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 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

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

+ 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 看作 我 哥哥。Wǒ yīzhí kàn zuò wǒ gēgē.I always see him as my older brother.
  • 我家 当作 了 他 自己 家 。 wǒ jiā dàng zuò le tā zìjǐ jiā.He treated my house like his own.
  • 很 多 留学生 都 自己 的 中文 老师 当作 朋友。Hěn duō liúxuéshēng dōu zìjǐ de Zhōngwén lǎoshī dàng zuò péngyǒu.Many study abroad students treat their Chinese teachers as their friends.
  • 孩子 可以 家里 的 很多 小 东西 当作 玩具。Háizǐ kěyǐ 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 喜欢 当成 爱 。Yǒu de Zhōngguó nǚshēng huì xǐhuān dàng chéng ài. Some Chinese girls would think about being liked as being in love.
  • 很 多 子女 父母 的 理想 当作了 自己 的 理想。Hěn duō zǐnǚ 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 老板 的 话 当回事Tā cónglái bù lǎobǎn dehuà dāng huí shì.He never took what his boss said seriously.
  • 你 这个 人 总是 太 自己 当回事 了。Nǐ zhè ge rén zǒng shì tài zìjǐ dāng huí shì le.You take yourself too seriously.
  • 有的 父母 从 不 孩子 的 一些 小 问题 当回事!Yǒu de fùmǔ cóng bù háizi de yīxiē xiǎo wèntí dāng huí shì! Some parents never take their kids' problems seriously.
  • 我们 班 有 几 个 学生 从来 不 老师 的 作业 当回事Wǒmen bān yǒu jǐ gè xuéshēng cónglái bù lǎoshī de zuòyè dāng huí shì. 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 这个 蛋糕 切成六块。Qǐng nǐ zhè ge dàngāo qiè chéng liù kuài.Please cut the cake into six parts.
  • 我 知道 怎么 图片 做成视频。Wǒ zhīdào zěnme túpiàn zuò chéng shìpín.I know how to make this picture into a video.
  • 老师 全班 同学 分成了 三个 小组。Lǎoshī quán bān tóngxué fēnchéng 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 这些 美元 换成人民币。Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu yào zhèxiē Měiyuán huàn chéng rénmínbì.Every month, I have to convert some USD into RMB.
  • 自己 的 家 换成了 他的 工作室。 zìjǐ de jiā huàn chéng le tā de gōngzuò shì.She converted her house into her workspace.
  • 你 能 这个 文件 的 格式 转成 PDF吗?Nǐ néng zhè ge wénjiàn de géshì zhuǎn chéng PDF ma?Can you convert this file into a PDF.
  • 韩国 政府 “汉城” 改成了 “首尔”。 Hánguó zhèngfǔ “Hanchéng” gǎi chéng le “Shǒu'ěr”.The South Korean government changed the capital name from Hanseong to Seoul.
  • 请 你 这些 句子翻译成中文。Qǐng nǐ 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

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

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites

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