I’m in Marseille this week for a few days off before September, doing very little beyond swimming, eating, and walking around in far too much heat, which is more or less exactly what I had in mind. The one thing actually on the schedule is tonight, because there’s a 日食 (rìshí, solar eclipse) and from here about 96% of the sun will be covered right at sunset, just above the sea. Almost total and almost touching the horizon at the same time, which should be quite something if the sky decides to cooperate!
If you were reading back in May, tonight is a nice illustration of something we covered in CGG #118 on the traditional Chinese calendar. A solar eclipse can only ever fall on 初一 (chūyī), the first day of a lunar month, because that’s precisely the moment the moon slips between us and the sun. The 农历 (nónglì, lunisolar calendar) genuinely tracks where the moon is in the sky, which means that if you know the lunar date,you already know roughly what the moon looks like tonight, and tonight it happens to be standing directly in front of the sun.
What I like most though is the word itself. 日食 literally means “sun eating,” and that comes straight from the old explanation of what was happening up there: 天狗食日 (tiāngǒu shí rì), the heavenly dog devouring the sun. 天狗 (tiāngǒu) shows up across Chinese mythology as a celestial creature associated with things falling from the sky, and when the sun started disappearing in the middle of the day, people would bang drums until the dog got scared and spat it back out. It worked without fail every single time, which presumably explains why the practice survived for so many centuries :D
Today we’re finishing the two part series on 把 (bǎ), picking up right where we left off last week.
💎 This Week’s Gem: Mastering 把 (Part 2) 💎
Last week we set out the rule behind 把 (bǎ): the object moves in front of the verb, and something has to follow the verb to say what became of that object. Most of the time that something is a result, a place, or a new form.
Today we’ll fill in the rest of the picture. Some 把 sentences have no result at all, the subject doesn’t have to be a person, the noun after 把 doesn’t have to be a physical thing, and a few verbs refuse 把 completely.
👋 An Ending That Isn’t a Result
The verb still can’t stand alone, but the ending doesn’t always have to name an outcome. Giving the action a size or a shape is enough. 一下 (yíxià) makes it brief and softens a request, a count with 次 (cì) or 遍 (biàn) says how many times it happened, and repeating the verb makes it light and casual. W’ve seen these counts in CGG #93 and this use of repetition in CGG #80.
📚 Structure: [Subject] + 把 + [Object] + [Verb] + 一下 / [Number] + 次/遍
Example
我走之前，请把这张表检查一下。
我 / 走 / 之前 / ，/ 请 / 把 / 这 / 张 / 表 / 检查 / 一下 / 。
Wǒ zǒu zhīqián, qǐng bǎ zhè zhāng biǎo jiǎnchá yíxià.
Before I go, please have a quick look at this form.
I / to leave / before / please / (object marker 把) / this / (measure word) / form / to check / (brief action 一下)
一下 doesn’t promise any result. It just makes the checking small and the request polite.
The same works with a number: 我把这封邮件检查了三遍 (wǒ bǎ zhè fēng yóujiàn jiǎnchá le sān biàn, “I read this email through three times”), or with a repeated verb: 我想把这段话改一改 (wǒ xiǎng bǎ zhè duàn huà gǎi yi gǎi, “I’d like to make a few changes to this paragraph”).
着 (zhe) works differently. Instead of ending the action, it keeps the thing in a state, which is exactly what 着 does everywhere else, as we saw in CGG #59. 把窗户打开 (bǎ chuānghu dǎ kāi) means open the window; 把窗户开着 (bǎ chuānghu kāi zhe) means leave it open.
📚 Structure: [Subject] + 把 + [Object] + [Verb] + 着
Example
天气很热，你把窗户开着吧。
天气 / 很 / 热 / ，/ 你 / 把 / 窗户 / 开 / 着 / 吧 / 。
Tiānqì hěn rè, nǐ bǎ chuānghu kāi zhe ba.
It’s hot, so leave the window open.
weather / very / hot / you / (object marker 把) / window / to open / (continuous marker 着) / (suggestion particle 吧)
🌬️ The Subject Doesn’t Have to Be a Person
把 is often explained as someone handling something, but that picture is too narrow. Wind, rain, fire, illness, and news can all sit in the subject slot. Nobody is doing anything on purpose: the sentence simply says what caused the change.
