Abstract: Grammar problems are ultimately semantic problems,and the constraints of semantics on grammar are not only reflected in words and special syntactic structures,but also in discourse organization or even the “cultural background” of discourse description.Not only is modern Chinese grammar constrained by semantics,but ancient Chinese grammar is also limited by semantics.The rich analysis of specific examples demonstrates the richness and complexity of semantic influence in constraining grammar,which also leads to the dilemma that “it seems that no one has delved deeply into the relationship between semantics and grammar so far”.However,understanding “semantics constrains grammar” is important,which requires researchers to consciously investigate how semantics constrains grammar when examining,describing,or explaining a certain grammatical phenomenon.

Key words: grammar studies, grammar, semantics, constraints of semantics on grammar