Nominal Predicates in Mandarin Chinese

This article reconsiders Tang’s (1998) analysis of Mandarin matrix small clauses (SC) in an attempt to get a better understanding of the structure of the Mandarin nominal predicate. It is found that the structures which the nominal predicate can take can be a bare NP or even not-so-bare projections. All the nominal predicates manifest a kind of modifier-modifiee pattern, which implements ‘modificational predication’ of the subject. Thus, the matrix SC is structurally “not-so-bare” rather than “bare”. Finally, the claim of Mandarin indefinite/definite DP as an argument, not a predicate is further strengthened in this work.