📚 Structure: [Cause] + 把 + [Object] + [Verb] + [Result]
Example
昨天的大风把院子里的树吹倒了。
昨天 / 的 / 大风 / 把 / 院子 / 里 / 的 / 树 / 吹 / 倒 / 了 / 。
Zuótiān de dàfēng bǎ yuànzi lǐ de shù chuī dǎo le.
Yesterday’s strong wind blew down the tree in the courtyard.
yesterday / (modification particle 的) / strong wind / (object marker 把) / courtyard / inside / (modification particle 的) / tree / to blow / fallen over / (completed action marker 了)
A whole event or piece of information can do the same: 这个消息把大家都吓坏了 (zhège xiāoxi bǎ dàjiā dōu xià huài le, “this news gave everyone a terrible fright”).
😲 The Noun After 把 Doesn’t Have to Be a Thing
That sentence about the news also shows something else. 大家 (dàjiā) isn’t an object being moved around. It’s the group of people who felt the fright. When a cause produces a feeling, the person who feels it goes after 把.
📚 Structure: [Cause] + 把 + [Person] + [Verb] + [Resulting Feeling or Reaction]
Example
他的笑话把孩子们逗笑了。
他 / 的 / 笑话 / 把 / 孩子们 / 逗 / 笑 / 了 / 。
Tā de xiàohua bǎ háizimen dòu xiào le.
His joke made the children laugh.
he / (possessive particle 的) / joke / (object marker 把) / children / to amuse / to laugh as a result / (completed action marker 了)
The children receive 逗, and they’re also the ones doing the laughing.
Things you can’t touch work too, as long as the sentence says what became of them.
📚 Structure: [Subject] + 把 + [Abstract Thing] + [Verb] + [Result]
Example
她把压力变成了前进的动力。
她 / 把 / 压力 / 变 / 成 / 了 / 前进 / 的 / 动力 / 。
Tā bǎ yālì biàn chéng le qiánjìn de dònglì.
She turned her stress into motivation to keep going.
she / (object marker 把) / stress / to change / into / (completed action marker 了) / to move forward / (modification particle 的) / motivation
You can also be the one affected by your own actions, with 自己 (zìjǐ, “oneself”) after 把. This is common in warnings: 你别把自己累坏了 (nǐ bié bǎ zìjǐ lèi huài le, “don’t wear yourself out”).
🔍 Need to review a pattern?
Head to chinesegrammargems.com. Every lesson we’ve covered is searchable, organized by topic, and available as a printable PDF.
🚫 Everything Else Goes in Front of 把
Negation, modal verbs, and adverbs all describe the whole event, so they sit in front of 把 and never between the object and the verb.
Use 没(有) (méi(yǒu)) when the thing didn’t happen or didn’t reach the stated result. Note that 了 disappears in this case, since there is no longer any completion to mark.
📚 Structure: [Subject] + 没(有)/不/别 + 把 + [Object] + [Verb Phrase]
Example
他没把故事说清楚，我们都听糊涂了。
他 / 没 / 把 / 故事 / 说 / 清楚 / ，/ 我们 / 都 / 听 / 糊涂 / 了 / 。
Tā méi bǎ gùshi shuō qīngchu, wǒmen dōu tīng hútu le.
He didn’t tell the story clearly, and we all ended up confused.
he / not / (object marker 把) / story / to tell / clear as a result / we / all / to listen / confused as a result / (change of state marker 了)
不 (bù) appears when nothing has happened yet, especially in conditions: 如果你不把地址写清楚，快递员可能找不到 (rúguǒ nǐ bù bǎ dìzhǐ xiě qīngchu, kuàidìyuán kěnéng zhǎo bu dào, “if you don’t write the address clearly, the courier may not find it”). For telling someone not to do something, 别 (bié) and 不要 (búyào) go in the same slot, exactly as we saw in CGG #106.
Modal verbs behave the same way. 能 (néng), 可以 (kěyǐ), 应该 (yīnggāi), 想 (xiǎng), and 得 (děi) come before 把, never after the object.
📚 Structure: [Subject] + [Modal Verb] + 把 + [Object] + [Verb Phrase]
Example
你应该把重要文件保存好。
你 / 应该 / 把 / 重要 / 文件 / 保存 / 好 / 。
Nǐ yīnggāi bǎ zhòngyào wénjiàn bǎocún hǎo.
You should save the important documents properly.
you / should / (object marker 把) / important / documents / to save / successfully
If you want to go over the difference between 能, 会, and 可以 again, CGG #122 covers it.
