Causative Pivotal Sentences with 叫, 令, 使, and 让 in Chinese
致使兼语句：叫、令、使、让
In a causative pivotal sentence, 叫, 令, 使, or 让 introduces a participant who is both the object of the causative verb and the subject of the following predicate. The construction can encode commands, permission, or a caused state. Lexical choice and context determine formality, control, and passive ambiguity.
Published August 7, 2026
Reviewed August 7, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Causer + 叫/令/使/让 + Pivot + Predicate
Read the structure
In a causative pivotal sentence, 叫, 令, 使, or 让 introduces a participant who is both the object of the causative verb and the subject of the following predicate. The construction can encode commands, permission, or a caused state. Lexical choice and context determine formality, control, and passive ambiguity. Keep the model Causer + 叫/令/使/让 + Pivot + Predicate visible while you compare each sentence.
妈妈让我写作业。
Mother made or let me do my homework.
Choose the right context
Present a person as being directed or allowed to act. State that an event causes someone to enter a condition. Use the middle participant as object of causation and subject of the result.
这个消息使大家很高兴。
This news made everyone happy.
Respect the boundary
Do not move the pivot after its following predicate. Do not omit the caused predicate after the pivot. Do not assume 叫 and 让 are causative in every passive context.
妈妈让写作业我。
(Mother made do homework me.)
Repair the pattern
The pivot follows its own predicate: The pivot 我 must follow 让 and precede the action 写作业 for which it is the subject. The caused state precedes the pivot: The caused participant 大家 comes before the state that is predicated of it.
妈妈让我写作业。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
妈妈让我写作业。
Mother made or let me do my homework.
妈妈
Causer
This part occupies the Causer position in the model pattern.
让
叫/令/使/让
This part occupies the 叫/令/使/让 position in the model pattern.
我
Pivot
This part occupies the Pivot position in the model pattern.
写作
Predicate
This part occupies the Predicate position in the model pattern.
业
Causer
This part occupies the Causer position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
妈妈让我写作业。
Mother made or let me do my homework.
这个消息使大家很高兴。
This news made everyone happy.
老师叫他回答问题。
The teacher told him to answer the question.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Present a person as being directed or allowed to act.
- State that an event causes someone to enter a condition.
- Use the middle participant as object of causation and subject of the result.
Do not use it when
- Do not move the pivot after its following predicate.
- Do not omit the caused predicate after the pivot.
- Do not assume 叫 and 让 are causative in every passive context.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
妈妈让写作业我。
妈妈让我写作业。
The pivot follows its own predicate
The pivot 我 must follow 让 and precede the action 写作业 for which it is the subject.
这个消息使很高兴大家。
这个消息使大家很高兴。
The caused state precedes the pivot
The caused participant 大家 comes before the state that is predicated of it.
妈妈让写作业我。
The pivot 我 must follow 让 and precede the action 写作业 for which it is the subject.
这个消息使很高兴大家。
The caused participant 大家 comes before the state that is predicated of it.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 致使兼语句：叫、令、使、让.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 致使兼语句：叫、令、使、让. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Causative Pivotal Sentences with 叫, 令, 使, and 让 Questions
What is the pivot in 妈妈让我写作业?
我 is the object of 让 and simultaneously the understood subject of 写作业, which is why it is called a pivot.
Are 叫, 令, 使, and 让 interchangeable?
No. Their register and causative force differ: 令 and 使 are often more formal, while 让 and 叫 are common in speech and can also have passive readings.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 5 item 【五42】, PDF p. 229 (printed p. 223)
Places causative pivotal sentences with 叫、令、使、让 at Level 5 and supplies action and state examples.
Official source现代汉语语法课程讲义
包头师范学院 · 包头师范学院 · 2024
Locator: Pivotal sentences, slide 49
Defines the middle pivotal phrase and lists causative verbs including 使、叫、让, with the example 妈妈叫我写作业.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Continue learning
兼语句Pivotal Sentences
Connect the middle participant's object-subject dual role with causative pivot sentences.
Easy to confuse
让/叫让 / 叫: Make Someone Do
The broader causative inventory adds formal 使令 and separates causation from passive readings.
Compare
把字句表致使Causative 把 Sentences
A causative pivot foregrounds the caused participant, while causative 把 foregrounds an affected object.
Compare
兼语句表评价与称谓Pivotal Sentences for Evaluation and Naming
Evaluation and naming share pivot syntax but do not encode caused action or state.
RECOMMENDED NEXT
Continue learning
Connect the middle participant's object-subject dual role with causative pivot sentences.