What is 把字句 in Chinese grammar?

把字句 (bǎ zì jù) is a Chinese sentence pattern that uses the particle 把 to move the object before the verb, emphasizing the action's effect on the object. The structure is: Subject + 把 + Object + Verb + Result/Complement. The object must be definite (specific), and the verb cannot stand alone — it must be followed by a result, complement, or aspect marker like 了.

When should I use 把 in Chinese?

Use 把 when you want to emphasize what happens to a specific object. Common situations: disposing of something (把垃圾扔了), placing something (把书放在桌子上), changing something's state (把门关上), or completing an action on something (把作业做完了). Do NOT use 把 with psychological verbs (喜欢, 知道), with indefinite objects (一本书), or with bare verbs that have no result.

How many 把字句 patterns are tested at HSK 4?

HSK 4 introduces 4 new 把字句 patterns on top of 3 from HSK 3, for a total of 7 patterns. The new HSK 4 patterns are: 把+O+V一V (tentative), 把+O+V了 (completed), 把+O+V+duration/frequency (quantified), and 把+O+adverbial+V (modified). HSK 5 adds one more: 把+O+一+V.

HSK 4 Grammar

HSK 4 把字句 — The 把 Construction

Master all 8 patterns of the 把 sentence across HSK 3–5 with drag-and-drop exercises, error correction, and interactive quizzes.

Patterns

HSK Levels

40+

Exercises

HSK Level Progression / 等级递进

HSK 2

Not applicable

HSK 3

3 patterns

HSK 4

+4 new patterns

HSK 5

+1 pattern

HSK 2 — No 把字句

把字句 is not introduced at HSK 2. At this level, simple SVO word order is used.

HSK 3 — 3 Foundation Patterns

① 把 + O + V + 在/到 → 请把书放在桌子上。
② 把 + O₁ + V + 给 + O₂ → 他把礼物送给了朋友。
③ 把 + O + V + result/direction complement → 她把门关上了。

HSK 4 — 4 New Patterns (This Page)

④ 把 + O + V一V → 你把这道题看一看。
⑤ 把 + O + V了 → 他把那本书借了。
⑥ 把 + O + V + duration/frequency → 我把课文读了三遍。
⑦ 把 + O + adverbial + V → 请把桌子仔细地擦干净。

HSK 5 — 1 Advanced Pattern

⑧ 把 + O + 一 + V → 她把头发一剪，觉得轻松多了。

This pattern emphasizes a swift, decisive action on the object.

Sentence Anatomy / 句子解剖

妈妈把房间打扫干净了

Subject 主语

把

Object 宾语

Verb 动词

Result 补语

Subject + 把 + Object_(definite) + Verb + Result / Complement

HSK 3 Review — 3 Foundation Patterns (已学) ▶

HSK3-1 把 + O + V + 在/到

请把书放在桌子上。

Qǐng bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shàng.

Please put the book on the table.

他把车开到学校门口了。

Tā bǎ chē kāi dào xuéxiào ménkǒu le.

He drove the car to the school gate.

HSK3-2 把 + O₁ + V + 给 + O₂

他把礼物送给了朋友。

Tā bǎ lǐwù sòng gěi le péngyǒu.

He gave the gift to his friend.

请把这封信交给王老师。

Qǐng bǎ zhè fēng xìn jiāo gěi Wáng lǎoshī.

Please hand this letter to Teacher Wang.

HSK3-3 把 + O + V + result/direction complement

她把门关上了。

Tā bǎ mén guān shàng le.

She closed the door.

风把树叶吹走了。

Fēng bǎ shùyè chuī zǒu le.

The wind blew the leaves away.

HSK 4 New Patterns / HSK4 新句型

Pattern 4 把 + O + V一V Tentative action

你把这道题看一看。

Nǐ bǎ zhè dào tí kàn yī kàn.

Take a look at this question.

我把行李整理一下。

Wǒ bǎ xínglǐ zhěnglǐ yīxià.

Let me tidy up the luggage a bit.

