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 matter.
• 周末 我 把 脏 衣服 给 洗 了 。Zhōumò wǒ bǎ zāng yīfu 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 memorize 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 。Māma bǎ méiyòng de dōngxi dōu gěi rēng le.Mom threw away all of the useless stuff.

Using 当作 and 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 gēge.I have always seen 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 péngyou.Many foreign 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 li de hěn duō xiǎo dōngxi dàng zuò wánjù.Kids can take small things in the house and treat them as as toys.
• 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 Things 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. + 当回事

• 他 从来 不 把 老板 的 话 当 回事。Tā cónglái bù bǎ lǎobǎn de huà dāng huíshì.He never takes what his boss says seriously.
• 你 这个 人 总是 太 把 自己 当 回事 了。Nǐ zhè ge rén zǒngshì tài bǎ zìjǐ dāng huíshì le.You always take yourself way too seriously.
• 有的 父母 从 不 把 孩子 的 一些 小 问题 当 回事!Yǒu de fùmǔ cóngbù bǎ háizi de yīxiē xiǎo wèntí dāng huíshì! Some parents never take their kids' minor 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. on Obj. 1. Naturally, the resulting Obj. 2 should also be concrete.

• 请 你 把 这个 蛋糕 切 成六块。Qǐng nǐ bǎ zhège dàngāo qiē 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 divided the whole class of students up into three groups.

Abstract Verb Examples

In the example below, we are dealing with more abstract objects and 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 this USD into RMB.
• 他 把 自己 的 家 改 成 了 他的 工作室。Tā bǎ zìjǐ de jiā gǎi 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 format 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 Verb + 成 + Obj. 2

So Obj. 1 is the actual thing, and Obj. 2 is what it is mistaken for.

• 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 "zhàngfu".Just now you misread "zhèngfǔ" as "zhàngfu".
• 我 常常 把 “自己” 的 “己” 写 成 “已经” 的 “已”。Wǒ chángcháng bǎ "zìjǐ" de "jǐ" xiě chéng "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 bu shì bǎ "pàiduì" tīng chéng le "páiduì"?Did you mishear "party" as "wait in line"?

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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