Mandarin Chinese reference
指
zhǐ
to point at; to refer to
Verb pattern · 11 form tables
Mandarin verbs do not change for tense. These tables show aspect, negation, questions and sentence patterns. Short phrases omit the subject; full examples retain theirs.
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Aspect
Plain statement
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zhǐpoint at |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zhǐ lepointed at |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zhǐ guohave pointed at before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài zhǐbe pointing at |
Ongoing state
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zhǐ zhebe pointing at |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào zhǐ lebe about to point at |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì zhǐwill point at |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù zhǐdo not point at |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi zhǐdid not point at |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zhǐ ma?do you point at? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zhǐ bu zhǐ?do you point at? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.