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    Chinese Grammar

    Coordinating nouns with a conjunction

    Connecting Ideas
    Listing & Enumeration

    Structure

    A + Conjunction + B

    Explanation

    In Chinese, coordination at the phrase level connects two or more items using a conjunction word placed before the final item in the group. This structure is similar to English "A and B," where the conjunction appears only once, directly before the last element. The conjunct phrases must be of the same grammatical type.

    Examples

    • 我买了苹果和橙子。

      Wǒ mǎi le píngguǒ hé chéngzi.

      I bought apples and oranges.

    • 爸爸和妈妈下周来看我。

      Bàba hé māma xià zhōu lái kàn wǒ.

      Mom and Dad are coming to visit me next week.

    • 桌子上放着书、笔和水杯。

      Zhuōzi shàng fàng zhe shū, bǐ hé shuǐbēi.

      There are books, pens, and a water cup on the table.

    Coordinating nouns with a conjunction | Chinese Grammar