请把这段话翻译一下。

Qǐng bǎ zhè duàn huà fānyì yīxià.

Please translate this passage.

✗ 把这件衣服看一看。

✓ 你把这件衣服看一看。

把字句 requires an explicit subject (你/我/他/请…), even in imperative sentences.

Pattern 5 把 + O + V了 Completed action on object

他把那本书借了。

Tā bǎ nà běn shū jiè le.

He borrowed that book.

我把今天的作业做了。

Wǒ bǎ jīntiān de zuòyè zuò le.

I finished today's homework.

服务员把菜单拿走了。

Fúwùyuán bǎ càidān ná zǒu le.

The waiter took away the menu.

✗ 我把一本书借了。

✓ 我把那本书借了。

The object after 把 must be definite (这/那/我的…). Indefinite objects (一本书) cannot be used with 把.

Pattern 6 把 + O + V + duration/frequency Quantified action

我把课文读了三遍。

Wǒ bǎ kèwén dú le sān biàn.

I read the text three times.

他把这首歌唱了两遍。

Tā bǎ zhè shǒu gē chàng le liǎng biàn.

He sang this song twice.

她把那个电影看了三次。

Tā bǎ nàge diànyǐng kàn le sān cì.

She watched that movie three times.

✗ 我把课文读三遍。

✓ 我把课文读了三遍。

When quantifying a completed action, 了 is needed between the verb and the quantity to mark completion.

Pattern 7 把 + O + adverbial + V Modified action

请把桌子仔细地擦干净。

Qǐng bǎ zhuōzi zǐxì de cā gānjìng.

Please carefully wipe the table clean.

他把名字认真地写在纸上。

Tā bǎ míngzì rènzhēn de xiě zài zhǐ shàng.

He carefully wrote the name on the paper.

我们把教室重新布置了一下。

Wǒmen bǎ jiàoshì chóngxīn bùzhì le yīxià.

We rearranged the classroom.

✗ 请仔细地把桌子擦干净。

✓ 请把桌子仔细地擦干净。

In this pattern, the adverbial modifier goes after the object, immediately before the verb — not before 把.

Classic HSK 4 把字句 Examples Explained / HSK 4 把字句经典例句详解

These 15 把字句 sentences appear repeatedly in HSK 4 textbooks, mock exams, and real conversations. Learn each one with full pinyin, English translation, structural analysis, and contrast with the wrong way to say it.

把书放在桌子上 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #1

Bǎ shū fàng zài zhuōzi shàng.

"Put the book on the table." — the textbook example for 把字句 location placement.

Slot	Word	Function
Subject (主语)	(implied 你 / 我)	The actor (often dropped in imperatives)
把	把	Disposal marker — signals "do something to X"
Object (宾语)	书	The specific thing being moved
Verb (动词)	放	The action
Result (补语)	在桌子上	Where it ends up — REQUIRED for 把字句

✗ 我放书在桌子上。 — Ungrammatical. When the verb 放 is followed by 在 + location, Mandarin requires 把字句. The object cannot stay after the verb.

✓ 我把书放在桌子上。 — Required HSK 4 form. With "verb + 在 + place" structures (放/挂/写/装/贴/坐 etc.), the object MUST be moved before the verb using 把.

Variations to learn: 把杯子放在桌子上 / 把手机放在床上 / 把钱包放在包里 / 把行李放在车上. Same structure, different objects and locations.

把门关上 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #2

Bǎ mén guān shàng.

"Close the door." — classic 把字句 with directional/result complement 上.

Slot	Word	Function
Subject	(implied 你 — request)	Often dropped in imperative form
把	把	Disposal marker
Object	门	The specific door
Verb	关	Close
Result complement	上	Indicates closure / sealing — verb ALONE 关 is incomplete in 把字句

✗ 把门关。 — Bare verb is forbidden in 把字句. You must add a result, complement, or 了.

✓ 请把门关上。 — Polite request, "please close the door (and keep it closed)."

✓ 他把门关上了。 — Past statement, "He closed the door."

