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ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
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<p>The word 给 (gěi) literally means "to give," but is frequently
used in Chinese to indicate the <em>target</em> of a verb. The
target is who or what the verb is aimed or directed at.</p>
<h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>
<div class="jiegou">
<p>Subj. + 给 + Target + Verb + Obj.</p>
</div>
<h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>
<div class="liju">
<ul>
<li>我 <em>给</em> 他 打 电话 了。<span class="expl">Literally, "I give him
hit phone."</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>gěi</em> tā dǎ
diànhuà le.</span><span class="trans">I gave him a phone
call.</span></li>
<li>请 <em>给</em> 我 回 电话。<span class="pinyin">Qǐng <em>gěi</em> wǒ
huí diànhuà.</span><span class="trans">Please return my phone
call.</span></li>
<li>我 <em>给</em> 你 发 了 一 封 邮件。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>gěi</em>
nǐ fā le yī fēng yóujiàn.</span><span class="trans">I sent you a
letter.</span></li>
<li>我 要 <em>给</em> 你 看 我们 的 新 产品。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ yào
<em>gěi</em> nǐ kàn wǒmen de xīn chǎnpǐn.</span><span class=
"trans">I want you to take a look at our new product.</span></li>
<li><em>给</em> 女朋友 买 什么 礼物 呢？<span class="pinyin"><em>Gěi</em>
nǚpéngyou mǎi shénme lǐwù ne?</span><span class="trans">What gift
should I buy for my girlfriend?</span></li>
<li><em>给</em> 我 说 说 这 件 事情。<span class="pinyin"><em>Gěi</em> wǒ
shuō shuō zhè jiàn shìqing.</span><span class="trans">Talk about
this matter with me.</span></li>
<li>小 时候，妈妈 每天 都 <em>给</em> 我 讲 故事。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎo
shíhou, māma měitiān dōu <em>gěi</em> wǒ jiǎng
gùshi.</span><span class="trans">When I was young, every day my
mother would tell me stories.</span></li>
<li>你 应该 <em>给</em> 他 道歉。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ yīnggāi
<em>gěi</em> tā dàoqiàn.</span><span class="trans">You should
apologize to him.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Chinese speakers use 给 (gěi) in some interesting ways, similar
to how English speakers use "to give," as in "to give someone a
phone call" or "to give someone a reply."</p>
<h2 id="alternative-structure">Alternative Structure</h2>
<p>Although the structure above is the best one to learn first,
some verbs frequently use 给, but have the 给 coming after the verb,
rather than before. It's best to think of these as exceptions to
the rule above, and you can learn more about these exceptions by
reading about <a href="&quot;Gei&quot;_following_verbs" title=
"wikilink">"gei" following verbs</a>.</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="&quot;Gei&quot;_following_verbs" title=
"wikilink">"Gei" following verbs</a></li>
<li><a href="Expressing_&quot;with&quot;_with_&quot;gen&quot;"
title="wikilink">Expressing "with" with "gen"</a></li>
<li><a href="Using_&quot;dui&quot;" title="wikilink">Using
"dui"</a></li>
<li><a href=
"Complements_with_&quot;dao,&quot;_&quot;gei&quot;_and_&quot;zai&quot;"
title="wikilink">Complements with "dao," "gei" and "zai"</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and Further
Reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition" title=
"wikilink">Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition</a> (pp.
170) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0415372615">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed)" title=
"wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed)</a> (pp.
154) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0887276385">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC1)"
title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)</a> (pp.
143) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=7561910401">
→buy</a></li>
<li><a href=
"New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%9E%E7%94%A8%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%BE%E6%9C%AC1)(2nd_ed)"
title="wikilink">New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd
ed)</a> (pp. 165) <a href=
"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=allset-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399373&amp;creativeASIN=7561926235">
→buy</a></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
<ul>
<li>Chinesegrammar.info: <a href=
"http://chinesegrammar.info/structure/gei3-directly-after-verb/">When
给 (gěi) comes directly after verbs in Mandarin Chinese (verb-给
compounds)</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="Category:B1_grammar_points" title=
"wikilink">Category:B1 grammar points</a></p>
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