Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions
At HSK 6, the 把 sentence takes endings such as 成, 为, 作, 给 and 得 plus a complement, as in 把A看成B and 把书还给他. The 被 sentence also takes 为 and 得, as in 被称为 and 被传得沸沸扬扬.
In English
Four extra patterns appear with 把 and 被 at HSK 6. After 把 + object + verb, the next word tells what happened to the object: 成/为/作 says it became or was regarded as something (把A看成B), 给 says it went to a recipient (把书还给他), and 得 introduces a description of the result (把房间打扫得干干净净). The passive has matching forms: 被…为 is formal and means 'is called' (被称为), and 被…得 describes the outcome of what was done (被传得沸沸扬扬).
The agent after 被 can be dropped: 消息被传开了.
把 + O + V + 给 + Recipient (double-object give-type verbs): 把书还给他 = 'return the book to him' — 给 introduces the recipient after the verb.
把 + O + V + 得 + degree complement: 把房间打扫得干干净净 — 得 (NOT 的/地) introduces a descriptive result of the verb's action on the object.
被 advanced: 被 + Agent + V + 为 (formal passive transformation: 被称为 = 'is called'); 被 + V + 得 + complement (passive with descriptive result: 被传得沸沸扬扬 = 'was spread wildly'). Agent can be omitted: 消息被传开了.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我们把这次失败当作一次宝贵的经验。 | Wǒ men bǎ zhè cì shī bài dàng zuò yí cì bǎo guì de jīng yàn. | We treat this failure as a valuable experience. | Minimal frame: 把 + O(失败) + V(当) + 作 + B(宝贵的经验) — regard-as construction |
| 他把钱包还给了失主。 | Tā bǎ qián bāo huán gěi le shī zhǔ. | He returned the wallet to its owner. | New element: 把 + O + V + 给 + Recipient (double-object give-type verb) |
| 妈妈把房间打扫得干干净净。 | Mā ma bǎ fáng jiān dǎ sǎo de gān gān jìng jìng. | Mom cleaned the room spotlessly. | New element: 把 + O + V + 得 + degree complement, describing the result state |
| 这种传统技艺被后人称为文化瑰宝。 | Zhè zhǒng chuán tǒng jì yì bèi hòu rén chēng wéi wén huà guī bǎo. | This traditional craft is called a cultural treasure by later generations. | New pattern: 被 + Agent + V + 为, a formal passive transformation/naming construction |
| 那个消息被大家传得沸沸扬扬。 | Nà gè xiāo xi bèi dà jiā chuán de fèi fèi yáng yáng. | That news was spread wildly by everyone. | 被 combined with a 得-degree complement, mirroring the 把…得… pattern in the passive voice |
Word by word
Each word in this pattern on its own: what it does here, the structure, three more examples, and the mistake to avoid.
把…成 (bǎ…chéng)
Says that the object is turned into, or taken as, something else.
Structure: 把 + object + verb + 成 + new thing
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我们不能把朋友的善意看成理所当然。 | Wǒ men bù néng bǎ péng you de shàn yì kàn chéng lǐ suǒ dāng rán. | We must not take a friend's kindness for granted. |
| 她把这首诗翻译成了英文。 | Tā bǎ zhè shǒu shī fān yì chéng le Yīng wén. | She translated this poem into English. |
| 他把这些水果切成了小块。 | Tā bǎ zhè xiē shuǐ guǒ qiē chéng le xiǎo kuài. | He cut the fruit into small pieces. |
Not: 她把这篇文章翻译英文。 The result needs 成 after the verb: 翻译成英文.
把…给 (bǎ…gěi)
Passes the object on to a recipient; 给 comes straight after the verb.
Structure: 把 + object + verb + 给 + person
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 请把这封信交给王老师。 | Qǐng bǎ zhè fēng xìn jiāo gěi Wáng lǎo shī. | Please hand this letter to Teacher Wang. |
| 他把自己的座位让给了老人。 | Tā bǎ zì jǐ de zuò wèi ràng gěi le lǎo rén. | He gave up his seat to the old man. |
| 我已经把钥匙还给房东了。 | Wǒ yǐ jīng bǎ yào shi huán gěi fáng dōng le. | I have already returned the key to the landlord. |
Not: 我把书给还他了。 给 follows the verb directly: 还给他.
