中國古代沒有貓,現在我們所熟悉的貓其實是很晚才由國外傳入中國的。

In ancient China there were no cats; the cat that we are familiar with today was not imported into China from abroad until much later.

Source: Tatoeba

Sentence Composition

1 中國 Zhōngguó China
2 古代 dài ancient times
3 沒有 méiyǒu
  1. haven't
  2. hasn't
  3. doesn't exist
  4. to not have
  5. to not be
=4 māo
  1. (dialect) to hide oneself
  2. (loanword) (coll.) modem

classifier:

=4 máo used in 猫腰 máoyāo
5 現在 xiànzài now; at present; currently
6 我們 men we; us; ourselves; our
7 suǒ
  1. actually
  2. place
  3. classifier for houses, small buildings, institutions etc
  4. that which
  5. particle introducing a relative clause or passive

classifier:

8 熟悉 shú to be familiar with; to know well
=9 de
  1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
  2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
  3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
  4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 de "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 pǎotángrde "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 xīnde "new one")
  5. also pr. or di in poetry and songs
=9 a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士 shì)
=9 really and truly
=9 (bound form) bull's-eye; target
=10 māo
  1. (dialect) to hide oneself
  2. (loanword) (coll.) modem

classifier:

=10 máo used in 猫腰 máoyāo
11 其實 shí actually; in fact; really
=12 shì
  1. to be (followed by substantives only)
  2. correct; right; true
  3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well
  4. (adverb for emphatic assertion)
=12 shì variant of shì
13 hěn
  1. very; quite
  2. (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element)
14 wǎn
  1. evening
  2. night
  3. late
=15 cái
  1. ability; talent
  2. sb of a certain type
  3. a capable individual
  4. then and only then
  5. just now
  6. (before an expression of quantity) only
=15 cái
  1. (variant of cái) just now
  2. (variant of cái) (before an expression of quantity) only
16 yóu
  1. to follow
  2. from
  3. because of; due to
  4. by; via; through
  5. (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...
17 國外 guówài
  1. abroad
  2. external (affairs)
  3. overseas
  4. foreign
18 傳入 chuán
  1. to import
  2. transmitted inwards
  3. afferent
19 中國 Zhōngguó China
=20 de
  1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
  2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
  3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
  4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 de "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 pǎotángrde "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 xīnde "new one")
  5. also pr. or di in poetry and songs
=20 a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士 shì)
=20 really and truly
=20 (bound form) bull's-eye; target