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Resources
Coordinating nouns with the pause mark 、
Connecting Ideas
Listing & Enumeration
Structure
Noun₁ 、 Noun₂ 、 Noun₃
Explanation
In Chinese, nouns in a list are coordinated using the pause mark 、(dùnhào) between items. This punctuation serves a similar function to commas in English lists but is specifically used for separating parallel words or short phrases. The final item may or may not be preceded by a conjunction.
Examples
我买了苹果、香蕉、橘子和葡萄。
Wǒ mǎi le píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo, júzi hé pútao.
I bought apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes.
北京、上海、广州、深圳是中国最大的城市。
Běijīng, Shànghǎi, Guǎngzhōu, Shēnzhèn shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de chéngshì.
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are the largest cities in China.
桌子上放着书、笔、手机、钥匙。
Zhuōzi shàng fàng zhe shū, bǐ, shǒujī, yàoshi.
On the table were a book, a pen, a phone, and keys.