Advanced uses of "ba"

Also known as: 把字句 ("bǎ"zìjù), 把 construction, preposition 把, disposal construction and pre-transitive 把.

Once you've gotten the hang of the basic 把 (bǎ) sentence pattern, you can start to use it in some more complex and abstract ways.

Using 把 with 给

This 给 is used in oral Chinese to add emphasis to the verb. The 给 is actually fully optional, but it's good to be familiar with this pattern because it's so commonly used in spoken Chinese.

You'll notice a structural similarity to this 给 used with 把, and the 给 used with 被.

Structure

Subj. + 把 + Obj. + 给 + Verb Phrase

Examples

• 我 把 这 事儿 给 忘 了 。Wǒ bǎ zhè shì er gěi wàng le.I forgot about this thing.
• 周末 我 把 脏 衣服 给 洗 了 。Zhōumò wǒ bǎ zàng yīfú gěi xǐ le.On weekends, I wash the dirty clothes.
• 你 能 把 这些 都 给 记住 吗？Nǐ néng bǎ zhè xiē dōu gěi jì zhù ma?Will you be able to remember all of this?
• 他 把 我的 手机 给 摔坏 了 。Tā bǎ wǒ de shǒujī gěi shuāi huài le.He dropped my phone and broke it.
• 妈妈 把 没 用的 东西 都 给 扔了 。Māmā bǎ méi yòng de dōngxī dōu gěi rēng le.Mom threw away all of the useless things.

Using 当作 or 看作

When you want to say that something is treated as something else, use this pattern.

Structure

把 + Obj.+ 当成 / 看成 / 当作 / 看作 +⋯⋯

So what's the difference between using 当成 / 看成 / 当作 / 看作? Good question. The differences are not huge, but there are a few:

1. The 成 versions are a bit less formal than the 作 versions.
2. 看成 / 看作 is often followed by a person or specific thing, whereas 当成 / 当作 is more likely to be followed by something more abstract (like 爱).
3. The 成 / 作 part of 当成 / 当作 can be dropped in spoken Chinese, whereas the 成 / 作 part of 看成 / 看作 can never be dropped.

Examples

• 我 一直 把 他 看作 我 哥哥。Wǒ yīzhí bǎ tā kàn zuò wǒ gēgē.I always see him as my older brother.
• 他 把 我家 当作 了 他 自己 家 。Tā bǎ wǒ jiā dàng zuò le tā zìjǐ jiā.He treated my house like his own.
• 很 多 留学生 都 把 自己 的 中文 老师 当作 朋友。Hěn duō liúxuéshēng dōu bǎ zìjǐ de Zhōngwén lǎoshī dàng zuò péngyǒu.Many study abroad students treat their Chinese teachers as their friends.
• 孩子 可以 把 家里 的 很多 小 东西 当作 玩具。Háizǐ kěyǐ bǎ jiā lǐ de hěn duō xiǎo dōngxī dàng zuò wánjù.Kids treat small things in the house as toys.
• 有的 中国 女生 会 把 喜欢 当成 爱 。Yǒu de Zhōngguó nǚshēng huì bǎ xǐhuān dàng chéng ài. Some Chinese girls would think about being liked as being in love.
• 很 多 子女 把 父母 的 理想 当作了 自己 的 理想。Hěn duō zǐnǚ bǎ fùmǔ de lǐxiǎng dàng zuò le zìjǐ de lǐxiǎng.Many kids make their parents' ideals their own ideals.

Take something seriously with 当回事

当回事 is mostly used in colloquial Chinese. It means to take something seriously or to hold something in high regard. It is usually used with the negative 不.

Structure

(别 / 不）把 + Obj.1 + 当回事

• 他 从来 不 把 老板 的 话 当回事。Tā cónglái bù bǎ lǎobǎn dehuà dāng huíshì.He never took what his boss said seriously.
• 你 这个 人 总是 太 把 自己 当回事 了。Nǐ zhè ge rén zǒng shì tài bǎ zìjǐ dāng huíshì le.You take yourself too seriously.
• 有的 父母 从 不 把 孩子 的 一些 小 问题 当回事!Yǒu de fùmǔ cóng bù bǎ háizi de yīxiē xiǎo wèntí dāng huíshì! Some parents never take their kids' problems seriously.
• 我们 班 有 几 个 学生 从来 不把 老师 的 作业 当回事。Wǒmen bān yǒu jǐ gè xuéshēng cónglái bù bǎ lǎoshī de zuòyè dāng huíshì. Our class has a few students who never take the teacher's homework seriously.

