Chapter 3 / Part 1

Introduction

In shumianyu, longer multi-syllabic words and phrases are frequently shortened by removing one or more syllables. Over time, most of these contracted words and phrases have become conventionally accepted by the general public, and can be found frequently in newspapers, magazines, and television news broadcasts.

Two rules are generally followed in contracting words and phrases:

1. To shorten a phrase made up of two two-syllable words, take one syllable from each word and contract into a word with two syllables.
2. Contractions must not create ambiguity in meaning.

In most cases, word and phrase contractions are arbitrarily created forms that become widely accepted through general use over time. You should not attempt to create your own contractions.

You must learn both full forms and their contracted forms. In articles and news reports, the first mention of a word or phrase is usually given in its full form. Later appearances of the word or phrase will then appear in contracted form.

We will divide our word and phrase contraction examples into six groups:

1. Words shortened in formal shumianyu writing
2. Contracted forms of nouns
3. Organization names
4. Chinese provinces
5. U.S.A. state names
6. Country names

Please note: On mobile devices it is recommended that you view the following tables with your phone flipped horizontally.