How do I spot a loan graph?

If the literal sense fails and a homophone works, it is a loan graph, and the original word must be named.

How do I restore a missing subject?

Take it from whoever performs the previous action, so the whole passage reads coherently.

S4 Chinese, Classical Chinese, Paper 2: pronouns, judgements and passive forms

2026-10-31

Ten items on the pronoun qi, the zhe ye judgement frame, the preposition yu, the loan graph shuo, nai, the passive jian yu and omitted subjects.

Focus　Let the following word fix a function word; zhe ye marks a judgement; yu takes its sense from what follows; a loan graph reads as its original; jian yu is passive; classical Chinese often drops the subject.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	25
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S4 Chinese: Classical Chinese
Level	S4 to S6

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationIn the line the man said, what now, what is the word qi doing?
FoundationThe sentence Chen Sheng was a man of Yangcheng uses which classical pattern?
FoundationIn the phrase fought at Changshao, what does the word yu mean?
FoundationIn the line is it not a pleasure, which word does shuo stand for?
IntermediateIn the phrase then he went in to see, what does nai mean?
IntermediateIn the line I am long laughed at by the great schools, what does jian yu mark?
IntermediateIn the phrase taking the thick grass as a forest, what does yi wei mean?
ChallengeA 480 character classical passage with 12 minutes allowed: how many characters per minute?
ChallengeIn the line seeing the fisherman they were greatly startled, what is omitted?
Error redoA candidate reads ke yi as the modern word for can: what is wrong?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	It is a demonstrative pronoun meaning that one	Qi can be a pronoun or a modal adverb; what follows it decides which.
2	A judgement sentence with the zhe ye frame	The zhe ye frame marks a judgement; the translation restores the verb to be.
3	At or in, a preposition of place	Yu can mark place, time, comparison or the passive; the word after it tells you which.
4	It stands for yue, meaning delight	A loan graph takes the meaning of the original word; reading it as speak breaks the line.
5	Thereupon or then, an adverb	Nai carries the action forward in time rather than stressing only then.
6	The passive, meaning by	The jian yu frame is passive: the subject receives the action, so by enters the translation.
7	To take something as something else	Yi wei is a fixed frame: the first noun is the object, the second how it is treated.
8	40 characters per minute	480 divided by 12 is 40; slower readers should scan the glosses first.
9	The subject, the villagers	Classical Chinese often drops the subject; the translation has to supply it from context.
10	It is two words, ke plus yi, meaning may rely on it, not the modern can	A shifted compound must be split; reading it as one modern word distorts the line.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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Questions and answers are written originally by the TutorZone team and are not taken from any school, publisher or examination authority paper. Every value is checked by computer.