How to use 把；当作；成
Subject + 把 + object + 给 + verb phrase; 把 + A + 当作 / 看作 + B; 把 + object + verb + 成 + result
Advanced 把 sentences keep their focus on what happens to a specified object, but the effect can be abstract. 给 before the verb can add conversational emphasis without introducing a recipient. 当作 or 看作 describes treating or regarding someone as something. A result with 成 can describe transformation, production, or mistaking one thing for another, depending on the verb.
Keep the object after 把 and choose a predicate that fully expresses the treatment or outcome. The result after 成 is essential when it identifies what the object becomes or is mistaken for. These extensions do not remove the basic need for a meaningful relationship between the affected object and the following action or judgment.
Examples with pinyin and English
我把这事儿给忘了。
I forgot about this matter.
我一直把他看作我哥哥。
I have always seen him as my older brother.
他从来不把老板的话当回事。
He never takes what his boss says seriously.
请你把这个蛋糕切成六块。
Please cut the cake into six parts.
他把我家当作了他自己家。
He treated my house like his own.
What to remember
- Do not translate emphatic 给 as a recipient marker.
- Use 当作 or 看作 for treating A as B.
- State the resulting identity or form after 成.
Practise the pattern
Practise this topic with the app’s grammar exercises. Your answers and review dates are saved separately from vocabulary practice.
Practise this grammar topic ↗Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.