HSK 4Lesson 36
Moving a heavy table, knocking at a friend's door, clearing up a broken cup and getting a little girl ready to blow out her birthday candles all take actions with the hands and body. You will describe them and say how many times, how long and how carefully something was done to a thing.
You will learn verbs for moving and handling things, and two patterns with the word ba: one that says how many times or how long something was done to a thing, and one that says in what manner it was done.
Part 1 · 18 new words
Contains 8 words
to pull
to push
to lift; to carry (together)
to hug; to hold in the arms
to raise; to hold up
to press; to crush
to look up
to carry on the back
Contains 5 words
to knock
to blow
Contains 5 words
to fall; to drop
to break; broken
Part 2 · 8 phrases
这个门要往外拉，你一推当然打不开。
This door has to be pulled outward, so of course pushing doesn't open it.
外边风太大，我的帽子被吹掉了。
The wind is so strong outside that my hat got blown off.
孩子睡着了，进去的时候动作要轻一点儿。
The child is asleep, so be gentle with your movements when you go in.
我一手抱着书，一手去敲老师办公室的门。
With one hand I was holding my books, and with the other I knocked on the teacher's office door.
想回答问题的同学，请举手。
Students who want to answer the question, please raise your hand.
房间里太热，我把大衣脱了，挂在椅子后边。
It's too hot in the room, so I took off my coat and hung it on the back of the chair.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
Liu Ming wants to move an old table out of his room and asks Li Wen to help him carry it through the door.
刘明Liu Ming
这张桌子太重了，我一个人搬不动，你帮我抬一下吧。
This table is too heavy for me to move on my own. Could you help me lift it?
李文Li Wen
好。你刚才试过推吗？
Sure. Did you try pushing it?
刘明Liu Ming
Part 4 · 2 points
把字句 把+宾语+动词+动量补语/时量补语
In a 把bǎ sentence you can put a number of times or a length of time after the verb: 我把门敲了三下wǒ bǎ mén qiāo le sān xià, 我把它推了半天wǒ bǎ tā tuī le bàntiān.
Count the times
The count comes after verb + 了le.
to nod
to take off
movement; action
light; gentle
heavy
to ring; to make a sound
手机被书压在下面，我找了半天才找到。
My phone was pressed under a book, and it took me a long time to find it.
老师问大家听懂了没有，大家一边点头一边笑。
The teacher asked if everyone understood, and they nodded and smiled.
我把它推了半天，一点儿都没动。
I pushed it for ages, and it didn't move at all.
李文Li Wen
那先把门拉开，你抬那头，我抬这头。
Then pull the door open first. You take that end and I'll take this end.
刘明Liu Ming
门不大，我们把桌子慢慢抬出去。
The door isn't wide. Let's carry the table out slowly.
李文Li Wen
对，动作轻一点儿，小心门。
Right, and be gentle. Mind the door.
Anne is at Liu Xiaoxue's door, nobody has answered, and she phones her.
安妮Anne
小雪，我到你家门口了。我把门敲了三下，没人开。
Xiaoxue, I'm at your door. I knocked three times and nobody opened.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
对不起，我在房间里听音乐，没听到。你刚才给我打过电话吗？
Sorry, I was listening to music in my room and didn't hear. Did you call me just now?
安妮Anne
打了两次，你的手机没响吗？
Twice. Didn't your phone ring?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
啊，我的手机刚才没电了，现在才开。你等一下，我马上来开门。
Oh, my phone was out of battery and I've only just turned it back on. Hold on, I'm coming to open the door.
安妮Anne
快点儿，外面风很大，吹得我好冷。
Hurry, it's very windy out here and I'm freezing.
Bai Jiayue's mother hears a crash in the kitchen, and Bai Jiayue tells her what happened and that she has already cleaned up.
妈妈Mom
刚才是什么声音？谁把杯子打破了？
What was that noise just now? Who broke a cup?
白家月Bai Jiayue
杯子是弟弟不小心打掉的，一掉在地上就破了。
My little brother knocked the cup off by accident, and it broke as soon as it hit the floor.
妈妈Mom
他没受伤吧？
He didn't get hurt, did he?
白家月Bai Jiayue
没有。我让他以后小心点儿，他点点头，说了对不起。
No. I told him to be more careful, and he nodded and said sorry.
妈妈Mom
地上可能还有小块的，你小心点儿。
There may still be little pieces on the floor; be careful.
白家月Bai Jiayue
放心，我已经把地扫了两遍了。
Don't worry, I've already swept the floor twice.
Anne is at Liu Xiaoxue's home for her little sister's birthday; the girl comes home from school and they get her ready for the cake.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
妹妹放学回来了！你看，背着那么大的书包。
My little sister is home from school! Look at the big school bag on her back.
安妮Anne
先让她把外套脱了吧。书包别放在桌子上，会压坏蛋糕的。
Have her take her coat off first. And don't put the school bag on the table; it'll squash the cake.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
你看，她把书包轻轻放在椅子上了，一抬头看见蛋糕，高兴得跳起来了！
Look, she has put the bag down gently on the chair, and the moment she looks up and sees the cake, she jumps for joy!
