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Description: Subject- and object extracted relative clauses (SRC/ORC) with preferred and dipreferred animacy configuration patterns (ACP) were elicited from 52 Mandarin children between 3 and 6 years of age. We observe an increase of accuracy as a function of age, higher accuracy for preferred ACP structures, and a SRC advantage under the preferred ACP. The most frequent error, especially in youngest children, was omission of the RC verb, which yields a Mandarin genitive structure. We conclude that Mandarin children are sensitive to the same ACP as adults and that head-final modification, as in RCs, might be acquired via the genitive structure.