The punctuation mark 句号 “。” a full stop or a period is adopted at the end of a sentence. So, in which cases we use a period in Chinese?
A period is used mostly in declarative sentences, but sometimes it can be also used in imperative sentences that don’t express very strong feelings or intense emotions.
1. At the end of declarative sentences 陈述句句末
At the end of a simple sentence 简单句句末
Examples:
我是中国人。Wǒ shì zhōng guó rén。I’m Chinese.
我住在深圳。Wǒ zhù zài shēn zhèn。I live in Shenzhen.
他老婆是上海人。Tā lǎo pó shì shàng hǎi。rénHis wife is shanghainese.
At the end of a sentence without subject 无人称句句末
Examples:
下雨了。Xià yǔ le。It’s raining。
世上无难事，只怕有心人。Shì shàng wú nán shì, zhǐ pà yǒu xīn rén。 Nothing in the world is difficult for one who sets his mind on it.
At the end of an elliptical sentence 省略句句末
几个人？十个。How many people? Ten.
谁迟到了？她。Who is late? She.
At the end of a complex sentence 复句句末
Examples:
我昨天碰到了和我一起住过五年的室友。Wǒ zuó tiān pèng dào le hé wǒ yī qǐ zhù guò wǔ nián de shì you。I met my roommate who lived with me for five years.
如果明天下雨，我们就要取消计划。Rú guǒ míng tiān xià yǔ, wǒ men jiù yào qǔ xiāo jì huà。If it rains tomorrow, we will cancel the plan.
2. At the end of imperative sentences 祈使句句末
At the end of an imperative sentence with a soothing tone 气舒缓的祈使句末尾
Examples:
请您稍等片刻。Qǐng nín shāo děng piàn kè。Please wait a moment.
请您尽快跟我们联系。Qǐng nín jǐn kuài gēn wǒ men lián xì。Please contact us as soon as possible.
At the end of an imperative sentence for general prohibitions and requirements 表示一般禁止和要求的祈使句句末
Examples:
请勿乱扔垃圾。Qǐng wù luàn rēng lā jī. Please don’t litter.
今日事今日毕。Jīn rì shì jīn rì bì。 Don’t put off till tomorrow what should be done today.
If an imperative sentence express very strong feelings or emotions, an exclamation mark have to be used.
To sum up, 句号 a period (or a full stop) is an ending signal of a sentence especially declarative sentence, and indicates a complete expression.