Mandarin place words are nouns which describe a position or place. They may be the object of a sentence, or used to describe where the object is.
When used as a position, Mandarin place words are usually preceded by the particle 在 zài (to be located at). When used as an object, place words are usually preceded by 有 yǒu (there is).
Types of Mandarin Place Words
There are three main types of Mandarin place words:
- Place names – e.g. 台北 (Táiběi – Taipei); 學校 / 学校 (xuéxiào – school)
- Positional nouns such as 這裡 /这里 (zhèlǐ – here)
- Place word suffixes such as 裡 / 里 (lǐ) and 上 (shàng)
Place Names
Mandarin place names are nouns which may precede other nouns to modify them, as in 加拿大人 (jiānádà rén – Canadian person). Place names usually do not use 的 (de) to modify other nouns. Geographic place names are not usually modified, but locations such as學校 / 学校 (xuéxiào – school) may be preceded by an adjective.
Positional Nouns
Mandarin positional nouns end in 面, as in 外面 (wàimian – outside), but also include 這裡 / 这里 (zhèlǐ – here), 哪裡 / 哪里 (nǎli – where), and 那裡 / 那里 (nail – there).
Positional nouns can be used before any other noun, usually with 的 (de), as in these examples:
外面的學校
外面的学校
wàimian de xuéxiào
outside the school這裡的郵局
这里的邮局
zhèlǐ de yóujú
the post office here
Positional nouns can also be used after some nouns to indicate position:
學校裡面
学校里面
xuéxiào lǐmiàn
inside the school桌子上面
zhuōzi shàngmian
on the table
Place Word Suffix
Place word suffixes convert nouns into place words. The most common place word suffixes are 裡 / 里 (lǐ); 外 (wài); 上 (shàng); and 下 (xià).
桌子上
zhuōzishàng
on the table學校裡
学校里
xuéxiàolǐ
in the school樓下
楼下
lóuxià
downstairs房子外
fángzi wài
outside the house
(Source: mandarin.about.com)
