Chinese Sentences Using The 把( ba ) Construction

In this article, we are going to look at a special Chinese sentence pattern that uses the character 把 (bǎ). This structure is very common in both written and spoken Chinese, but is hard for non-native speakers to master. In order to use it properly, you need to understand the appropriate situations in which the Chinese character 把 (bǎ) are used.

To start off, here is a Chinese sentence that uses 把 (bǎ) correctly. It means “Lao Zhang cut the rope.” The parts of speech are written below the characters:

Now, let’s look at some sentences that are formed incorrectly, so we can contrast them with the above example. If we know why they are wrong, we will be able to avoid making the same mistakes.

你把这封信寄 translates as “you mail the letter,” but it’s not a properly-formed 把 sentence. In order to analyze it, we will splice it up as follows:

The supplement position is empty. For this to be a correct 把 (bǎ) sentence, a supplement needs to be there after the transitive verb. A correct version of the sentence would be:

Here’s one more example, translated in English as, “We protect wild animals,” follows:

Again, the sentence lacks a supplement. A correct construction would be:

On the other hand, we have to make sure the verb in the sentence is transitive.

Intransitive verbs, link verbs, directional verbs and cognitive verbs cannot be used in 把 (bǎ) sentences.

For example, the following sentences are wrong because the verbs are not transitive:

我把杯子 [破] 了 (I broke the glass).

我早就把泰山 [来] 过了 (I came to Taishang Mountain long ago).

经理把事情的经过 [知道] 了 (The manager knows everything about the affair).

The verbs 破, 来 and 知道 are not the right verbs to use in a 把 (bǎ) sentence.

The sentences should be rendered as follows:

我把杯子 [打] 破了 (I broke the glass).

我早就 [来过] 泰山了 (I came to Taishang Mountain long ago).

经理 [知道了] 事情的经过 (The manager knows everything about the affair).

What’s more, if a 把 (bǎ) sentence is negative, the negative adverb should come before the 把 (bǎ).

Here are two incorrect sentences:

我把今天的课没预习好 (I haven’t previewed today’s lesson well).

我们决定把她的事不告诉她妈妈 (We decided not to tell her mum about her wrongdoing).

The sentences should be:

我 [没] 把今天的课预习好 (I haven’t previewed today’s lesson well).

我们决定 [不] 把她的事告诉她妈妈 (We decided not to tell her mum about her wrongdoing).

There are also requirements for the object in a 把 (bǎ) sentence. That is, the object has to be definite and particular or specific. Check out the following incorrect sentences.

请你把一封信寄出去 (Please mail a letter).

把一本书给我拿过来 (Please pass me a book).

The above sentences should be changed into the following sentences:

请你把 [这] 封信寄出去 (Please mail this letter).

把 [那] 本书给我拿过来 (Please pass me that book).

Lastly, when making a sentence with 把 (bǎ), you have to make sure the object of the sentence has a correct logical subject-predicate relationship with the supplement.

For instance, in the following sentence, 孩子们把故事听高兴了 (The children enjoyed the story happily), the supplement 高兴 is not a proper predicate or predicate for the object 故事. That is to say, 故事高兴 (the story is happy) is not a logical sentence and does not make sense.

Hopefully, reading the above will make 把 (bǎ) less of a slippery customer for you. Keep them in mind, and soon it will come naturally.

Hero Image (Cut the Rope) by Antonio Silveira (CC BY 2.0)