Using 把 with a verb + 成

In this case, 成 can be translated as "into."

Structure

把 + Obj. 1 + Verb + 成 + Obj. 2

Concrete Verb Examples

In the first example, we are using concrete verbs such as 切, 做, 分, etc. Obj. 2 would also be concrete.

• 请 你 把 这个 蛋糕 切成六块。Qǐng nǐ bǎ zhè ge dàngāo qiè chéng liù kuài.Please cut the cake into six parts.
• 我 知道 怎么 把 图片 做成视频。Wǒ zhīdào zěnme bǎ túpiàn zuò chéng shìpín.I know how to make this picture into a video.
• 老师 把 全班 同学 分成了 三个 小组。Lǎoshī bǎ quán bān tóngxué fēn chéng le sān gè xiǎozǔ.The teacher broke the whole class' students up into three small groups.

Abstract Verb Examples

In the example below, we are dealing with more abstract verbs. These verbs include 换, 变, 改, 看, 当, 转, etc.

• 我 每个 月 都 要 把 这些 美元 换成人民币。Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu yào bǎ zhèxiē Měiyuán huàn chéng rénmínbì.Every month, I have to convert some USD into RMB.
• 他 把 自己 的 家 换成了 他的 工作室。Tā bǎ zìjǐ de jiā huàn chéng le tā de gōngzuò shì.She converted her house into her workspace.
• 你 能 把 这个 文件 的 格式 转成 PDF吗？Nǐ néng bǎ zhè ge wénjiàn de géshì zhuǎn chéng PDF ma?Can you convert this file into a PDF.
• 韩国 政府 把 “汉城” 改成了 “首尔”。 Hánguó zhèngfǔ bǎ “Hanchéng” gǎi chéng le “Shǒu'ěr”.The South Korean government changed the capital name from Hanseong to Seoul.
• 请 你 把这些 句子翻译成中文。Qǐng nǐ bǎ zhèxiē jùzi fānyì chéng Zhōngwén.Please translate these sentences into Chinese.

Mistaken Perception Examples

The example below is when somebody mistakes something for something else. This can be either mishearing, misspelling, seeing something as something else, etc. These verbs include 看, 听, 写, 记, etc.

把 + Obj. 1 + Perception Verbs

• 他 把 “太“ 看成了 “大”。Tā bā “tài” kàn chéng le “dà”.He misread 太 as 大.
• 你 刚才 把 “政府” 读成 了 “丈夫” 。Nǐ gāngcái bǎ “zhèngfǔ” dú chéng le “zhàngfū”.Just now you misread 政府 as 丈夫.
• 我 常常 把 “自己” 的 “己” 写成“已经” 的 “已”。Wǒ chángcháng bǎ “zìjǐ” de “jǐ” xiěchéng “yǐjīng” de “yǐ”.I often write the 己 in 自己 like the 已 in 已经.
• 你 是 不 是 把 “派对” 听成 了 “排队”？Nǐ shì bù shì bǎ “pàiduì” tīng chéng le “páiduì”?Did you mishear 派对 as 排队?
• 对不起，我 把 早上 的 面试 记成 了 下午 。Duìbùqǐ, wǒ bǎ zǎoshang de miànshì jì chéng le xiàwǔ.Sorry, I wrote the morning interview down for this afternoon.

See also

• Result complement
• Direction complement
• Bei sentence
• Aspect particles

Sources and further reading

Books

• A Practical Chinese Grammar For Foreigners (外国人实用汉语语法) (pp. 469-70) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 53-4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese Grammar Without Tears (简明汉语语法学习手册) (pp. 167-81) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 3-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 142-4) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 225-7, 321-3) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 482) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 354-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 41-2, 88) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 15, 51, 101-2) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 369-70, 384, 398-9) [ →buy]
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 128) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy

Websites

• Mandarin Essential Grammar (Yale): 把 Construction
• CTCFL (Oxford): The 把 Construction
• ChinesePod: Qing Wen - The Magic Word 把 (free podcast content)
• ChinesePod: Qing Wen - 把 Humbug (free podcast content)
• FluentU: The Definite Guide to the Chinese Ba Construction
• Mandarin Online: 把字句
• Just Learn Chinese (blog): Lesson 10 How to understand and use Chinese sentence pattern “…把…”?

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