# HSK 5 Grammar: Verb + 有 (yǒu) for Attachment and Existence | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5-sentences-3-g050 Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-5-g050 HSK levels: 5 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:58.887Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn the HSK 5 special sentence pattern Subject + Verb + 有 + Object to describe text, images, or components attached to a surface or container. Grammar [HSK 5 · Sentence types › Special sentence patterns › 有 sentences 3](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-5#hsk-5-g050) # HSK 5 Grammar: Expressing Attachment and Existence with “Subject + Verb + 有 + Object” In Subject + Verb + 有 + Object, combinations such as 写有 and 印有 describe content borne by a surface or medium. The sentence presents an existing feature, rather than narrating the act of writing or printing. The feature need not be permanent. Subject (Surface / Container) Verb (Attachment / Placement) 有 Object (Attached Item / Content) Example sentence 纪念碑的底座上刻有一行醒目的金色大字。 Jìniànbēi de dǐzuò shàng kè yǒu yī háng xǐngmù de jīnsè dàzì. A line of striking large golden characters is engraved on the base of the monument. Shows kè yǒu (刻有) describing permanent text carved onto a stone surface. A common mistake × 信封正面写有他。 Xìnfēng zhèngmiàn xiě yǒu tā. (Intended) His name/information is written on the front of the envelope. For the intended meaning “his name is written there”, 他 alone names the person rather than the written content. Use 他的姓名. If you literally mean the character “他”, quotation marks would signal that different meaning. Corrected example: 信封正面写有他的姓名。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Core Meaning: Resulting Attachment on a Surface or Medium In basic Chinese, 有 (yǒu) acts as the main verb of a sentence to show possession or simple existence at a location. In the HSK 5 grammar syllabus under special sentence types, “有”字句3 (2) introduces a distinct compound structure: Subject + Verb + 有 + Object. Here, 有 is placed immediately after a transitive verb to indicate that something has been put onto, written on, printed on, or built into the subject, and remains there as an observable feature. Subject (Surface / Container) Verb (Attachment / Placement) 有 Object (Attached Item / Content) In this pattern, the subject is almost always a place, surface, container, or object rather than an agent performing an action. The verb specifies the manner in which the feature came to be attached (such as engraving, printing, painting, or writing), while 有 confirms that the resulting object now exists on or within that subject. 纪念碑的底座上刻有一行醒目的金色大字。 Jìniànbēi de dǐzuò shàng kè yǒu yī háng xǐngmù de jīnsè dàzì. A line of striking large golden characters is engraved on the base of the monument. Shows kè yǒu (刻有) describing permanent text carved onto a stone surface. 这种药的包装盒背面印有详细的服用说明和注意事项。 Zhè zhǒng yào de bāozhuānghé bèimiàn yìn yǒu xiángxì de fúyòng shuōmíng hé zhùyì shìxiàng. Detailed dosage instructions and precautions are printed on the back of this medicine's packaging box. Shows yìn yǒu (印有), one of the most common collocations on packaging and labels. ## How Each Part of the Sentence Works To use this structure accurately, pay close attention to the semantic restrictions on all three slots: the subject, the verb, and the object. - The Subject (Location or Carrier): Usually a noun phrase denoting a surface, medium, or container, often ending with a localizer such as 上 (shàng, on), 里 (lǐ, inside), 中 (zhōng, within), or 背面 (bèimiàn, on the back). - The Verb (Manner of Attachment or Inclusion): Typically a monosyllabic transitive verb that leaves a lasting mark or presence. High-frequency verbs include 印 (yìn, print), 写 (xiě, write), 刻 (kè, engrave/carve), 画 (huà, draw/paint), 涂 (tú, coat/paint), 贴 (tiē, paste/stick), 绣 (xiù, embroider), 装 (zhuāng, install/load), and 含 (hán, contain). - The Object (Attached Item): Typically represents new, indefinite, or quantified information—such as a number-measure phrase, a noun modified by 许多 (xǔduō, many) or 多种 (duō zhǒng, various kinds of), or a descriptive noun phrase specifying the content. 文化街两侧的砖墙上画有许多反映传统民俗的彩绘。 Wénhuàjiē liǎngcè de zhuānqiáng shàng huà yǒu xǔduō fǎnyìng chuántǒng mínsú de cǎihuì. Many colorful murals reflecting traditional folk customs are painted on the brick walls on both sides of Culture Street. Uses huà yǒu (画有) with a quantified object (xǔduō...) attached to a wall surface. 这款天然护肤品中含有多种植物提取物。 Zhè kuǎn tiānrán hùfūpǐn zhōng hányǒu duō zhǒng zhíwù tíqǔwù. This natural skincare product contains multiple kinds of plant extracts. Uses hányǒu (含有) where the subject is a substance or container rather than an outer surface. 