Manner adverbials describe the manner in which an action is carried out. However, some adverbials express a semantic blend of manner with result, as seen below. The meaning of result is expressed by the explanation in the brackets.
1a. 战士们紧紧地握着手中的枪。
Zhànshi jǐnjǐnde wòzhe shǒuzhōng de qiāng.
(The soldiers held the guns tightly in their hands.)
[…in such a way that the guns were held tightly in the soldiers’ hands]
1b. 战士们笔直地站着。
Zhànshimen bǐzhí de zhànzhe.
(The solders stood straight.)
[…in such a way that their standing posture was straight]
1c. 他在黑板上工工整整地写了四个大字。
Ta zài hēibǎnshàng gōnggōngzhěngzhěng de xiě le sì ge dà zì.
[1] Loar, J. K. (2011). Chinese syntactic grammar: functional and conceptual principles. New York: Peter Lang.
