Chinese word

把

Pronunciation

Pinyinbǎ

Meaning

  • prepositionobject marker

Example

请把门关上。qǐng bǎ mén guān shàng

Please close the door.

Illustration for 把 (object marker)

More examples

我把钥匙放在桌子上了。wǒ bǎ yào shi fàng zài zhuō zi shàng le

I put the keys on the table.

Core concept

A hand takes hold of a specific object and brings it forward for handling or change.

Common phrases

  • 把书放好bǎ shū fàng hǎo

    put the book in its place

  • 把饭吃完bǎ fàn chī wán

    finish eating the meal

  • 把钥匙放好bǎ yào shi fàng hǎo

    put the keys in their place

Similar words

给gěi: Shows the person or place that receives something in an act of giving.
被bèi: Shows the person or thing affected by an action in a passive sentence.
让ràng: Shows that someone makes or allows another person to do something.

Definition in Chinese

用来将动作的受事对象前置，表示对该对象进行处理、支配或引起结果，常见结构为“把＋宾语＋动词＋（补语）”，通常用于具体确定的对象。yòng lái jiāng dòng zuò de shòu shì duì xiàng qián zhì biǎo shì duì gāi duì xiàng jìn xíng chú lǐ zhī pèi huò yín qǐ jié guǒ cháng jiàn jié gòu wèi bǎ bīn yǔ dòng cí bú yǔ tōng cháng yòng yú jù tǐ què dìng de duì xiàng

Word origin

把 (bǎ, "grasp") combines 扌 (shǒu, "hand") with 巴 (bā, "sound element"), and its sense of holding an object extended to the object-handling construction and to a quantity held in one hand.

Usage tips

  • English usually puts an object after the verb, but this Chinese pattern puts a known object first when the action clearly affects it, often with a result such as opening, moving, or breaking.

Other meanings

  • grabverb
  • handfulmeasure word

Related words

Word lists with this word