Ba construction 把字句

bǎzìjù · from Chinese

What is the ba construction in Chinese?

The ba construction moves a Mandarin object before the verb with 把 bǎ to emphasise what is done to it, often with a result.

Pattern: subject + 把 + object + verb + complement. It is used when the object is definite and something happens to it, such as being moved, finished or changed. Bare verbs usually sound incomplete after 把.

Examples

我把書放在桌子上 wǒ bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shang (I put the book on the table); 把門關上 bǎ mén guānshang (close the door); 我把作業寫完了 wǒ bǎ zuòyè xiěwán le (I finished my homework)

Kungfucius says: 把 means grab. Grab the object, do something to it, and do not leave the verb naked.