pénzāi zài chuāngtái pángbiān de yīnliángchù.

It can be a complete sentence.

In Mandarin, 在 can act as the main verb meaning to be located at / to be in. So this sentence can work as a location statement.

If you wanted to make it an explicit instruction, you would usually add a verb such as 放:

把盆栽放在窗台旁边的阴凉处。

So, as written, it most naturally reads as a statement about location, though context can sometimes make it feel instruction-like.

Here, 在 marks location.

It tells you where 盆栽 is. In English, it often corresponds to is at, is in, is on, or simply forms part of a location phrase depending on context.

So in this sentence, 在 introduces the place where the potted plant is located.

The pattern is:

noun + 在 + place

So here you have:

• 盆栽 = the thing being talked about
• 在 = location marker / location verb
• 窗台旁边的阴凉处 = the place

This is a very common Mandarin pattern for saying where something is.

盆栽 is a noun meaning potted plant.

The characters are:

• 盆 = pot, basin
• 栽 = to plant, cultivate

As a combined word, though, you should learn 盆栽 as one vocabulary item. In everyday use, it usually refers to a plant growing in a pot.

Chinese usually does not use articles like a and the, and nouns do not usually change form for plural.

So 盆栽 could mean:

• a potted plant
• the potted plant
• sometimes even potted plants

The exact meaning depends on context. That is normal in Mandarin.

Because 旁边 is a location word, often called a localizer.

In Mandarin, localizers commonly attach directly to a noun:

• 桌子上 = on the table
• 房子里 = in the house
• 窗台旁边 = beside the windowsill

So 窗台旁边 is a very normal structure.

You can say 窗台的旁边, but it is usually less natural and less compact than 窗台旁边.

Here, 的 links a modifier to the noun that follows.

The noun being modified is 阴凉处.
The modifier is 窗台旁边.

So:

窗台旁边的阴凉处 = the shady/cool place that is beside the windowsill

This 的 is not showing possession. It is connecting descriptive information to a noun.

阴凉 means cool and shady.
处 means place or spot.

So 阴凉处 means a cool, shaded place or a shady spot.

Using 处 turns the description 阴凉 into a place noun. Without 处, you would just have the quality cool and shady, not clearly a place.

A helpful way to break it down is:

• 窗台 = windowsill
• 旁边 = beside / next to
• 窗台旁边 = beside the windowsill
• 阴凉处 = shady, cool place
• 窗台旁边的阴凉处 = the shady place beside the windowsill

So the structure is basically:

[beside the windowsill] + 的 + [shady place]

Yes, in many cases.

Common alternatives include:

• 窗台旁边 = very natural, very clear
• 窗台边 = also common, a bit shorter
• 窗台旁 = possible, but often feels more compact or written

For learners, 旁边 is a very safe and natural everyday choice.

It means near the windowsill, not necessarily on it.

That is because 旁边 means beside / next to.

If you wanted to say the plant is on the windowsill, you would normally say:

盆栽在窗台上。

So this sentence points to a shady spot by the windowsill, not directly on top of it.

Yes.

If the intention is Put the potted plant in a shady spot by the windowsill, Mandarin would often say:

• 把盆栽放在窗台旁边的阴凉处。
• 盆栽应放在窗台旁边的阴凉处。

The original sentence is shorter and can sound a bit like a label, note, or simple location statement. Adding 放在 makes the instruction unmistakable.