Expressing the self-evident with "ma"

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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 Nǐ mèimei hěn piàoliang ma.Your sister is pretty.
  • 他 家 挺 有钱 的 Tā jiā tǐng yǒuqián de ma.His family is pretty rich.
  • 大家 有 话 就 说 Dàjiā yǒu huà jiù shuō ma.Guys, you should say whatever you want to say.
  • 不 想 去 就 不要 去 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 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 ,大家 都 喜欢 。Dà xióngmāo ma, dàjiā dōu xǐhuan.Pandas. Everybody likes them.
  • 名牌 ,一定 不 便宜 。Míngpái ma, yīdìng bù piányi.Brandname. It can't be cheap.
  • 第 一 次 ,以后 就 会 了 。Dì-yī cì ma, yǐhòu jiù huì le.First time. You'll learn soon.
  • 孩子 ,不 懂 这些 很 正常 。Háizi ma, bù dǒng zhèxiē hěn zhèngcháng.Kids. It's common that they don't understand these things .
  • 大 老板 请客 ,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

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites