Auxiliary words

Original teaching practice. Read one pattern, cover its model and try the questions before checking the separate answer section. Examples adapted from Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning, CC BY-NC-SA) retain the course-reference provenance.

Noun, Noun + what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de (…and so on)

A shopping list

• Your roommate asks what to buy for the weekend barbecue.
• 买点儿mǎi diǎn érmeat肉ròu、vegetables蔬菜shū cài、drink饮料yǐn liàowhat什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de。 – "Buy some meat, vegetables, drinks, that kind of thing."

Noun, Noun + what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de

• A、B (、C) + what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de = "… and so on, … and things like that", in casual speech.
• It closes an open list; one or more examples come before it.

I我wǒlike喜欢xǐ huanreading看书kàn shū、listening to听tīngmusic音乐yīn yuèand so on什么的shén me de。

Activities too

• Verb phrases work: weekend周末zhōu mòI / me我wǒoften常常cháng chángto play ball打球dǎ qiú、to climb a mountain爬山pá shānwhat什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de。 – "At weekends I often play ball, go hiking, things like that."
• The list is only examples; the speaker is not giving every item.

at weekends周末zhōu mòI我wǒoften常常cháng chángplay ball打球dǎ qiú、go hiking爬山pá shānand so on什么的shén me de。

Spoken, and not a question

• what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de here is not "what"; it ends a list, so no question mark.
• In writing use to wait for等děng instead: Beijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎito wait for等děngcity城市chéng shì.

what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de versus to wait for等děng

• what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de is casual and goes at the end of a phrase.
• to wait for等děng is formal and can come before a noun that sums up the list: apple苹果píng guǒ、banana香蕉xiāng jiāoto wait for等děngfruit水果shuǐ guǒ – "apples, bananas and other fruit".

apples苹果píng guǒ、bananas香蕉xiāng jiāoand other等děngfruit水果shuǐ guǒ。

Recap

• A、B + what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de = A, B and so on (casual, open list).
• Writing uses to wait for等děng (to wait for等děng + summary noun).

Practise this pattern step by step.

… to wait for等děng / et cetera等等děng děng (etc.)

In a news report

• You read about which Chinese cities have the most visitors.
• Beijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi、Xi'an, sub-provincial city…西安xī ānto wait for等děngcity城市chéng shìall / both都dōudegree / adjective linker很hěnpopular受欢迎shòu huān yíng。 – "Cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an are all very popular."

A、B + to wait for等děng (+ summary noun)

• to wait for等děng = "etc., and so on" in writing. It follows the list and can be followed by a noun that sums it up.
• et cetera等等děng děng is a stronger "and so on and so forth", usually at the very end.

I我wǒbought买mǎi了leapples苹果píng guǒ、bananas香蕉xiāng jiāoand other等děngfruit水果shuǐ guǒ。

Open list or closed list

• Open: China中国zhōng guóto have / there is有yǒu很多hěn duō传统节日chuán tǒng jié rì，for example比如bǐ rúSpring Festival (Chinese…春节chūn jié、the Mid-Autumn Festival on…中秋节zhōng qiū jiéet cetera等等děng děng。 – "China has many traditional festivals, such as the Spring Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and so on."
• Closed, with a number: Beijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi、Guangzhou subprovincial…广州guǎng zhōuto wait for等děng三个sān gècity城市chéng shì – "the three cities Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou". The number shows the list is complete.

Beijing北京Běi jīng、Shanghai上海Shàng hǎi、Guangzhou广州Guǎng zhōu(these)等děngthree三个sān gècities城市chéng shì。

Written style

• to wait for等děng is formal; in chat, what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de sounds more natural.
• With a number after to wait for等děng, the list is complete: to wait for等děng三个sān gècity城市chéng shì means exactly those three.

to wait for等děng the verb

• to wait for等děng also means "wait": to wait for等děng(used after a verb) give it…一下yī xià – "wait a moment". In a list it means "etc.".
• Position tells you which: after a list of nouns it is "etc.".

please请qǐngwait等děnga moment一下yí xià。

Recap

• A、B + to wait for等děng (+ noun) = A, B and so on (written); et cetera等等děng děng = and so on and so forth.
• to wait for等děng + number = a complete list; casual speech uses what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de.

Practise this pattern step by step.

Practice without the models

Choose a pattern, cover its teaching examples, and attempt its questions. Use the labels to find feedback in the separate key.

Noun, Noun + what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de (…and so on)

0401.1 Complete casually: “I like reading, music and so on.” I / me我wǒto like喜欢xǐ huanto read看书kàn shū、to listen to听tīngmusic音乐yīn yuè…………。

0401.2 Which suits a written report?

• A. he / him他tā去过qù guòwhat什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的deBeijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi。
• B. he / him他tā去过qù guòBeijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎiwhat什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的decity城市chéng shì。
• C. he / him他tā去过qù guòBeijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎiwhat什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de。
• D. he / him他tā去过qù guòBeijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎito wait for等děngcity城市chéng shì。

0401.3 Build: “At weekends I often play ball, go hiking, things like that.”

Arrange all chunks: to play ball打球dǎ qiú、 / to climb a mountain爬山pá shān / what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de。 / weekend周末zhōu mòI / me我wǒoften常常cháng cháng

0401.4 A sentence ending in what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de needs a question mark.

True or false? Explain or repair the statement.

0401.5 Your roommate asks what to buy for the weekend barbecue. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.

Write or say your own response before reading the key.

… to wait for等děng / et cetera等等děng děng (etc.)

0402.1 Complete (written): “apples, bananas and other fruit” apple苹果píng guǒ、banana香蕉xiāng jiāo…………fruit水果shuǐ guǒ

0402.2 What does Beijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi、Guangzhou subprovincial…广州guǎng zhōuto wait for等děng三个sān gècity城市chéng shì tell you?

• A. There are more than three cities.
• B. The list is incomplete.
• C. The speaker is waiting for three cities.
• D. There are exactly these three cities.

0402.3 Build: “Cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are very popular.”

Arrange all chunks: popular受欢迎shòu huān yíng。 / Beijing, capital of the…北京běi jīng、Shanghai municipality…上海shàng hǎi / to wait for等děngcity城市chéng shì / all / both都dōudegree / adjective linker很hěn

0402.4 to wait for等děng is more formal than what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de.

True or false? Explain or repair the statement.

0402.5 You read about which Chinese cities have the most visitors. Close the examples. Say a Mandarin response, then write it in Chinese. Explain briefly in English what the lesson’s pattern adds. Compare with the model, then change one detail and try again.

Write or say your own response before reading the key.

A fresh situation

R1. Interpret and repair. A list says I / me我wǒto buy买mǎi(completed / change)了leapple苹果píng guǒ、banana香蕉xiāng jiāoto wait for等děngfruit水果shuǐ guǒ. Does to wait for等děng tell you exactly which other fruit was bought?

R2. Use it yourself. Make one informal open list using what什么shén me(modifier / structural particle)的de and a more neutral written list using to wait for等děng.

Write your responses before opening the key. Compare meaning as well as form; a different valid answer need not copy the model.