Omit what earlier context makes clear
承前省略
How it works
Chinese often omits a subject or another element when earlier context makes its identity clear. The reader should be able to recover what is missing without guessing between competing possibilities.
The omitted element does not have to be repeated simply because an English translation repeats a pronoun. In longer writing, restore an explicit noun or pronoun whenever the reference could become ambiguous.
The pattern
Example sentences
小王拿起书，坐下就读了起来。
Xiao Wang picked up a book, sat down, and began to read.
你买票了吗？买了。
Have you bought the tickets? Yes, I have.
Pinyin generally shows citation tones; tones can change in connected speech.
What to watch for
Omission is not permission to leave an unclear reference. If two people could be the subject of the next clause, name the intended person.
Try it
In the reply 买了, what earlier information lets us understand the missing material?
Show answer
The question supplies the action of buying tickets and the person being asked. The reply means that the tickets have been bought by that person.
Syllabus reference
The topic is listed in the official 2025 syllabus. The explanation, examples and practice on this page are written for SenMandarin.
SenMandarin · Updated 2026-10-22