān****在zài警jǐng察chá局jú**的de审shěn讯xùn室shì里lǐ**不bù停tíng地dì**当dāng着zhe所suǒ有yǒu人rén的de面miàn一yī边biān喝hē咖kā啡fēi一yī边biān**对duì**着zhe马mǎ上shàng就jiù要yào崩bēng溃kuì的de**他tā**紧jǐn张zhāng地dì**审shěn问wèn了le几jǐ个gè小xiǎo时shí**

```

I shifted 不停地 and 在警察局 to make it more smooth.

Though these Chinese phrases are valid in grammar, that doesn't mean they sound natural.

I used this tool to quickly add pinyin:

<https://www.jcinfo.net/zh-hans/tools/pinyin>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Could you add pinyin and/or an English literal gloss as well?  
> **username_3**: The actual translation should be "我哥哥的珍贵书籍在床边电视下的桌子上. "  
> **username_4**: @username_3 Actually no. The original English is NOT a complete sentence. It is a giant noun phrase around the noun "book". Your Chinese sentence translates to: My big brother's  precious book IS on the table below the TV by the bed. Not the same at all.  
> **username_3**: @username_4 "on" is 在..之上. English requires "is" to be grammatically correct, not the case with Chinese. No matter what, a translation needs to be as close to the original as possible, it starts with "My big brother's..."= "我哥哥的..." .  
> **username_4**: @username_3 I never said your sentence is not grammatical correct. The original English "My big brother's potentially precious book on the table below the TV by the bed" is a PHRASE, not a sentence. Your Chinese rendition is a sentence. It cannot be the same as the original, and therefore NOT a translation. That is my point.  
> **username_4**: @username_3 Also, a translation needs to convey the same MEANING as the original. It does not need to start with the same thing, or have the same word order as the original. A word-for-word rendition is unlikely to be a good translation.  
> **username_3**: @username_4 I consider my sentence reflects the original meaning correctly and made it more readable. I stated my opinion.  
> **username_4**: I sure hope the rest of us understand the difference between a sentence and a noun phrase.  
> **username_2**: @r3, These phrases are made for grammar demonstration, they should be translated as literally as possible, moreover, the grammar quality should not be changed, otherwise, how do you compare the grammar?  

---

