Difference between revisions of "Expressing the self-evident with "ma""
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| − | * 你的 妹妹 很 漂亮 <em>嘛</em>。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ de mèimei hěn piàoliang <em>ma</em>.</span><span class="trans">Your sister is pretty.</span> | + | *你的 妹妹 很 漂亮 <em>嘛</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ de mèimei hěn piàoliang <em>ma</em>.</span><span class="trans">Your sister is pretty.</span> |
| − | * | + | *他 家 挺 有钱 的 <em>嘛</em> 。<span class="trans">His family is pretty rich.</span> |
| − | * | + | *别 担心 ，一边 工作 一边 学 <em>嘛</em> 。<<span class="trans">Don't worry. You can learn while you work.</span> |
| + | *大家 有 话 就 说 <em>嘛</em> 。<span class="trans">Guys, you should say whatever you want to say.</span> | ||
| + | * <em>嘛</em> 。<span class="trans">Brandname. It can't be cheap.</span> | ||
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| − | * | + | *大 熊猫<em>嘛</em> ，大家 都 喜欢 。<span class="pinyin">Dà xióngmāo <em>ma</em>, dàjiā dōu xǐhuan.</span><span class="trans">Pandas. Everybody likes them.</span> |
| − | * | + | *孩子 <em>嘛</em> ，淘气 很 正常 。<span class="pinyin">Háizi <em>ma</em>, táoqì hěn zhèngcháng.</span><span class="trans">Kids. It's normal for them to be naughty.</span> |
| + | *名牌 <em>嘛</em> ，一定 不 便宜 。<span class="pinyin">Míngpái <em>ma</em>, yīdìng bù piányi.</span><span class="trans">Brandname. It can't be cheap.</span> | ||
| + | *第 一 次 <em>嘛</em> ，以后 就 有 经验 了 。<span class="pinyin">Dì-yī cì <em>ma</em>, yǐhòu jiù yǒu jīngyàn le.</span><span class="trans">First time. You'll have experience in the future.</span> | ||
| + | *他 俩 <em>嘛</em> ，早就 应该 在 一起 了 。<span class="pinyin">Tā liǎ <em>ma</em>, zǎojiù yīnggāi zài yīqǐ le.</span><span class="trans">They two. They should have been together long before.</span> | ||
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Revision as of 09:45, 17 October 2017
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Level
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Keywords
The particle 嘛 (ma) is a sentence-final particle identical in pronunciation to the simple "yes/no question" particle 吗 (ma) you learned back in the day, but with a rather different function. It can be used when the speaker feels what he is saying is obvious (from his point of view).
Contents
Sentence-Final Structure
Statement + 嘛
Examples
- 你的 妹妹 很 漂亮 嘛 。Your sister is pretty.
- 他 家 挺 有钱 的 嘛 。His family is pretty rich.
- 别 担心 ，一边 工作 一边 学 嘛 。<Don't worry. You can learn while you work.
- 大家 有 话 就 说 嘛 。Guys, you should say whatever you want to say.
- 嘛 。Brandname. It can't be cheap.
Topic-Marking Structure
An alternate form is:
Topic + 嘛 ，Statement
This basically allows the speaker to state the topic, then gather his thoughts before making a comment on it. In this pattern, the following comment may or may not be one the speaker feels is obvious.
Examples
- 大 熊猫嘛 ，大家 都 喜欢 。Pandas. Everybody likes them.
- 孩子 嘛 ，淘气 很 正常 。Kids. It's normal for them to be naughty.
- 名牌 嘛 ，一定 不 便宜 。Brandname. It can't be cheap.
- 第 一 次 嘛 ，以后 就 有 经验 了 。First time. You'll have experience in the future.
- 他 俩 嘛 ，早就 应该 在 一起 了 。They two. They should have been together long before.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 225) →buy →买
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 19) →buy
- Intermediate Chinese - A Grammar and Workbook (Unit 23) →buy