含有 and 附有 are established verb combinations related to containing and enclosing. They help illustrate the broader Verb + 有 sequence, but 含有 need not describe a deliberate act of putting something into a container: a substance can naturally contain a component. ## Questions, Negation, and Register The Verb + 有 + Object construction belongs primarily to written, formal, or descriptive registers. You will frequently encounter it in product instructions, museum plaques, official notices, contracts, and news reports. Subject (Surface / Container) Verb (Attachment / Placement) 有 Object (Attached Item / Content) 吗？ When speakers form a yes-no question with this structure—for example, when verifying whether a document or product carries a required mark—they normally add 吗 (ma) at the end of the clause or ask with 是不是 (shì bu shì) before the verb. 正式合同的每一页底部都印有公司的防伪水印吗？ Zhèngshì hétong de měi yī yè dǐbù dōu yìn yǒu gōngsī de fángwěi shuǐyìn ma? Is the company's anti-counterfeiting watermark printed at the bottom of every page of the official contract? Demonstrates a natural yes-no question checking for an attached security feature. Negate the whole verb expression, not by inserting 不 or 没 between the verb and 有. Natural choices include 盒子上未印有生产日期 and 盒子上没有印生产日期; 没有印有 also occurs. Choose wording that fits the context rather than treating the removal of 有 as compulsory. ## Contrast with “Verb + 着” and Common Pitfalls Learners often ask how Location + Verb + 有 + Object differs from Location + Verb + 着 (zhe) + Object, since both can describe something existing on a surface. 教室后面的黑板上写着本周的值日生名单。 Jiàoshì hòumiàn de hēibǎn shàng xiězhe běn zhōu de zhírìshēng míngdān. This week's duty roster is written on the blackboard at the back of the classroom. 写着 is natural in this everyday scene. 写有本周的值日生名单 is also possible, with a more written descriptive tone; a weekly or temporary roster does not make 有 ungrammatical. - Verb + 着 is common in speech and description; Verb + 有 often has a written or factual descriptive tone. This is not a permanent-versus-temporary distinction: 黑板上写有今天的通知 can describe a notice that will soon be erased. - Scope of verbs: Verb + 着 works with posture and temporary placement verbs like 坐 (zuò, sit), 站 (zhàn, stand), 放 (fàng, put/place), and 挂 (guà, hang). Verb + 有 is much more restricted; it strongly favors verbs where the object becomes physically attached to, inscribed on, or integrated into the host medium. - Focus: Verb + 着 highlights the continuous visual state of the scene, whereas Verb + 有 emphasizes the objective fact that the surface possesses or bears that item. The object must match what is actually written, printed or attached. In the envelope example, 他 refers to a person and does not normally mean “his name”. Write 他的姓名 if that is the intended content. If quoting a literal printed character such as “他”, make that quotation explicit. The state itself may be temporary. × 信封正面写有他。 Xìnfēng zhèngmiàn xiě yǒu tā. (Intended) His name/information is written on the front of the envelope. For the intended meaning “his name is written there”, 他 alone names the person rather than the written content. Use 他的姓名. If you literally mean the character “他”, quotation marks would signal that different meaning. Corrected example: 信封正面写有他的姓名。 信封正面写有他的姓名。 Xìnfēng zhèngmiàn xiě yǒu tā de xìngmíng. His name is written on the front of the envelope. The noun phrase 他的姓名 identifies the written content and preserves the intended meaning of the preceding learner example. ## Frequently asked questions **What role does 有 (yǒu) play right after the verb?** Grammatically, 有 acts like a complement or bound marker following the transitive verb. The main verb specifies how the object was placed (such as printing, carving, or painting), while 有 indicates that the object now exists on or is attached to the subject. **Can the subject of “Subject + Verb + 有 + Object” be a person?** In this specific attachment pattern, the subject is almost always an inanimate surface, medium, or container (like a wall, box, document, or liquid). If a person is mentioned, it is usually a part of their clothing or body acting as a surface, such as a uniform sleeve having a badge sewn onto it. **How is “Verb + 有” different from “有 + 着” (yǒuzhe)?** The order is different: 印有 places 有 after another verb to describe what is borne by a surface; 有着 places 着 after 有 to present a descriptive state of having or existing. Neither construction by itself means “permanent”, and 有着 is not restricted to abstract qualities. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 399](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=399) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. [![Download on the App Store](https://hskready.app/download-on-app-store-black.svg)Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6791916440?l=en)[![Get it on Google Play](https://hskready.app/get-it-on-google-play.svg)Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.curiolab.hskready&hl=en) [HSKReady App](https://hskready.app/en/app)