Same structure: 把窗户关上 / 把灯关掉 / 把电视关了 / 把电脑关掉.

把作业做完 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #3

Bǎ zuòyè zuò wán.

"Finish the homework." — completion result complement 完.

✓ 我把今天的作业做完了。 Wǒ bǎ jīntiān de zuòyè zuò wán le. — "I have finished today's homework."

Pattern: 把 + 宾语 + 动词 + 完 + 了. The 完 marks completion; the 了 marks tense. Same structure: 把饭吃完 / 把电影看完 / 把书读完 / 把咖啡喝完.

把礼物送给他 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #4

Bǎ lǐwù sòng gěi tā.

"Give the gift to him." — 把字句 with double object via 给.

✓ 我把礼物送给了他。 Wǒ bǎ lǐwù sòng gěi le tā. — "I gave the gift to him."

Pattern: 把 + 宾语₁ + 动词 + 给 + 宾语₂. The 给 introduces the recipient. Same structure: 把信寄给妈妈 / 把书还给图书馆 / 把钱付给老板 / 把照片发给朋友.

把这本书看一看 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #5

Bǎ zhè běn shū kàn yi kàn.

"Take a look at this book." — V 一 V (verb reduplication) is HSK 3 vocabulary, but using V 一 V inside a 把字句 is HSK 4 NEW (one of the 4 new 把 patterns at this level).

✓ 你把这本书看一看，再决定要不要买。 Nǐ bǎ zhè běn shū kàn yi kàn, zài juédìng yào bù yào mǎi. — "Take a quick look at this book, then decide if you want to buy it."

V 一 V softens the request and implies "briefly". Pattern: 把 + 宾语 + V + 一 + V (the 一 is unstressed, pronounced yi). Same structure: 把这道题想一想 / 把这件事考虑一下 / 把电脑修一修 / 把房间打扫打扫. Note: 看一看 ≈ 看看 (interchangeable; 一 can be omitted).

把垃圾扔了 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #6

Bǎ lājī rēng le.

"Throw the trash out." — 把字句 with 了 alone (HSK 4 new pattern).

✓ 请把垃圾扔了。 Qǐng bǎ lājī rēng le. — "Please throw the trash out." (Polite imperative; the 了 implies the action results in the trash being gone.)

Pattern: 把 + 宾语 + 动词 + 了. The 了 here is a result marker, not just past tense. Same structure: 把这杯水喝了 / 把那张照片删了 / 把这个文件删了 / 把旧衣服扔了.

把灯打开 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #7

Bǎ dēng dǎ kāi.

"Turn on the light." — directional/result complement 开.

✓ 天黑了，请把灯打开。 Tiān hēi le, qǐng bǎ dēng dǎ kāi. — "It's getting dark, please turn on the light."

Same structure: 把窗户打开 / 把电视打开 / 把空调打开 / 把礼物打开看看.

把车停在路边 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #8

Bǎ chē tíng zài lù biān.

"Park the car by the road." — 把 + V + 在 location pattern.

✓ 师傅，请把车停在路边。 Shīfu, qǐng bǎ chē tíng zài lù biān. — "Driver, please pull over by the side of the road."

Same structure: 把行李放在地上 / 把照片挂在墙上 / 把名字写在黑板上 / 把杯子放在桌子上.

把房间打扫干净 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #9

Bǎ fángjiān dǎsǎo gānjìng.

"Clean the room thoroughly." — adjective as result complement.

✓ 妈妈让我把自己的房间打扫干净。 Māma ràng wǒ bǎ zìjǐ de fángjiān dǎsǎo gānjìng. — "Mom asked me to clean my own room thoroughly."

Same structure: 把衣服洗干净 / 把字写清楚 / 把碗洗干净 / 把饭做好.

把信寄给妈妈 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #10

Bǎ xìn jì gěi māma.

"Mail the letter to mom." — directional 给 + recipient pattern.

✓ 我已经把信寄给妈妈了。 Wǒ yǐjīng bǎ xìn jì gěi māma le. — "I have already mailed the letter to mom."

