The syntax is rather simple and uncomplicated but unusual from the standpoint of English. Notions such as subject, direct and indirect object play no significant role. Serial verb constructions in expressing subordinate relationships such as purpose are the norm and there are no overt markers for indicating subordination or coordination. The distinction between active and passive voice is often left unmarked but there are prepositions which can be used to indicate agents. Indirect objects in most cases are marked by a preposition and precede the verb.
Pronouns are remarkable in how infrequently they are used.
Mandarin is a tone language in which each stressed syllable has a significant contrastive pitch which is an integral part of the syllable. Morpheme structure in Chinese is relatively simple, for example, consonant clusters are not tolerated and only a restricted number of consonants can occur in syllable-final position. It is also the official language of Taiwan, where it is called Guoyu, and is one of the official languages of Singapore where it is referred to as Huayu. All of the official standards are based on the Beijing dialect. Since Mandarin, in the guise of Modern Standard Chinese, was adopted in 1956 as the officially sanctioned language for the nation, it has been actively and zealously promoted through the media of education, broadcasting, television, and the press.