English Vs Chinese: Ten Pairs of Features
1. Synthetic vs. Analytic（综合语与分析语）
A synthetic language is characterized by frequent and systematic use of inflected forms (曲折变化形式，词尾变化的词语) to express grammatical relationships.
1.1 Inflectional vs Non-inflectional
E.g. He moved astonishingly fast. 他行动之快令人惊讶。
1.2 Word Order: Flexible vs. Inflexible
E.g. What in the world do you mean? 你的意思究竟是什么？
1.3 The Use of Function Words: English and Chinese Employ Different Types of Function Words
E.g. She was with a child. 她身边带着一个孩子。She was with child. 她怀有身孕。Chinese is rich in particles.
1.4 Intonation vs. Tone(语调与声调)
E.g.你呀，老这样下去可不行啊！（加重语气）Look! You can’t go on like this.
2. Rigid vs. Supple (刚性与柔性)
However long and complicated, English sentences can be reduced to five basic patterns: SV, SVP, SVO, SV oO, and SVOC. English sentences are characterized by their variants（变式）, expansion（扩展）, combination（组合）, omission（省略）, or inversion (倒装).
Chinese is relatively free from the government of the rigid S-V concord. The subject-predicate structure is usually varied, flexible, and therefore complicated and supple.
E.g.文章翻译完了。The essay has been translated.
3. Hypotactic vs. paratactic (形合与意合)
Hypotaxis (形合)is the dependent or subordinate construction or relationship of clauses with connectives. English sentence building is characterized by hypotaxis. Parataxis (意合) is the arranging of lauses one after another without connectives showing the relation between them
Chinese sentence building is featured by parataxis.
E.g. We will not attack unless we are attacked.人不犯我, 我不犯人。
4. Complex vs Simplex (繁复与简短)
English sentence building is featured by an “architecture style” (楼房建筑式) with extensive use of longer or subordinate structures, while Chinese is marked by a “chronicle style” (流水记事式) with frequent use of shorter or composite structures. In short, English sentences are often complex, while Chinese sentences are often simplex.
E.g. Can you answer a question which I want to ask and which is puzzling me? 我有一个问题弄不懂，想请教你，你能回答吗？
5. Impersonal vs. Personal (物称与人称)
The conversion of English impersonal subjects into Chinese personal subjects is often employed in translation.Formal written English often goes with an impersonal style, in which the writer does not refer directly to himself or his readers. Some of the common features of impersonal language are passives, Chinese, by contrast, prefers to
use the personal style, which is featured by more active sentences.
E.g. An idea suddenly struck me. 我突然想到了一个主意。
6. Passive vs. Active（被动与主动）
The weak passive is used in newspaper articles for the same reason: to achieve the impersonal note, and thus, in many instances, to disclaim direct responsibility for statements that are based on hearsay. The passive voice allows us to express ideas without attributing them to a specific individual source. Chinese generally prefers to use active forms; besides, there are many other ways to denote passive sense which is usually expressed in the English passive form.
E.g. 昨晚我盖了两条被子。Last night I was covered up with two quilts.
7. Static vs. Dynamic（静态与动态）
English is featured by its predominance of nouns over verbs. Therefore, nominalization (名词化) is a common occurrence in English. English makes more use of nouns, adjectives, and prepositions; as a result, it is more static. Conversely, Chinese often employs verbs, adverbs, verbal phrases, repetition and reduplication of verbs; accordingly, it is more dynamic.
E.g. He has someone behind him. 有人给他撑腰。
8. Abstract vs. Concrete (抽象与具体）
In English, nominalization often results in abstraction. An excessive reliance on the noun at the expense of the verb will, in the end, detach the mind of the writer from the realities of here and now, from when and how and in what mood the thing was done, and insensibly induce a habit of abstraction, generalization, and vagueness. By contrast, Chinese prefers to use concrete or specific
words and employs a “down-to earth style”, expressing abstract ideas often by metaphor, simile, allegory, or other devices for making a thing plain.
E.g. No country should claim infallibility. 任何国家都不应自称一贯正确。
9. Indirect vs Direct（间接与直接）
The wider use of such devices as euphemism, understatement, litotes, indirect negation, periphrasis, as well as the impersonal style and abstract diction makes English more indirect than Chinese.
9.1 Euphemism （委婉）
Sanitary engineer (=garbage man) 垃圾清洁工
9.2 Understatement（克制陈述）
Yes, I don’t play too badly.
9.3 Litotes (间接肯定)
E.g. I couldn’t feel better. 我觉得身体好极了。
9.4 Indirect Negation (间接否定)
E.g. I don’t think that we can or should remain indifferent to it. 我认为，我们不能也不应对此袖手旁观。
9.5 Tactful Implication (婉转暗示)
E.g. It can be worse. 还过得去。/ 还算不怎么坏。/ 凑合凑合吧
9.6 Periphrasis or Circumlocution（迂回）
E.g. 我拜读了您的大作。I had the pleasure of perusing your work.
10. Substitutive vs. Repetitive (替换与重复)
