This book delves deep into how the concepts of identity and similarity, which are fundamental to human beings, are expressed in the grammar of Mandarin Chinese. Here, we investigate a variety of constructions in Mandarin that can convey equivalence between entities, kinds, degrees and manners, which are generally referred to as “equation constructions.” It has been observed cross-linguistically that equation constructions (partially) share similar morphological structures, and the overarching question addressed in this book is to what extent these conceptually linked constructions can be formally subjected to a uniform analysis. The main target audience of this book includes linguistics researchers, graduate and advanced undergraduate students in Linguistics or Chinese, as well as researchers in related fields with an interest in the concepts of identity and similarity.

This book delves deep into how the concepts of identity and similarity, which are fundamental to human beings, are expressed in the grammar of Mandarin Chinese. Here, we investigate a variety of constructions in Mandarin that can convey equivalence between entities, kinds, degrees and manners, which are generally referred to as “equation constructions.” It has been observed cross-linguistically that equation constructions (partially) share similar morphological structures, and the overarching question addressed in this book is to what extent these conceptually linked constructions can be formally subjected to a uniform analysis. The main target audience of this book includes linguistics researchers, graduate and advanced undergraduate students in Linguistics or Chinese, as well as researchers in related fields with an interest in the concepts of identity and similarity.

This book delves deep into how the concepts of identity and similarity, which are fundamental to human beings, are expressed in the grammar of Mandarin Chinese. Here, we investigate a variety of constructions in Mandarin that can convey equivalence between entities, kinds, degrees and manners, which are generally referred to as “equation constructions.” It has been observed cross-linguistically that equation constructions (partially) share similar morphological structures, and the overarching question addressed in this book is to what extent these conceptually linked constructions can be formally subjected to a uniform analysis. The main target audience of this book includes linguistics researchers, graduate and advanced undergraduate students in Linguistics or Chinese, as well as researchers in related fields with an interest in the concepts of identity and similarity.