{{Grammar Box}} 


凭 is a [[prepositions| preposition]] that means "on the basis of" or "by virtue of." Usually the subject of a sentence with 凭 is a person.  

==Structure with 凭==

=== 凭 with a noun ===

凭 can be followed up with a noun or noun phrase. The nouns can be something concrete like 银行卡, 身份证, etc., or they can be something abstract like 经验, 努力, 感觉 etc. 

<div class="jiegou">
凭 + Noun / Noun Phrase

</div>

====Examples====

<div class="liju"> 
* <em>凭</em> 护照， 外国 人 可以 买 火车 票。<span class="trans">With the help of a passport, foreigners can buy train tickets.</span>
* 他 <em>凭</em> 自己 的 努力 学 了 三千 多 个 汉字。<span class="trans">He studied more than three thousand Chinese characters on his own volition.</span>
* 我们 <em>凭</em> 学生证 在 电影院 享受 折扣 优待。<span class="trans">Since we have student ID cards, we enjoy a special discount at the movie theater.</span>
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=== 凭 with a verb phrase ===

凭 can also be used with a verb phrase or subject-predicate phrase,as follows:

<div class="jiegou">
凭 + Verb Phrase / Subj.-Predicate 

</div>

====Examples====

<div class="liju"> 

* 怪不得 那 个 孩子 的 数学 不 好，他 只 <em>凭</em> 计算器 算。<span class="trans">No wonder that kid's math is so bad. It's because he always uses a calculator.</span>
* 学好 跳舞 不 能 只 <em>凭</em> 看 迈克尔·杰克逊 的 音乐 录像带， 还 得 凭 自己 的 努力。<span class="trans">Watching Michael Jackson music videos isn't enough to study how to dance. You also have to push yourself.</span>
* <em>凭</em> 老 李 在 这 一 行 做 了 二 十 年，他 就 有 资格 做 你 的 师傅。<span class="trans">On the basis of Old Li's twenty years of experience, he is qualified to be your teacher.</span>
* <em>凭</em> 我 学 中文 的 时间 比 你 短 但是 说 得 比 你 好，我 就 可以 说 我 比 你 聪明。<span class="trans">From the fact that I have studied Chinese for a shorter time, but speak better than you, I can say that I'm more intelligent than you are.</span>
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=== 凭 with 什么 ===

This is one of the most common grammatical phrases, heard many times. It often has a feeling of dissatisfaction or anger, perhaps said while  people are arguing. It is like saying "On what basis do you ...!?!?" Usually it is paired with blame, scold, hit etc.

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 凭什么 + Verb Phrase

</div>

====Examples====

<div class="liju"> 
* 你 <em>凭什么</em> 怪 我！<span class="trans">On what grounds are you blaming me?</span>
* 我 没有 做 错，他 <em>凭什么</em>  骂 我？<span class="trans">I haven't done anything wrong. How can you scold me?</span>
* 她 一直 很忠诚， 你 <em>凭什么</em> 怀疑 她？ <span class="trans">She's always been honest, how can you mistrust her?</span>

</div>

==Structure with 凭着==

You can also add 着 to 凭 to make it 凭着, however when you do so you can only use it if the action has already been completed. If the actions happens frequently or has not happened yet, you cannot use 凭着. The structure is the same as using 凭 by itself. 

<div class="jiegou">
凭着 + Noun / Noun Phrase

</div>

===Examples===

<div class="liju"> 
* 小白 <em>凭着</em> 自己 的 努力 致富。<span class="trans">Off of his own hard work, Little Bai was able to become rich.</span>
* 他 <em>凭着</em> 智慧 战胜 了 很多 的 困难。<span class="trans">Using his intellect, he was able to overcome many challenges.</span>

</div>

==See also==
*[[Limiting Scope with "jiu"]]
*[["Along with…" Using "suizhe"]]

== Sources and further reading ==

=== Books ===

* [[Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)]] (p. 227-228) [http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B004WA6JSQ/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B004WA6JSQ →buy] 


[[Category: B2 grammar points]]
{{Basic Grammar|凭|B2|凭⋯⋯|他 <em>凭</em> 自己 的 努力 成功 。|grammar point|ASGGB3IV}}
{{Rel char|凭}}
{{Used for|Adding more explanation}}
{{Similar|Limiting Scope with "jiu"}}
{{Similar|"Along with…" Using "suizhe"}}
{{Similar|Idiomatic phrases with "zai"}}
{{POS|Prepositions}}