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HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 5 min read

蒙后省略 for Leaving Out a Subject Named Later

Learn how Chinese drops the subject of the first clause when the same subject is named in the clause that follows.

Pattern

(no subject) + clause 1，subject + (就/也/还是……) + clause 2

When two clauses share a subject, Chinese can leave it out of the first clause and name it only in the second; the reader looks ahead to find out who is meant.

听到这个好消息，大家都高兴地跳了起来。

When to use 蒙后省略 for Leaving Out a Subject Named Later

省略 means “leaving something out”. In 蒙后省略, a word that the two clauses share — most often the subject — is left out of the first clause and named only in the following clause. The reader “looks ahead” to find out who did the first action.

一进门，爸爸就闻到了饭菜的香味。

As soon as Dad came in, he smelled the food cooking.

为了赶上早班车，他五点就起床了。

To catch the early bus, he got up at five.

虽然很累，但是他还是坚持跑完了全程。

Although he was very tired, he still kept going and finished the whole run.

因为起晚了，所以他连早饭都没吃就出门了。

Because he got up late, he left home without even having breakfast.

Common traps

  • Only leave out the first subject when it is the same person or thing as the subject of the second clause.
  • Put the named subject before 就, 也 or 还是: 吃完饭，他就去图书馆了. Writing 就他去图书馆了 changes the meaning to “only he went to the library”.
  • Don’t repeat the same subject in both clauses without a reason: 他听到消息，他很高兴 sounds clumsy.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

一到家，弟弟 打开电视看起了动画片

As soon as he got home, my little brother turned on the TV and started watching cartoons
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