Abstract Despite previous studies (cf. among others Huang 1987. Existential sentences in Chinese and (in)definiteness. In Eric J. Reuland & Alice G.B. Ter Meulen (eds.), The representation of (In)definiteness, 226–253. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press; Li, Yen-Hui Audrey. 1990. Order and constituency in Mandarin Chinese. Dordrecht: Kluwer; Li, Yen-Hui Audrey. 1998. Two types of existential sentences. Illinois Papers in Linguistics 26. 175–191; Pan, Haihua. 1996. Imperfective aspect zhe, agent deletion, and locative inversion in Mandarin Chinese. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 14(2). 409–432), the defining characteristics of existential sentences in Chinese (including potential equivalents of locative inversion in English) have remained controversial. This is shown to be due to the failure to acknowledge the existence of two different constructions, the existential construction (ExC) ‘Ø V DP’ where a sentence-initial phrase indicating location (PlaceP) is not required, on the one hand, and the locative construction (LoC) with an obligatory PlaceP, on the other: ‘PlaceP V DP’. Only the ExC can serve as a diagnostic context for unaccusative verbs, whereas the LoC allows for a wide range of verbs, including a subset of unergative verbs. Furthermore, two types of LoC need to be distinguished, depending on the type of aspect (perfective aspect -le vs imperfective aspect -zhe), giving rise to different semantics. Both have, however, in common that the PlaceP occupies the subject position (SpecTP), not the topic position, and that it is merged in SpecTP, not moved there, as evidenced by the systematic lack of a corresponding source structure with the PlaceP in postverbal position.

中文翻译：

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普通话中的存在性和位置性结构

证明这是由于未能确认存在两种不同的构造，一方面是存在构造（ExC）'ØV DP'，其中不需要指示位置（PlaceP）的句子初始短语，并且带有强制性PlaceP的位置构造（LoC），另一个是：“ PlaceP V DP”。只有ExC可以用作非宾格动词的诊断上下文，而LoC允许范围广泛的动词，包括非格动词的子集。此外，根据方面的类型（完美方面-le与不完美方面-zhe），需要区分两种LoC类型，从而产生不同的语义。但是，两者的共同点是，PlaceP占据主题位置（SpecTP），而不是主题位置，并且它已在SpecTP中合并，没有移到那里，