把…得 (bǎ…de)
Describes, after 得, the state the object ends up in.
Structure: 把 + object + verb + 得 + description
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他把汉字写得整整齐齐。 | Tā bǎ Hàn zì xiě de zhěng zhěng qí qí. | He wrote the characters very neatly. |
| 雨把街道洗得干干净净。 | Yǔ bǎ jiē dào xǐ de gān gān jìng jìng. | The rain washed the street spotless. |
| 弟弟把房间弄得乱七八糟。 | Dì di bǎ fáng jiān nòng de luàn qī bā zāo. | My younger brother turned the room into a mess. |
Not: 他把桌子擦的很干净。 The complement marker is 得, not 的.
被…为 (bèi…wéi)
A formal passive meaning 'is called, named or elected as'.
Structure: A 被 (agent) + verb + 为 + title
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这座古城被誉为东方明珠。 | Zhè zuò gǔ chéng bèi yù wéi dōng fāng míng zhū. | This old city is known as a pearl of the East. |
| 他被同学们推选为班长。 | Tā bèi tóng xué men tuī xuǎn wéi bān zhǎng. | He was elected class monitor by his classmates. |
| 这位老人被大家尊称为老先生。 | Zhè wèi lǎo rén bèi dà jiā zūn chēng wéi lǎo xiān sheng. | This old man is respectfully called Mr Lao by everyone. |
Not: 他被选班长。 被选 needs 为 (or 当): 被选为班长.
被…得 (bèi…de)
Describes, after 得, how the thing came out as a result of what was done to it.
Structure: A 被 (agent) + verb + 得 + description
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这件事被他说得很简单。 | Zhè jiàn shì bèi tā shuō de hěn jiǎn dān. | He made this matter sound very simple. |
| 小花园被孩子们踩得一片狼藉。 | Xiǎo huā yuán bèi hái zi men cǎi de yí piàn láng jí. | The little garden was trampled into a mess by the children. |
| 他的话被记者写得过于夸张。 | Tā de huà bèi jì zhě xiě de guò yú kuā zhāng. | His words were written up too dramatically by the reporter. |
Not: 他被批评了得很难过。 得 follows the verb directly, so 了 cannot come in between: 被批评得很难过.
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
- Object Semantic Types
- 把-construction (disposal)
- 被-construction (passive)
- 把-Sentences & Notional Passive
Questions about Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions
What does 高级把字句与被动句 (Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions) mean in Chinese?
At HSK 6, the 把 sentence takes endings such as 成, 为, 作, 给 and 得 plus a complement, as in 把A看成B and 把书还给他. The 被 sentence also takes 为 and 得, as in 被称为 and 被传得沸沸扬扬. It is an HSK 6 grammar point.
How do you use 高级把字句与被动句 (Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions) in a sentence?
我们把这次失败当作一次宝贵的经验。 — Wǒ men bǎ zhè cì shī bài dàng zuò yí cì bǎo guì de jīng yàn. — We treat this failure as a valuable experience. Minimal frame: 把 + O(失败) + V(当) + 作 + B(宝贵的经验) — regard-as construction.
What do you need to know before 高级把字句与被动句 (Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions)?
Object Semantic Types (HSK 6), 把-construction (disposal) (HSK 4), 被-construction (passive) (HSK 4), 把-Sentences & Notional Passive (HSK 5). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
Why do some 把 sentences end with 成 or 给?
The word right after the verb states the result. 成 says the object became something new, and 给 says it went to someone. Without it the 把 sentence feels unfinished: 把书还给他, not 把书还。
Can I always replace 被 with 让 or 叫?
In speech yes, but then you must name the agent. 被 can leave the agent out (消息被传开了), while 让 and 叫 cannot. Formal patterns such as 被称为 use only 被.
Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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