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    Chinese Grammar

    Using proper nouns and named entities in Chinese

    Topic & Focus

    Explanation

    Proper nouns in Chinese — including names of people, places, organizations, and events — do not change form and are not marked with articles like "the" or "a." They are often translated phonetically from other languages using Chinese characters chosen for their sound. Context and surrounding words help the reader identify them as names rather than common vocabulary.

    Examples

    • 马克·扎克伯格创建了一家大公司。

      Mǎkè · Zhākèbógé chuàngjiàn le yì jiā dà gōngsī.

      Mark Zuckerberg founded a large company.

    • 李明下个月要去纽约出差。

      Lǐ Míng xià gè yuè yào qù Niǔyuē chūchāi.

      Li Ming is going to New York on a business trip next month.

    • 联合国在日内瓦召开了会议。

      Liánhéguó zài Rìnèiwǎ zhàokāi le huìyì.

      The United Nations held a meeting in Geneva.

    Using proper nouns and named entities in Chinese | Chinese Grammar