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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing "happening" or "occurring" with 发生 (fāshēng)

    Actions & Events

    Structure

    Event + 发生

    Explanation

    发生 (fāshēng) means to happen, occur, or take place. It is one of the most common verbs for describing events. Unlike in English, the event typically comes after 发生 or is the subject, as in 事故发生了 (an accident occurred).

    Examples

    • 昨天晚上这条路上发生了一起交通事故。

      Zuótiān wǎnshang zhè tiáo lù shàng fāshēng le yì qǐ jiāotōng shìgù.

      A traffic accident happened on this road last night.

    • 最近几年，这个行业发生了很大的变化。

      Zuìjìn jǐ nián, zhège hángyè fāshēng le hěn dà de biànhuà.

      In recent years, this industry has undergone great changes.

    • 谁也没想到会发生这样的事情。

      Shéi yě méi xiǎngdào huì fāshēng zhèyàng de shìqíng.

      Nobody expected something like this to happen.

    Expressing "happening" or "occurring" with 发生 (fāshēng) | Chinese Grammar