---
title: In a cartoon Granny asks «yào bu yào?» and the boy answers «duì!». W… — Yes and no — there is no single word · tree and pragmatics
description: In a cartoon Granny asks «yào bu yào?» and the boy answers «duì!». Why is it odd? Test 8 · ★ of lesson 4 «Yes and no — there is no single word» of the Chinese street course of Mova's primary school, with the dependency tree and pragmatics of the question and of each option; Mova's choice was right.
---

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# Test 8 · ★ · Yes and no — there is no single word

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
In a cartoon Granny asks «yào bu yào?» and the boy answers «duì!». Why is it odd?

<!-- .vintro -->
**Mova's choice:** option 1 · **The right answer:** option 1 · right ✓ · **Who acts:** Granny, boy, duì · **What happens:** ask, answer, be · **To what, where:** yào, cartoon, duì

<!-- .vabout -->
This is test 8 · ★ of lesson 4 «Yes and no — there is no single word» of the Chinese street course of Mova's primary school. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: [the test at school](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/school-run/chinese-street/4-yes-and-no/#t8).

## The question {#question}

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 1:* In a cartoon Granny asks «yào bu yào?» and the boy answers «duì!».

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:4-yes-and-no:t8:1
# text = In a cartoon Granny asks «yào bu yào?» and the boy answers «duì!».
1	In	in	ADP	IN	_	3	case	_	_
2	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	3	det	_	_
3	cartoon	cartoon	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	5	obl	_	_
4	Granny	Granny	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
5	asks	ask	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
6	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	7	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
7	yào	yào	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	5	obj	_	_
8	bu	bu	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	7	flat:foreign	_	_
9	yào	yào	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	7	flat:foreign	_	SpaceAfter=No
10	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
11	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	5	punct	_	_
12	and	and	CCONJ	CC	_	15	cc	_	_
13	the	the	DET	DT	Definite=Def|PronType=Art	14	det	_	_
14	boy	boy	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	15	nsubj	_	_
15	answers	answer	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	conj	_	_
16	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
17	duì	duì	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	15	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
18	!	!	PUNCT	.	_	17	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
19	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	15	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
20	.	.	PUNCT	.	_	5	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **ask** *speech: ask* | present | Granny | yào |  | a cartoon |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V NP.recipient»: agent=Agent yào=Recipient |
| 2 | **answer** *speech: assert* | present | the boy | duì |  |  |  |  | vn reciprocate-112-1 «NP V PP»: agent=Agent duì=Eventuality |

<!-- .note -->
One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

<!-- .note -->
*Sentence 2:* Why is it odd?

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:4-yes-and-no:t8:2
# text = Why is it odd?
1	Why	why	ADV	WRB	PronType=Int	4	advmod	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	cop	_	_
3	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	4	nsubj	_	_
4	odd	odd	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	0	root	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	?	?	PUNCT	.	_	4	punct	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is** | present | duì |  |  |  |  | odd *property* | tree rules |

## The options {#options}

### Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer {#o1}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
duì means «correct», but she asked if he wants it: yào

<!-- fold The tree, 11 words -->
```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:4-yes-and-no:t8:o1:1
# text = duì means «correct», but she asked if he wants it: yào
1	duì	duì	X	FW	Foreign=Yes	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	«	«	PUNCT	``	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
4	correct	correct	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	2	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
5	»	»	PUNCT	''	_	4	punct	_	SpaceAfter=No
6	,	,	PUNCT	,	_	9	punct	_	_
7	but	but	CCONJ	CC	_	9	cc	_	_
8	she	she	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Fem|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	9	nsubj	_	_
9	asked	ask	VERB	VBD	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Past|VerbForm=Fin	2	conj	_	_
10	if	if	SCONJ	IN	_	12	mark	_	_
11	he	he	PRON	PRP	Case=Nom|Gender=Masc|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	nsubj	_	_
12	wants	want	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	9	ccomp	_	_
13	it	it	PRON	PRP	Case=Acc|Gender=Neut|Number=Sing|Person=3|PronType=Prs	12	obj	_	SpaceAfter=No
14	:	:	PUNCT	:	_	15	punct	_	_
15	yào	yào	NOUN	FW	Foreign=Yes	2	conj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | duì | correct |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent correct=Topic |
| 2 | **ask** *speech: ask* | past | she |  |  |  |  |  | vn inquire-37.1.2 «NP V how S»: agent=Agent clause=Topic |
| 3 | **want** *a condition, not said to happen* | present | he | it |  |  |  |  | vn want-32.1-1-1 «NP V NP ADV»: agent=Pivot it=Theme |

### Option 2 {#o2}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
duì is only said at night

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:4-yes-and-no:t8:o2:1
# text = duì is only said at night
1	duì	duì	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	4	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	4	aux:pass	_	_
3	only	only	ADV	RB	_	4	advmod	_	_
4	said	say	VERB	VBN	Tense=Past|VerbForm=Part|Voice=Pass	0	root	_	_
5	at	at	ADP	IN	_	6	case	_	_
6	night	night	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	4	obl	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **say** *speech: assert* | present · passive |  | duì |  |  | night |  | vn say-37.7-1-1 «NP V NP.topic»: subject=Topic |

### Option 3 {#o3}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
duì means no thanks

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:4-yes-and-no:t8:o3:1
# text = duì means no thanks
1	duì	duì	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	2	nsubj	_	_
2	means	mean	VERB	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	0	root	_	_
3	no	no	DET	DT	PronType=Neg	4	det	_	_
4	thanks	thanks	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	2	obj	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **mean** | present | duì | no thanks |  |  |  |  | vn intend-61.2-1 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent thanks=Topic |

### Option 4 {#o4}

<!-- .ven lang=en -->
duì is a rude word

```conllu
# sent_id = question:chinese-street:4-yes-and-no:t8:o4:1
# text = duì is a rude word
1	duì	duì	PROPN	NNP	Number=Sing	5	nsubj	_	_
2	is	be	AUX	VBZ	Mood=Ind|Number=Sing|Person=3|Tense=Pres|VerbForm=Fin	5	cop	_	_
3	a	a	DET	DT	Definite=Ind|PronType=Art	5	det	_	_
4	rude	rude	ADJ	JJ	Degree=Pos	5	amod	_	_
5	word	word	NOUN	NN	Number=Sing	0	root	_	_
```

<!-- .fr -->
| # | verb | tense, mood | who | what, whom | to whom | where | when | other | roles by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | **is a** | present | duì | a rude word |  |  |  |  | tree rules |

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**Text:** the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (`world/data/school/`), as the course runner gave them to the student. **Trees:** Mova's own parse — the `en` model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. **Frames:** Mova's frames reader (`prag`), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

<!-- /div -->

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