Time words and adverbs such as 已经 (yǐjīng, “already”), 终于 (zhōngyú, “finally”), 马上 (mǎshàng, “right away”), and 故意 (gùyì, “on purpose”) also come first: 我终于把这个问题解决了 (wǒ zhōngyú bǎ zhège wèntí jiějué le, “I finally solved this problem”).
都 (dōu) is the one word whose position changes the meaning. In front of 把 it counts the subject: 他们都把自己的房间收拾好了 (tāmen dōu bǎ zìjǐ de fángjiān shōushi hǎo le) means every one of them tidied up. After the object it counts the object: 我把饺子都吃完了 (wǒ bǎ jiǎozi dōu chī wán le) means not a single dumpling was left. This follows the same logic as CGG #125.
❓ Questions, Instructions, and Signs
Nothing moves in a question. Add 吗 (ma) at the end, or use the 能不能 (néng bu néng) shape from CGG #96: 你能不能把这扇门打开？(nǐ néng bu néng bǎ zhè shàn mén dǎ kāi, “could you open this door?”). Question words stay in the slot where the answer belongs, so 哪儿 (nǎr) sits where the place would be.
📚 Structure: [Subject] + 把 + [Object] + [Verb] + [Question Word]
Example
你把我的钥匙放在哪儿了？
你 / 把 / 我 / 的 / 钥匙 / 放 / 在 / 哪儿 / 了 / ？
Nǐ bǎ wǒ de yàoshi fàng zài nǎr le?
Where did you put my keys?
you / (object marker 把) / I / (possessive particle 的) / keys / to put / at / where / (change of state marker 了)
Since the person receiving an instruction is obviously 你, the subject usually disappears. This is why recipes, manuals, and classroom directions are full of 把: 先把鸡蛋打进碗里 (xiān bǎ jīdàn dǎ jìn wǎn lǐ, “first crack the eggs into the bowl”).
Written notices do the same thing with 将 (jiāng) in place of 把, and the vocabulary around it turns formal at the same time. 将 is the formal version of 把.
📚 Structure: (请) + 将 + [Object] + [Verb Phrase]
Example
请将填写完整的申请表发送至以下地址。
请 / 将 / 填写 / 完整 / 的 / 申请表 / 发送 / 至 / 以下 / 地址 / 。
Qǐng jiāng tiánxiě wánzhěng de shēnqǐngbiǎo fāsòng zhì yǐxià dìzhǐ.
Please send the completed application form to the address below.
please / (formal object marker 将) / to fill in / complete / (modification particle 的) / application form / to send / to / below / address
Spoken out loud, the same instruction becomes 请把申请表交给前台 (qǐng bǎ shēnqǐngbiǎo jiāo gěi qiántái, “please hand the form to the front desk”). Notice that 至 and 发送 turn back into 给 and 交. This 将 has nothing to do with 将 meaning “will”.
⛔ Where 把 Doesn’t Work
Verbs that describe a state rather than an effect refuse 把, because there’s no change to report. 我把这本书喜欢 (wǒ bǎ zhè běn shū xǐhuan) is wrong, and so are sentences built on 知道 (zhīdao), 是 (shì), and 有 (yǒu). Say 我喜欢这本书 (wǒ xǐhuan zhè běn shū) instead.
Such a verb becomes possible once the sentence describes a change to that state.
📚 Structure: [Cause] + 把 + [Mental State] + [Verb] + [Result]
Example
这次旅行把我对这个地方的印象完全改变了。
这 / 次 / 旅行 / 把 / 我 / 对 / 这 / 个 / 地方 / 的 / 印象 / 完全 / 改变 / 了 / 。
Zhè cì lǚxíng bǎ wǒ duì zhège dìfang de yìnxiàng wánquán gǎibiàn le.
This trip completely changed my impression of the place.
this / (measure word) / trip / (object marker 把) / I / toward / this / (measure word) / place / (modification particle 的) / impression / completely / to change / (completed action marker 了)
The other thing you can’t do is put a potential complement after the object. 我把这么多菜吃不完 (wǒ bǎ zhème duō cài chī bu wán) sounds wrong, because 吃不完 (chī bu wán) asks whether something is possible, while 把 reports what actually happened. Keep the potential complements from CGG #33 out of the 把 slot and put 能 in front instead: 你能把这么多菜吃完吗？(nǐ néng bǎ zhème duō cài chī wán ma, “can you finish this much food?”).
