Expressing the self-evident with "ma"

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).

Used for Sentence-Final

Structure

Statement + 嘛

Examples

• 你 妹妹 很 漂亮 嘛 。Nǐ mèimei hěn piàoliang ma.Your sister is pretty.
• 他 家 挺 有钱 的 嘛 。Tā jiā tǐng yǒuqián de ma.His family is pretty rich.
• 大家 有 话 就 说 嘛 。Dàjiā yǒu huà jiù shuō ma.Guys, you should say whatever you want to say.
• 不 想 去 就 不要 去 嘛 。Bù xiǎng qù jiù bùyào qù ma.If you don't wanna go, don't go.
• 别 担心 ，一边 工作 一边 学 嘛 。Bié dānxīn, yībiān gōngzuò yībiān xué ma.Don't worry. You can learn while you work.

Used for Topic-Marking

Structure

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 。Dà xióngmāo ma, dàjiā dōu xǐhuan.Pandas. Everybody likes them.
• 名牌 嘛 ，一定 不 便宜 。Míngpái ma, yīdìng bù piányi.Brandname. It can't be cheap.
• 第 一 次 嘛 ，以后 就 有 经验 了 。Dì-yī cì ma, yǐhòu jiù yǒu jīngyàn le.First time. You'll have experience in the future.
• 老人 嘛 ，不 懂 这些 很 正常 。Old people. It's common that they don't understand these things .
• 大 老板 请客 嘛 ，当然 要 大方 一点 。Dà lǎobǎn qǐngkè ma, dāngrán yào dàfang yīdiǎn.The big boss is buying dinner.

Of course he should be a little more generous.

See also

• Yes-no questions with "ma"

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

Websites

• Three Simple Uses of the Other “Ma” on a Bag