把-construction (disposal)
At HSK 4 the 把 construction is used with more kinds of complement, but the core stays the same: it moves the object in front of the verb and says what happens to it. The object must be definite and the verb needs a result, direction or duration.
Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + Result/Direction/Duration
Two hard rules:
1. The object must be definite/specific (a known thing, not 'a book' in general).
2. The verb must have a result, direction, or duration complement — never a bare verb alone.
❌ 我把书看。(no result — ungrammatical)
✅ 我把书看完了。(看完 = finished reading)
Contrast with 被: 把 = agent acts on object (active disposal); 被 = subject receives the action (passive).
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 妈妈把衣服洗干净了。 | Māma bǎ yī fu xǐ gān jìng le. | Mom washed the clothes clean. | Minimal 把 frame: definite object (衣服) + Verb (洗) + result complement (干净) + 了 |
| 请把那些文件放到桌子上去。 | Qǐng bǎ nà xiē wén jiàn fàng dào zhuō zi shàng qù. | Please put those documents on the desk. | 把 with directional result 放到…去; 那些文件 is definite (those specific documents) |
| 他把那首歌唱了好几遍，大家都很喜欢。 | Tā bǎ nà shǒu gē chàng le hǎo jǐ biàn, dà jiā dōu hěn xǐ huān. | He sang that song many times and everyone liked it very much. | Frequency complement (好几遍) as the post-verbal result |
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 (bǎ)
Moves the object in front of the verb so the sentence says what happens to it.
Structure: subject + 把 + object + verb + result/direction/结果
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我把手机忘在出租车上了。 | Wǒ bǎ shǒu jī wàng zài chū zū chē shàng le. | I left my phone in the taxi. |
| 请你把门关上。 | Qǐng nǐ bǎ mén guān shàng. | Please close the door. |
| 她把房间打扫得很干净。 | Tā bǎ fáng jiān dǎ sǎo de hěn gān jìng. | She cleaned the room until it was spotless. |
Not: 我把他喜欢。 Verbs like 喜欢, 知道, 是, 有 and 看见 do not act on an object, so they cannot take 把.
In the official HSK 3.0 grammar outline: level 3, prepositions (引出施事、受事).
把 is also explained in: The 把 Construction (HSK 3) · New Classifiers: 把, 双, 台, 张, 种, 辆 (HSK 3) · Key HSK-4 patterns: integrated review (HSK 4) · 把-Sentences & Notional Passive (HSK 5).
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.
What this opens up
These patterns list 把-construction (disposal) among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
- Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions
- Agent Prepositions
- 被-construction (passive)
- Key HSK-4 patterns
- 使/让/叫 pivot-causative sentences
The same pattern at other levels
- The 把 Construction — HSK 3
- 把-Sentences & Notional Passive — HSK 5
Questions about 把-construction (disposal)
What does 把字句 (把-construction (disposal)) mean in Chinese?
At HSK 4 the 把 construction is used with more kinds of complement, but the core stays the same: it moves the object in front of the verb and says what happens to it. The object must be definite and the verb needs a result, direction or duration. It is an HSK 4 grammar point.
How do you use 把字句 (把-construction (disposal)) in a sentence?
妈妈把衣服洗干净了。 — Māma bǎ yī fu xǐ gān jìng le. — Mom washed the clothes clean. Minimal 把 frame: definite object (衣服) + Verb (洗) + result complement (干净) + 了.
What do you need to know before 把字句 (把-construction (disposal))?
The 把 Construction (HSK 3). This pattern is built out of them, so a sentence here that will not parse usually means one of them has not landed yet.
What does 把字句 (把-construction (disposal)) lead to?
Advanced 把 and Passive Constructions (HSK 6), Agent Prepositions (HSK 5), 被-construction (passive) (HSK 4), Key HSK-4 patterns (HSK 4), 使/让/叫 pivot-causative sentences (HSK 4). Each of them names 把字句 (把-construction (disposal)) among its own prerequisites.
Which verbs cannot be used in a 把 sentence?
Verbs that do not change or move an object: 是, 有, 喜欢, 知道, 觉得, 看见, 听见. You cannot say 我把他喜欢. Use the normal order: 我喜欢他.
Why can I not say 我把书看?
After the object, the verb needs something more: a result, a direction, 了, or a number. Say 我把书看完了 or 我把书看了一遍. The object after 把 should also be a known one, such as 那本书.
把-construction (disposal) 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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