In this dissertation I investigate the Mandarin yǒu-existential sentence. My focus is on its syntax. I also discuss in less detail some semantic peculiarity of the yǒu-existential. I begin my investigation of the syntax of Mandarin existentials by first looking into what they are not. To this end, I present five different analyses and I show how each of them ultimately falls short. I first review three analyses from previous research. I then discuss two additional analyses which are not from previous research and are potentially serious competitors of the analysis that I eventually will pursue. One of the two, which I will name the yǒu-determiner analysis, is a result of an ongoing change where the existential verb yǒu is reanalyzed as a determiner, and reflects an alternative non-existential reading of the yǒu-sentence. Having shown what yǒu-existentials are not, I proceed to show what they are. I build up a syntax by piecing together my findings regarding several syntactic properties of the yǒu-existential, including the size of the existential coda, the relation between the coda and the rest of the sentence, the (non-)optionality of the coda, and evidence for or against movement. I argue that there are two sub-types within yǒu-existentials, as the syntactic mechanism involved in deriving an existential in which the referent of the pivot serves as the subject of the coda (or within the subject of the coda) is different from when the referent of the pivot is an object of the coda. The former is control; the latter is null-operator movement. After discussion on the syntax of the yǒu-existential, I change gear and direct my attention to select issues at the syntax-semantics interface. Specifically, I observe that yǒu-existentials are completely oblivious to the predicate restriction. I suggest that the yǒu-existential's immunity to the predicate restriction is a natural result of its syntax—finite clause codas impose no restrictions on what types of predicates are allowed. I also discuss how we can extend this idea to English. I observe that the predicate restriction is not limited to existential sentences in English, but found in small clauses in general. The small size of such phrases precludes a position for the subject of individual-level predicates, which is generated in [Spec, PrP]. The subject of stage-level predicates, on the other hand, is generated at a lower position; these predicates are therefore not excluded from small clauses. To summarize, the main proposals I will be making in this dissertation include the followings: 1. There is a change in progress where the existential verb yǒu is reanalyzed as a determiner. This means that for many {yǒu-existentials, two syntactic structures are simultaneously present, one of which is the existential structure. (Chapter 2) 2. Subject yǒu-existentials involve a control relation between the pivot and the coda, while object yǒu-existentials are derived via null-operator movement in the coda. Thus, subject existentials are essentially on par with subject control sentences and object existentials are on par with tough-movement sentences. (Chapter 3) 3. The predication restriction or the absence of it is a natural result of the syntax. Mandarin existential codas are full finite clauses; therefore all types of predicates are allowed. English existential codas are small clauses, which leave no position for the subject of individual-level predicates. (Chapter 4)