把这件事告诉了我 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #11

Bǎ zhè jiàn shì gàosu le wǒ.

"Told me about this matter." — 告诉 with 把字句.

✓ 他把这件事告诉了我，我才知道。 Tā bǎ zhè jiàn shì gàosu le wǒ, wǒ cái zhīdào. — "He told me about this matter, only then did I find out."

HSK 4 grammar note: Strict prescriptive grammar says double-object verbs like 告诉 / 教 / 给 / 问 should not use 把字句 — the canonical form is 「他告诉了我这件事」(SVO with double object). However, in real HSK 4 listening dialogues and reading passages, the 把字句 form 「他把这件事告诉了我」 appears regularly when the speaker emphasizes the matter. Both are accepted in HSK 4 testing. Recognize both; default to the simple 告诉了我这件事 form when writing.

把这首歌唱了一遍 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #12

Bǎ zhè shǒu gē chàng le yí biàn.

"Sang this song through once." — frequency/duration complement (HSK 4 new pattern).

✓ 老师把这首歌唱了一遍，我们才学会。 Lǎoshī bǎ zhè shǒu gē chàng le yí biàn, wǒmen cái xuéhuì. — "The teacher sang this song through once, only then did we learn it."

Pattern: 把 + 宾语 + 动词 + 了 + 数量补语. Same structure: 把这道题做了三遍 / 把这本书读了两次 / 把课文听了五遍.

把头发剪短了 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #13

Bǎ tóufa jiǎn duǎn le.

"Cut the hair short." — adjective result complement signaling state change.

✓ 她昨天把头发剪短了，看起来更年轻了。 Tā zuótiān bǎ tóufa jiǎn duǎn le, kàn qǐlai gèng niánqīng le. — "Yesterday she cut her hair short — she looks even younger."

把这段话翻译成英文 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #14

Bǎ zhè duàn huà fānyì chéng Yīngwén.

"Translate this paragraph into English." — V + 成 + result transformation pattern.

✓ 请把这段话翻译成英文。 Qǐng bǎ zhè duàn huà fānyì chéng Yīngwén. — "Please translate this paragraph into English."

Pattern: 把 + 宾语 + 动词 + 成 + 结果. Same structure: 把人民币换成美元 / 把电影改编成小说 / 把生词写成卡片.

把钱包丢在出租车上 — HSK 4 把字句例句 #15

Bǎ qiánbāo diū zài chūzūchē shàng.

"Left the wallet in the taxi." — accidental result with 在 + location.

✓ 我不小心把钱包丢在出租车上了。 Wǒ bù xiǎoxīn bǎ qiánbāo diū zài chūzūchē shàng le. — "I accidentally left my wallet in the taxi."

把字句 expresses unwanted results too — useful for talking about lost items, broken things, accidents at HSK 4. Same structure: 把手机忘在家里了 / 把杯子打碎了 / 把钥匙落在办公室了.

Sentence Builder / 语序拖拽排列

Drag the word tiles into the correct 把字句 order. On mobile, tap a tile then tap a position.

Formula Lab / 公式实验室

Subject 主语

把

Object 宾语

Verb + Complement

Click a word, then click a label to tag it. Tag all parts, then check.

Error Spotting / 纠错练习

Is this 把字句 correct or incorrect? Judge each sentence.

Comprehensive Quiz / 综合测试 (15 questions)

请你这件事告诉他。

把 is used to indicate doing something to a specific, definite object. 请你把这件事告诉他 = Please tell him about this matter.

她把房间。

After 把, the verb must have a result or complement. A bare verb (打扫) or adjective phrase (很干净) is not enough. 打扫干净了 gives the completed result.

我把课文。

把+O+V+frequency (Pattern 6). 读了两遍 = read two times, providing the required complement after the verb.

Which sentence uses 把 correctly?

把 cannot be used with psychological verbs (喜欢), indefinite objects (一本书), or without a verb. 请把门关上 is correct: 把+definite O+V+result.

