AbstractThere are some problems concerning the properties of Mandarin reflexives as claimed by former studies. The present study redefines Mandarin simplex reflexives and compound reflexives as having different syntactic properties. Mandarin simplex reflexives withzijipossess features of both anaphor and pronoun and follow the normal pattern of derivation. This explains why the simplex reflexives exhibit the long-distance binding phenomenon and blocking effect. Mandarin compound reflexives are quite similar to English reflexives and they follow the special derivational pattern. At the beginning of the derivation, they form pairs with antecedents and their antecedents help to value the reflexive feature and then designatezijias a suffix to the pronouns. This helps to explain why the Mandarin compound reflexives strictly follow the BCA. The simplex reflexive in Mandarin double reflexive structures is different from the bare conditionalshuiin havingde dictointerpretation, that is, it has an implicit specified antecedent in the context.
AbstractPrevious research on Chinese tense indicates that Chinese has either null tense or no tense. However, the present study suggests that the conclusions of previous studies regarding Chinese tense are either against the syntactic truth or illogical. The present study provides new evidence to support that Chinese has two independent tense elements,zaiandguo, which clearly indicate present and past tense, contrary to the traditional assumption that they are aspectual markers. From the perspective of grammaticalization, bothzaiandguowitnessed grammaticalization from the spatial concept to the temporal concept. The semantic evidence shows thatzaiandguoare semantically different from the aspectual markerszheandleand convey the meaning of time location. The fact that bothzaiandguoare allowed in negation but not permitted in non-finite structure provides syntactic evidence that they are tense markers. However, the present study also suggests there can be two differentzaiandguo;zaiandguoused separately and independently andzaiandguoused withzheandle.In the latter case,zaiis a time adverbial andguois an aspectual marker. The existence of independent tense markers in Chinese also shows that Chinese may have at least four different mechanisms to anchor tense.
AbstractPeking opera epitomizes the traditional Chinese performing arts, and all six factors concerning the story and performance of Peking opera, namely plot, role type, song, speech, acting, and combat, can produce humorous effects among the audience. The present paper is a tentative study on humor and sensing humor in Peking opera. The scale study testified that all six factors were able to produce humorous effects and that they had different degrees of comprehension difficulty and humor for different contributing factors. The degree of comprehension difficulty can assert negative influence upon the degree of humor. Different from the traditionally held nonmonotonic (inverted-U) correlation between the two, a monotonic inverse proportion between the two has been detected. The interview analyses revealed that the humorous effects had something to do with incongruity but that resolution might not necessarily be involved. The scale study and the interview analysis both support this finding.
Xiao Zhang,1 Huji Xu,2 Zhiyi Zhang,3 Yang Li,4 Lynne Pauer,5 Shanmei Liao,6 Fengchun Zhang7 1Department of Rheumatology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Affiliated to Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 3School of Clinical Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, People's Republic of China; 4Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, People's Republic of China; 5Global Research and Development, Pfizer, Groton, CT, USA; 6Pfizer China Statistics Department, Global Innovative Pharma Business, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 7Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Fengchun ZhangPeking Union Medical College Hospital, No. 9, Dongdan Santiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing, People's Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +8610-69155416Email zhangfccra@aliyun.comPurpose: Fibromyalgia (FM) may go underdiagnosed and untreated in China in part due to a lack of awareness and understanding of the condition, and limited available treatments.Patients and Methods: This randomized, double-blind, Phase III local registration trial compared the efficacy and safety of pregabalin (flexibly dosed 300– 450 mg/day) versus placebo for the management of pain in Chinese adults diagnosed with FM according to American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria, across 22 centers within China. Patients reported pain score of ≥ 40 mm on 100-mm scale (from 0 "no pain" to 100 "worst possible pain"). The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline to Week 14 in mean pain score (MPS). Secondary endpoints included measures of sleep and sleep interference. Safety and tolerability were monitored throughout.Results: Median pregabalin dose was 335 mg/day. A significant reduction from baseline to Week 14 in weekly MPS was seen for patients treated with pregabalin (n=170) versus placebo (n=164) (least-squares mean difference [95% confidence interval]: – 0.73 [– 1.10 to – 0.36]; P=0.0001). Significantly greater proportions of patients experienced ≥ 30% and ≥ 50% reductions in MPS at Week 14 with pregabalin versus placebo. Pregabalin-treated subjects demonstrated improvements in measures of sleep and sleep interference. Pregabalin was generally well tolerated. The most common adverse events were dizziness and somnolence; no serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred in pregabalin-treated subjects. Nine placebo-treated subjects experienced SAEs.Conclusion: Pregabalin (300– 450 mg/day) is a safe and effective treatment for reducing pain and improving sleep in native Chinese subjects with FM.ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01387607.Keywords: China, chronic pain, FM, Lyrica, pain management, sleep
