Existential sentence: place + V着 + thing

句型 / sentence patterns (存现句)

Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral

Place + Verb + 着 + (数量) + Noun

To describe a scene ("On the wall hangs a photo"), Chinese starts with the place, then verb + 着, then the thing: 墙上挂着一张照片.

It's a more precise version of "place + 有 + thing": instead of just "there is", you say how it's there (placed 放着, hung 挂着, seated 坐着, standing 站着, written 写着).

The thing is usually indefinite (a, some): 一张, 很多, 两个.

Examples

墙上挂着一张全家福。
Qiáng shang guàzhe yì zhāng quánjiāfú.
A family photo hangs on the wall.
桌子上放着很多书。
Zhuōzi shang fàngzhe hěn duō shū.
There are lots of books on the table.
门口站着一个高个子的男人。
Ménkǒu zhànzhe yí ge gāo gèzi de nánrén.
A tall man is standing at the door.
本子上写着他的名字。
Běnzi shang xiězhe tā de míngzi.
His name is written on the notebook.

Common mistakes

在墙上挂着一张照片 is heard, but the basic form has no 在: ✓ 墙上挂着一张照片.

✗ 一张照片挂着墙上 → ✓ 墙上挂着一张照片 (place first).