exPreSSiNG CommaNdS aNd PermiSSioN
51.151.1.2 Negative commands: prohibitions
To command someone not to do something, use 不要 bù yào ‘don’t,’ 別 bié ‘don’t,’ or
不许/不許 bù xǔ ‘not allow.’不要在屋里吸烟！
不要在屋裡吸煙！
Bù yào zài wūlǐ xī yān!
Don’t smoke in the house!别出去！
Bié chūqu!
Don’t go out!喝酒以后不许开车。
喝酒以後不許開車。
Hē jiǔ yǐhòu bù xǔ kāi chē.
After you drink alcohol, you are not allowed to drive a car.C50.2.151.1.3 reporting a command
To report a command, use the verb 叫 jiào ‘to order,’ ‘to call,’ ‘to tell.’他叫我走。
Tā jiào wǒ zǒu.
He ordered me to leave. (He told me to leave.)谁叫你这样做的？
誰叫你這樣做的？
Shéi jiào nǐ zhèyàng zuò de?
Who told you to do it this way?Q: 妈妈叫你去买什么？
媽媽叫你去買甚麼？
Māma jiào nǐ qù mǎi shénme?
What did Mom tell you to buy?
A: 妈妈叫我去买一瓶可口可乐。
媽媽叫我去買一瓶可口可樂。
Māma jiào wǒ qù mǎi yī píng kěkǒukělè.
Mom made me (told me to) buy a bottle of Coke.
Note that 叫 jiào has other meanings and functions that are not associated with commands.
They include ‘to call/to be called’:我叫郭美玲。
Wǒ jiào Guō Měilíng.
I am called Guo Meiling.C22.5and the passive marker ‘by’:饼干都叫孩子吃完了。
餅乾都叫孩子吃完了。
Bǐnggān dōu jiào háizi chīwán le.
The cookies were all eaten up by the children.C 21