'有' Sentences: Existence & Attachment
有着 = 'to have/possess' (an emphatic, more literary form of 有), used with abstract, enduring qualities — not concrete, countable objects. 这座城市有着悠久的历史。(This city has a long history.)
V+有 (写有/贴有/挂有/印有/刻有…) = 'there is X [written/posted/printed/engraved]', showing displayed information attached to a surface:
门上写有'禁止入内'四个字。(On the door is written 'No Entry'.)
Position: 有着 replaces plain 有 before the object; V+有 attaches 有 directly after a display-type verb (写/贴/挂/印/刻), never after action verbs like 打/买.
Common mistake: using 有着 with a concrete countable noun (✗这座城市有着一本书) — 有着 needs an abstract, ongoing quality as its object.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 这座城市有着悠久的历史。 | Zhè zuò chéng shì yǒu zhe yōu jiǔ de lì shǐ. | This city has a long history. | 有着 with an abstract, enduring quality (历史). |
| 他们俩有着深厚的友谊。 | Tā men liǎ yǒu zhe shēn hòu de yǒu yì. | The two of them have a deep friendship. | 有着 again with an abstract relationship noun (友谊). |
| 门上写有'禁止入内'四个字。 | Mén shàng xiě yǒu 'jìn zhǐ rù nèi' sì gè zì. | On the door is written the four characters '禁止入内' (No Entry). | 写有: a new V+有 pattern for displayed/written information. |
| 这本古书的封面上印有作者的名字，书里有着许多珍贵的资料。 | Zhè běn gǔ shū de fēng miàn shàng yìn yǒu zuò zhě de míng zi, shū lǐ yǒu zhe xǔ duō zhēn guì de zī liào. | The author's name is printed on this old book's cover, and inside it has a lot of precious material. | Combines 印有 (printed) and 有着 (abstract possession) in one sentence. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
The same pattern at other levels
- The 有-Sentence — HSK 1
'有' Sentences is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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