安妮Anne
生日歌唱完了，快让她吃蛋糕吧。
The birthday song's over. Let her have some cake!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
她一口就吃了一大块，高兴得把手举起来了！
She ate a big piece in one bite and threw her hands up with joy!
安妮Anne
真可爱！吹完了，她该去抱一抱奶奶了吧？
How sweet! Now that she's done, she should go and give Grandma a hug, shouldn't she?
我把门敲了三下wǒ bǎ mén qiāo le sān xià: three knocks on the door.
Say how long
A length of time can take the place of the count.
我把它推了半天wǒ bǎ tā tuī le bàntiān: I kept pushing it for a long time.
In sentences
Quick actions
我把门推了五六下都推不开，后来才发现要拉。
I pushed the door five or six times and it wouldn't open; only then did I notice it needed pulling.
下xià counts quick pushes.
A whole job
我把这篇文章读了三遍，还是不太明白。
I read this article three times and still don't quite understand it.
遍biàn counts reading it from start to finish.
Length of time
我把这件衣服洗了半个小时，还是没洗干净。
I washed this shirt for half an hour, and it still isn't clean.
半个小时bàn ge xiǎoshí says how long the washing went on.
A quick request
你把桌子抬一下，我看看下面有没有我的钥匙。
Lift the table for a second; I want to see if my keys are under it.
一下yíxià makes a brief, polite request.
A：这个箱子你抬了多久？ B：我把它抬了十分钟，才抬到楼上。
A: How long did you carry this box? B: I carried it for ten minutes before I got it upstairs.
刘明把那张桌子抬了半天，才抬出房间。
Liu Ming carried that table for ages before he got it out of the room.
A 把bǎ sentence cannot end on a bare verb; something must follow it. One choice is a count of actions or a length of time. The order is subject + 把bǎ + object + verb + 了le + count or time: 我把门敲了三下wǒ bǎ mén qiāo le sān xià I knocked on the door three times; 我把地扫了两遍wǒ bǎ dì sǎo le liǎng biàn I swept the floor twice; 我把它推了半天wǒ bǎ tā tuī le bàntiān I pushed it for ages. Choose the counter carefully: 下xià counts quick actions such as knocking, pushing or blowing; 遍biàn counts doing a whole job from start to finish; 次cì counts separate occasions. The object after 把bǎ is a specific thing both speakers know, such as 门mén the door, not just any door. Do not put the count before the verb: say 把门敲了三下bǎ mén qiāo le sān xià, not 把门三下敲了bǎ mén sān xià qiāo le. Common mistake: ✗ 把门三下敲了bǎ mén sān xià qiāo le is wrong; the count must come after the verb: ✓ 把门敲了三下bǎ mén qiāo le sān xià.
把字句 把+宾语+状语+动词
Put a manner word such as 慢慢mànmàn or 轻轻qīngqīng after the 把bǎ phrase and right before the verb: 把桌子慢慢抬出去bǎ zhuōzi mànmàn tái chūqu.
Say how gently or slowly
The manner word sits between the object and the verb.
我们把桌子慢慢抬出去wǒmen bǎ zhuōzi mànmàn tái chūqu: carry it out slowly.
In sentences
Gently
孩子在睡觉，你把门轻轻关好。
The baby is sleeping, so close the door gently.
轻轻qīngqīng comes right before 关guān; the reason makes the manner necessary.
Slowly
前面有人，他把车慢慢停在路边。
There were people ahead, so he slowly pulled the car over to the side of the road.
慢慢mànmàn comes right before 停tíng, followed by a place.
Carefully
请把杯子小心地放在桌子上。
Please put the cup down on the table carefully.
小心地xiǎoxīn de is a manner phrase with 地de.
A：孩子睡着了，我怎么关门？ B：你把门轻轻关上就行。
A: The child is asleep; how should I close the door? B: Just close it gently.
安妮把蛋糕小心地放在桌子上，等小雪的妹妹回家。
Anne carefully put the cake on the table to wait for Xiaoxue's little sister to come home.
To say how something is done to a thing, the most common place for the manner word is between the 把bǎ phrase and the verb: subject + 把bǎ + object + manner + verb + the rest. 我们把桌子慢慢抬出去wǒmen bǎ zhuōzi mànmàn tái chūqu let's carry the table out slowly; 她把书包轻轻放在椅子上tā bǎ shūbāo qīngqīng fàng zài yǐzi shang she put the bag down gently on the chair. The manner word is often a doubled adjective such as 慢慢mànmàn or 轻轻qīngqīng, or a phrase with 地de such as 小心地xiǎoxīn de. The verb still needs something after it, such as a direction, 出去chūqu, or a place, 在椅子上zài yǐzi shang. A manner word can also come before 把bǎ
你看，她把书包轻轻放在椅子上了，一抬头看见蛋糕，高兴得跳起来了！
Look, she has put the bag down gently on the chair, and the moment she looks up and sees the cake, she jumps for joy!
Why it matters · 轻轻qīngqīng sits between 把书包bǎ shūbāo and 放fàng.