老师让我们把生词。

把+O+V一V (Pattern 4). 抄一抄 = copy/write out (tentative aspect), giving the verb a proper complement.

他把手机了。

把+O+V+result complement. 摔坏 = dropped and broke (V+result). A bare adjective (坏) or 是 construction doesn't work in 把字句.

Which sentence is INCORRECT?

把 cannot be followed by a psychological/stative verb like 喜欢. 把字句 requires an action verb that changes the state of the object.

妈妈把菜。

把+O+V+result. A bare verb (做), progressive (在做), or 的 ending (做的) are all incomplete. 做好了 = finished cooking (V+result+了).

他把这首歌。

把+O+V+frequency (Pattern 6). 唱了两遍 = sang twice. The other options either lack a complement or use non-action constructions.

请把这段话翻译成英文。

把+O+adverbial+V (Pattern 7). The adverbial modifier uses 地 before the verb: 仔细地 = carefully. 仔细 alone is an adjective and cannot modify a verb directly in this structure.

我们把教室布置了一下。

把+O+adverb+V (Pattern 7). 重新 = again/anew, is a proper adverb that can go between object and verb in 把字句.

Choose the correct word order:

The correct order is: Subject(我) + 把 + Object(行李) + Verb+complement(整理一下). 把 always comes after the subject and before the object.

Which sentence has a word order error?

In Pattern 7, the adverb goes after the object: 请把作业仔细地做完, not 请仔细地把作业做完. The adverbial modifier belongs between 把+O and V.

她名字写在了黑板上。

She actively wrote the name on the blackboard — this is an action on a specific object, so 把 is correct. 被 would be passive (the name was written by someone), which doesn't match the meaning here.

How many rules must a valid 把字句 follow?

Three key rules: (1) the object must be definite/specific, (2) the verb must be an action verb (not stative/psychological), (3) the verb must be followed by some result, complement, or aspect marker — never bare.

HSK 4 真题语境例句 / Real-Exam-Context Examples

Five 把字句 sentences in the exact contexts they appear in HSK 4 听力 (listening), 阅读 (reading), and 书写 (writing). Each shows where the pattern is most commonly tested, plus the result/complement that the verb requires.

请把这个包裹寄到上海。

Qǐng bǎ zhège bāoguǒ jì dào Shànghǎi.

Please mail this package to Shanghai.

Test context: 听力 service-counter dialogues. 把 + 包裹 + 寄到 + place is the standard request frame. The verb 寄 must take the directional 到 + place — bare 寄 is wrong.

老师让我们把这篇文章翻译成中文。

Lǎoshī ràng wǒmen bǎ zhè piān wénzhāng fānyì chéng Zhōngwén.

The teacher asked us to translate this article into Chinese.

Test context: Pivotal 让 + 把 stacked construction — extremely common in HSK 4 阅读. 把…翻译成 + language is a fixed test pattern; 成 cannot be replaced by 到 here.

妈妈把房间打扫得干干净净。

Māma bǎ fángjiān dǎsǎo de gāngānjìngjìng.

Mom cleaned the room spotlessly.

Test context: 书写 sentence-construction (Q86-95). 把 + V + 得 + reduplicated adjective is a high-frequency frame; the AABB form 干干净净 strengthens the description.

小王已经把今天的会议内容记在本子上了。

Xiǎo Wáng yǐjīng bǎ jīntiān de huìyì nèiróng jì zài běnzi shàng le.

Xiao Wang has already written down today's meeting contents in a notebook.

Test context: 阅读 workplace/study-note passages. 把 + N + V + 在 + place is the canonical "place X onto Y" frame. 已经…了 marks completion. 会议 + 内容 are HSK 4 collocations frequently tested in 排词成句.

麻烦你把这份材料发给所有同事。

Máfan nǐ bǎ zhè fèn cáiliào fā gěi suǒyǒu tóngshì.

Could you please send this material to all colleagues.

Test context: 听力 office-context requests. 把 + N + V + 给 + recipient is the canonical workplace pattern; 麻烦你 softens the request — common HSK 4 polite-speech marker.

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