While “sentence” might seem like a purely grammatical term, its structure in Chinese reveals a lot about the language and culture. Unlike the strict Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order often taught to English speakers, Chinese sentences frequently use a Topic-Comment structure. The topic—the “what we are talking about”—is stated first, followed by a comment or information about that topic. For example, instead of saying “I have already seen that movie” (SVO), a common Chinese structure is “那个电影我看过了” (Nàge diànyǐng wǒ kàn guo le), which literally translates to “That movie, I have seen.” This structure is incredibly common and reflects a way of thinking that prioritizes establishing context first. Furthermore, Chinese culture often values economy of language. In practice, this means that a grammatically “complete” 句子 can often omit the subject or other elements if the context is clear. For an English speaker accustomed to sentences needing an explicit subject (like “I,” “you,” or “it”), this can be jarring. This linguistic habit is rooted in classical Chinese (文言文 wényánwén), where brevity was a high art form. Understanding this helps learners appreciate that a Chinese 句子 isn't just a translation of an English one; it's built on a different foundational logic.
句子 is a word you'll use constantly in a language-learning environment, but also in specific everyday contexts.