Mandarin Chinese reference
理
lǐ
to pay attention to (someone); to put in order; reason
Verb pattern · 10 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) | lǐpay attention to (someone) |
Completed action
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | lǐ lepaid attention to (someone) |
Experience
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | lǐ guohave paid attention to (someone) before |
In progress
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | zài lǐbe paying attention to (someone) |
Future
About to
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | yào lǐ lebe about to pay attention to (someone) |
Will / can
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | huì lǐwill pay attention to (someone) |
Negative
Not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | bù lǐdo not pay attention to (someone) |
Did not
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | méi lǐdid not pay attention to (someone) |
Questions
Yes no question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | lǐ ma?do you pay attention to (someone)? |
A not A question
| Person, form or usage | Form and meaning |
|---|---|
| verb phrase (subject omitted) | lǐ bu lǐ?do you pay attention to (someone)? |
Forms from the Loquus reference. Only supplied forms are shown. Browse all Mandarin Chinese entries.