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 matter.
  • 周末 我 脏 衣服 洗 了 。Zhōumò wǒ zāng yīfu 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 memorize 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 。Māma 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

+ 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 gēge.I have always seen 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 péngyou.Many foreign 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 li de hěn duō xiǎo dōngxi dàng zuò wánjù.Kids can take small things in the house and treat them as as toys.
  • 有的 中国 女生 会 喜欢 当成 爱 。Yǒu de Zhōngguó nǚshēng huì xǐhuan dàng chéng ài.Some Chinese girls treat liking someone like loving someone.
  • 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 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 老板 的 话 当 回事Tā cónglái bù lǎobǎn de huà dāng huíshì.He never takes what his boss says seriously.
  • 你 这个 人 总是 太 自己 当 回事 了。Nǐ zhè ge rén zǒngshì tài zìjǐ dāng huíshì le.You always take yourself way too seriously.
  • 有的 父母 从 不 孩子 的 一些 小 问题 当 回事!Yǒu de fùmǔ cóngbù 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 老师 的 作业 当 回事Wǒmen bān yǒu jǐ gè xuéshēng cónglái bù 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 这个 蛋糕 切 成六块。Qǐng nǐ zhège dàngāo qiē 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 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 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 this 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 format 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 Verb + 成 + Obj. 2

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

  • “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 "zhàngfu".Just now you misread "zhèngfǔ" as "zhàngfu".
  • 我 常常 “自己” 的 “己” 写成 “已经” 的 “已”。Wǒ chángcháng "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 “派对” 听成 了 “排队”?Nǐ shì bu shì "pàiduì" tīng chéng le "páiduì"?Did you mishear "party" as "wait in line"?
  • 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

HSK5