Properties of the subject and object in 把 bF sentences 20.2
把 bǎ sentences with inanimate subjects昨天晚上大火把他们家烧了。
昨天晚上大火把他們家燒了。
Zuótiān wǎnshang dàhuǒ bǎ tāmen jiā shāo le.
Last night a big fire burned their home.这几天真把妈妈忙坏了。
這幾天真把媽媽忙壞了。
Zhèjǐtiān zhēn bǎ māma mánghuài le.
These last few days have really worn Mom out.Causation does not have to be deliberate or intentional.他不知不觉地把所有的饺子都吃完了。
他不知不覺地把所有的餃子都吃完了。
Tā bùzhī-bùjué de bǎ suǒyǒu de jiǎozi dōu chīwán le.
Without realizing it, he ate up all the dumplings.If you want to say that the subject deliberately caused something to happen, you can add an
expression such as 故意/故意 gùyì ‘deliberately’ before 把 bǎ.他故意把我的衣服弄坏了。
他故意把我的衣服弄壞了。
Tā gùyì bǎ wǒ de yīfu nònghuài le.
He deliberately ruined my clothes.20.2.2 Properties of the object
- The object must refer to something definite or generic.
Objects are definite if they have already been mentioned in the discourse, or if they are
preceded by the specifier 这 zhè ‘this, these’ or 那 nà ‘that, those,’ or are modified by a
description phrase.
我已经把那本书看完了。
我已經把那本書看完了。
Wǒ yǐjing bǎ nà běn shū kànwán le.
I already finished reading that book.他把孩子的衣服都洗干净了。
他把孩子的衣服都洗乾淨了。
Tā bǎ háizi de yīfu dōu xǐ gānjìng le.
He washed the children’s clothing clean.Objects are generic if they refer to a group or class of objects in general rather than to a
specific or definite object. When you say ‘I like mustard on hot dogs,’ both ‘mustard’ and
‘hot dogs’ have generic rather than definite or specific reference.他经常把花儿送给女朋友。
他經常把花兒送給女朋友。
Tā jīngcháng bǎ huār sòng gěi nǚ péngyou.
He regularly sends his girlfriend flowers.- The object must exist independently of the action of the verb.
In 把 bǎ sentences, the verb can do something to the object, but it cannot create the object.
Therefore, for example, you can use 把 bǎ to say that you revised an essay, but not that
you wrote it.
她把文章改了改。
Tā bǎ wénzhāng gǎile gǎi.
She revised the essay.