Author: Абдусаломова, Лола Алишеровна

Annotation: This article examines the issue of the categorial status of post-positive locative units in Modern Chinese, traditionally designated by the term *fāngwèicí* (方位词). The study is motivated by the lack of a unified approach to defining their grammatical nature. In both Chinese and international linguistics, these units have been variously classified as locative nouns, particles, clitics, localizers, or postpositions. The aim of the research is to identify the syntactic and semantic features that allow for determining the functional status of these post-positive locative units and clarifying their position within the system of grammatical categories in Modern Chinese. Particular attention is paid to units such as *shàng* (上), *xià* (下), *qián* (qián), *hòu* (hòu), *lǐ* (lǐ), *wài* (wài), and other locatives that express spatial relationships between objects. Based on an analysis of contemporary research, the study proposes evaluating their categorial status by considering the interplay of lexical meaning, syntactic position, the degree of grammaticalization, and the nature of spatial semantics.

Keywords: Chinese language, postposition, *fāngwèicí*, locative, localizer, postposition, spatial relations, grammaticalization, syntax, semantics.

Pages in journal: 174 - 177