This reference grammar provides, for the first time, a description of the grammar of Mandarin Chinese, the official spoken language of China and Taiwan, in functional terms, focusing on the role and meanings of word-level and sentence-level structures in actual conversations.

Charles N. Li is Professor of Linguistics and Chairperson, Linguistics Department, University of California, Santa Barbara. Sandra A. Thompson is Professor of Linguistics, University of California, Santa Barbara.

"The text is very clearly written and the explanations of the meaning of particular constructions are perceptive. There are also useful summaries at the end of each chapter. The book will undoubtedly be of considerable use to students and teachers of Mandarin. It will also provide linguists with a wealth of information about the language and a large stock of well-chosen example sentences."—D.C. Bennett, Bulletin of the School of Oriental/African Studies

"The volume. . . . will remain first for many years to come as a standard and comprehensive description of modern Chinese grammar. It is highly recommended to English-speaking students, teachers, and linguists as an indispensable reference work."—Paul Fu-Mien Yang, Journal of Asian Studies

"Li and Thompson's book. . . is clearly ordered and convenient to consult."—Journal of the American Oriental Society