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How to use “make” in Chinese

How to use make in Chinese.jpg

When learning English, 'make' was a verb, which always confused me. For me, there are too many meanings of 'make' and some of them are quite different in Chinese. Let's look at the usages of 'make' in Chinese.

学中文的时候,我经常对“做、让、使”作为动词的情况感到疑惑。对我来说,“做、让、使”在中文里有很多不一样的意思,一起来看看都有些什么用法吧。

 

做(zuò)- make

 

'Make' in Chinese is translated into 做(zuò) in many cases. It's like 'to do', or 'to produce'. As English, it is a verb, which in most cases, it means 'to produce something'. For example:

很多情况下“Make”在中文被翻译成“做”。意思就是“去做”或者“去产出”。在英语中,它是个动词,在大部分的情况下,它指的是“制作出某样东西”。例如:

 

'make a cake'- '做蛋糕'(zuò dàn gāo);

 

'make a dress' – '制作裙子'(zuò qún zi).

 

In our daily life, we also use the phrase 'make something into another thing' often. The structure of this phrasing is: A+是+B +做的 (zuò de) like the following phrases.

日常生活中,我们也经常遇到“使某物变成某物”的用法。这种情况的具体结构是:A+是+B +做的 (zuò de),就像下面的例子:

 

'这是什么做的?' (zhè shì shén me zuò de ?) – 'What is this made for/of?'

 

'这是面粉做的。'(zhè shì miàn fěn zuò de.) – ' This is made of flour.'

 

让(ràng) & 使 (shǐ)– make

 

Another translation of 'make' in Chinese is '让(ràng)'. Here is the way you would use it in Chinese:

“Make”的另一种翻译是“让”。你可以在下面的情况下用这个字:

 

'让+ somebody + adj/do' = 'make + somebody + adj/do'.

 

The English structure is almost same in Chinese. Just remember to use the verb '让(rang)'. Another verb '使(shǐ)' can be used in this structure to convey the same meaning. It could be '使(shǐ)+ somebody + adj/do'. Here are some examples of how both verbs can be used.

这个结构在英语和中文几乎是一样的,记住一点的是要用“让”这个字。另一个动词“使”也可以用这个结构表达同样的意思。结构可以是“使(shǐ)+ somebody + adj/do”。以下的例子告诉你两者如何使用:

 

'make me happy' – '让我高兴'(ràng wǒ gāo xìng)

 

'make him sad' – '让他伤心'(ràng tā shāng xīn)

 

'make her angry' – '使她生气'(shǐ tā shēng qì)

 

'make him do homework.' – '让他做作业'(ràng tā zuò zuò yè)

 

'make him learn Chinese' – '让他学汉语'(shǐ tā xué hàn yǔ)

 

However in Chinese, there are some other verbs also mean 'make' in certain specific situations. Let's look at a few verbs examples.

但是,在中文里,某些具体语境下,存在着其他也表示“make”意思的动词。请看以下的例子:

 

预约(yù yuē) – to make an appointment

 

If you need to make an appointment, '预约(yù yuē)' is the verb to use. This is the how you would use this in Chinese: '预约 + something'. For instance:

如果你想预约某事的话,可以使用“预约”这个动词。“预约”的使用方式是:预约 + 某事。例如:

 

'make a doctor appointment' – '预约看医生'(yù yuē kàn yī shēng).

 

' make a SPA appointment' – '预约做SPA'(yù yuē zuò SPA).

 

泡茶(pào chá)– make tea

 

If you make or cook food, '做(zuò)' is fine for most cases. But if it is a beverage you are making, such as tea or coffee, then the verb should be '泡(pào )'.

如果你在下厨房,那么“做”这个词适用于大部分情况。不过你要是在制作饮料的话,比如茶或咖啡,那么可以使用“泡”这个词。

 

'make tea' – '泡茶'(pào chá)

 

'make coffee' – '泡咖啡'(pào kā fēi).

 

铺床(pū chuáng) – make a bed

 

The last but not the least one is '铺床(pū chuáng)'-'make a bed'. I've never gotten how you could 'make' your bed. It sounds like you are creating a bed from scratch. In Chinese we use '铺(pū)' for making the bed which literally it means 'spread'. Since you need spread the sheets and blanket in order to make your bed, right?

最后一种情况:铺床。我永远搞不懂要怎么“make”床。这听上去好像是自己完全动手做了张床的意思。中文里,我们用“铺”,字面上就是“平展”床铺的意思。因为为了铺床,我们需要铺开被单和毯子,对吧?

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2016-06-21

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