🔄 把 and 被
把 and 被 (bèi) describe the same event from opposite ends. 把 starts from whoever or whatever caused the change; 被, which we covered in CGG #56, starts from the thing that was affected.
📚 Structure with 把: [Cause] + 把 + [Object] + [Verb Phrase]
📚 Structure with 被: [Object] + 被 + ([Cause]) + [Verb Phrase]
Example
小李把我的自行车骑走了。
小李 / 把 / 我 / 的 / 自行车 / 骑 / 走 / 了 / 。
Xiǎo Lǐ bǎ wǒ de zìxíngchē qí zǒu le.
Xiao Li rode off on my bicycle.
Xiao Li / (object marker 把) / I / (possessive particle 的) / bicycle / to ride / away / (completed action marker 了)
The same event from the bicycle’s side is 我的自行车被小李骑走了 (wǒ de zìxíngchē bèi Xiǎo Lǐ qí zǒu le). Pick whichever one names the thing you’re already talking about.
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📝 Recap
Using 把 + [Verb] + 一下 / [Number] + 次/遍 / 着 (yíxià, cì, biàn, zhe): The verb still can’t stand alone, but the ending doesn’t always have to name a result. Giving the action a size or a count is enough, and repeating the verb works the same way. 着 goes in a different direction: instead of closing the action off, it keeps the object in a state, like the difference between opening a window and leaving it open.
Using a non-human cause before 把: The subject slot isn’t reserved for people. Wind, rain, fire, illness, or a piece of news can all sit there, with the sentence simply reporting what caused the change rather than who did it on purpose.
Using 把 + [Person or Abstract Thing]: What follows 把 doesn’t have to be a physical object being moved around. When a cause produces an emotional reaction, the person who feels it goes there, receiving the action and reacting at once. Intangibles like stress or impressions work too, as long as the sentence says what became of them, and 自己 (zìjǐ) fits the same slot, which is why warnings so often use it.
Placing negation, modals, and adverbs in front of 把: 没(有) (méi(yǒu)), 不 (bù), 别 (bié), modal verbs such as 能 (néng) and 应该 (yīnggāi), and time words like 已经 (yǐjīng) or 终于 (zhōngyú) all describe the whole event, so they sit before 把 and never between the object and the verb. With 没(有), the 了 drops away, since there’s no completion left to mark.
Positioning 都 (dōu) before or after 把: The one word whose placement changes the meaning. In front of 把 it counts the subject. After the object it counts the object.
Using 把 in questions and instructions: Nothing shifts position in a question: add 吗 (ma), use the 能不能 (néng bu néng) shape, or leave the question word sitting exactly where the answer would go. In instructions the listener is obviously 你, so the subject usually disappears, which is why recipes, manuals, and classroom directions lean on 把 so heavily.
Using 将 (jiāng): The formal written counterpart of 把, typical of notices and official forms, with the surrounding vocabulary turning formal alongside it. This 将 is unrelated to the one meaning “will/shall”.
Knowing where 把 doesn’t work: State verbs like 喜欢 (xǐhuan), 知道 (zhīdao), 是 (shì), and 有 (yǒu) reject 把, since there’s no change to report, though they become possible once the sentence describes a change to that state. Potential complements are out too: forms like 吃不完 (chī bu wán) ask whether something is possible, while 把 reports what actually happened, so put 能 in front of 把 instead.
Comparing 把 and 被 (bǎ and bèi): Two ways of describing the same event from opposite ends. 把 starts from the cause, 被 starts from the thing affected. Pick whichever one names what you’re already talking about.
⛏️ Practice Makes Perfect
Now that you’ve seen the fuller picture of 把, it’s time to put it to work! Try translating these sentences and think each time about what became of the object, and about whether the sentence is really telling us that something changed.
🌱 Easy
Please say this sentence one more time.
Sorry, I didn’t finish the food, there was too much.
Could you turn the TV off? I’m on the phone.
The watermelon I bought got eaten up by them.
🌳 Advanced
If you want the tea to smell better, you have to rinse the leaves with hot water once first.
That manuscript was found by a graduate student in a corner of the archives.
Check the tire pressure before we head out, the mountain road is rough.
For dumplings, bring the water to a boil first, then drop them in and add cold water twice along the way.
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This weekend, look out for your PM Translation and PM Comprehension worksheets. They’ll give you the chance to apply what you’ve learned and keep improving your Mandarin skills.
Happy learning,
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